Doctoral Educational Leadership

Attain the highest level of educational leadership while developing your social, emotional, and academic leadership (SEAL) skills to comprehensively lead organizations from a whole child perspective, as well as effectively and ethically lead your faculty and staff.

The EdD in Educational Leadership is ideal for school leaders, including those individuals who hold the Connecticut Intermediate Administrator license (or its equivalent from other states), such as principals or superintendents. The program is also ideal for mid-career educators who are serving in teacher leadership roles such as teacher leader, curriculum coordinator and instructional coach.

Through this online, practice-focused program, you'll be prepared to:

Upon graduation from Sacred Heart University, you’ll be prepared to advance your career in education. Many educational leadership roles are enhanced by, or even now require, the doctoral degree, to include positions such as superintendent of schools, principal, district curriculum leader, teacher leader, and special education director, among others.

You’ll also be prepared for employment in other industries, such as state or federal government policy research, and non-governmental or philanthropic organizations.

Through your required courses, you will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to become a highly effective educational leader, with an emphasis on Social and Emotional Learning, Trauma-sensitive schools and classrooms, and moral leadership. The Research Core is a set of classes designed for you to able to gain the skills necessary to successfully complete a Dissertation in Practice during the third year of the program.

The Dissertation in Practice is a scholarly work that address a complex problem of practice. Defined, a complex problem of practice is a persistent, contextualized and specific issue embedded in the work of a professional practitioner which, if addressed, will result in improved student experiences and outcomes.