Executive EdD in Education: Leadership and Teaching & Learning (Online & Accelerated)

Advance Your Career in Teaching at the College Level, School Administration, Research, or Policy Analysis 

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:

• Small class sizes organized within a cohort model, so you can expand your professional network and create meaningful relationships with colleagues
• An accelerated course schedule, which focuses on one course at a time in seven-week blocks, except for residencies
• Convenient online coursework combined with field experience, a weekend on-campus residency, a week-long on-campus residency, and a week-long international study experience
• Rigorous coursework applicable to public education, private education, higher education, government, and business leadership and instruction
• Instruction and mentorship from field-experienced faculty members who are passionate about helping shape a new generation of education leaders
• Dissertation support from day one of your program, to ensure you can complete your degree and take your place as a transformational change agent in education

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:

• Leadership in PreK-12 Schools and School Districts (superintendent letter of eligibility content courses are included)
• Leadership in Higher Education
• Leadership in Special Education (special education supervisory certification content courses are included)
• Teaching & Learning in Higher Education
   

The GMercyU Difference

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:  

• U.S. and international schools
• School districts
• Colleges and universities
• Educational policy organizations
• Government and nonprofit organizations that support education

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.
 

Rigorous, Accelerated Doctoral Education

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.
 

What You Will Learn 

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:

• Provide leadership in teaching and learning at the K-12 and college levels
• Articulate an educational organization’s mission, goals, and guiding principles that distinguish the organization from others
• Understand the foundational base of organizational theory and demonstrate the ability to bridge theory and practice
• Given scenarios of conflict, choose ethical courses of action consistent with Gospel values
• Synthesize and analyze data to reveal relations and causality and convert raw data into actionable information
• View problems and challenges through the lens of a scientist, seeking evidence-based conclusions
• Practice and model steward leadership in transforming organizations to better serve all constituents
• Demonstrate facility in the application of technology to solve problems, analyze and synthesize data, and manage information
   

Personal Doctoral Completion Support from Day One

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.
 

Earn Your Superintendent Letter of Eligibility

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.
 

Earn Your Special Education Supervisor Certification

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.
 

Admission Requirements 

To qualify for admission to our EdD in Educational Leadership or Teaching & Learning in Higher Education, you must provide:

• A master’s degree in a field related to your preferred area of concentration from an institution accredited by the Middle States Association, or comparable accreditation, with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
• Official graduate transcripts
• A Graduate Record Examination score of 155 or higher or a Miller Analogy Test score of 385 or higher (waived if you had a graduate GPA of 3.5 or greater)
• A professional resume showing a minimum of three years’ relevant experience
• Three letters of reference from persons in leadership roles in your chosen area of concentration attesting that you have the ability to engage in studies at the doctoral level and to conduct research
• A personal interview with a member of the graduate faculty representing the applicant’s preferred area of concentration (in person or via electronic means, if the distance is a factor)
• A written statement of your professional goals and topic of research interest
• A 750-1000 word sample of your writing abilities
• Official results showing a minimum score of 550 (written), 213 (computer), or 79 (internet) on the TOEFL examination if your first language is not English

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. 

Curriculum

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.  

Lead in 21st Century Education

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! 

Learn More About EdD Degrees