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Online Doctor of Education (EdD) Programs in Ohio

Updated: January 2, 2025

Ohio is home to six schools that offer Doctor of Education degrees online: Antioch University, Franklin University, Kent State University, the University of Cincinnati, the University of Dayton, and the University of Findlay. Students interested in these programs can select from specializations ranging from PK-12 Educational Leadership, Interprofessional Leadership, Higher Education Leadership, Organizational Leadership, and Translating Research into Systems of Instruction, Supervision, and Leadership.

All of the schools listed on this page are regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Each school has also pursued accreditation through the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

Schools in Ohio with Online EdD Programs

Antioch University in Yellow Springs offers an online EdD in Educational and Professional Practice, which focuses on empowering educational professionals to promote justice and inclusion within academic, organizational, and community settings. This program offers specializations in Critical Pedagogy, Environmental and Sustainability Education, Humane Education, Multicultural and Anti-Racist Education, Social-Emotional Learning, Social Justice Leadership, and Waldorf Education. Students can also design their own specialization in consultation with program advisors. Courses are offered entirely online, though students must attend an annual, four-day residency in July on one of Antioch University’s campuses. In addition to these in-person residencies, students are expected to attend a virtual residency via Zoom at the beginning of each term of their enrollment in the program.

Students take core courses such as Social, Philosophical, and Historical Contexts of Education; Leadership for Social Justice; Foundations of Transdisciplinary Inquiry; Pedagogies of Practice; Designing and Evaluating Education-Based Change Initiatives; and Methods of Inquiry: Collecting, Interpreting, and Using Data. After completing the core curriculum, students embark on their specialization courses before completing an Integrated Essay and Portfolio. With the supervision and mentorship of a faculty advisor and committee, students complete a Practice-Based Dissertation during their final terms in the program.

Featured Online EdD Programs
Marymount University Online Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Organizational Innovation	Visit Site
Spalding University Online Doctorate of Education (EdD) in 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
Maryville University Online Doctor of Education - Higher Education Leadership	Visit Site

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Located in Columbus, Franklin University offers an online Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership through its International Institute for Innovative Instruction. Students can choose from one of three focus areas: Organizational Leadership, PK-12 Educational Leadership, or Higher Education Leadership. The program takes roughly three years to complete, with a total of 58 semester hours. However, students can transfer up to 24 credits from previous doctoral work, and applicants with a current superintendent (or equivalent) license may qualify for up to 15 hours of credit towards the EdD in PK-12 Educational Leadership.

All students complete a Research Core, consisting of courses in areas such as statistics, writing, and advanced research methods and design, as well as a Leadership Core, with courses in Change Management and Organizational Development, Innovative Learning Environment Design, Strategic Assessment and Decision Making, Organizational Principles, and Leadership of Organizational Resources. The remaining curriculum is comprised of focus area courses, electives, and dissertation work. Franklin’s Organizational Leadership EdD program is fully online with no campus visit requirements, and admits students three times a year, in January, April, and August.

Kent State University in Kent offers an online EdD in Interprofessional Leadership with concentration options in Athletic Training Education, Cultural Foundations of Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Technology, Leadership in Educational Contexts, and Special Education. Through core courses such as Interprofessional Studies, Leading for Social Justice, Systems Thinking in Personal and Professional Leadership, Qualitative Research Design, and Ethical Leadership in Education, students in this program learn to tackle contemporary educational and organizational challenges in their work setting. Students must also complete either a Capstone or an Individual Investigation Elective under the guidance of a faculty mentor, which is designed to prepare them for their dissertation.

After completing their core courses, students begin their concentration courses, which consist of 12 credits in areas ranging from Evidence Based Interventions in Athletic Training, Multicultural Educational Practice and Policy, Curriculum Leadership, Contemporary Issues in Special Education, Group Dynamics in Educational Leadership, and Emerging Technologies for Education, depending on students’ chosen concentration. Students are required to present a professional portfolio that demonstrates what they have learned in the program. This professional portfolio includes artifacts from their coursework in the program, written reflections on their progress, and a dissertation proposal draft. Upon successfully defending their portfolio, students progress to the dissertation in practice, wherein they address a problem of practice relevant to their area of work using scholarly inquiry. Throughout their work on their dissertation, students receive support and feedback from a faculty advisor and committee.

The University of Cincinnati has an online Doctor of Education in Urban Educational Leadership, which features concentration options in K-12 Education and Higher Education. This program is for mid-level and senior professionals who want to design and implement solutions to education-related problems through a combination of research, principles of transformational change, and knowledge of educational policy at the local, state, and national levels. Students of this program take core classes such as Research and Writing for Equity-Oriented Leaders; Paradigms of Inquiry; Intersections of Policy, Politics, & Practice in Educational Systems; Research Design for Transformative Leaders; and Contexts of Educational Leadership. Within the classes they take, students are able to concentrate their coursework and research endeavors on either K-12 education concerns or issues in higher education. After completing their core courses, students begin work on their dissertation at the end of their second year in the program, under the guidance of faculty mentors. This program is offered 100% online with no campus visit requirements.

The University of Dayton’s School of Education and Health Sciences (SEHS) has an online Doctor of Education program with a concentration in Leadership for Organizations. The 60-credit program is designed to be completed in three years, with start dates in September, January, and May. Students take courses in a wide range of areas related to organizational leadership, collaboration, social justice, and applied practice, including Qualitative and Quantitative Research, Learning Assessment, Organizational Theory, Ethics in Educational Leadership, Law and Public Policy, Finance, and Communication and Community Engagement in Leadership.

The program utilizes synchronous instruction, with students attending weekly, live-streamed classes in HD video, and accessing coursework or connecting with classmates and faculty through a mobile-friendly virtual classroom and various social tools. There are two required in-person immersions on the university campus in Dayton, which take place at the end of year one and year three, respectively. These allow for students to meet their peers and professors face to face, as well as receive help with their dissertation, which they formally present during the second immersion.

Finally, the University of Findlay has a Doctor of Education program students can pursue online with an emphasis on translating research into systems of instruction, supervision, and leadership. Offered through their College of Education, the degree is comprised of 60 credits, and designed to be completed in as little as three years. Required courses cover topics such as policy analysis, strategic planning, perspectives on diversity, innovation and information literacy, research design, and proposal development.

Students must also complete 15 elective credits from either the Superintendent or Teaching course strands. The Superintendent strand includes courses such as School and Community Relations, Collective Bargaining/District Finance, and Buildings, Grounds, and Facilities Management, while the Teaching strand includes courses in Collaborative Grant Writing, Evidence-Informed Decision Making, Mentoring and Coaching Teachers, and Performance Management Practices for Effective Leadership. Findlay’s EdD program is delivered entirely online with the exception of a three-day Summer Institute that takes place on campus during year one.

Online EdD Programs in Ohio

The following is a list of all the online EdD programs offered by schools in Ohio. For more information about any of the degrees described on this page, click the corresponding link below to visit the program’s website.