DOCTORAL DEGREES
Doctor of Philosophy in Education
Accredited by
- 12 research specializations
- Dedicated dissertation support
- Flexible for working professionals
Format
100% Online
Completion Time
This program is designed to be completed within 45 months. However, students who pursue this program at an accelerated rate may be able to complete the program in as few as 26 months.
26 Months
Credits
60
Average Cost Per Credit
$1,215
Program Overview
Why Get a Doctor of Philosophy in Education?
Expand your reach as an education leader with NU’s Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD-Ed) degree. This 100%-online program is designed for educators who want to publish, teach at the postsecondary level, and advance the body of knowledge in their field. With research-focused specializations and dedicated dissertation support, it’s designed for working professionals ready to move from practice into scholarly inquiry.
Support for the Whole You
12 Specializations
Focus your studies in Early Childhood Education, Special Education, Social-Emotional Learning, and more.
Flexible Online Program
Scholarly doctoral study with flexible online courses designed for educators balancing work, life, and research.
Faculty Mentorship
Doctoral faculty experienced in the field provide personalized guidance from coursework through dissertation defense.
No GRE or Residency
Rigorous course work delivered fully online, with no standardized test scores and no required campus visits.
Admission and Degree Requirements
Program Structure
1
Initial core coursework establishing the theoretical, ethical, and methodological grounding of your discipline.
2
Focused study within your chosen area of concentration and interest.
3
Mentored methods and design training that builds independent scholarly research capacity.
4
The gateway milestone involving an initial proposal establishing the foundational components of independent doctoral research.
5
Structured coursework designed to sequentially develop doctoral research with consistent faculty committee support.
*Program structure and progression may vary.*
Courses and Specializations
Review the required and concentration courses that support your academic growth and prepare you for future career opportunities.
Preparation for Majors
13 COURSES
Foundations of Advanced Graduate Study and Research
3.0 Doctoral Credit Hours
This foundational course will introduce you to the concepts and practices of advanced graduate study. You will examine concepts and expectations of advanced graduate study and academic integrity as well as investigate best practices of scholarship and research. You will explore university resources and supports associated with student success, including technologies for learning and research. You will also evaluate the program process and requirements for success. Finally, you will advocate for self-care and reflection during your studies.
Foundations of Academic Writing, Conceptual & Theoretical Frameworks
3.0 Doctoral Credit Hours
Academic writing is at the heart of scholarly writing. How you explore and navigate your topic of interest is both a personal and professional matter. In this course, you will integrate effective research and writing skills, and evaluate standards of academic writing, honesty, and integrity. Literature and writing are closely related, so this course also offers you a first chance to examine the elements of conceptual and theoretical frameworks and critique the role of supporting literature and inquiry with conceptual and theoretical frameworks. Finally, you will synthesize the frameworks commonly used in educational research.
Scholarly Literature Review
3.0 Doctoral Credit Hours
This course builds on your foundational knowledge of instructional design with advanced practice. You will recommend instructional and training solutions based on existing assessment and evaluation data, formulate procedures for collaborative design projects with diverse stakeholders, and categorize legal, ethical, and political influences on the design of contemporary instructional and training solutions. You will develop instructional materials, including multimedia learning assets that comply with professional practice of instructional design and development.
The Research Process
3.0 Doctoral Credit Hours
In this introductory research course, you will explore the underpinnings of the research process, examine research paradigms, and investigate theoretical and practical foundations of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies used within educational research. You will identify criteria for the development of a quality research study that is ethical, accurate, comprehensive, cohesive, and aligned. Specific course topics will involve the ethics of conducting research; data collection and analysis techniques; and issues of feasibility, trustworthiness, validity, reliability, generalizability or transferability, and rigor. This course is intended to familiarize you with concepts and skills associated with conducting theoretical and applied research.
Statistics I
3.0 Doctoral Credit Hours
This course offers foundational knowledge to become a critical consumer of statistical- based research literature as well as develop the necessary skillset for non-inferential quantitative analyses. The emphasis will be on understanding multivariate data, non-inferential and inferential statistical concepts, the conventions of quantitative data analysis, interpretation and critical inferences from statistical results. Statistical computations will be completed using statistical software applications for quantitative data analysis. The course culminates in a synthesis project to demonstrate statistical skills and aligned with APA guidelines for presentation of statistical results.
