Prepare for leadership at all levels of education with Gwynedd Mercy University’s innovative Online Accelerated Executive Doctorate in Education. Created and overseen by award-winning Program Director Raymond Bandlow, PhD, this 54-credit program can be completed in less than three years and offers you a motivational learning community in which to develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to lead and transform educational institutions.
Across all aspects of the program, GMercyU’s Ed.D. degree emphasizes the importance of transformational leadership to change and improve systems within mainstream education, special education, and education-facing organizations including government departments, consultancies, and private companies.
Because our doctoral program is designed for working professional educators, we have designed it to focus on convenience and flexibility as well as relevance and academic rigor. It features:
If you are a school administrator, teacher, higher education faculty or staff, or other professional actively engaged in education and want to build skills for executive-level leadership, our Ed.D. program may be the best choice for you.
Choose from one of four areas of interest:
GMercyU's Doctorate in Educational Leadership program is a leader in EdD programs with a graduation rate of 64% vs. 5% national average over a three-year period.
The Online Accelerated Executive EdD program challenges you to make new discoveries in your field of interest while honing your professional instructional and leadership skills as you prepare to lead in:
The rigorous course of studies in our accelerated doctoral programs will prepare you with the global outlook, research skills, policy analysis capabilities, and practical executive leadership abilities you need to lead and transform educational institutions to meet the needs of all learners.
The Online Accelerated Executive EdD program challenges you to make new discoveries in your field of interest while honing your professional leadership skills.
Most of your coursework for the accelerated Executive Doctorate in Education takes place online, with classes presented one at a time in seven-week blocks. You will also perform field research, take on practicum experiences, and attend three residencies: two on our Gwynedd Valley campus and one international experience. The international residency travel, lodging, and conference costs are included in your tuition costs, as well as your required textbooks.
From day one, you’ll have the support of a faculty advisor who will help you prepare your dissertation. The result is a program that can help you be part of the next generation of education leaders.
The online Accelerated Executive EdD program challenges you to make new discoveries in your field of interest while honing your professional leadership skills. As a GMercyU doctorate in education graduate, you will be able to:
GMercyU faculty members understand the challenges of doctoral education — they’ve all experienced it. That’s why they’ve helped us develop a doctorate of education program that offers superior support to doctoral students like you.
You’ll join a small cohort of classmates and be matched with a faculty advisor early in your program. You’ll take supervised dissertation preparation courses early in the program, ensuring your research and writing are on track for timely completion. And you’ll be challenged, day in and day out, to pursue research that makes a tangible difference in the lives of students.
Methodological support is available for doctoral students and their advisors to support the dissertation process. Areas in which support is provided include refining research questions, operationalizing variables, general study design, development of instrumentation methods (e.g., interview questions), the IRB application process, data analysis, and writing of results. The methodologist can support students by providing resources for better understanding a process or topic, or by reviewing individual work. Depending on the particular needs and project, students and advisors can work virtually or in-person with the methodologist. See contact information for access to the methodology support.
After you complete your online EdD program, you can connect to our extensive national and world-wide network of alumni. The colleagues, contacts, and friends you meet will inspire you.
If you are an administrator or principal with at least three years’ experience, you have the option of earning your Superintendent Letter of Eligibility as part of the online EdD programs. Your Letter of Eligibility can open the door to superintendent positions in Pennsylvania.
*Certification: This program was designed to meet the certification requirements of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If you reside in a different state, you should carefully review your home state’s certification requirements prior to enrolling in this program.
Special education professionals, you have the option of earning your Special Education Supervisor Certification as part of the online EdD programs. This option can equip you to provide special education leadership within a wide variety of public and private settings.
*Certification: This program was designed to meet the certification requirements of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If you reside in a different state, you should carefully review your home state’s certification requirements prior to enrolling in this program.
