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Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership

The Doctor of Education (EDD) in Educational Leadership emphasizes a practical approach to leadership development, incorporating theory and research, and accentuating the servant leadership model. The accelerated program is offered in an inventive delivery system that allows students to complete the degree while continuing to live in their current location. Individuals who intend to utilize their skills through positions of leadership in higher education institutions, educational ministry organizations or churches, and a host of other endeavors may benefit from a terminal degree in leadership. DBU’s purpose is to provide a transforming Christ-centered quality education to produce servant leaders who are trained to develop other leaders through the practical knowledge and skills gained through this doctoral program.

The program offers three concentration tracks:

  • Higher Education Leadership - provides cognate studies in higher education administration and leadership.

  • Educational Ministry Leadership – provides cognate students specific to leadership in the church or a Christian education organization.

  • General Leadership – provides cognate studies for professionals in a range of leadership positions.

The Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership is a 60-hour program with twenty (20) credit hours of core studies in educational leadership, twenty (20) credit hours of studies in a selected cognate area, eight (8) credit hours of research studies, and twelve (12) credit hours in dissertation research and writing. A primary goal of the EDD in Educational Leadership program is that the integrated curriculum and praxis-based experiences create significant transforming personal growth within each student, who will emerge well-equipped to contribute to his/her field.

The program is academically rigorous and practical in design. Students from other countries, diverse cultures, and different higher education institutions enrich this degree program. In addition to semester courses, the program includes two summer institutes. The first summer institute includes a trip to Washington, D.C. with a special emphasis on servant leadership and political and organizational leadership. The second summer institute includes a trip to Oxford, England with an emphasis on global leadership in the context of higher education, educational ministry, or general leadership.

All students will progress through the hybrid courses and research as a cohort, completing the program in 34 months. Cohort programs begin in August of each year, with classes offered each spring, summer, and fall. Students enroll for two (2) classes of four (4) credit hours each term. The hybrid design provides significant learning experiences through the online component of each class, along with face-to-face interaction as students participate in on-campus seminars for one week, three (3) times each year. The dissertation process is interwoven throughout the class structure, allowing students to complete the entire program in less than three years.

DOCTOR OF EDUCATION IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP CURRICULUM

Course

Credit hours

Educational Leadership Core

20

LEAD 7400 - Educational Foundations
LEAD 7402* - Biblically-Based Servant Leadership
LEAD 7403 - Theories of Human Development
LEAD 7404* - Theories of Leadership and Management
LEAD 7405** - Theories of Learning (S-L)

Concentration Studies

20

Educational Ministry
LEAD 7461 - Christian Education and Faith Formation
LEAD 7463 - Curriculum Design and Application in Ministry
LEAD 7430**† - Global Leadership in Educational Ministry
LEAD 7465† - Strategic Planning in Educational Ministry
LEAD 7466† - Leading Change in Ministry Organizations

Higher Education
LEAD 7470 - Higher Education Leadership
LEAD 7472 - Higher Education Finance and Law
LEAD 7431**† - Global Leadership in Higher Education
LEAD 7475† - Strategic Planning in Higher Education
LEAD 7476† - Leading Change in Higher Education Organizations

General Leadership
LEAD 7480 - Ethics in Leadership
LEAD 7482 - Professional Leadership Development
LEAD 7432**† - Global Leadership in Leadership Studies
LEAD 7485† - Strategic Planning in Leadership 
LEAD 7486† - Leading Change in Organizations

Research Core

8

LEAD 7320 - Statistics I (Waived if equivalent course completed)
LEAD 7440 - Educational Research
LEAD 7441*** - Quantitative Methods of Research

Dissertation

12

LEAD 7490 - Leadership Proposal Design
LEAD 7491 - Leadership Dissertation I
LEAD 7492 - Leadership Dissertation II

*Courses are part of the Washington Institute, Washington, D.C.

**Courses are a part of the Oxford Institute, Oxford, England.

***Requisite: Master’s level Statistics with a grade of B or higher.

†  Indicates cross-listed courses.

Refer to individual course descriptions for course requisites.

(S-L)=Course(s) with field-based service-learning component.

Course Descriptions

Find course descriptions by category under the Graduate Course Descriptions section in the navigation panel.