Advanced Qualitative Methodology and Designs
3.0 Doctoral Credit Hours
This course focuses on qualitative research methodology and designs and the methods used to collect and analyze data in educational research. You will examine the principles of qualitative research and explore commonly used designs (also referred to as qualitative traditions or genres) with a focus on application and feasibility. Qualitative data collection and analysis methods will be examined for their suitability with regard to the research design selected. Alignment between qualitative designs and research methods, issues of trustworthiness pertaining to qualitative research, and the role and responsibilities of the qualitative researcher will also be explored.
Advanced Quantitative Methodology and Designs
3.0 Doctoral Credit Hours
This course explores the quantitative research methodology and associated designs and methods. You will examine paradigmatic perspectives along with the tenets and conventions of quantitative research. This examination of designs and methods will include topics such as feasibility, validity, reliability, variable operationalization, inferential designs, and analytic software applications used within the quantitative research paradigm. You will also explore the components of aligned and coherent quantitative research designs that support meaningful research within the field of education.
ONE OF THE FOlLOWING:
Applied Qualitative Analysis
3.0 Doctoral Credit Hours
This course builds on a foundational understanding of qualitative designs and measurements to focus on analyses of the data. The course takes you deeper into the skills and techniques necessary to ensure the appropriate analyses of qualitative data, including integrating relevant frameworks, verifying trustworthiness of the findings, and selecting suitable methods to present the analyses and findings.
Statistics II
3.0 Doctoral Credit Hours
You will learn advanced statistical principles and how to apply them to quantitative research. You will be provided an overview of advanced statistical concepts used in empirical research, including inferential analyses. Advanced computations will be performed using SPSS. The focus involves helping you build independent scholarly skills with an emphasis on understanding multivariate data; the use, comprehension, and evaluation of sophisticated statistical concepts; and presentation of statistical results.
Doctoral Comprehensive Assessment: Pre-Candidacy Prospectus
3.0 Doctoral Credit Hours
Prerequisite: Completed all foundational, research, and specialization courses as required by program.
The doctoral comprehensive assessment for the Ph.D. is your opportunity to demonstrate your preparation for entering the dissertation phase as a doctoral candidate. Throughout this course, you will synthesize discipline-specific content with scholarly literature as you create a prospectus for a theoretically based research study focused on furthering knowledge in the field of education. Ph.D. research has a focus on contribution to theory, whereas Ed.D. research focuses on addressing a researchable problem that has practical applications. The two are similar in that they both apply the scientific method to collect data, analyze data, and present results. However, the results are given greater emphasis in terms of theory for the Ph.D. In the Ph.D. degree, you will therefore conduct research that contributes to the broader discipline rather than a specific problem rooted in an applied, professional practice. This prospectus will likely become the foundation of your Ph.D. dissertation. Note that you will take this course only after all foundation, specialization, and research courses have been completed.
Components of the Dissertation
3.0 Doctoral Credit Hours
In this course, students will complete Chapters 1 and 2 of their Dissertation Proposal. Chapter 1 includes a brief review of the literature with substantiating evidence of the problem, the research purpose and questions, the intended methodological design and approach, and the significance of the study, while Chapter 2 consists of the literature review, including the theoretical/conceptual framework. Completed and committee-approved (against the minimum rubric standards) Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 are required to pass this course successfully.
Completing the Dissertation Proposal
3.0 Doctoral Credit Hours
In this course, students will complete Chapter 3 and their Dissertation Proposal (DP). Chapter 3 includes the research methodology and design, population, sample, measurement instruments, data collection and analysis, limitations, and ethical considerations. Students will then assemble their Dissertation Proposal including all appendices necessary. A completed, committee-approved Chapter 3 and a final approved Dissertation Proposal (against the minimum rubric standards) are required by the end of the course.
Data Collection and Analysis
3.0 Doctoral Credit Hours
In this course, students will prepare, submit, and obtain approval of their IRB application. After obtaining IRB approval, students will collect data and submit a data collection verification form when data collection is complete. Students will begin synthesizing collected data and analyzing results. IRB study approval and a completed data collection verification form are required by the end of the course.
The Dissertation Manuscript and Defense
3.0 Doctoral Credit Hours
In this course, students will complete Chapters 4 and 5, followed by their Dissertation Manuscript. Chapter 4 includes presenting study results aligned to the research design and research questions and/or hypotheses. Chapter 5 includes study implications, recommendations, and conclusions. Students will then compile and present findings in the completed Dissertation Manuscript and in an Oral Defense. A completed, committee-approved Chapter 5, Dissertation Manuscript, and successful Oral Defense (against the minimum rubric standards) are required to complete the course and graduate.
