Online Doctorate in Education
Online Doctorate in Education: Typical Program Structure
You’ve heard about distance learning, of course, and online education. Maybe you’ve even heard that you can study for your doctorate online, too. It’s true. And one doctorate many people are pursuing is their online doctorate in education. What’s a typical EdD program like online?
Well, it’s different from school to school, of course. And it often depends on what your concentration is–Special Education, Teaching and Learning, etc.
But here we’ll give you an example of one typical way in which your online doctorate in education may be organized. The example is taken from a real online postgraduate program.
Coursework
You’ll have a core group of classes for coursework, which will focus on leadership and on preparing you for the in depth research that the latter half of your program will consist of. These classes could include things like “Theories of Leadership in Education,” “Theories and Research in Educational Philosophy,” “Principles and Ethics in Educational Leadership,” “Seminar in Educational Psychology Research Techniques,” and so forth. These classes will give you the tools you need to conduct your research appropriately at a post graduate level.
Your online doctorate in education coursework will also include more technical research oriented courses, like “Advanced Educational Statistics”, “Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research,” and courses which will help you master the level of writing you’ll need for your dissertation, like “Professional Writing for Publication.”
Dissertation
In addition to your coursework, you’ll have to prepare a dissertation which represents the addition of valuable knowledge to your field. This may be in the form of new research, or it may expand on research that’s already been conducted in the field in a new way.
Writing your dissertation will be the final stage in your online doctorate of education program. Once you have successfully defended your dissertation, you’ll receive your PhD.