Lead the schools that shape the next generation. The EdD in Educational Leadership prepares experienced P-12 educators to drive change across classrooms, schools, and districts.
You have spent your career in P-12 education. This is the degree that prepares you to lead it, from the classroom to the district office and beyond.
FSC’s Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership prepares experienced P-12 teachers and administrators to advance professionally and grow intellectually. You will build advanced knowledge in P-12 administration, policy development, and instructional leadership, and engage in research and collaborative projects that sharpen your leadership, management, and program-planning skills. The result is a rigorous, practice-connected doctorate built for the people who run schools.
The Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership is for P-12 teachers and administrators who hold a teaching certificate and an MEd in Education or Educational Leadership and want to lead schools and districts. For a broader, any-sector doctorate, see the Doctor of Education (EdD).
You'll move through the program with the same cohort, building a lasting professional network. Courses use a hybrid format: online learning combined with in-person meetings. In fall and spring, you’ll take two courses at a time, each meeting for a half day on select Saturdays, with online coursework between sessions. This flexible schedule helps working professionals balance doctoral study with other commitments. Most students complete coursework in two years before beginning the dissertation phase.
Eligible students in the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership program can pursue the Early Option, beginning their dissertation process before finishing all coursework. Once program requirements are met, students may present their prospectus and form their committee while completing remaining classes. This allows earlier research, sustained momentum, and potentially a shorter path to degree completion, all with continued faculty support.
A cohort-based, hybrid doctorate built around the schedules of working P-12 leaders, with research training aimed squarely at the problems schools and districts face.
You have already led in P-12 education. The application is where you show you are ready for doctoral work, and our team and the doctoral program coordinator will help you put it together.
A complete application includes:
Have questions as you pull this together? Reach out to Kimmy Diallo, your admission counselor and advisor, and she will walk you through it.
The program develops transformational leaders through coursework in educational leadership, organizational theory, systems improvement, curriculum and instruction, policy, and research. Students build expertise in quantitative and qualitative inquiry, planning and evaluation, data analysis, and advanced research design while examining the social, economic, and political forces that shape education. The program culminates in a dissertation that addresses a significant problem of practice, equipping graduates to lead meaningful, evidence-based change in schools, organizations, and communities.
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EDU 7005 |
Ways of Knowing: Research in Education |
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EDU 7010 |
Educational Leadership & Theory |
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EDU 7090 |
Quantitative Analysis |
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EDU 7135 |
Planning and Evaluation* |
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EDU 7025 |
Sociological and Economical Perspectives in Education |
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EDU 7120 |
Qualitative Methods of Inquiry |
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EDU 7040 |
Organizational Theory & Behavior |
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EDU 7020 |
Curriculum, Learning, and Instruction |
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EDU 7055 |
Systems Improvement and Change |
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EDU 7997 |
Advanced Research Methods* |
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EDU 7050 |
Politics, Policy, and Current Issues |
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EDU 7095 |
Learning-Centered Leadership |
Program Total - 60 hours
*Courses 7135 and 7997 are four credit hours each
Tuition per Credit Hour (2026–2027): $555
Technology Fee per Semester: $25 to $100 (based on credit hours enrolled)
Non-Refundable Enrollment Deposit: $250 (upon acceptance, applied toward your first semester tuition balance)
A dissertation editing fee also applies: the final, successfully defended dissertation is reviewed by a professional editor selected by the FSC School of Education, with the fee based on the document’s length and complexity.
The Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership is built to move experienced educators into the highest levels of P-12 leadership.
Graduates step into senior P-12 roles, from principal to district administration, bringing research-based decision-making to the systems they lead. (Several of our graduates have moved from assistant principal to principal, and beyond, during or after the program.)
Your dissertation tackles a real problem in P-12 education, and the research skills behind it let you keep building systems that improve student achievement throughout your career.
This doctorate deepens your leadership expertise and research capacity; it does not, on its own, grant Educational Leadership certification. If certification is your goal, FSC’s MEd in Educational Leadership is the Florida-approved path.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed working on my Doctorate in Educational Leadership at Florida Southern College. The doctoral program provides a course sequence that is tailored to working professional leaders. As a Principal, I utilize the research skills and practices from this program to build systems that will have a positive impact on student achievement. A huge benefit is the relationships developed with colleagues and faculty.”
“The coursework helped me relate my school administration position to scholarly content, and I was able to use my daily work experience to contribute to class discussions and assignments. I graduated from the program and was promoted from assistant principal to principal as a result of receiving my doctoral degree from Florida Southern College. I highly recommend the program!”
“The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership program has changed my life. My professional skills have been sharpened, my educational philosophy has been challenged and refined, and my commitment to making an excellent education attainable for all students has been strengthened.”
Dr. Howard Hepburn ’20, Superintendent of Broward (FL) County Schools, shares why Florida Southern was the right place to advance his career and his passion for education.
Our educational leadership faculty are scholar-practitioners who have led in real P-12 settings and now guide the next generation of school and district leaders.
Assistant Professor of Education
Assistant Professor of Education
Assistant Professor of Education
No. This doctorate does not lead to Educational Leadership certification. If certification is your goal, see FSC’s MEd in Educational Leadership, a Florida-approved program that leads to Level 1 certification.
The Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership program follows a cohort model, allowing you to progress through the curriculum with the same group of peers and build lasting professional relationships. Courses are delivered in a hybrid format, combining face-to-face instruction with online learning. During the fall and spring semesters, students typically take two hybrid courses, each meeting for one-half day on designated Saturdays, with online coursework completed between class sessions. This flexible format is designed to accommodate the schedules of working professionals while providing meaningful opportunities for collaboration and engagement.
At the doctoral level, you are full time at 8 credit hours a semester.
Complete the FAFSA to determine your eligibility for financial aid.
At Florida Southern, you are our focus. Our graduate admissions team and doctoral program coordinator are here to help you take the next step in your leadership career.
Dean of Education, Nina B. Hollis Endowed Chair of Education, Associate Professor of Education
Exploring other paths in education? Here are FSC’s related graduate and doctoral options:
Ready to lead P-12 education at the highest level? Request more information about the EdD in Educational Leadership, or start your free graduate application today.