Early Childhood Education
In the Early Childhood Education specialization, you’ll focus on research and theory that builds on the foundational principles of early childhood education.
English Language Learning
The English Language Learning (ELL) specialization prepares you to be a research scholar in the field. You’ll build on your existing knowledge and skills in preparation for continued investigation around teaching, assessing, and developing curricula for English language learners.
General Education
In the General Education specialization, you’ll select courses from a broad range of electives to fit your personal interests and professional goals.
International Education and Globalization
The International Education and Globalization specialization focuses on educational phenomena, practices, institutions, and organizations within different societies and cultures.
Leadership in Higher Education
The Leadership in Higher Education prepares professionals to lead and conduct research in a variety of higher education institutions, including public, private, for-profit, and nonprofit.
School Safety, Security, and Emergency Management
The School Safety, Security, and Emergency Management specialization provides educational leaders with the skills and tools to keep schools safe and secure for students, teachers, and the learning process.
Social-Emotional Learning
The Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) specialization provides education professionals, advanced classroom teachers, school counselors or psychologists, and administrators with a more intensive examination of the five core competencies identified by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).
Special Education
The Special Education (SE) specialization is designed for professionals who work with gifted and disabled students in a variety of settings.
Trauma-Informed Educational Practices
In the Trauma-Informed Educational Practices specialization, you’ll explore and integrate the theoretical fundamentals related to trauma-informed teaching and learning.
Leadership in Coaching and Sport Management
The specialization is designed to allow students to develop and enhance academic and practical skills for success in the academy and other career paths.
Online Teaching and Learning
This specialization integrates curriculum development, instructional design and course delivery using technology and online learning management systems.
Leadership Curriculum and Teaching
This specialization equips teachers with the tools and competencies needed to enhance their professional effectiveness as teacher leaders.
Trusted and
Accredited
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accredits public and private schools, colleges, and universities in the U.S.
Career Impact
At NU, we believe education should open doors to new opportunities. Explore career paths, salary insights, and workforce demand related to this degree, and discover how your education can support your professional goals.
*Data Source: The career outcomes data presented is sourced from Lightcast, which provides insights based on real-time job postings, public datasets, and analytics. Lightcast derives its data from sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), and the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES). While accurate and reliable, this data reflects general labor market trends and may not represent individual outcomes or specific local conditions. For more details on Lightcast’s methodology, visit their Data Overview.
Professional Pathways
*Data Source: The career outcomes data presented is sourced from Lightcast, which provides insights based on real-time job postings, public datasets, and analytics. Lightcast derives its data from sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), and the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES). While accurate and reliable, this data reflects general labor market trends and may not represent individual outcomes or specific local conditions. For more details on Lightcast’s methodology, visit their Data Overview.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
Your degree is possible at NU. From scholarships and financial aid to prior learning and transfer credit, we help remove financial barriers to your degree.
Get Financial Aid Through
the FAFSA
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) determines eligibility for financial aid, including grants, loans, and work-study programs. It’s the first step in applying for financial aid at NU.
- Apply once each year to be considered for federal
financial aid - Required for most grants and loans at National University
Scholarships
NU is dedicated to making higher education affordable and accessible, offering scholarships and grants that help eligible students reduce college costs, ease financial stress, and reach their goals.
- Military scholarships for servicemembers, Veterans, spouses, and dependents
- Need-based and merit-based scholarships for undergraduates, graduates, and alumni
More Funding Options
Don’t let financial worries stop you from getting the education you want. NU’s financial aid advisors can help you navigate available resources, including student loans, grants, tuition payment plans, and employer tuition assistance.
- Federal and private student loans for flexible financing
- Tuition payment plans and employer assistance options
Make the Most of Your
Prior Learning
Eligible transfer credit and credit for prior learning may apply toward your doctoral program. Speak with an advisor to learn more about your options.
Contact the admission team at (855) 355-6288
ABD Students Welcome
Finish your Dissertation With Us
NU’s Dissertation Boot Camp is a multi-day, immersive experience focused on helping you make real progress.
- Dedicated DCP advisors and faculty who understand your journey and desire to finish your doctorate
- DCP Bridge courses, virtual sessions, and Dissertation Boot Camps to assist students from day one
Upcoming Dissertation Boot Camps
Upcoming Dissertation Boot Camps
Take the Next Step
Learn more about our career-focused programs and flexible options for working professionals.
Why Choose NU for Your Doctorate?
National University is redefining doctoral education for career-driven learners.
