Online Doctor of Education (EdD) Programs in North Dakota

Two schools in North Dakota currently offer Doctor of Education programs online. The University of Mary, a private institution in Bismarck, offers an online EdD in Educational Leadership and Administration with concentration options in K-12 Leadership and Administration, Higher Education Leadership and Administration, and Special Education Leadership and Administration. The University of North Dakota, a public research institution in Grand Forks, has an online EdD in Educational Practice and Leadership that features seven specializations: Education Policy, Reform & Equity; Higher Education; Instructional Design & Technology; School Leadership; Special Education; Sport Leadership; and Teacher Education. The program offered by the University of Mary requires an on-campus summer residency each year, while the University of North Dakota’s program is fully online with no required campus visits.

Both the University of Mary and the University of North Dakota are institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Additionally, the University of North Dakota’s College of Education and Human Development is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Preparation (CAEP). To learn more about these two online EdD programs, continue reading below.

Schools in North Dakota with Online EdD Programs

The University of Mary offers an online EdD in Educational Leadership and Administration that prepares students to lead effectively in diverse educational environments, with concentration options in K-12 Leadership and Administration, Higher Education Leadership and Administration, and Special Education Leadership and Administration. This EdD is offered fully online, though students are required to attend annual 2-week summer residencies on the University of Mary’s main campus in Bismarck. This program features core courses such as Public Relations, Leading Curriculum, Research Methods & Data Analysis, Research in Educational Neuroscience, Historical Foundations of Education, Leading Adult Learners, Educational Ethics, and Quantitative & Qualitative Research. Upon completing their core coursework, students turn to their concentration-specific coursework. The Higher Education Concentration consists of three classes in Systems and Finance in Higher Education, The Professoriate and Beyond, and Program Evaluation. Students who choose the K-12 Education Concentration complete courses in Systems & Finance in K-12 Education, Assessment & Accountability, and Supervision of Differentiated Instruction, while the Special Education Leadership Concentration is comprised of four courses, Special Education Administration, Leading Adult Learners, Assessment & Accountability, and Systems & Finance in K-12 Education.

In addition to their concentration courses, students choose two electives from a menu of classes that encompass a wide variety of topics, including but not limited to Diversity in Culture and Human Relations, History of Western Education, Executive Leadership, Coaching Today’s Athlete, School Law, Integrating Technology in Education, School Community Relations, Leadership for Social Justice, and Introduction to Project Management. The culminating experience in the program is a doctoral dissertation, through which students investigate an education problem or issue within their professional setting and use tactical scholarship methods to develop, implement, test, and evaluate potential solutions to the specific challenges that they experience in the field. During their work on their dissertation, students receive support and guidance from their dissertation chair and committee.

The University of North Dakota (UND) offers a Doctor of Education in Educational Practice and Leadership online through its College of Education and Human Development. Designed for full-time educators, the degree program is delivered entirely online, with no in-person residency requirements. A total of seven specializations are available: Education Policy, Reform & Equity; Higher Education; Instructional Design & Technology; School Leadership; Special Education; Sport Leadership; and Teacher Education. Each can be completed in approximately three years, requiring a minimum of 90 semester credit hours beyond a bachelor’s degree (actual program credit requirements vary by specialization and students may be able to transfer up to 30 credits from their master’s program with faculty approval). Courses utilize a combination of synchronous and asynchronous components, including streaming video content, prerecorded lectures, virtual libraries, and online discussion boards. Students can also complete an internship, with the chance to learn from expert practitioners in a diverse range of educational settings.

All students take an interdisciplinary core, consisting of courses in Issues and Trends in Education, Diversity Systems and Policy in Education, and Advanced Leadership Theories. After completing two research courses, Introduction to Applied Educational Research, and Action Research, students then select one additional scholarly course, choosing from classes in Learning Analytics, Inquiry into Professional Practice, Program and Policy Evaluation, Survey Design and Analysis, Participatory Qualitative Research Methods, and Advanced Textual Analysis. They subsequently focus their studies on one or more specialization areas, each of which comes with its own required courses and related electives. For example, the Education Policy, Reform & Equity specialization includes courses in Educational Equity and Social Change in Schooling, History of American Education Policy and Reform, and Education Policy: Theories Research. Meanwhile, the Special Education specialization features courses in The Educational Diagnostician, Language Development Cognition in Children, and Achievement Assessment Measures in Special Education.

Additional Online EdD Programs for Residents of North Dakota

Students interested in pursuing their EdD online in a specialization not offered by the University of Mary or the University of North Dakota, such as Early Childhood Education, Curriculum and Instruction, or Organizational Leadership, may want to consider enrolling in a program offered by an out-of-state college or university. Many schools around the country offer online EdD programs that accept students from North Dakota. To learn more about available concentration options and to find a comprehensive directory of online programs, check out our Online EdD Program Specializations page.

Online EdD Programs in North Dakota

For further information about the online EdD programs discussed on this page, visit the schools’ websites by clicking the links below.

University of Mary (Bismarck)

Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission

Department: Liffrig Family School of Education and Behavioral Sciences
Programs:

• Online Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership and Administration with Concentrations in K-12 Leadership and Administration, Higher Education Leadership and Administration, and Special Education Leadership & Administration (Masters to Doctorate)

University of North Dakota (Grand Forks)

Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission, CAEP

Department: College of Education and Human Development
Programs:

• Online Doctor of Education in Educational Practice and Leadership (with Specializations in Education Policy, Reform & Equity; Higher Education; Instructional Design & Technology; School Leadership; Special Education; Sport Leadership; and Teacher Education) (Masters to Doctorate)