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Online Doctor of Education (EdD) Programs in New Jersey

Updated: December 8, 2025

There are five schools in New Jersey that currently offer Doctor of Education programs online. Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey City University, Rowan University, Saint Elizabeth University, and Saint Peter’s University all offer online EdD programs with online coursework and limited or no required campus visits. Through these schools, students can select from a variety of specializations, such as Higher Education, P-12 Leadership, Nurse Educator, Health Education, and Educational Technology Leadership.

All five universities are regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). In addition, three of the five schools have pursued additional programmatic accreditation through the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Read more about the schools in New Jersey offering online EdD programs below.

Schools in New Jersey with Online EdD Programs

Located in Teaneck, Fairleigh Dickinson University offers an online EdD in Leadership with tracks in Higher Education, P-12 Education, and Health Education. This program consists of 45 credits, with students taking fully online courses in eight-week sessions. Regardless of their chosen track, students take the same 15-credit Research Sequence that covers research methods and study design, qualitative and/or quantitative inquiry, data analytics in educational leadership, and dedicated dissertation preparation, including a dissertation seminar. All students also take a core Leadership Sequence that covers organizational administration in education, sustainable organizational development, building inclusive educational cultures, advanced data analytics for leadership in education.

The remaining 15 credits of the program are devoted to students’ chosen track. The Higher Education track features one required course on the history of higher education, followed by students’ choice of courses in areas like innovation and technology in higher education, educational policy and advocacy, data analytics and visualizations for higher education, program assessments, culturally responsive curriculum development, and advanced studies in higher education. The P-12 Education track requires a course on the history and persistence of inequalities in P-12 education, then allows students to take track-specific electives on topics like educational policy and advocacy, social and emotional learning, critically conscious education, inclusive social services, and coalition-building and communication strategies. The Health Education track has mandatory courses on health information systems, health quality and outcomes assessments, database management and reporting in education, and culturally responsive curriculum; after these courses, students can choose one elective in an area like organizational analysis, health promotion, population health, and healthcare systems delivery.

Building upon the dissertation-specific core coursework they complete throughout the curriculum, students embark on their independent dissertation research as their final requirement to confer their doctoral degree. Through their dissertation, students examine and seek to formulate solutions to a problem of practice in their work setting. During their dissertation research, students receive feedback and guidance from their faculty advisor(s), leading to a presentation of their final conclusions and recommendations for addressing the education-related challenge they have investigated.

Featured Online EdD Programs
Grand Canyon University Online Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership with Emphases in K-12 Leadership, Higher Education Leadership, and Organizational Development	Visit Site
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Marymount University Online Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Organizational Innovation	Visit Site
Arcadia University Online Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership	Visit Site
Spalding University Online Doctorate of Education (EdD) in Leadership	Visit Site

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New Jersey City University, which is based in Jersey City, offers an online EdD in Educational Technology Leadership that prepares students to design and implement innovative technologies into new and existing educational systems. This 60-credit program features classes such as Principles of Educational Technology Leadership, Global Issues in Educational Technology Leadership, Advanced Effective Models of E-Learning, Advanced Methods for Building Online Communities, Implementation and Evaluation of Curriculum, and Statistics for Educational Research. Students’ culminating experience in the program is a dissertation through which they can examine a technology-related educational problem and explore how to address it, or research an opportunity wherein learning outcomes can be improved through technological innovation and sound education leadership strategies.

Students of this program can complete the majority of their coursework online, but must attend one week-long, in-person Summer Institute on campus during the each of the three summers of their enrollment. During their first Summer Institute, students meet their instructors and course peers, and learn about the structure, expectations, resources, and core practices and principles of the program. During the second Summer Institute in their second year, students take their comprehensive examinations, and for their third Summer Institute, they defend their dissertation proposals and present a portfolio. In addition, during each Summer Institute, students engage in learning and networking activities with instructors and their fellow students, and also discuss in-depth the nature of education technology across different contexts.

Rowan University in Glassboro offers an EdD in Educational Leadership through its College of Education that students can pursue 100% online in one of seven tracks: Community College, Higher Education, P-12, Nurse Educator, Instructional Technology, Special Education Leadership, and an Individualized Track where students build their own specialization from courses in the other six tracks. This cohort-based program is designed to help education professionals develop as leaders, with a particular focus on reflective decision making, collaboration, innovative change, and administrative ability. A total of 60 semester hours are required to complete the degree, including a 36-credit core curriculum, 12 credit hours of specialization track courses, and 12 hours related to dissertation research and development.

Every student in Rowan University’s EdD in Educational Leadership program takes the same set of 12 core courses, totaling 36 credits. For the core content coursework, students study topics such as Leadership for Social Justice; Reforming Organizations; Public Policy, Ethics, and Contemporary Issues; Sustainable Institutional Change; and Introduction to Writing a Research Literature Review. Students also take Inquiry-focused courses as part of the core, including Theory to Practice; Program Evaluation; Inquiry for Improvement; and Policy Inquiry, Analysis, and Entrepreneurship. Finally, students also engage in three Leader Scholar Community courses that introduce them to the dissertation research process and allow them to connect with their program peers as they explore and apply various research frameworks and methodologies to education challenges.

