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Online Doctor of Education (EdD) Programs in Massachusetts

Updated: February 12, 2026

There are seven schools in Massachusetts that offer Doctor of Education (EdD) programs online. American International College, Bay Path University, Boston College, Merrimack College, Northeastern University, Regis College, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell have EdD degree programs that students can complete online. The programs offered by American International College and Regis College are fully online, while the other five institutions require a limited number of in-person residencies (Note: several schools with residency requirements give students the option of completing their residencies virtually). Through these online EdD programs, students have numerous EdD concentration options including Higher Education Administration, Organizational Leadership, PK-12 Leadership, Teaching and Learning, and Transformative School Leadership.

American International College, Bay Path University, Boston College, Merrimack College, Northeastern University, Regis College, and UMass Lowell are all regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). To learn more about these schools’ online EdD options, continue reading below.

Schools in Massachusetts with Online EdD Programs

American International College’s School of Education has an online EdD in Educational Leadership and Administration that features specializations in Teaching and Learning, Educational Leadership, Higher Education, and Organizational Leadership and Development. This program consists of 51 credits that students can complete in a little over two years of full-time study. Students take a 18 credits of core courses that cover research methods in education, qualitative and quantitative research, cultural and social influences in educational and organizational settings, designing research studies, and ethics in education. From there, students take 15 course credits according to their concentration and for their culminating experience, students complete 18 credits of dissertation work, through which they investigate a problem of practice under faculty supervision.

Students of the Teaching and Learning concentration take courses in reflective practice and mentorship, learning and development theories, teaching as an evolving discipline, advanced instructional supervision, and advanced curriculum models and practices. The Educational Leadership concentration includes courses covering advanced principles of educational leadership, human resources management, advanced school finance, instructional supervision, and school law and ethics. Students of the Higher Education concentration take courses in principles of higher education leadership, higher education leadership management, student development theories, higher education policies, and supporting student success. Finally, the Organizational Leadership and Development concentration features classes in strategic decision-making, change management, organizational development, and building a positive and sustainable organizational culture.

Bay Path University, located in Longmeadow, offers an online EdD in Educational Leadership with two concentration options in Higher Education Leadership & Organization Studies, and Transformative School Leadership (K-12). The curriculum for Bay Path’s EdD in Educational Leadership is comprised of five components: 15 course credits of Signature Core or Leading Change Seminars, six course credits of Doctoral Studies Seminars, nine course credits of Research Design and Execution classes, and 12 course credits of Action-Focused Dissertation work. Through the curriculum, students learn how to manage change in diverse organizational contexts, build the capacity for different types of leadership, provide leadership development and coaching, design qualitative and quantitative research studies, and implement action-research methodologies. There are three mandatory on-campus intensives that students attend (one per year that they are enrolled), during which they connect with their faculty mentors and also engage in key milestones for their action-focused dissertation. For their dissertation, students of this program take four action-research focused dissertation courses that guide them through the process of examining an educational or organizational challenge and how to solve it through research and data analysis.

In addition to its traditional EdD in Educational Leadership, Bay Path University also has an All But Dissertation (ABD) option for students who have completed most or all of their EdD coursework at another institution but who have not completed their dissertation and want additional intensive support to finish their research and earn their Doctorate in Education.

Featured Online EdD Programs
American International College Online EdD in Educational Leadership and Administration with Specializations in Educational Leadership (K-12), Higher Education, Organizational Leadership and Development, and Teaching and Learning	Program Website
Marymount University Online Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Organizational Innovation	Program Website
Grand Canyon University Online Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership with Emphases in K-12 Leadership, Higher Education Leadership, and Organizational Development	Program Website
St. Bonaventure University Online Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership	Program Website
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Online Doctor of Education in Organizational Learning and Leadership	Program Website

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Boston College in Chestnut Hill offers an online Executive EdD in Higher Education that focuses on preparing students for leadership roles in educational and organizational transformation that promote social justice, innovative education design, and mission-driven academic leadership. This program partners with Boston College’s Center for International Higher Education in order to help students integrate course content with international education contexts. Students of this program also have the option to concentrate in Catholic Higher Education. While this program features 100% online courses, it does require students to attend one week-long campus intensive every year, during the summer term. Students of this program take core classes such as Law, Policy, and Politics of Higher Education in the (Inter)National Context; Social Justice and the Foundations of Higher Education; Data Literacy; Managing Change in Higher Education; Leading Teaching and Learning; and Data-Driven Decision-Making.

Students who elect to pursue the Catholic Higher Education concentration take many of the same courses, with the addition of classes such as Catholic Higher Education and Catholic Higher Education: Administration and Leadership. As their culminating experience in the program, students complete a capstone group project, which is similar to a dissertation in that it is comprised of formal chapters including the literature review, research methodologies, data analysis, and conclusions. Through their capstone project, students investigate a specific, practice-based issue in higher education, and receive guidance from their capstone advisor during their group and individual work.

