How Can I Get This Degree?

The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree offered through Liberty University offers two areas of concentration, one of which is a concentration in educational leadership. The doctoral concentration is tailored to students who seek leadership or administrative positions in the field of education, particularly higher education. To get this degree, doctoral students must complete 60 credit hours. Of those credit hours, 12 are devoted to your dissertation, which includes your proposal, research and dissertation defense, along with a comprehensive exam. The program is delivered online, but three classes must be completed on-campus. The residency requirement for this program includes three on-campus intensives and a dissertation defense that must be conducted on campus. Core courses focus on topics of leadership, research and evaluation. A sampling of required courses includes Theories & Research in Educational Psychology and Leadership Principles & Ethics. Courses specific to the concentration include: Conflict Resolutions and Advanced School Law. Tuition for this program for the 2010-11 academic year was $455 per credit hour with a $25 intensive fee.

What Can I Do With This Degree?

After earning an Ed.D. degree with a specialization in educational leadership, graduates with relevant experience are qualified for top-level administrative jobs in the field of education. They may choose to take up any academic position that requires strong decision-making capabilities and leadership skills. Graduates could go on to become district superintendents, principals, assistant principals, teachers, college instructors, academic deans, provosts, and college and university department heads. Employment of education administrators is expected to grow at an average pace of 8 percent between 2008 and 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even so, job opportunities are projected to be excellent because a large number of education administrators are expected to retire and fewer applicants are expected for certain positions, the Bureau notes. Job prospects will be particularly excellent for principals and assistant principals. The average annual salary for elementary and secondary school administrators was $83,880 as of May 2008, while postsecondary school administrators earned less on average, at $80,670 according to the Bureau.