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The second cohort of AU School of Education's Educational Doctor of Education in Education Policy and Leadership
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Some of the Ed.D. Cohort 1 graduates pose before commencement in May 2022.

Prepare to advance your career and join a network of American University faculty, students, and alumni who are transforming education in the United States.

American University’s School of Education believes education shouldn’t just focus on what students learn—it should provide students with an opportunity to reach their full potential and be a force for positive social change. Education should give students hope. Antiquated policies and structures have made hope hard to find in modern education, and the United States needs a new approach to education leadership and policy to bring hope and action to its schools.

The Online Doctorate in Education Policy and Leadership (EdD) is a response to this need, empowering leaders in education who have the practical experience and theoretical knowledge to effect widespread, progressive change in education. Whether they pursue opportunities in educational instruction, organizational leadership, or policymaking, EdD graduates will be better prepared to change education, for every student.

The Cohort Experience

Peer learning and a sustained learning network are essential hallmarks of the Online EdD program. As a result, students will progress through the program as part of a cohort, taking the same courses, and accomplishing program milestones together. We intentionally build a diverse cohort of students to contribute to the dynamic learning environment in the program. Learning will occur through robust dialogue, shared learning experiences, and presenting current professional work and doctoral research.

Frequently Asked Questions

Typically the program can be completed in less than three years.

This program is designed for working PK-12 leaders who want to connect policy to practice and gain the practical knowledge and skills to transform their organizations and education systems.

Graduates of the Online EdD program will be equipped with the skills every education leader needs to be effective, including strategic budgeting, collaborative inquiry, talent management, partnership building, learning science, and program evaluation. We strive to hone students’ knowledge and develop their skills and beliefs in the following four domains:

  1. Systems Change

  2. Personal Leadership

  3. Social Justice and Antiracism

  4. Policy and Research

These domains serve as the backbone of our program and live out in each course, module, and residency experience that our students engage in. After completing their coursework and their Problem of Practice dissertation, students will have the policy, leadership, and research skills necessary to serve in senior positions in school district central offices, independent schools, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and more.

Full-time work while taking the program is normal. Students will participate in a residency enabling them to interface with peers and faculty, so they need to visit Washington, DC for three (3) required residencies in terms 1, 4, and 6 from Thursdays through Sundays, encapsulated in the EDU-798 course.

Applications are due each December for placement in the cohort the following fall.

Yes!

The Online EdD program at American University is proudly part of The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED). The vision of the CPED is to inspire all schools of education to apply the CPED framework to the preparation of educational leaders to become well-equipped scholarly practitioners who provide stewardship of the profession and meet the educational challenges of the 21st century.

Have questions? Send us an email at soeadmissions@american.edu or call us at (202) 885-3720.