200,000+
Alumni from our Global Campuses
Advance Your Career with a Program Designed for Working Professionals Worldwide
Earn your Doctor of Education (EdD) at Webster University and prepare to make a difference through scholarship and service. Our program is online and global, creating an ideal opportunity for full-time professionals, international students and others looking to advance into educational leadership roles.
We Engage in Dynamic Intellectual Discourse on Contemporary Social Movements
Our flagship emphasis is designed with contemporary social movements in mind. Doctoral students engage in intellectual discourse throughout the program with a vision and passion. Doctoral students may choose between a dissertation and a doctoral digital portfolio, which is course-based and innovative, for completing year three requirements.
Tailor Your Learning Experience at Webster University
Gain the specific knowledge and skills to complement your passions and professional goals. We offer three emphases options for the doctorate degree in education:
- Educational Leadership*
- Special Education*
- Transformative Learning in the Global Community - 100% Online (asynchronous)
*Modality for the first two emphases depends on classes chosen.
Choose Webster for a Doctor of Education Degree
Get One-On-One Apprenticeship Experience with a Faculty Mentor
Work together with faculty to co-author an article or conference proposal, design a new course or engage in service learning in the local community. Peer support and writing consultant groups offer additional opportunities for mentorship and networking.
Earn Your Degree Online
Webster sets the standard for global education. Our flagship emphasis, Transformative Learning in the Global Community, is offered Online (asynchronous) — plus residency requirement.
Get Involved and Build Your Experience
We help create opportunities for our EdD students to join professional associations, present at national and international conventions and publish in peer-reviewed journals. Our research methods courses also offer hands-on experience in using data management and analytical software.
Save on Tuition Costs
We offer scholarships, tuition payment plans and other financial assistance. Many school districts offer tuition reimbursement for the program and salary boosts (PDF) for full-time teachers who earn a doctoral degree. EdS holders will also be waived 15 credit hours (equivalent to one year of coursework) in the EdD program.
Program Distinctions
Grow into a Scholar-Practitioner Through Professional Networking
We scaffold learning opportunities for our EdD students by encouraging them to join professional associations, present at national and international conventions, and publish in peer-reviewed journals.
The EdD program at Webster University is grounded in leadership, practice, theory and research; social consciousness, criticality and advocacy are central to our approach. The program is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
The EdD Program is an institutional member of the Carnegie Project on Education Doctorate (CPED), in recognition of our rigor and expertise in curriculum and program design.
Get One-On-One Apprenticeship Experience with a Faculty Mentor
Work together with faculty to co-author an article or conference proposal, design a new course or engage in service learning in the local community.
Our faculty members bring transdisciplinary expertise in global education and social justice to equip students with the knowledge and skills to conduct research in line with their professional and academic pursuits. These mentorship opportunities with professors offer unique ways to get involved and work together to make a difference in educational settings.
Experience Peer Mentorship Support with a Recent Graduate or Doctoral Candidate
Meet one-on-one or in small groups with a recent graduate or doctoral candidate for academic resources and career advice. Our program prepares doctoral candidates for career advancements via peer mentorship and other professional activities.
Career Advancements for EdD Graduates
Besides academic careers, our program graduates pursue professional opportunities in higher education, and K-12 leadership and administration.
Our program graduates pursue careers as 1) Higher education faculty, 2) Higher education administrative leaders, 3) K-12 educators and leaders, and 4) Nonprofit organization leaders. Many of them have obtained promotions after earning their EdD degree. Success stories like the ones below attest to the quality of the program, as well as the excellent leadership qualities of our graduates.
Category 1: Higher Education Faculty
Dr. Kerri Fair
Lecturer
Washington University in St. Louis
Dr. Fair has K-12 leadership and higher education teaching experience. She presented at the American Educational Research Association Convention and conducted a transformative dissertation project on teacher burnout during her final year. Upon graduation, Fair went through rigorous academic interviews and was selected to be a full-time lecturer at Washington University in St. Louis.
“Working to submit a proposal to AERA for presentation, working to co-write an article, all of these things that I had been prompted in the program to try to do because it would support me later when I got to this point.”
Read More: Doctoral Candidate Accepts Faculty Job Offer at Washington University
Category 2: Higher Education Administrative Leaders
Dr. John Link
Associate Dean for Career Development and Field Work
Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont
Dr. Link has substantial experience in higher education administration and was a featured presenter at the MidWest Association of Colleges and Employers Virtual Conference in 2020. In 2021, Link received the Gorlok Greats Award. Upon graduation, Link was selected to be an Associate Dean at Bennington College in Vermont.
