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Educational Leadership–Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Online

America’s educational system is in dire need of leaders with the grit and skills to address challenges at every level, from preschool to the national policy arena. Whether it’s rural access, achievement gaps or deploying technology in ways that empower students rather than distract them, opportunities abound for far-sighted change agents to take American education into a more inclusive and effective future.

About Educational Leadership

Offered entirely online, UW’s educational leadership Ed.D. program will prepare you for top-level leadership positions in K-12 educational settings as assistant superintendents and superintendents.

Unlike the Ph.D. in Educational Leadership where the focus is on research, the Ed.D. program emphasizes applied research. UW offers a superintendency internship and dissertation through which you will acquire the skills to deploy best practices and the latest scholarship in your organization.

Quick Facts

Degree Type: Doctor of Education

Major: Education

Concentration: Educational Leadership

Tuition & Fees: Please visit our cost of attendance page

Contact Program Coordinator

Additional Educational Leadership Programs

Admission Info    Curriculum Info

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that school administrators in Wyoming earn an annual mean salary of $96,970

Educational Leadership Ed.D. Degree Program Highlights

UW’s online educational leadership Ed.D. program empowers you with the knowledge and skills to take your career in new directions while also making a difference as an educational leader.

Here are some of the characteristics that distinguish the UW Ed.D. Educational Leadership program:

Online. Maintain your current job and family responsibilities through the convenience of online learning. By offering a doctoral-level educational leadership entirely online, we make it possible for you to complete the degree on your terms and on your schedule. Classes are offered in synchronous and asynchronous formats, plus you can choose the sequence and number of courses you take each semester. You can even apply 30 credit hours of a related master’s degree program toward your Ed.D. degree.

Faculty practitioner-scholars. Learn from faculty who have held various roles in P-12 and post-secondary settings and are also active scholars. UW educational leadership faculty study areas such as change implementation, instructional leadership, systemic change in principal and superintendent preparation programs, teacher and principal evaluations and other topics. Learn more.

Internship. Complete a 220-hour superintendent internship. Designed to provide hands-on experiences in two school districts, the internship provides opportunities for you to work on various projects while also consulting with district mentors and your UW supervisor.

Dissertation. Develop a dissertation based on your educational interests and career goals. Recent dissertation titles include:

  • “Principal Leadership During Restructuring”
  • “Are Building Principals Prepared and Equipped to Supervise Special Education Teachers?”
  • “Principal Leadership Coaching: An Examination of Principal-Coach Interactions”
  • “Perceptions of the Value of Participative Decision Making from a Nebraska School District”
  • “Wyoming Principals’ Perceptions of Their Skill Sets and Preparation During Novice Years”

Special Education Director Endoresement. You can gain the Special Education Director endorsement from the Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board (PTSB) if you have earned a masters from UW in either educational leadership or special education AND at least a graduate certificate from UW in either educational leadership or special education.

Minor. Incorporate a graduate minor in qualitative or quantitative methodologies into your Ph.D. program.

Assistantships. Investigate graduate assistantships. The College of Education offers assistantships to full-time graduate students studying on the Laramie, Wyoming campus. UW assistantships provide stipends along with faculty research and college-level teaching opportunities.

Travel grants. Look into funding support to cover some of the travel expenses involved with attending or presenting at professional conferences.

Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED). Choose a program dedicated to excellence. The College of Education is one of a select group of institutions that is a member of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED). This means we apply the CPED quality framework to help prepare you to become a strong, scholarly practitioner who is equipped to address the challenges of 21st-century education.

Accredited. Study in an accredited program. The College of Education is nationally accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The educational leadership program meets standards established by the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP).

Scholarships. Apply for financial support. UW offers graduate scholarships such as:

  • Dr. L. Dean Sorenson Memorial Scholarship
  • Ivan Willey Scholarship
  • Maurice Wear Scholarship
  • Russell I. Hammond Scholarship
  • William G. Berube Scholarship

What Can You Do with an Educational Leadership Ed.D. Degree?

The UW Ed.D. in Educational Leadership prepares you to take your place as a K-12 or higher education leader with a vision to balance inequities in our system and prepare thoughtful citizens of the world.

Educational Leadership Careers
UW educational leadership Ed.D. alumni can work in the following positions:

  • Special Services Director
  • Elementary School Principal
  • Chief Program Officer
  • Superintendent
  • Director of Accountability
  • Associate Professor
  • Consultant

Amazing stories from Educational Leadership Graduate Students

“The UW Educational Leadership program provided me with a solid foundation of methodology and practice in educational leadership. The program is designed for working professionals. It leverages our everyday experiences to build leadership capacity. As a Wyoming school superintendent, I continue to value the relationships and support provided by the UW College of Education.”

– Rick Woodford, Ed.D. ’12

Examples of Educational Leadership Ed.D. Degree Program Courses

These are just some of the classes you might take as an educational leadership Ed.D. student at the University of Wyoming:

  • Advanced Organizational Leader
  • Educational Leader as Manager and Developer of Human Resources
  • Educational Leader as Change Agent
  • Advanced School Law
  • Educational Research

View the full Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership degree program curriculum.

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