Merrimack College offers an online EdD in Educational Leadership through its School of Education and Social Policy. This program consists of 44 credits and has three concentration options in School Leadership, Organizational Development, and Innovative Curricular Leadership. The program’s coursework is delivered 100% online through primarily asynchronous instruction, though students are required to attend two residencies, one at the beginning of their enrollment, and the second at the beginning of their second year in the program. Students can complete their two residencies either on-campus or online through synchronous virtual meetings. For their culminating experience, students complete a dissertation in practice that examines a problem of practice in their work context that they want to address. During their dissertation work, all students receive guidance and mentorship from a faculty chair and a committee of advisors.

Regardless of their chosen concentration, students take core courses that cover doctoral research fundamentals, transformative and holistic leadership principles, and qualitative and quantitative research design. The School Leadership concentration includes courses on education law and policy, school finance and budgeting, and operational leadership in schools. Students of the Organizational Development concentration take courses on building dynamic organizations, team development, organizational leadership best practices, and leadership ethics. Finally, the Innovative Curricular Leadership concentration requires courses in individual and collective pedagogical principles, strategic resource management in instructional contexts, and contemporary law and policy in schools.

At Northeastern University in Boston, students can pursue their Doctor of Education online in one of four concentrations: Higher Education Administration, Innovative Teaching and Learning, Transformative School Leadership, Workplace Learning, and Integrative Studies. Available through the College of Professional Studies, this EdD program requires 60 credit hours and is designed to be completed in three to four years of study. While all coursework is delivered online, students must attend a total of two on-campus residencies (in their first and second years of the program), either at the main campus in Boston or satellite locations in Charlotte, North Carolina or Seattle, Washington.

The curriculum in Northeastern’s EdD program is comprised of three required foundation courses that cover the foundations of doctoral study, leadership for social justice, and the foundations of collaboration, leadership, and change. Students also take four required courses in fundamental and advanced research design, foundational research principles, and a dissertation in practice seminar. For their dissertation work specifically, students take two supporting courses that guide them through the proposal, action, and evaluation sets, as well as action research results interpretation, analysis, presentation, and dissemination. Each concentration in this program is comprised of four specialized courses. For example, the Higher Education Administration concentration offers courses in Global and Historical Perspectives on Higher Education, Organizational Systems and Institutional Governance, The Legal Environment of Higher Education, and Strategic Management in Higher Education, while the concentration in Workplace Learning has courses in Designing Workplace Learning, The Dynamics of Workplace Learning, Leading the Learning Strategy, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Workplace Learning. Students also have 15 credit hours they can devote to electives to further personalize their course of study. Topics covered in electives include experiential learning assessment and reflection, urban education, comparative global higher education, contemporary community college issues, and organizational consulting.

Regis College offers an online EdD in Leadership through its School of Arts and Sciences. This program has two concentrations in Higher Education Leadership and Organizational Leadership, and consists of 51 credits that students can complete in about 36 months of study, or three years. Students take core courses in advanced scholarly writing, qualitative and quantitative research, doctoral-level inquiry, organizational theories and their applications, inclusive leadership, problem solving and change management, and lifelong learning for success in educational and organizational contexts. Students also take a course wherein they discuss and plan how they will apply their doctoral degree to their desired career trajectory. Upon completing their core courses, students of the Higher Education Leadership concentration take classes in higher education history, contemporary and future issues in higher education, higher education policy and law, and higher education as a business. Students who opt for the Organizational Leadership concentration take courses in organizational innovation, talent management and development, organizational success through lifelong learning, and executive communication.

A Dissertation in Practice is the program’s culminating experience, wherein students apply what they have learned to researching and addressing a problem of practice in their professional work. Throughout their progress through the curriculum, students also take six Dissertation in Practice courses that guide them through their proposal, literature review, study methodology or methodologies, analysis of their findings, development of their study conclusions and recommendations, and final presentation. Through these courses, students complete each chapter of their dissertation with guidance from course instructors and feedback from classmates.

The University of Massachusetts Lowell offers a Doctor of Education in Leadership in Schooling online through their College of Education. The cohort-based program has a focus on PreK to 12th grade education, designed for professionals who want to pursue leadership roles in primary school districts, or as instructors in a college or university’s education department. Students must complete a total of 42 credits beyond their master’s or educational specialist (EdS) degree, taking two courses each semester in order to finish in three years. Courses in the program cover such topics as Applied Research Design; Organizational Learning; Qualitative and Quantitative Data Analysis; Strategic Partnering with Families and Communities; Systems Leadership; Program Evaluation; and Law, Policy, and Finance. There is also an optional STEM Education degree track, which includes courses in Foundations of Student Learning in STEM Fields, Leadership and Research in STEM Education, and Education Reform in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In additional to their online coursework, students must attend a weeklong campus residency each summer.

Online EdD Programs in Massachusetts

The following is a list of schools in Massachusetts where students can pursue a Doctor of Education online. To learn more about any of the EdD programs described on this page, click on the corresponding link below to visit the school’s website.