Develop Your Educational Specialization
As part of earning the Doctor of Education (EdD) degree, you will select a major.
Your major is an area of specialization that allows you to personalize your education and become a subject expert in a critical educational area. The courses completed within your major are complementary to the shared curriculum that you will complete with the classmates in your cohort.
Major Options
- Education Leadership
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The EdD in education leadership is suited for principals and school administrators who desire to become superintendents while earning their doctoral degree. You can earn your doctorate while also completing the requirements for your Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility through the Executive Cohort for Educational Leaders (ExCEL) program. ExCEL’s purpose is to prepare leaders who champion publicly supported schools and who are committed advocates for children and youths.
- Education Policy and Social Change
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The goal of the Education Policy and Social Change major is to prepare students to make a lasting impact in senior leadership roles related to policy analysis and transformation. The program focuses on the development of knowledge and skills in social change in local and global contexts, education and international development, community engagement in education, and the role of education and society. Our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills to create, assess, and implement the policies and guidelines that shape and drive educational practices in local, national, and global environments.
- Health and Physical Activity
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The Department of Health and Physical Activity is addressing a growing need for professionals with training in health, fitness, physical activity programming, clinical application, and research. The EdD major in health and physical activity provides students with an evidence-based education that results in expertise in their chosen field of study. Graduates of this program are prepared to design, implement, and lead health, physical activity, and fitness programs as well as corporate, commercial, hospital, community, and university wellness programs.
- Higher Education
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In the higher education major, students examine measures that reflect institutional effectiveness, data-based planning, and decision making in higher education environments that demand accountability and transparency. The skills and proficiencies developed are required to succeed at institutions of higher learning. Graduates of our program have worked as directors of institutional development, admissions, and residence life; deans of student affairs; registrars; and college presidents and vice presidents.
- Out-of-School Learning
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Our out-of-school learning major is intended for experienced informal learning and out-of-school time professionals who seek advanced training for leadership, consultant, or policymaker positions. Graduates work in museums, after-school learning programs, media, digital design, university outreach/extension, youth development, and other areas where designed learning environments exist.
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
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The STEM major is intended for teachers and educators who desire the skills and credentials needed to advance their practice-oriented careers. It offers a rigorous theoretical and practical orientation for scholar-practitioners aspiring to become leaders in K–12 schools and institutions of higher learning in positions such as district curriculum supervisor, faculty member at a teaching-focused university, or district leader in the STEM fields.
- Special Education
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The goal of the special education major is to prepare leadership personnel to serve in public or private pre-K–12 schools or educational environments and services. The focus of preparation is on the development of knowledge and skills in leadership, collaboration, management, administration, supervision, pre-service and in-service education, program evaluation, community relations, and recruiting. Students may focus their studies in applied behavioral analysis, autism, blindness/ vision impairments/orientation and mobility, early intervention, emotional and behavioral disorders, or learning disabilities.
- Urban Education
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The Urban Education major is intended for experienced education professionals who seek advanced training for leadership positions, which might include curricular leadership roles, school district leadership, out-of-school learning organizations, university outreach/extension, and other areas where learning occurs within or strongly connected to the urban context.