To qualify for admission to our EdD in Educational Leadership or Teaching & Learning in Higher Education, you must provide:
Personal interviews are provided for all applicants. The interview permits both the student and the faculty to ensure that the program is a good fit for the student’s needs and aspirations. After enrollment, you will also need to obtain a Child Abuse Clearance, Criminal Background Check, and Federal Criminal History.
Too often, the story heard from doctoral candidates is one of feeling isolated and unsupported as the graduate coursework finalizes and the dissertation process ensues. To those enrolled in the Educational Leadership program at Gwynedd Mercy University this is a foreign concept. From the moment an individual elects to embark on the doctoral journey, Gwynedd stands by their side to ensure success.
Selecting a dissertation topic and designing a quality research study is scary! This will be the focus of your work for months. I remember the pressure of choosing the “right” topic and getting the design “correct” to avoid complications in the future. Each email, phone call, and conversation with various professors in the program brought guided support and assurances to allow me the opportunity to expand myself as a student and a first-time researcher. I became dedicated to my study and because of my own passion for my work, the professors were just as invested in my efforts. While writing my dissertation, I had access to not only professors in the program but also library and writing specialists to help me acquire relevant literature and review my work (multiple times) providing construction feedback to strengthen the writing. Writing a dissertation requires time, energy, and commitment. These are characteristics both students and program leaders need to display.
My time in the doctoral program at Gwynedd Mercy University afforded me the opportunity to cement myself as a practitioner and researcher. It is in part because of the university’s dedication to each individual student’s success that I have succeeded in my doctoral program and dissertation research.
— Dawn Durham, winner of the Outstanding Dissertation Award by the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators (PAC-TE)
The online Accelerated Executive EdD program requires completion of at least 54 credits of coursework. The exact courses you take depend upon your chosen area of interest. No matter which area you choose, you’ll have the support of a faculty advisor as you progress through your coursework and develop your dissertation.
Online with Three Residencies
Required Courses
EDU 801 | Educational Policy in Research and Practice in the U.S.* |
EDU 811 | Dissertation Advisement I |
EDU 802 | Organizational Research and Theory Development |
EDU 803 | Foundations of Educational Research |
EDU 804 | Cross-Cultural Perspectives and Educational Leadership |
EDU 805 | The Ethics of Educational Leadership and Policy |
EDU 806 | Equity, Equality and Equal Opportunity |
EDU 807 | Quantitative Educational Research Methods |
EDU 812 | Dissertation Advisement II |
EDU 808 | Qualitative Educational Research Methods |
EDU 821 | The Superintendency* |
EDU 809 | Global Educational Policy and Practice |
EDU 822 | School Boards and School District Governance* |
EDU 842 | School Law and Policy in Special Education |
EDU 813 | Dissertation Advisement III |
EDU 824 | Transformational Leadership, Supervision, and School Turn-Around* |
EDU 825 | Labor Relations and Fiscal Management |
EDU 814 | Dissertation Advisement IV |
EDU 828 | Practicum I (PA Superintendent Letter of Eligibility candidates only*) |
EDU 829 | Practicum II (PA Superintendent Letter of Eligibility candidates only*) |
*Indicates courses required for a Superintendent Letter of Eligibility. The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires 360 hours of district office practicum.