Alumni Network
A nationwide community of 250,000+ graduates offers opportunities for professional connection.
For Working Professionals
Flexible online doctoral programs designed to fit demanding schedules while maintaining academic rigor.
Dedicated Support
NU offers free tutoring, career coaching, wellness services, and more to support your success and well-being.
Career-Focused
Industry-aligned coursework and hands-on learning supported by an alumni network of 255,000+ worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
NU’s Doctor of Philosophy in Education is a 100%-online research doctorate for education professionals who want to contribute original scholarship to the field. It’s designed for educators who aspire to teach at the postsecondary level, conduct and publish research, or work in institutional research, policy, or program evaluation. The program offers 12 specializations, no GRE requirement, and can be completed in 60 credits with weekly start dates.
The core distinction is research versus practice. The EdD is a practitioner’s doctorate for applying research to solve real problems in educational organizations. The PhD in Education is a research doctorate for generating new knowledge through original scholarship, peer-reviewed publication, and contributions to the academic literature in your field. If your goal is to lead a school or district, the EdD is likely the better fit. If your goal is to teach at a college or university, conduct research, or contribute to educational theory, the PhD-Ed is the appropriate credential.
The dissertation sequence includes four courses, from the pre-candidacy prospectus through data collection, analysis, manuscript completion, and final oral defense. The dissertation represents an original contribution to the body of educational research in the student’s area of specialization. Students select either a qualitative or quantitative research methodology and work with faculty throughout the sequence. Continuous enrollment is required.
The degree can prepare graduates for postsecondary teaching, educational research, institutional research, curriculum and instructional leadership, policy analysis, and program evaluation roles. A doctoral degree is typically required for postsecondary teaching positions, and demand for qualified faculty and education researchers continues to grow faster than average as institutions expand and existing faculty retire.
This program is designed to be completed within 45 months. However, students who pursue this program at an accelerated rate may be able to complete the program in as few as 26 months. The program requires a minimum of 60 semester credit hours, with each foundational course running eight weeks and dissertation courses running 12 weeks. Students may transfer up to 12 semester credit hours of qualifying doctoral coursework from an accredited institution toward the degree.
Hear from Our Graduates
Working professionals who have turned their degree into leadership impact.
As a Navy Veteran, it means the world to have a school show the military and its Veterans so much respect and love for our time and service.
Kareece B.
Class of 2024
The support from my chair and dean was incredible. They offered me the flexibility and resources I needed.
Krystal B.
EdD, Class of 2024
The doctoral program has opened up an entire network of progressive, forward-thinking education leaders across the country that I would not otherwise have been fortunate enough to connect with.
Sam H.
EdD, Class of 2022
Earning my degree is more than a personal milestone — it’s a catalyst for positive change within the communities I belong to.
Dr. Nina R.
EdD, Class of 2023
This achievement has deepened my expertise, sharpened my strategic thinking, and prepared me for leadership opportunities in my field.
Tiffany M.
Class of 2025
Program Disclosure
Successful completion and attainment of National University degrees do not lead to automatic or immediate licensure, employment, or certification in any state/country. The University cannot guarantee that any professional organization or business will accept a graduate’s application to sit for any certification, licensure, or related exam for the purpose of professional certification.
Program availability varies by state. Many disciplines, professions, and jobs require disclosure of an individual’s criminal history, and a variety of states require background checks to apply to, or be eligible for, certain certificates, registrations, and licenses. Existence of a criminal history may also subject an individual to denial of an initial application for a certificate, registration, or license and/or result in the revocation or suspension of an existing certificate, registration, or license. Requirements can vary by state, occupation, and/or licensing authority.
NU graduates will be subject to additional requirements on a program, certification/licensure, employment, and state-by-state basis that can include one or more of the following items: internships, practicum experience, additional coursework, exams, tests, drug testing, earning an additional degree, and/or other training/education requirements.
All prospective students are advised to review employment, certification, and/or licensure requirements in their state, and to contact the certification/licensing body of the state and/or country where they intend to obtain certification/licensure to verify that these courses/programs qualify in that state/country, prior to enrolling. Prospective students are also advised to regularly review the state’s/country’s policies and procedures relating to certification/licensure, as those policies are subject to change.
National University degrees do not guarantee employment or salary of any kind. Prospective students are strongly encouraged to review desired job positions to review degrees, education, and/or training required to apply for desired positions. Prospective students should monitor these positions as requirements, salary, and other relevant factors can change over time.
