►   Graduate School Rules  apply to this program

Office: Lawrence Street Center, 701
Telephone: 303-315-6300
Fax: 303-315-6311
E-mail: education@ucdenver.edu
Website:  https://education.ucdenver.edu/academics/doctoral

Program Overview

Students completing this program earn a Doctorate of Education (EdD) in the area of Leadership for Educational Equity.

The EdD program is a practice-based, doctoral-level program for professional leadership in PK-20 and community-based educational contexts. The EdD prepares leaders to address complex educational challenges, effectively translate research into practice, influence policy, use data in decision-making, and organize individuals and groups to address challenges collaboratively and successfully. The EdD program’s equity focus equips educational leaders to recognize, identify, and eliminate those systems that create disparities; and improve policy, structures and practices to ensure opportunities and participation for all individuals.

The EdD program uses a cohort model. Students in the EdD program select a concentration area and work with faculty mentors with expertise in the research and traditions of practice in the concentration area. 

Students follow their cohort taking the prescribed coursework and research activities in a three-year plan of study. All students complete courses that are in-person, online, and hybrid with required attendance and activities. A five-year plan of study option is available for select students who obtain permission from the EdD program manager and concentration faculty.

Course Work - 54 Semester Credits

• 18 hours in EdD Core Courses (six 3-credit courses).
• Nine hours research core (three 3-credit courses).

• 12 hours in Concentration Areas (four 3-credit hour courses).

• 15 hours in completion of a culminating Doctoral Research Project. These 15 hours include five 1-credit doctoral seminars and a minimum of ten credit hours during which candidates conduct and complete their doctoral research study.

Concentration Areas

Executive Leadership concentration is designed for professionals in leadership positions in educational, community, and non-profit organizations who wish to acquire learning and experiences related to personnel management, finance, accountability systems, evaluation, community relations, policy development, analysis, and research. This concentration supports learning activities for individuals who hold or seek to move into senior leadership positions within school districts, community colleges, education policy organizations, and community-based education organizations. Within this concentration are two options for professional licensure: (1) Administrative Leadership Program with option for Administrative Licensure from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) or (2) Principal Licensure Program with option for Principal Licensure from CDE.

Early Childhood Special Education/Early Childhood Education concentration is designed for educational professionals interested in issues and practices in early childhood special education and early childhood education to improve outcomes for children with disabilities across early childhood settings. The concentration supports administrators in districts, agencies, and programs to effectively improve outcomes of all children, including children with disabilities.

Latin@ Schools and Communities concentration focuses on leadership, organizational change and measurement, research and evidence-informed decision-making, and creating equity and excellence in schools, organizations, and communities. Students study restructuring for linguistic diversity, language education policy and politics, and research on issues affecting Latino/a students and their communities. Together with their faculty mentors, students review current research and apply their leadership skills to create real world solutions for change.

Mathematics Education concentration provides learning opportunities for education professionals focused on teacher learning and professional development experiences. Faculty and students investigate how interventions used in professional development for mathematics teachers impacts their content knowledge and pedagogical practices in their classrooms. The coursework is framed by a situated perspective of learning and incorporates mixed methods to address research questions about interventions that support teacher and student learning. 

Professional Learning and Technology (PLT) concentration supports education professionals in in PK-12, higher education, and organizational settings who design and implement professional development and learning activities. Applying principles of adult learning, instructional design, and change leadership, the faculty and students in PLT use a variety of methods to support professional growth and accountability (e.g., mentoring, coaching, site-based communities, e-learning resources, and workshops). The PLT concentration courses prepare students in leadership roles in professional learning programs at all levels to apply research and best practices.

Science Education concentration prepares educators to explore, understand, and think critically about the nature of science and science education from a research-oriented perspective. Students may elect to focus on environmental science education as an area of specialization within this concentration through electives and discipline-specific research agendas. 

Urban and Diverse Communities concentration is designed for practitioners in PK-12, higher education, and community-based settings. Students develop a complex view of urban and diverse educational systems, opportunities, and challenges that are influenced by policies and practices in housing, healthcare, employment, urban development, and similar fields. Students develop the skills and dispositions to work alongside communities, while developing an understanding of the historical and cultural realities facing those communities.

EdD Program with Higher Education Concentration

Students completing this program earn a Doctorate of Education (EdD) in the area of Leadership for Educational Equity in the Higher Education Concentration Area. Within this concentration, all students complete 8-week online courses with required activities and off-campus, in-person one-week intensives with required attendance/activities.  This is a three year program (there is not a five year option for the Higher Education Concentration).

Students in the EdD program in the Higher Education concentration work with faculty mentors with expertise in the research and traditions of practice in a variety of post-secondary and higher education settings. The Higher Education concentration also provides a unique executive coaching support service (for a maximum of 12 months post-graduation) that students may choose to receive after completion of the EdD program.

Topics of study in the Higher Education concentration include leadership skills to improve access, equity, and success for college and university students; power and privilege; law and ethics; organizational cultures; finance and strategic resource allocations; and predictive analytics.

Course Work - 54 Semester Credits

The EdD in Higher Education concentration 54 credits include the following course work and research activities:

• Nine credit hours in EdD in Higher Education Core Courses (three 3-credit courses).

• Nine credit hours Research Methods Courses (three 3-credit courses).

• Twenty-one credit hours in Higher Education Concentration Area (seven 3-credit courses).

• Fifteen credit hours in completion of a culminating Doctoral Research Project. These 15 hours include five 1-credit doctoral seminars and a minimum of ten credit hours during which candidates conduct and complete their doctoral research study.