Read more: Link Featured Presenter at Association of Colleges and Employers
Category 3: K-12 Educators and Leaders
Dr. Chavon Curry
Interim Principal
St. Louis Public Schools
Dr. Curry was selected to speak at the School of Education’s Commencement Ceremony in 2023. Her speech on “Triumph over Trauma” was full of life as it powerfully delivered the challenges of trauma-informed leadership in urban schools. Upon graduation, Curry was promoted to Interim Principal within St. Louis Public Schools.
Category 4: Nonprofit Organization Leaders
Dr. Trezette Dixon
Senior Director
St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative, The Fellows Experience at Greater St. Louis,
Inc.
Dr. Dixon had substantial administrative leadership experience in higher education.
Upon graduation, she was selected to be a Senior Director at a nonprofit organization.
“My journey through Webster University's Doctor of Education program prepared me to
achieve my academic and professional goals while preparing me extensively for my current
role.”
Dixon took a few moments to share some of her insights and experiences with the program and the knowledge and career opportunities it afforded her.
Q: How did the EdD program prepare you for your academic and professional goals?
A: The EdD program gave me a deep understanding of the sociopolitical, socioeconomic and sociocultural contexts that shape our community. This social consciousness aspect of the program is directly relevant to the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative’s (SLBDI) mission of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the St. Louis metropolitan region's economic growth agenda through the leadership academy I will be overseeing.
The EdD program also nurtured my critical thinking and analytical capacity, enabling me to challenge the status quo and propose innovative solutions for advancing knowledge and specialty areas. This is essential as I undertake the ambitious campaign to inspire and mobilize future leaders toward the movement for equity and inclusion.
The program's emphasis on advocacy has equipped me with the skills to become a voice for the people I represent. Advocacy will be a crucial component of my role as I work to strengthen the regional workforce and support diverse-led businesses in scaling and prospering.
Finally, the value placed on cross-cultural research with global contextual relevancy in the EdD program directly aligns with the goals of the SLBDI to increase the St. Louis metro area's global competitiveness.
I am excited to leverage my academic and professional preparation to drive inclusive economic growth and create positive change in the St. Louis metro area and beyond.
Q: How did your peers and mentors support you in your doctoral journey?
A: My peers, cohort members and mentors in the doctoral program were essential in my successful completion of the coursework, dissertation writing and ultimately achieving the accomplishment of Doctor of Education I was able to thrive throughout the process because of the continuous encouragement, accountability, and uplifting provided by all I was blessed to have on this journey. Through their unwavering support, I was able to strengthen the intellectual stamina necessary for this journey.
Q: Any tips that you would like to share with our current doctoral students and prospective applicants?
A: I would encourage current doctoral students to connect with an accountability partner early in your academic journey. Partnering with a cohort member that shared a dissertation chair with me was my lifeline and helped me make it to the academic finish line. With additional encouragement from the cohort, our bond and commonality assisted me in facing the challenges in the process and celebrating the triumphs, creating a necessary balance. For our prospective applicants, I would like to assure them that the director, faculty and mentors meet you where you are and assist you in achieving what sometimes can feel unattainable. They provide a nurturing academic environment, full of opportunities for you to develop as an academic researcher and scholar and attain your goals and dreams.
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Find out more about the overall curriculum, electives and learning outcomes for a Doctor of Education degree at Webster.
You Can Complete a Doctoral Digital Portfolio Instead of a Dissertation
Our program offers a choice between a doctoral digital portfolio and a dissertation. The doctoral digital portfolio is course based and innovative, and transforms a traditional dissertation into a digitalized portfolio for a broader readership and impact.
Choose from One of the Two Routes
Dissertation Route
A doctoral dissertation (can be a dissertation in practice) refers to the culminative
scholarly report focused on addressing a research or practice problem.
Why Dissertation?
- One-on-one with dissertation chair and committee.
- Recognized academic genre.
- Rigorous academic writing vetted via prospectus and oral defense.
Doctoral Digital Portfolio Route
A doctoral digital portfolio refers to a meaningful compilation of digital media that is designed, produced, and published by a doctoral candidate. It is accompanied by a scholarly or practitioner focused research report.
Why Doctoral Digital Portfolio?
- Course based with professor guidance.
- Innovative with digital media possibilities.
- Broader readership and impact in the field.
- Digitally accessible for job interviews and research dissemination.