From there, students begin their track-specific courses. The Community College track requires the completion of courses in History and Context of American Community Colleges, Community College Governance and Leadership, Legal and Administrative Issues in Community Colleges, and Leadership and Advocacy for Community College Student Success. Students of the Higher Education track can expect to take courses in History and Context of American Higher Education, Higher Education Governance and Leadership, Legal and Administrative Issues in Postsecondary Education, and Leadership and Advocacy for Student Success. The P-12 track includes courses in Instructional Leadership, Educational Leadership for Equity and Diversity, Equitable Finance and Budgeting, and Building Board and Community Relations. Finally, students who choose the Nurse Educator track will take Curriculum Development and Instructional Design, Assessment and Evaluation for Nurse Educators, a Practicum in Nursing Education, and their choice of one other course from a different track in the EdD program.

Students who choose the Instructional Technology track complete classes covering an Introduction to Educational Technology, Digital Citizenship in 21st Century Schools, Emerging Technology Tools and the Curriculum, and Internet in the Classroom. The Special Education Leadership track requires classes on Disability Studies; Leadership, Policy, and Ethics in Special Education; Operational Leadership in Special Education; and Special Topics in Special Education. To graduate, students must complete a doctoral dissertation. As mentioned previously, students work on identifying their problem of practice and complete dissertation-specific milestones through their Inquiry courses within the core curriculum, as well as the Leader Scholar Community courses they complete. During the final stage of their doctoral program, students work independently on their dissertation with guidance from their faculty advisor(s), before presenting their final research conclusions before a faculty committee.

Saint Elizabeth University, located in Morristown, offers an EdD in Educational Leadership that is available fully online, and which features concentrations in Pre-K to 12th Grade, Higher Education, and Organizational Leadership. This 50-credit program prepares students to combine principles of servant leadership with advanced skills in education research, program development and evaluation, and fostering diversity and social justice to improve diverse education environments. Regardless of concentration, all students take core courses in areas such as Servant Leadership: Ethical and Moral Leadership; Essential Competencies for Doctoral Studies; Fundamentals of Research; Data Analysis & Interpretation; and Dissertation Research and Scholarly Writing. From there, the courses students complete depend on their chosen concentration. For example, students of the Higher Education concentration complete courses such as Strategic Planning & Institutional Improvement; Contemporary Issues in Higher Education; Diverse Learners and At Risk Learners; Enrollment Management in Higher Education; and Legal Environment in Higher Education. Students of the Pre-K to 12th Grade concentration take courses such as Leadership Management of K-12 Schools and Systems; Educational Leadership in a Global and Multicultural Society; Education Public Policy Development & Advocacy; and Resource Allocation & Deployment. The Organizational Leadership concentration features courses in Organizational Leadership; Human Resources Training & Development; Management and Leadership; Designing and Leading Training; and Introduction to Adult Education and Organizational Leadership. For their culminating experience, students complete an Action Research Dissertation wherein they investigate a problem of practice in their workplace or sphere of influence, and seek to arrive at key research insights that improve their own practice as education leaders.

Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City has an online Ed.D. in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Higher Education. This 48-credit program features a curriculum that prepares professionals in higher education to step into leadership roles in areas such as organizational change, curriculum development, and social justice advocacy within education settings. Students take courses such as Historical Trends in Higher Education; Enrollment Management and Marketing; Student Development and Programming; Grants, Philanthropy, and Development; Curriculum Development and Instruction; Organizational Behavior and Leadership; Finance, Budgeting, and Resource Allocation in Higher Education; Ethical Foundations and Social Responsibility; and Accountability: Assessment, Accreditation, and Institutional Research. In addition, students must take statistics and research methodology courses that prepare them for their dissertation. Students’ dissertation enables them to explore an issue in higher education, and to find ways of advancing the field of college leadership through their research. Students take a Dissertation Seminar and also receive mentorship and guidance from a faculty committee that reviews their dissertation proposal, provides feedback, and attends their final dissertation defense.

Students interested in pursuing a different EdD specialization than the ones described above, such as specializations in Early Childhood Education, Executive Leadership, Curriculum and Instruction, or Organizational Leadership, may want to consider an online program offered by a school in another state. Many out-of-state schools offer online EdD programs that accept students from New Jersey. For more information about EdD specialization options, as well as a list of available online programs, check out our Online EdD Program Specializations page.

Online EdD Programs in New Jersey

Below are links to the online EdD programs that are available in New Jersey. To learn more about these degree programs, their respective specialization tracks, and key information about admissions, tuition costs, and course content, click below to the visit these universities’ websites.