Leadership, Doctor of Education
The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Leadership program offers working professionals the opportunity to develop advanced skills in strategic thinking, critical analysis, change management, adult learning, international education, and organizational development.
Students will learn to implement data-driven solutions to today’s leadership challenges, to teach current and future leaders a systematic approach to developing sustainable businesses and to master skills to be able to work with stakeholders at all levels. Upon graduation, students will have all the necessary tools to assume a senior leadership position in an organization, university, or public school system.
In this multidisciplinary program, students will receive high-quality and relevant learning experiences through a flexible format that meets the student’s career schedule. All classes will be conducted online with the exception of three in-person residencies.
As a doctoral student, you’ll choose from one of four concentration areas that fit your educational goals. They are:
- Educational Leadership (P-12)
- Higher Education
- Organizational Leadership
- Specialized Study
Program Outcomes
The Doctor of Education in Leadership program will prepare students to:
Critically analyze information and assess the current state of an organization.
Design and construct a significant research project that contributes to the knowledge in the field.
Design data-driven organizational evaluations and interventions, founded in accepted research methodologies, to improve operational performance.
Develop effective strategies that guide organizations to change and adapt to future challenges.
Develop ethical leaders of the future who can incorporate social and environmental responsibility in organizational strategies.
Evaluate an organization's ability to use global and diverse perspectives to serve a variety of stakeholders.
Admission Requirements
In addition to City University of Seattle's graduate/doctoral admission requirements, found under Admissions in the catalog menu, students in this program must also meet the requirements listed below:
- Hold a master’s degree from an accredited or otherwise recognized institution with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.000 or higher.
- For applicants to the Principal, Superintendent, and Program Administrator certification programs, one reference must be an Executive/District Administrator.
Pre-Entry Requirement (1 Credit)
Required Courses
| LDRD 600 | Introduction to Doctoral Program | 1 |
Total Required Credits (90 Credits)
Leadership Core (24 Credits)
| LDRD 606 | Leadership Theories and Analysis | 6 |
| LDRD 607 | Culturally Responsive Leadership in a Diverse Society | 3 |
| LDRD 609 | Leading Organizational Change | 3 |
| LDRD 613 | Socially and Environmentally Responsible Leadership | 3 |
| LDRD 630 | Ethical Organizational Leadership | 3 |
| LDRD 640 | Strategic Thinking | 3 |
| LDRD 646 | Developing Leaders of the Future | 3 |
Research Core (15 Credits)
Comprehensive Exams (6 Credits)
Dissertation (18 Credits)
RESR 099: Continuing Dissertation Services - Optional course used for continuing enrollment and services as needed beyond provided Dissertation courses.
Residencies (3 Credits)
Concentration Area (24 Credits)
Choose one of the concentration areas listed below:
Higher Education Concentration
The Higher Education concentration prepares graduates for leadership roles within colleges and universities, in particular in student development, academic support, academic leadership, and administration. Students will expand leadership skills to direct higher education programs, institutions, and agencies through analysis, self-reflection, and best practical application in the workplace. This concentration also provides broad knowledge of social, political, and economic forces at work in society as they relate to higher education institutions. Students become informed leaders through the utilization of scholarly research and theoretical models applied to experiential situations.
| LDRD 654 | Legal Issues in Higher Education | 3 |
| LDRD 657 | Academic Governance and Resource Allocation | 3 |
| LDRD 662 | Student Populations and Experiences | 3 |
| LDRD 664 | The Future of Higher Education | 3 |
12 graduate transfer credits or 12 graduate elective credits from CityU
Organizational Leadership Concentration
The Organizational Leadership concentration prepares current and future leaders to meet the challenges facing their organizations in a complex globalized workplace. Areas within the concentration teach leaders the skills they will need to generate trust, empower others, and implement innovative and strategic solutions. Through scholarly research, students will apply theoretical leadership models with collaborative decision-making to promote ethical and sustainable organizations. A broad knowledge of systems-thinking will prepare students to lead diverse organizational change that uses internal and external resources through stakeholder collaboration.
| LDRD 632 | Collaborative Coaching | 3 |
| LDRD 634 | Leading in a Global Environment | 3 |
| LDRD 642 | Organizational Design and Culture | 3 |
| LDRD 644 | Managing Complexity in Organizations | 3 |
12 graduate transfer credits or 12 graduate elective credits from CityU
Specialized Study Concentration
The Specialized Study concentration allows students to frame a degree focus in a specific area consistent with their current or anticipated field of interest or specialization. Students will develop the skills they need to generate trust, empower others, and implement innovative and strategic solutions in their field of concentration, demonstrating academic rigor and scholarly research throughout their course of study. Students can build on any prior graduate focus, augmented with courses from the several doctoral concentrations and from other CityU master’s programs to best design their proposed course of study. Students work with their advisor to identify the courses required for the specialized study concentration and document the rationale for the selections; this concentration proposal is subject to approval by the director.