You may also need to take the following prerequisites to qualify for the Superintendent Letter of Eligibility:
EDU 571 | The Principalship |
EDU 574 | School Law and Policy Issues |
EDU 576 | Human Resources and Staff Development |
Online
Required Courses
EDU 801 | Educational Policy in Research and Practice in the U.S. |
EDU 811 | Dissertation Advisement I |
EDU 802 | Organizational Research and Theory Development |
EDU 803 | Foundations of Educational Research |
EDU 804 | Cross-Cultural Perspectives and Educational Leadership |
EDU 805 | The Ethics of Educational Leadership and Policy |
EDU 806 | Equity, Equality and Equal Opportunity |
EDU 807 | Quantitative Educational Research Methods |
EDU 812 | Dissertation Advisement II |
EDU 808 | Qualitative Educational Research Methods |
EDU 841 | Designing Interventions and Assessing Outcomes |
EDU 809 | Global Educational Policy and Practice |
EDU 842 | School Law and Policy in Special Education* |
EDU 843 | Foundations of Special Education Administration* |
EDU 813 | Dissertation Advisement III |
EDU 844 | Neuroscience of Learning |
EDU 845 | Supervision / Administration of Special Education * |
EDU 814 | Dissertation Advisement IV |
EDU 848 | Practicum I (PA Supervisor of Special Education certification only)* |
EDU 849 | Practicum II (PA Supervisor of Special Education certification only)* |
*Indicates courses required for Certification as Supervisor of Special Education. The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires 360 hours of central office practicum experience.
Online with Three Residencies
Required Courses
EDU 801 | Educational Policy in Research and Practice in the U.S. |
EDU 811 | Dissertation Advisement I |
EDU 802 | Organizational Research and Theory Development |
EDU 803 | Foundations of Educational Research Methods |
EDU 804 | Cross-Cultural Perspectives and Educational Leadership |
EDU 805 | The Ethics of Educational Leadership and Policy |
EDU 806 | Equity, Equality and Equal Opportunity |
EDU 807 | Quantitative Educational Research Methods |
EDU 812 | Dissertation Advisement II |
EDU 808 | Qualitative Educational Research Methods |
EDU 831 | Leadership and Administration of Higher Education |
EDU 809 | Global Educational Policy and Practice |
EDU 832 | Legal Issues in Higher Education |
EDU 833 | Finance and Fiscal Policy in Higher Education |
EDU 813 | Dissertation Advisement III |
EDU 834 | Enrollment Management in Higher Education |
EDU 835 | Future-Focused Trends and Innovations for Educating Diverse Learners |
EDU 814 | Dissertation Advisement IV |
Online with Three Residencies
Required Courses
EDU 860 | Foundations of Teaching and Learning (with weekend residency) |
EDU 811 | Dissertation Advisement I |
EDU 861 | College Student Development Theory |
EDU 803 | Foundations of Educational Research Method |
EDU 807 | Quantitative Educational Research Methods |
EDU 808 | Qualitative Educational Research Methods |
EDU 862 | Critical Perspectives for Underserved Student Populations (with week residency) |
EDU 812 | Dissertation Advisement II |
EDU 863 | Learning Models and Instructional Design |
EDU 804 | Cross-Cultural Perspectives |
EDU 806 | Equity, Equality, and Equal Opportunity |
EDU 809 | Global Education Policy (with week residency) |
EDU 864 | Curriculum Development and Academic Program Design |
EDU 813 | Dissertation Advisement III |
EDU 865 | Teaching Adults and Adult Learning Theory |
EDU 866 | Innovative Practices for Online Instruction & E-Learning Technology |
EDU 814 | Dissertation Advisement IV |
EDU 867 | Crisis in the Classroom |
To review course descriptions, please refer to the graduate catalog.
Learn more about how you can prepare for roles of influence in policy, administration, and school leadership with our innovative online executive doctorate (EdD) program. Call 844-707-9064 or send an e-mail to accelerate@gmercyu.edu to contact an admissions counselor. You also can begin your application online now!
An Ed.D. degree is a doctoral-level degree focused on professional education leadership and practice. It differs from a Ph.D. in Education, which primarily focuses on developing researchers. Designed for experienced administrators and teachers who want to achieve the highest level of instruction and leadership in the profession, Ed.D. degrees provide a combination of advanced theory and skills development in:
GMercyU's Accelerated Executive EdD program prepares you for the highest levels of education leadership. The exact nature of the roles you pursue will vary depending on your area of interest and previous experience.
Job titles may include, but are not limited to:
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 14,500 openings for post-secondary education administrators are projected each year, on average, through 2030.
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