What Will I Learn in the EdD Program?

Exceptional educational leaders need more than traditional teaching experience to enact change. They require advanced research skills, strategic thinking, data-driven problem-solving, and an ethical lens through which to address complex issues compassionately and effectively.

The doctor of education (EdD) degree program at University of Portland caters to passionate educators and administrators eager to take their career to the highest level of impact. With a rigorous curriculum and dissertation experience, the EdD program enhances your expertise, expands your professional network, and positions you at the forefront of innovative education leadership.

UP’s education doctoral program is approved by the State of Oregon (TSPC) and accredited nationally (NCATE/CAEP), with distinctions in the areas of evidence-based programming, faculty experience, and community outreach.

Doctor of Education Courses

You can complete the 51-credit cohort program in three years by enrolling in five to six credits in three consecutive semesters (summer, fall, and spring). The program features a nationally recognized common curriculum that bridges theory, industry best practices, and applied research for immediate impact.

Specialize your plan of study by selecting one of the EdD concentrations: school leadership and development, organizational leadership and development, nursing education and leadership, or higher education and student affairs. Engaging courses build knowledge in leading topics across these focus areas, including leadership for sustaining the vision, foundations of cognitive processes in learning, ethical leadership, effective data-driven decision-making, and legal issues in higher education.

Degree Requirements

EdD Prospectus and Dissertation Process

Pre-Candidacy Evaluation - In the first two years of the program, you will complete both core and concentration courses that lay the foundation for the completion of the dissertation. During the sixth semester, you’ll submit a Qualifying Paper that presents a critical literature review of scholarship pertaining to the topic area you wish to study for your dissertation. The Qualifying Paper is a required step in the process toward the development of a Dissertation Proposal.

Post-Candidacy Evaluation - In the second year of the program, doctoral committees are established to support your independent research.

Prospectus Defense - Once your doctoral committee is established, the Chair and Committee Members review your Qualifying Paper and determine if you may progress to writing the Dissertation Proposal. If you are approved, you then develop a prospectus for an oral defense to the doctoral committee. The focus of this defense is to ensure that your dissertation project is well-conceived and that you are prepared to begin conducting the proposed research independently.

Dissertation Defense - Upon completion of the dissertation, you will conduct an oral defense to the doctoral committee. The purpose of the defense is to confirm three elements of the dissertation: (a) your mastery of the methodology employed in the dissertation study, (b) the appropriateness of findings in relation to the methods employed, and (c) the clarity of communication.

EdS Option - If you opt to only pursue the coursework portion of the program and forego the dissertation candidacy, you will graduate with an educational specialist (EdS) degree.

Regional Partnerships

UP’s EdD holds close partnerships in the Portland metropolitan area and across the Pacific Northwest region, offering you an edge as you embark on the next stage of your professional journey.

• Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) - a consortium of universities selected for their innovative approaches and commitment to strengthening the EdD model.
• The National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships (NNERPP) - a coalition of twelve national universities selected for their model programs of applied research and program evaluation services for P-12 school and district partners.
• Multnomah County Partnership for Education Research (MCPER) - a partnership between the School of Education, Northwest Evaluation Association, and the six districts of Multnomah County to engage doctoral students in real-world experience conducting applied research programs and program evaluation to improve educational practice and policy in P-12 schools and districts.
• Educational Leadership Network (ELN) - a leadership network governed by a board of local school leaders based in the School of Education that offers free or greatly reduced access to high-quality professional development and professional networking through events held three to four times a year.

EdD Program in Edmonton, Alberta

In addition to the EdD program on the UP campus in Portland, Oregon, we also offer our EdD program in Edmonton, Alberta. This program also follows a cohort model that begins every three years, allowing you to benefit from the diverse perspectives and experiences of fellow students. The Edmonton EdD program focuses on organizational leadership development, offering innovative coursework and applied research to prepare you to positively impact the future of education.

Learn more about the Edmonton EdD program.