Doctor of Education

The EdD program is especially suited for professionals who want to expand their knowledge and understanding in relation to their current practices, leadership roles, and future responsibilities. It aims to be relevant to a broad range of interests, such as school-based professional practice, curriculum development and leadership, educational technology, teacher education, professional development, educational consultancy, resource development, pedagogical relations, pedagogical programs and practices, and teaching in a variety of contexts.

Study towards an EdD is suited to be undertaken as part of a sabbatical or personal leave program. The one-year (continuous) residency requirement can be arranged to fit into the context of career schedules and plans.

The following detailed information is of relevance to prospective EdD students. The majority of these regulations are in addition to those of the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS). Applicants should familiarize themselves with the pertinent regulations from the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies, found in the current University of Alberta Calendar.

On this page:

Program

  • An EdD degree is equivalent to a PhD degree. The research component, however, may be more practically oriented than that of the PhD.
  • Each EdD is an individual program, structured to meet the needs of the student. An EdD student can expect to complete approximately two years of coursework. The doctoral dissertation is a major component of the program.
  • Residency: The minimum period of residence for the EdD program is twelve consecutive months of full-time registration. During the Fall and Winter terms, students must carry a minimum nine-credit load per term. During the Spring (May-June) and Summer (July-August) terms, students must carry a minimum six-credit load per term. The one-year residency requirement for EdD students is in place so that students can become part of the community of scholars to which the Faculty supports and belongs.
  • ​Program Duration: The maximum time allowed to complete the requirements for the EdD is six years. Students must register as full-time students throughout their program​ unless approved otherwise​. All program requirements, other than the thesis, must be completed within three years of the commencement of a student's program (see University Calendar).
  • Programs normally include advanced studies in one or more of the following areas: Aboriginal Curriculum Perspectives, Art and Media Education, Arts-Based Research and Participatory Research, Career and Technology Studies (CTS), Curriculum Studies, Drama Education and Applied Theatre, English Language Arts Education, Intercivilizational Dialogue, Mathematics Education, Music Education, Physical Education, Religious and Moral Education, Science Education (Biology, General, and Physical), Second Language Education, Social Studies Education, Teacher Education, and Technology in Education.
  • Students should complete a minimum of 21 credits from coursework during their residency period/s. Required courses as part of the program include EDSE 610: Advanced Research Seminar I and EDSE 620: Advanced Research Seminar II. Students who have not completed EDSE 503: Curriculum Foundations and EDSE 504: Curriculum Inquiry prior to admittance, i.e., those who are new to the program, are expected to also take EDSE 503 and EDSE 504 for a total of 27 minimum credits from coursework. Note: The program will consider prior courses in curriculum theory that might be equivalent to EDSE 503 and EDSE 504 when determining a student's coursework requirements. Decisions about equivalencies to be made in consultation with the program supervisor.
  • Other Courses: Additional courses are selected by the student in consultation with the program supervisor. The number of Individual Study (EDSE 602) courses is limited to 3 credits per semester and 6 credits per program.
  • Students have an opportunity to include in their programs courses offered by other Departments and Faculties that are related to their field.
  • Ethics Requirement: ​Ethics is met through the completion of INT D 710: Ethics and Academic Citizenship and INT D 720: Advanced Ethics and Academic Citizenship, two self-paced, zero credit courses available through BearTracks. These should be completed by the end of your first term in the program.
  • Research Ethics Review: All students conducting research with human subjects must submit and have a Research Ethics Review​ ​approved prior to commencing research via the​ ARISE ​(Alberta Research Information Services) system.

Supervision

Upon admission, all EdD students are assigned a supervisor in their area of study.

Examination

  • Doctoral candidacy examination: Students must prepare and orally defend a written candidacy paper outlining the proposed study and reviewing the relevant research and theory. This examination will assess the student's knowledge of the discipline and subject matter relevant to the dissertation and their ability to pursue and complete original research at an advanced level.
  • Final Doctoral Examination: Doctoral students must complete a thesis. The thesis must be successfully defended. See the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies' website for information on required components and formatting of the thesis.

Financial Assistance

  • The Faculty of Education is unable to guarantee financial assistantships to all students; however, we are able to offer a substantial number of graduate teaching or research assistantships on a competitive basis in exchange for research assistance for faculty members, teaching assistance in the undergraduate program. Decisions about assistantships are based on the needs of the Faculty in relation to teaching and research, our current resources, and the student’s background experiences/merit.
  • International applicants are strongly advised to secure funding for their program from external sources prior to applying to this program. Any funding we may be able to provide will be insufficient to cover all expenses of life and school for the duration of the program; therefore, you must have other funds available to you.
  • Students are expected to apply for all internal and external awards for which they qualify.

Graduate Program Fees

For tuition and sample fee assessments, please see the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies - Tuition & Fees.

Contact

Graduate Advisor:
Email: essgrad3@ualberta.ca