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Online Doctor of Education (EdD) Programs in Missouri

Updated: January 2, 2025

The state of Missouri is home to ten schools that offer Doctor of Education degree programs online. A.T. Still University of Health Sciences (ATSU), Evangel University, Lindenwood University, Logan University, Maryville University, Missouri Baptist University, Rockhurst University, University of Missouri, University of Missouri-St. Louis, and Webster University all have EdD programs students can pursue through online study, with limited or no required campus visits. A number of specializations are available to students through these programs, including an EdD in Health Professions, an EdD in Higher Education Leadership, and an EdD in Educational Leadership – Curriculum & Instruction.

ATSU, Evangel University, Lindenwood University, Logan University, Maryville University, Missouri Baptist University, Rockhurst University, University of Missouri, University of Missouri-St. Louis, and Webster University are all regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Several of these universities have also received accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) for their schools or colleges of education. For more information on the specific programs that these schools offer, please read below.

Schools in Missouri with Online EdD Programs

At A.T. Still University of Health Sciences (ATSU) in Kirksville, students can pursue a Doctor of Education in Health Professions online through the school’s College of Graduate Health Studies. Designed for practicing clinicians, healthcare educators, directors, and others who want to excel as leaders in the field of health education, this fully online program entails a total of 55 credit hours and has no residency requirement. The curriculum focuses on teaching health professionals how to best educate others, with courses in areas such as Cultural Competence and Multicultural Education, Educational Program Evaluation, Innovative Teaching Strategies in the Health Professions, Instructional Design and Program Planning, Technology and Educational Transformation, Student Assessment, and more.

Students can access course materials at any time through the Canvas online learning platform, logging in to view asynchronous web-based instruction, video demonstrations, and directed readings, as well as interact with faculty and classmates through online discussions and email. The EdD program culminates in a Doctoral Research Project (DRP), in which students produce an original manuscript that can be submitted to peer-reviewed journals for publication.

Featured Online EdD Programs
Maryville University Online Doctor of Education - Higher Education Leadership	Visit Site
Grand Canyon University Online Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership with Emphases in K-12 Leadership, Higher Education Leadership, and Organizational Development	Visit Site
Marymount University Online Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Organizational Innovation	Visit Site
Arizona State University Online Doctor of Education (Ed.D) in Leadership & Innovation with Pathways in PreKindergarten-Grade 12 Change Leadership; Higher Education Change Leadership; and Systems, Professional and Reimagined Change Leadership	Visit Site
University of West Alabama Online Ed.D. Rural Education with Concentrations in Higher Education Administration, and Organizational Change and Leadership	Visit Site

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Based in Springfield, Evangel University offers an online EdD in Educational Leadership – Curriculum and Instruction, which is comprised of 50 credits and equips students with skills in and knowledge of leadership, community relations management, and curriculum development and evaluation across different academic contexts. Students take Leadership Seminars in Community Relations and Policy Analysis, as well as courses in Ethics and Decisions of School Leaders; Cultural Competence; Resource Management; Data Analysis for School Improvement; Research Methods and Statistics; Evidence Based Instruction and Learning; Contemporary Issues in Curriculum and Instruction; and Educational Funding. For their culminating experience, students complete a dissertation that gives them the opportunity to research a professional challenge within their area of practice, and discover ways to address this challenge that have broader applications in the field of education leadership and curriculum and instruction. Students benefit from the mentorship and guidance of a faculty committee during their work on their dissertation.

