Department of Educational Foundations and Leadership
Academics
EdD in Educational Leadership

EdD in Educational Leadership

Earn an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at UL Lafayette with concentrations in K-12, higher education, curriculum leadership, or exceptional learners.

Our doctorate in educational leadership builds the knowledge and skills you need to enhance leadership capacity in K-12 school systems, higher education, and state and federal education agencies. We know that theory informs practice and practice informs theory, so you can use what you're learning on the job before you graduate.

Program at a Glance

Credit hours: 60+ beyond the master's degree
Format: Executive format. Classes meet face-to-face on Friday evenings and Saturdays four times each fall and spring semester, supported by online activities. Summer schedules vary by concentration.
Start date: Students are admitted in the fall.
Cohort model: You'll learn alongside a community of experienced education professionals and leaders.
Who it's for: Educators with a master's degree from an accredited university.

Choose Your Concentration

Become a strong leader who can identify and solve complex problems in primary and secondary schools. The K-12 Leadership Education concentration teaches the leadership and management theories, practices, and techniques you need in a school setting and beyond, from management and supervision to law, policy, and school-community relations.

Prepare for leadership roles in university and college administration or a career influencing higher education policy. Courses cover governance and legal aspects, financial management, student affairs, academic affairs, public policy, history and philosophy, and planning and evaluation in higher education.

Gain the knowledge and skills to provide effective instructional leadership in K-12 schools, with a focus on teaching and learning methods that support a range of student needs. You'll specialize in mathematics, English language arts, or STEM curriculum leadership.

Learn to give special and gifted education teachers effective administrative support. Many point to poor administrative support as a reason special education teachers leave the profession in their first three years. This concentration helps you understand the needs of special and gifted education and the support teachers need to be effective.

The Curriculum Leadership and Exceptional Learner concentrations are offered with the Department of Curriculum & Instruction.

Research and Your Dissertation

Every student completes an 18-credit-hour research core, including a research practicum. Instead of a comprehensive exam, you'll write and defend a qualifying paper — a comprehensive review of the literature on a topic you choose. After that, you'll work with a dissertation chair and committee, defend your proposal at a public hearing, and complete your dissertation. You have six years to finish after you defend your qualifying paper.

View the Curriculum | Explore Research Opportunities

Administrative Certification

The Ed.D. isn't designed to lead to initial administrative certification in Louisiana. If you don't have a master's degree in school administration or the equivalent, you may need to complete three to nine credit hours of educational administration coursework before or during the program. Looking for certification? See our M.Ed. in Educational Leadership.

Hear From Our Graduates

"The program was very practical, teaching potential school leaders practical skills to utilize in their quest to become true agents of educational leadership. Second, the program recognized me as a working professional."
— Dr. Donald Thornton Jr., Ed.D. alum, former principal of Lafayette High School

Funding

Graduate assistantships are available for qualified students in regular admission status who take nine or more credit hours toward the degree. Working Louisiana K-12 educators may also qualify for the Teacher Tuition Incentive Program.

Explore Financial Resources