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Online Doctor of Education (EdD) Programs in Maryland

Updated: April 16, 2024

There are four schools in Maryland that offer Doctor of Education (EdD) programs online. Frostburg State University, Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, and Salisbury University all have EdD programs that students can complete through entirely online study, without any campus visit requirements. Through the programs at these schools, students can pursue EdD specializations such as Community College Leadership; Literacy Studies; Education Leadership with a focus in Adult and Professional Learning Facilitation; PK-12 Leadership; Digital Age Learning and Educational Technology; Urban Leadership; and Mind, Brain, and Teaching.

All four schools listed on this page are non-profit institutions regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Frostburg State University’s College of Education and Morgan State’s School of Education and Urban Studies are also accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Preparation (CAEP).

Schools in Maryland with Online EdD Programs

Frostburg State University offers an online EdD in Educational Leadership with specialization options in Adult and Professional Learning Facilitation, Higher Education Leadership, and PK12 Leadership. This program is 100% online and requires no campus visits, and is comprised of 60 credit hours. All students, regardless of their chosen specialization, take the same Educational Leadership Core Courses, which include Introduction to Educational Leadership Doctoral Studies; Educational History, Politics, and Policy of American Education; Educational Assessment; Strategic Planning and Data-Driven Decision-Making; Educational Research I and II; Leading Diverse Educational Organizations; and Organizational Change and Leadership Theory. After their core classes, students take courses specific to their selected specialization. Students of the PK12 Leadership specialization take Human Resources, Educational Law and Ethics, and Educational Finance, while students of the Adult and Professional Learning Facilitation specialization take Principles and Theories of Adult Learning, Leading Others to Lead Adult Learning, and Problems of Practice in Leading Change Initiatives in Adult Learning. Finally, students of the Higher Education Leadership specialization take courses in Higher Education Structure and Governance, Higher Education Finance, and Current Issues in Higher Education Leadership and Law.

All students of the EdD in Educational Leadership at Frostburg State University are required to complete a Doctoral Practicum, through which they apply the skills, strategies, and concepts they have learned in their classes to a real-world role in education leadership. Students’ culminating experience in the program is their dissertation, which provides them with the opportunity to study a problem of practice in education leadership within their place of work. Students receive guidance from their dissertation chair, as well as a faculty committee that reviews their dissertation proposal, dissertation drafts, and final defense.

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At Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, students can pursue a Doctor of Education online in one of five specializations: Creativity, Advanced Learning, and Twice Exceptionality; Digital Age Learning and Educational Technology; Entrepreneurial Leadership in Education; Urban Leadership; and Mind, Brain & Teaching. Offered by their School of Education, the cohort-based program requires the completion of between 48 and 54 doctoral-level credits (a total of 90 graduate credits are needed to earn the EdD; however, students must enter with a minimum of 36 credits from either their master’s degree or other graduate-level work to apply toward the doctorate). Students typically finish the required coursework and dissertation in three years, but can opt for a longer completion schedule, if needed. Courses are delivered entirely online, using a mix of asynchronous and synchronous instruction.

The curriculum for this program is comprised of four components: 15 credits of Foundations of Education, 12 credit hours of Applied Research & Evaluation, 15 credit hours of Electives/Areas of Interest courses, and 12 credit hours of Doctoral Dossier Research. Students of the Creativity, Advanced Learning, and Twice Exceptionality specialization can take courses in Creativity in Education, Leadership of Gifted Education and Talent Development Programs, and Research in Gifted Education, Creativity, and Twice Exceptionalities. The Digital Age Learning and Educational Technology specialization includes course options in Computational Thinking for K-12 Educators, Explorations in Blended and Hybrid Learning, and Instructional Design for Online Learning. Students who select Entrepreneurial Leadership in Education for their specialization can take courses in Entrepreneurship in Education, Data Driven Decision Making, and Talent Management and Organizational Finance for Entrepreneurial Leaders. The Mind, Brain, and Teaching area of interest features classes in Fundamentals of Cognitive Development, Cognitive Processes of Literacy and Numeracy, and Special Topics in Brain Sciences. Finally, students of the Urban Leadership specialization can take courses in Organizations and Institutions, Partnerships and Community Organizing, and Approaches to Urban Education.

