The Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership and Management is a minimum 60 credit, part-time doctoral program designed to be completed in three or five years. The EdD experience ensures graduates develop the advanced knowledge, skills, and dispositions to solve complex problems of practice and lead change at the individual, group, and organizational levels. The curriculum focuses on sustainable leadership, systems inquiry, equity and social justice, and research in practice. The EdD program prepares graduates for leadership roles in public school districts, universities and colleges, foundations and organizations, corporations, healthcare organizations, and/or government agencies.
Designed for working professionals, the EdD is offered in two formats: (1) completely online with both virtual and one-on-one sessions with faculty (and no residency requirement); and (2) in a hybrid, "executive" format delivered online (60%) and on-campus (40%) in Philadelphia or Washington, D.C., on three weekends per quarter. To provide ultimate flexibility, both formats offer a three-year plan of study with students taking two courses per term, and the online format also offers a five-year plan of study with students taking one course per term.
The Drexel EdD program has a national reputation as an innovative leader in the field. Drexel is a proud member of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED)–a member organization of more than 100 institutions working together to continuously improve the EdD as preparation for scholarly practitioners. In 2019, CPED named Drexel's EdD the EdD Program of the Year.
EdD students learn in cohorts, supporting and challenging each other as they move together through the program. The curriculum includes core leadership courses focused on sustainable leadership; research courses that provide opportunities for students to apply their learning in real-life settings and prepare for dissertation study; and a doctoral dissertation experience wherein students complete a dissertation in practice. Students also specialize in one of ten concentration areas: Creativity and Innovation (including Mind, Brain & Learning), Educational Administration (with or without Pennsylvania Superintendent Letter of Eligibility), Education Policy, Global and International Education, Higher Education Leadership (Administration or Student Success track), Human Resource Development, Learning Technologies, Nursing Education, Special Education Leadership, and Sport Leadership.
Drexel EdD students have access to all School of Education faculty and benefit from their expertise and experience. All School of Education faculty teach in the program and/or supervise EdD students' dissertations.

