A Doctor of Education That Understands Your Reality

A Doctor of Education opens different doors depending on where you are in your career. Here are some examples:

• For current district leaders: An Ed.D. provides evidence-based strategies for organizational change, budget optimization and policy implementation. You'll add skills in strategic planning, stakeholder engagement and systems-level problem solving. The degree also meets professional development requirements that many districts set for senior leadership.
• For principals and assistant principals: A doctorate qualifies you for central office positions including assistant superintendent, director roles and superintendent positions. More than 60% of superintendent positions list a doctorate as required or preferred (source: Lightcast Labor Database). The Ed.D. provides the specific competencies these roles demand: district finance, education law and organizational leadership.
• For instructional specialists and coaches: A doctorate validates your expertise and qualifies you for district-level curriculum positions. You'll increase your abilities to evaluate programs, design professional development opportunities and research effective methods.

Some Ed.D. graduates may also go on to roles in educational consulting, grant administration and regional education service positions.

An Ed.D. transforms how you work within your current role. You’ll gain research skills to evaluate programs with real evidence, not just intuition. You’ll understand organizational change theory, so you can get genuine buy-in for your initiatives instead of getting approval without support or facing resistance.

The dissertation process itself builds critical leadership skills, confidence and strategic thinking ability. You’re managing a complex, multi-year project that requires you to gather stakeholder input, analyze data and build consensus around your findings. These are exactly the skills you need to lead district-wide initiatives or secure grant funding.

The reality is that "Dr." carries weight in education. Board members, parents and community stakeholders view your contributions through a different lens. You become part of the broader educational leadership conversation, with access to more influence and opportunities. A Doctor of Education degree transforms your hard-won experience into recognized authority.

Both are valuable degrees, but they serve different purposes. The Ed.D. prepares you to lead and transform educational organizations, while the Ph.D. prepares you to research and teach in academic settings.

• An Ed.D. is a practitioner’s degree that is designed for people who plan to stay in(or move up in K-12 or higher education leadership. The coursework and dissertation are more focused on what it takes to lead schools and solve real problems facing education today.
• A Ph.D. is a researcher’s degree that is best if your goal is to become a professor or conduct original research. Most Ph.D. programs emphasize knowledge expansion through original research, and you will be prepared to publish in academic journals and contribute to educational theory.

A very basic way to think about the difference between the two programs is that an Ed.D. encourages you to ask, "How can we solve this problem?" while Ph.D. programs want to know "Why does this problem exist?"

Absolutely. Our School of Education faculty have refined this doctoral program based on their extensive leadership experience and firsthand understanding of what it takes to balance doctoral studies with professional responsibilities.

The program is 100% online and asynchronous, which means that you can complete assignments and study when it fits your schedule. Most students take two courses each semester and spend 7 to 8 hours per class on school work each week, on average. With this full-time schedule, you can complete the degree in as little as three years.

You can also choose a part-time schedule, taking one course per semester to extend your timeline.

We welcome educators from diverse academic backgrounds. Your master's degree can be in any field as long as it is from an accredited institution and you completed your degree with a final GPA of 3.2 or higher.

You will need at least two years of experience in teaching, administration or another relevant education role. If you have questions about whether your experience qualifies, call us at 817-785-9307 or email doctorofeducation@txwes.edu.

For more information on admissions, including a list of what you’ll need to apply, visit the Ed.D. admissions page.