For their culminating experience, students complete a Dossier Style Dissertation, wherein they investigate a Problem of Practice (PoP) that is relevant to their work context. The Dossier Style Dissertation is divided into three main projects that students complete over the course of their enrollment. In their first year, students complete a Scholarship of Integration project, through which they identify the underlying causes of their PoP. In their second year, students complete either a Scholarship of Application or a Scholarship of Teaching project; while the former focuses on using research to critique current educational systems, structures, and practices, the latter focuses on using research to directly impact instructional processes in the field. Finally, in their third year, students conduct a Scholarship of Discovery project, where they analyze the results of their research and produce an Executive Summary that connects their three projects and produces new knowledge that will help practitioners improve education practices.

Also located in Baltimore, Morgan State University offers a Doctor of Education in Community College Leadership online through its School of Education and Urban Studies (SEUS). The 60-credit program is designed to help prepare students in the seven core competency areas designated by the American Association of Community Colleges as essential to effective community college leadership: Community College Advocacy, Organizational Strategy, Leadership Development, Resource Management, Communication, Collaboration, and Professionalism. Coursework can be completed entirely online using the Blackboard learning management system, and there are no campus residency requirements. However, students must take part in a specialized internship or practicum in a community college setting toward the end of their studies.

Morgan State’s online EdD in Community College Leadership can be completed in three years, depending on how long it takes students to finish their dissertation. In their first year, students take courses in areas such as Leadership and Administration of Community Colleges, Educational Research, Social Justice and Equity, Community College Planning and Management, Finance and Budgeting, Qualitative Research Methods, and Technology in Contemporary Community Colleges. The second year features courses in Student Development in Community College, Legal Aspects of Education, Community College Trustees and Governing Boards, The Community College Presidency, Quantitative Research Methods, and Politics of Higher Education. During their third year, students primarily focus on developing and writing their dissertation, receiving guidance from program faculty as needed. This is also when they typically take part in their field internships.

Salisbury University located in Salisbury has an online EdD in Literacy Studies that prepares education practitioners with the research, theory, and strategic skills and insight to develop and improve literacy learning programs across different environments. This 57-credit program is offered fully online, and follows a cohort model with synchronous classes. Students can complete the program in approximately four years–three years of content coursework and one year of dissertation research and writing. The curriculum for the program consists of courses such as Foundations of Research; Strategies for Inquiry; Perspectives in Theory: Lenses for Critical Understandings of Education; Oral Discourse, Cognition and Diversity; Literacy Policy and Practice Analysis; Comprehension and Strategic Learning: Theory, Research and Practice; and Social Context of Curriculum.

Students must pass several milestones during their enrollment as a way to ensure their preparedness for their dissertation work. The first milestone is a Preliminary Exam, which students must pass in order to qualify to take their Comprehensive Exam. Passing the Comprehensive Exam is necessary for students to advance to Candidacy and commence work on their dissertation. For their dissertation work, students receive mentorship, feedback, and guidance from faculty advisors, as well as structured support from courses such as Research Seminar I: Writing the Literature Review and Research Seminar II: Conducting a Pilot Project. Students’ dissertation culminates in a dissertation defense and submission of their dissertation to ProQuest for publishing.

Students interested in pursuing their EdD in a different specialization, such as Early Childhood Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Organizational Leadership, or Special Education may want to consider an online program offered by a school out of state. Many institutions across the country have online EdD programs that accept students from Maryland. To learn more about additional concentration options and browse available programs, check out our Online EdD Program Specializations page.

Online EdD Programs in Maryland

The following a list of online Doctor of Education programs offered by schools in Maryland. To learn more about either of the EdDs discussed on this page, click the corresponding link below to visit the program’s website.