Doctor of Education

The program framework for the Doctor of Education in Learning Organizations and Strategic Change encapsulates our philosophy, rationale and desired purposes. It is expressed through the acronym LEADERS:
 
Leadership as craft and relationships
Educational theory, practice and learning
Attitudes and values in educational leadership
Diversity and global perspectives in education
Essential knowledge for effective educational leadership
Research and educational leadership
Strategic change in learning organizations

In your doctoral studies, you will engage with the specific knowledge, understanding, exploration and investigation described by the framework. You will also examine the attitudes, values and dispositions that can assist you in becoming an effective leader within educational organizations. The program framework promotes consideration of global perspectives about culture and diversity that are important to effectiveness and success in educational leadership.

Explore contemporary research, practice appropriate research methods and gain experience working as research team on educational research for a real learning organization. Question and debate the wisdom of varied educational leadership practices as well as emerging educational policies and practices. Consider methods for leading strategic change within learning organizations. The program framework will help you develop and organize your thoughts, values and convictions about the elements, craft, and practice of effective educational leadership.

If you currently work in higher education or have an objective of pursuing a career in higher education, then you can earn the Higher Education Cognate by taking the following five existing Ed.D. courses (15 credit hours) that are offered in a special section that focuses the curriculum upon the higher education sector. 

Note: transfer credit may not be applied toward the cognate. Also, EG 7243 encourages interested students to focus their coursework upon the higher education sector; therefore, no special section is required, but the major project must be a higher education topic.

• EG 7313 Leading Learning
• EG 7183 Legal and Political Issues in Education Leadership
• EG 7323 Governance, Decision-Making, and Communication
• EG 7233 Strategic Planning and Resource Allocation
• EG 7243 Contemporary Issues in Education

On-Campus Cohort

The Doctor of Education in Learning Organizations and Strategic Change is focused on preparing educational leaders for public and private organizations and academic settings. The Ed.D. program began in fall 2010 with a single cohort of 22 students meeting on campus. Each subsequent year the program seated two additional cohorts. There are currently over 80 doctoral students enrolled in the on-campus Ed.D. cohorts.

Students in the on-campus program are experiencing tremendous success academically. Over 90 percent of the students who have started the program have graduated or are continuing to progress toward graduation. The on-campus cohorts participate in class sessions on the main Lipscomb University campus in Nashville, Tennessee. The program culminates with practical, collaborative research that is designed to address real questions in authentic settings for the purpose of informing educational practice. There are currently over 40 doctoral students enrolled in the online Ed.D. cohorts.

Online Cohort

Lipscomb University offers online-hybrid delivery of the same rigorous and respected Doctor of Education program that is offered on-campus. All online Ed.D. courses are semester length and consist of a blend of asynchronous curriculum along with synchronous sessions that students attend remotely via Zoom. 

The online-hybrid delivery model includes "intensives" as follows:

1. A required on-campus three-day intensive (Thursday, 8:00 a.m. - Saturday, 4:00 p.m.) at the beginning of the program.  

2. A required 10-day international experience during the third semester of the program (scheduled in June) in conjunction with the Comparative and International Education course. Students who cannot travel due to exigent circumstances may seek a travel exemption from the program director and if approved take a non-travel section of the course.

3. A remote intensive attended via multiple Zoom sessions scheduled over a 2-day period at the beginning of the 5th semester of the program and the Applied Research Seminar course.

4. A required on-campus two-day intensive (Friday, 8:00 a.m. - Saturday, 4:00 p.m.) at the beginning of the 6th semester of the program and the Quantitative Research course.

The dissertation research culminates with an oral defense that the students have the option of delivering either on-campus or remotely via Zoom.

Read the Online Cohort Frequently Asked Questions.

In an increasingly diverse educational landscape, we believe in the importance of examining educational leadership with a global perspective. That's why the program offers a 10-day international experience in Europe during which you will meet and interview educational leaders, policy makers and practitioners. You will study and consider educational policy reform initiatives at the primary, secondary and post-secondary levels. 

You will be challenged to consider educational systems and institutions as they relate to their national, international and global context as well as their political, economic and cultural context. The trip highlights educational challenges and initiatives that are taking place around the globe and encourages you to consider how others are approaching the educational challenges that they face.

The Doctor of Education program culminates with practical, collaborative dissertation research that addresses real questions in authentic settings for the purpose of informing educational practice. Dissertation research involves collaboration between members of the research team, the research coordinator, Ed.D. faculty, the doctoral committee, the university IRB, and the client educational organization for which the research is being conducted. Lipscomb University has accepted research proposals from over 80 educational organizations that have been or are currently being served by students through their doctoral research. This represents critical engagement between the Doctor of Education program, its students and the education community.

The dissertation research teams are comprised of 2 to 3 students. During the program, students will be asked about their research interests by the Doctor Research Coordinator. That information will be used while recruiting and reviewing proposals from potential client organizations. Dissertation research culminates with an on-campus defense of the capstone research results.