Lindenwood University offers an online EdD in Leadership with concentrations in Curriculum and Instruction, Education Administration, and Higher Education Administration. This 48-credit program utilizes asynchronous instruction, and has a curriculum that is designed to prepare students to integrate improvement science principles into initiatives that transform educational systems, programs, and processes. Regardless of concentration, students take core courses such as Principles of Design Thinking, Leading Organizational Change, Creative Courage, American Education, and Applied Qualitative Methods, and Research Design, Methods, and Ethics in Educational Research. From there, students take courses specific to their concentration; for the Curriculum and Instruction focus, students can choose from courses such as Curriculum and Instruction: Assessment and Evaluation; Global and Social Perspectives Revisioning Curriculum and Instruction; and Leading in the Digital Age. The Education Administration emphasis prepares students for Missouri K-12 superintendent certification with courses in School District Administration and Visionary Leadership, Human Resource Administration, and Advanced School Finance. Students who select the Higher Education Administration concentration can choose from courses such as Legal Aspects of Higher Education, Business Management in Higher Education Administration, Comparative Education Theory and Practice, and History of Higher Education in the United States. For their culminating experience, students work with their faculty mentor and a Problem of Practice Design Team to identify a problem in their work setting and design a solution using data analysis and prototype testing.

Logan University in Chesterfield offers a 100% online Doctor of Education in Health Professions Education through its College of Health Sciences. This program prepares health professionals for instructional and educational leadership roles across a variety of health care education contexts. The program consists of 60 course credits which students can complete over approximately three years. Students in this program take content courses such as Issues in Health Professions Education, Behavioral Theories in Education, Curriculum Development and Evaluation for Health Professions, Instructional Design, and Clinical Outcome Development and Performance Assessment. They also complete several advanced research courses including Qualitative Research Methods, Quantitative Research Methods, and Introduction to Proposal Writing. In addition, students are required to take two practicum courses, during which they design or re-design an online training module or course, thereby applying what they have learned in their content courses to hands-on course design and development. The culminating experience for this program is an Applied Research Project (ARP), through which students identify and address a real-world educational problem. Students take three courses with structured benchmarks and faculty guidance to support them through the completion of their ARP, including the selection of a topic and methodology.

Located in St. Louis, Maryville University has a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership that can be completed entirely online in as few as 32 months. Offered by their School of Education, the cohort-based program features a curriculum focused on practice-based research, reflective leadership practice, academic leadership strategies, and data analysis. Students complete 48 credits in all, taking courses such as Reflective Leadership Practice and Inquiry, The College Student Experience, Educational Research Methods, Organizational Leadership in Higher Education, Strategic Change and Innovation, The Academic Community, Performance and Accountability, and Leading in a Complex Environment. Coursework in the program is 100% online, and students can choose to attend their research residencies, which involve presentations and workshops designed to help students complete their dissertation, either online or on campus. Along with personal mentorship from the program’s scholar-practitioner faculty, online students at Maryville also have complete access to the school’s library database and librarians to help with dissertation research.

Missouri Baptist University in Saint Louis offers an online EdD in Higher Education Leadership that is comprised of 45 course credits beyond the master’s degree. Students take courses such as Statistics and Methods, College Student Development, American Higher Education, Critical Issues in Higher Education and Diversity, Higher Education Finance, Higher Education Law and Ethics, Higher Education Leadership and Strategic Planning, and Enrollment Management in Higher Education. They also take several intensive research courses that help support their work on their dissertation, including Survey of Methodology and Design, Application of Methods, and Analyzing and Reporting Data. For their final graduation requirement, students must investigate a research question that relates to a problem of practice in higher education, and in doing so develop insights that are of practical import to their discipline. All students receive faculty mentorship and support in the form of a committee and a dissertation chair. As part of the dissertation development process, students are required to attend an on-campus residency that spans three days, during which they engage in learning activities and discussions about creative leadership with faculty and fellow cohort members, hone their research techniques, and refine their ideas for and approach to their dissertation.

