Online Ed.D. Curriculum
Becoming a leader in today’s educational system means understanding policy, pedagogy and population needs, as well as developing the research skills necessary to evaluate educational literature and track performance for informed decision-making at your own institution. Brenau’s online Ed.D. curriculum consists of 54 credit units, divided among core courses, research and dissertation advising and your chosen concentration.
Core courses
In our core Ed.D. curriculum, you’ll be challenged to understand the theory behind how education is practiced and critically explore the evidence for those theories. Regardless of your concentration, you will progress through the following 21 credits with your cohort:
- ED 828 Legal Issues and Ethics—Understand the constitutional rights of students and educators; understand ethical and legal outcomes of student-instructor interactions and more.
- ED 845 Curriculum Design, Theory, & Evaluation—Explore research-based practices for designing, evaluating, implementing and continuously improving curricula.
- ED 860 Leadership in Education—Explore models of leadership and leadership development while building your own capabilities for creative problem solving through communication and interpersonal relationships.
- ED 865 Academic Program Assessment & Evaluation—Take a holistic perspective of program and student evaluation, learn strategies for planning and evaluating assessment methods, and more.
- ED 870 Educational Issues & Policy—Reflect and discuss current policy issues impacting the field of education and complete a research project based on an issue you feel is critical to the field.
- ED 875 Cultural Perspectives & Leadership—Explore how diverse facets of individual identity impact teaching and learning, and look at systematic policy and other impacts on diverse students and instructors.
- ED 932 Future Trends in Education—Evaluate and discuss emerging trends in teaching and learning, as well as the societal, political and economic factors driving them.
Research and dissertation advising
You will take 21 credits of your Ed.D. curriculum focused on advancing your research skills and developing the capstone of your degree—your doctoral dissertation.
- ED 930 Advanced Research Methods—Build skills for analyzing data sets, evaluating research design and technique and designing research.
- ED 935 Intermediate Qualitative Research—This is an intermediate research course focusing on quantitative methods including ANOVA, MANOVA, regression analysis, non-parametric statistics including chi-square, and introductory clinical trial design in a practice setting.
- ED 940 Qualitative Research Methods—Comparisons and critiques of the major forms of qualitative research methodology and assessment of credibility, trustworthiness, reliability, and validity of studies that use qualitative designs are topics covered in this course. It will include development of research designs that can be used to inform therapeutic decision making and to assess intervention outcomes.
- ED 960 Dissertation Advisement 1: Literature Review—Begin developing the dissertation by posing questions and reviewing existing content to find a specific issue or problem to address.
- ED 965 Dissertation Advisement 2: Proposal—Build skills for designing the research for your dissertation, hone your proposal and begin developing the first chapters of your dissertation.
- ED 970 Dissertation Advisement 3: Collection of Data—With advisor approval, enter the main phase of research for your proposed topic and continue producing chapters for the dissertation.
- ED 975 Dissertation Advisement 4: Research Conclusion—Analyze your data, complete writing and revisions and prepare for oral defense of your dissertation.
- ED 980 Dissertation Advisement 5: Dissertation Continuation (if applicable)—Students who need additional time to prepare their dissertation or submit corrections can enroll in a supervised continuation course.
Concentration courses
The remaining 12 credits of your degree program consist of courses within your chosen concentration area. For more information about each concentration, including course descriptions, please visit the concentration page that interests you most.
Please note: Each course in the EE and MGE concentrations includes required practicum activities embedded in the course assignments. If you are not a classroom teacher, contact our Clinical Experience Office for assistance in completing these assignments. Students in the Middle Grades Education concentration must choose either a Math & Science focus or a Language Arts & Social Studies focus.
Elementary Education
- ED 820 Innovations in Language Arts
- ED 823 Innovations in Mathematics
- ED 824 Innovations in Science
- ED 825 Innovations in Social Studies
Middle Grades Education
- ED 833 Innovations in Mathematics or ED 795 Special Topics in Education
- ED 834 Innovations in Science or ED 895 Special Topics in Education
- ED 835 Innovations in Social Studies or ED 795 Special Topics in Education
- ED 840 Innovations in Language Arts or ED 895 Special Topics in Education
Leadership in Higher Education
- ED 842 Higher Education Academic Programs
- ED 844 Enrollment Management in Higher Education
- ED 846 Organizational Governance in Higher Education
- ED 848 Finance & Fiscal Policy in Higher Education
Healthcare Education Specialist
- ED 852–The Health Care Educator: Faculty Roles and Responsibilities
- ED 853–Health Care Leadership and Professional Practice
- ED 856–Theory of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
- ED 858–The Art of Instructional Design
Advance as an educator and prepare for leadership. Earn your Ed.D. online with Brenau University! Get in touch today to start the next chapter of your career.