Program Spotlight on Doctor of Education (EdD)
Transcript
[Music]
Text on screen: Program Spotlight: Doctor of Education (EdD)
Text on screen: Trezette Dixon, EdD ’23, Professional Educator, Webster University Adjunct Faculty
Trezette Dixon: I'm pursuing a Doctorate of Education with an Emphasis in Transformative Learning in a Global Community.
Text on screen: Yin Lam (Nicole) Lee-Johnson, PhD, Associate Professor, Director of EdD Program
Nicole Lee-Johnson: This flexible emphasis is for people who are really care about social justice. And then how do we transform the status quo of inequities in educational systems?
[Footage of a student’s hands paging through a book]
Text on screen: A Holistic Framework: Fostering Scholarship, Research and Leadership
When we build a program, we want to make sure that there are four major elements in it. There is theory, research, practice and leadership.
Text on screen: THEORY, RESEARCH, PRACTICE, LEADERSHIP
So for the theory building, I think for any doctoral program, students have to learn some of the academic constructs and for research they have to learn how to conduct research with the methods. So we have qualitative and quantitative research methods classes, and we want to make sure they also use the most up to date software for data analysis.
[Image of laptop with words on screen that reads: Data Analysis Software: JASP/SPSS NVivo/DeDoose]
For the practice, we want to make sure that dissertation projects are practical in the field, that they have application or meanings that they can be utilized, or they would transform the field, whether in the school building or among a school district.
Text on screen: Our emphasis is on transformative learning in the global community.
Dixon: It has definitely changed the way that I perceive our students and how they learn and how our programs support our students. I feel that it's changed me as a critical thinker and looking at various programs and policies that exist and how we can make them more equitable for all students.
[Footage of student on laptop]
Text on screen: Flexible Learning: Online and Global with Apprenticeship
I think the flexibility of the program being online and being engaging at the same time works for me as a professional, working full time as a mother, also as a person that takes care of their elderly parent.
Lee-Johnson: For the online modality, people would use a canvas system and then they read and write. But then we also have a lot of interactive components.
Text on screen: Though media creation, this program provides students with imperative skills for the digital age.
Dixon: I think that having that flexibility, but also having the engagement through video journaling and video blogging with my cohorts and also my professor really helps me to stay engaged, stay encouraged and really succeed in the program.
[Image of two people in suits shaking hands]
Text on screen: Mentorship and Community: Providing Students the Support they need to Succeed
Lee-Johnson: Even though our courses are online and asynchronous, we intentionally build community in our program for our students.
Dixon: I've been a part of conferencing or convening, as we call it as well.
[Image of Lee-Johnson and Dixon at a conference, a poster for the American Educational Research Association Annual Convention 2023]
And then also being a part of a peer mentorship program where students that are currently in the program have the opportunity to mentor those who are starting their program.
Lee-Johnson: So during the mentorship meetings and they would have one on one discussion on career building, how do I get a job that's relevant to the degree? Where to look for those jobs? How do I create my dissertation topic and how do I find a right dissertation chair for my project?
Text on screen: The EdD program is a member of The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED).
So our projects are usually very applicable in the field, and I see them using that after graduating. So they would go provide like professional development talks within the school district and then they would go to conferences, present the ideas. They write books and write chapters and publish in journals about their projects. So those are what we intend for our students to do when they graduate.
Text on screen: Build on knowledge and skills to complement your passions and professional goals.
Dixon: With my degree, I would love to transform the world one student at a time, and by doing that, using the research and what I've learned through the program to create a more equitable environment for all students and create supportive systems where all students can thrive. And this is impacting our students not just in the U.S., but globally.
[Webster University logo animates on screen]
Text on screen: webster.edu/SOE
[Outro music]
What Can You Do with a Doctorate Degree in Education?
The EdD program will create opportunities for you to advance in your academic and professional career. Many of our students aspire to become educator scholars or educator leaders in their local communities. Others seek administrative and various leadership roles in education, nonprofit and government sectors. Popular career paths for our graduates include:
- University Professor
- Higher Education Administrator
- Diversity Officer or Director for Educational Institutions
- Researcher or Administrator for Nonprofit Organizations
- Administrator for Government Agencies
Get Started on Your Doctor of Education (EdD) Program
Take the next step toward earning your degree. We are here to help you get started.
Explore
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Engage
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Apply
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Contact the Admissions Office to Find Out More
If you have more questions about the program, your application or other enrollment-related inquiries, contact our Admissions Office.
Call 314-246-7800 or 800-753-6765 or send an email to admit@webster.edu.