Rockhurst University in Kansas City has a 100% online EdD in Education and Leadership that consists of 45 credits, and which students can complete in as little as two years of full-time study. This program features four concentration options: Higher Education, Health Care Education, K-12 Leadership, and Organizational Leadership. Students take core courses such as Historical Topics in Higher Education, Curriculum Development and Instructional Design, Assessment of Learning in Higher Education, and Active Learning Pedagogies. From there, students take concentration-specific coursework. For example, the Health Care Education concentration features courses on informatics in health care settings, while the Higher Education Leadership concentration includes a College Teaching Practicum wherein students apply what they have learned in their classes to real academic situations and challenges under the guidance of a higher education faculty member. For their culminating experience, students complete a Research Capstone through which they identify a problem of practice in their field, conduct a literature review, and develop a research methodology to examine the causes, effects, and/or possible solutions to this academic problem or challenge. Throughout their work on their Research Capstone, students receive support and mentoring from faculty advisors. Depending on the concentration courses they choose, and with the approval of a program advisor, students of this program may also qualify for a graduate certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at no extra cost.

University of Missouri offers an online EdD in Educational Leadership through its College of Education and Human Development that prepares students to identify, analyze, and effectively address education issues and challenges in settings ranging from PK-12 through higher education. This program is offered 100% online, and utilizes both asynchronous and synchronous instruction. The curriculum for this program includes courses in Organizational Analysis; Problems in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis; Seminar in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Content and Context of Learning; Quantitative Tools for Applied Research in Educational Leadership; Program Evaluation and Planning for Educational Leaders; Research Design; and Scholarly Writing. After completing their content coursework, students must take and pass a comprehensive examination before progressing to their dissertation-in-practice. Through their dissertation, students examine an educational challenge within their sphere of influence, and seek to address it through research design and the development and testing of potential solutions.

University of Missouri-St. Louis has an online EdD in Educational Practice that features two Learning Communities of Practice that students enter into depending on their desired academic and professional focus: College Access, Career Readiness, and Student Services in Higher Education; and Social Justice in Education. This program is unique in that the curriculum consists of six Learning Community of Practice seminars during which students discuss shared readings, network with fellow practitioners, and develop a problem of practice specific to their academic and professional area of interest. Students also engage in a field experience called a Laboratory of Practice through which they apply theory to solving problems of practice prior to their dissertation. Required Common Courses that students complete include Data Analysis for Educational Practitioners, Building Socially Just and Ethical Educational Communities, and Research and Technical Writing for Educational Practitioners. Students also complete courses that cover technology integration for diverse learning environments and grant writing for educational practitioners before beginning work on their Dissertation in Practice, which can be either an individual or group endeavor, supervised by faculty mentors.

Webster University offers an online EdD in Transformative Learning in the Global Community which accepts an international student cohort, and emphasizes strategies for researching and improving education systems, as well as other communities and organizations across the globe. This 40-credit program features a strong focus on social justice and how it can be enacted through research and the application of theory to practice, social consciousness, and social advocacy. The curriculum for this EdD includes core courses in Global Histories and Politics in Education; Social Justice and Transformative Learning in Global Education; Transformative Lens in Educational Technologies; and Transformative Leadership in Education: Equity and Ethics. Students are also required to complete a doctoral writing seminar, courses on qualitative and quantitative research methods, and a doctoral apprenticeship within their region and with the approval of their program advisor. While this program is primarily asynchronous online, there is a required two-day residency on-campus. Students of this program benefit from one-on-one faculty mentorship as well as peer support groups and writing workshop groups throughout their enrollment, and can choose from two culminating experiences: a prospectus and dissertation, or a doctoral digital portfolio. Students who select the dissertation pathway take classes in Prospectus and Dissertation Writing and Doctoral Dissertation Research and Writing, while students who choose the digital portfolio option take Research Design for Doctoral Digital Portfolio and a two-course sequence focusing on their digital portfolio development.

Students interested in additional specialization options may want to consider online EdD programs offered by schools in other states, many of which accept students from Missouri. OnlineEdDPrograms.com currently categorizes Doctor of Education programs into 14 different specializations to help students find a program that best fits their educational and professional goals. To browse online programs by area of focus, check out our Online EdD Program Specializations page.

Online EdD Programs in Missouri

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