Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Ed.D. in Educational Leadership

Prepare for senior-level leadership positions in K-12 education, including the superintendency. Effective school leaders need the skills and theoretical framework to critically analyze issues of importance to educators in the 21st century. In this challenging program, you'll develop the skills to make data-driven decisions about issues at the school, district, state, and national level.

The 60-hour Ed.D. in Educational Leadership is the right choice if you prefer project-based research to the more theoretical orientation of the Ph.D. program. The rigorous curriculum demands a significant period of sustained study with full access to the intellectual resources of Indiana University. The program was designed with working professionals in mind. It is delivered in a blended learning environment and structured to offer you accessibility to colleagues in the program regardless of their geographic location.

Classes meet one weekend per month in Bloomington during the fall, spring and summer semesters. Instruction continues online between the weekend classes. In June of each year, you and your colleagues will participate in an intensive four-day seminar held on the Bloomington campus. The seminar provides a unique opportunity to engage in project-based research with your peers and faculty.

Degree Requirements

Major Requirements (27 cr.)

  • A600 Problems in Educational Leadership (3 cr.)
  • A615 Advanced School of Law (3 cr.)
  • A631 Microeconomic Applications to Education (3 cr.)
  • A638 Public School Personnel Management (3 cr.)
  • A640 Planning Educational Facilities (3 cr.)
  • A653 The Organizational Context of Education (3 cr.)
  • A671 Planning and Change in Educational Organizations (3 cr.)
  • A672 Moral Dimensions of Leadership (3 cr.)
  • A754 Seminar in Research in Educational Leadership (3 cr.)

*Please note A675 and A720 can be substituted for any of the courses above with advisor approval.

Inquiry Requirement (9 cr.)

  • Y502 Intermediate Statistics Applied to Education (3 cr.)
  • Y611 Qualitative Inquiry in Education (3 cr.)

Select one course from the following:

  • Y520 Strategies for Educational Inquiry (3 cr.)
  • Y535 Evaluation Models and Techniques (3 cr.)
  • Y635 Methodology of Educational Evaluation (3 cr.)

Minor Requirement (9 cr.)

The minor must have integrity in its own right and must complement the major. The minor field must demonstrate wholeness within itself and contribute to the student's overall doctoral program. Minors are normally formulated within a single program area. However, an interdisciplinary or individualized minor is also possible. Interdisciplinary or individualized minors require a written description of the minor's underlying theme along with a rationale for each course's contribution to that theme through the Minor Justification form. This form should be submitted and approved by the Graduate Studies Office prior to enrolling in the minor courses.

Elective Requirement (6 cr.)

  • A560 Political Perspectives of Education (3 cr.)
  • H504 History of American Education (3 cr.)

Dissertation (9 cr.)

  • A795 Dissertation Proposal Preparation (3 cr.)
  • A799 Doctoral Thesis in Educational Leadership (6 cr.)

Academic Bulletins

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Contact Us

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Additional program information can be found at the Office of Graduate Studies.