Best Online Doctorate in Educational Administration Programs

Founded in 1865, Indiana State University is an independent, publicly funded institution. Considered one of the top schools in the American Midwest, ISU allows students to pursue a range of online doctorate programs in education, including an innovative PhD in School and Educational Administration. Candidates complete a minimum of 72 credit-hours, and benefit from the school’s highly regarded reputation for public service in their post-program career paths. Alternately, students with a special interest in careers at postsecondary institutions can opt for the PhD program in Higher Education Leadership. Both options use blended formats that include classes, practicums, and independent learning.

The school’s main campus is located on a 200-plus-acre property on the northern side of Terre Haute’s central business district. Students in online education PhD programs enjoy full access to Indiana State University’s world-class Cunningham Memorial Library, which includes access to more than 1.3 million books, journals, periodicals, and research resources.

Sam Houston State University is the state of Texas’ oldest educational institution specifically designed for the training of teachers. Just 50 minutes from downtown Houston, Sam Houston State University offers a Doctorate in Education online program in Developmental Education Administration. It is one of the most esteemed programs of its kind in the United States.

The EdD program in Developmental Education Administration prepares participants to help meet the needs of underprepared students who are enrolled in programs at the community college and university levels. It emphasizes the importance of research while helping candidates develop comprehensive skills for promoting the sustained intellectual and educational growth of challenged students.

Online students are paired with mentors, who deliver hands-on assistance through various media including specialized advisement sessions, telephone, and electronic formats. Students in the EdD Developmental Education Administration program are also required to schedule at least three in-person meetings with their advisors each calendar year, with a minimum of one meeting in each of the spring, summer, and fall semesters.

Home of the Aggies, Texas A&M is home to the largest college student body in the state and one of the largest in the country. The school’s beautiful 5,200-acre main campus is located in the city of College Station, and is home to the prestigious George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, which is one of only 14 such institutions in the United States to be administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.

Students seeking online doctorate programs in education may apply to Texas A&M’s EdD program in Curriculum and Instruction. This course of study is designed to prepare students for leadership roles in public and private P-12 schools. It uses a cohort structure to deliver course materials using an online system, and typically takes four years to complete.

The EdD in Curriculum and Instruction is specifically designed to help candidates develop skills in three key areas: discovery, knowledge application, and leadership. Applicants are required to have at least five years of professional teaching experience as well as a master’s degree. A minimum of three letters of reference must also be submitted, along with customized writing samples in areas that test the applicant’s current knowledge of educational and instructional topics.

Texas A&M’s Commerce campus is situated in the northeastern part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. At the Commerce campus, students looking to complete a doctorate in education online can choose from three programs: the EdD in Educational Administration (100% online), the EdD in Higher Education, and the PhD in Educational Psychology (both more than 50% online). Texas A&M University-Commerce holds voluntary membership in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) program, an independent organization that provides comprehensive quality assurance oversights for distance learning initiatives that use digital platforms. The school was previously known as East Texas State University, and joined the Texas A&M network in 1996.

The EdD in Educational Administration program places a strong emphasis on leadership skills, with special priority gives to issues of diversity and inclusion. Graduates are highly qualified for a broad range of education administration jobs at all levels of study, in both the public and private sectors.

Graduate-level students and working professionals seeking access to better jobs in education administration can pursue two degree options at Lubbock-based Texas Tech University. The school’s EdD in Higher Education Administration is available in two concentrations. First, the Community College Administration stream prepares candidates for executive-level positions at junior colleges and community colleges. Alternately, the College/University Administration stream takes a distinct focus on four-year colleges and universities that offer both undergraduate and graduate programs.

Both programs use a blended delivery format. All coursework can be completed entirely online, but on-campus attendance is mandatory for new students, who must participate in an orientation workshop. In addition, students in the program must take part in three in-person summer sessions designed to accelerate their professional development. The program takes approximately three years to complete, and includes one in-person professional development session per calendar year.

Applicants are required to show a direct, personal connection to higher education, and full-time professional work experience in a junior or four-year college is strongly preferred.

Based in the historic city of Gainesville, the University of Florida offers one of the most innovative online doctorate programs in education in the country. The school’s Leadership in Educational Administration Doctorate (LEAD) program leads to an EdD degree designation, and is one of the Kellogg Foundation’s first Community College Leadership Programs. The innovative curriculum helps students draw meaningful links and parallels between practice and research, and prepares students for high-level jobs in education administration.

The University of Florida’s doctorate-level education programs have historically taken a focus on two-year community and junior colleges, but the College of Education has recently adopted a broader mandate to include four-year undergraduate institutions and nonprofit organizations with a strong post-secondary focus. The LEAD EdD program uses a hybrid format, with most course materials and assignments being delivered online. Virtual learning is supplemented with a limited number of in-person sessions, held in a rotation that covers three weekends per academic semester. Students in the program are also eligible for financial assistance in the form of fellowships, grants, and loans, which are administered through the UF Office for Student Financial Affairs.

The Tennessee-based University of Memphis offers one of the most unique programs available to students seeking to earn an education administration degree online. The EdD program in Instruction and Curriculum Leadership - Instructional Design and Technology takes a specific focus on how current and in-development technologies are shaping, and will continue to shape, the delivery of education. Each student’s course load, assignments, and projects are customized to meet individual research interests, and students complete a total of 54 credit-hours to qualify for graduation.

In addition, the program is delivered on a flexible schedule that can be designed to limit students to a maximum of two courses per semester. This makes it ideal for working professionals looking to upgrade their educational qualifications. The EdD in Instruction and Curriculum Leadership prepares students for high-level education administration jobs in corporate training, professional development, research, human resources, assessment, educational technology, instructional design, and more.

The degree can be completed entirely online, and uses a cohort structure that pairs students with like-minded colleagues who have similar research interests.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln offers one of the nation’s leading programs in education administration. Jointly offered through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the Educational Administration: Specialization in P-12 Educational Administration EdD program leads directly to a superintendent endorsement. It is recommended to education professionals with a master’s degree or higher who want to move into district-level leadership positions.

This program is delivered in a blended format, combining virtual learning with a dissertation orientation during the first fall semester after enrollment. During this orientation session, students will join networking groups and sign up for on-campus seminars, which are offered during the summer semesters.

Courses in the program are designed to meet Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium Standards, which offer a proven path to advanced career opportunities. As the state’s oldest university, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln also offers a desirable pedigree as the largest single institution in the state’s public higher education network.