Doctor of Education (Ed. D.) in Educational Leadership

Pending WASC Approval

Building upon its fully accredited status by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the School of Education at Concordia University Irvine is offering a Doctor of Education (Ed. D.) in Educational Leadership program, with its first cohort class beginning in early August 2013.

The purpose of the Ed. D. program is to develop transformative leaders who embody the knowledge, competencies, and skills necessary to guide organizations toward continuous improvement and sustained effectiveness. The Concordia graduate program accomplishes this purpose through a rigorous and integrated curriculum that focuses on theory and applied research in leadership and systems thinking, and that develops analytical skills applicable to dynamic and diverse learning organizations.

The Ed. D. program incorporates a blended delivery system which utilizes face-to-face, on-campus class sessions as well as the use of synchronous and asynchronous online modalities to provide students an accommodative learning environment that encourages interaction among students and faculty, supports active learning, and respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

Program Highlights

• Experienced, Christian Educators. Concordia University has a strong faculty of educators who are faithful to the university’s mission to “empower students. . . for lives of learning, service, and leadership.”


• Rigorous and Integrated Curriculum. The Ed.D. program utilizes curriculum that increases student knowledge and skills in the fields of educational leadership and systems thinking.


• Scholarly Research. This graduate program encourages research that utilizes theory and applied research to develop student abilities to generate new knowledge and to apply knowledge and skills to successfully lead diverse learning organizations.


• Ethical Leadership. The leadership of the Graduate School of Education promotes student analysis and application of ethical standards to build a shared vision in educational settings.


• Transformative Learning. The Ed.D. Educational Leadership program equips students for 21st century learning modalities through the use of a hybrid, educational delivery system.


• Interactive Design and Media. The Doctor of Education program incorporates collaborative activities through dialogue-based discussions including face-to-face class sessions and online interaction among students and faculty.


• Competitive Cost. The Concordia Ed. D. is $875 per unit or $42,750* ($46,250 w/China trip) for the 46-unit program. This is a locked-in tuition rate for a cohort for three years.


• Resourceful Academic Calendar. The calendar for the Ed. D. in education allows the typical student to complete all program requirements within 33-36 months.


• Educational Trips. The Doctoral program includes educational trips that enhance student understanding of policy, law, and practice to effect change in dynamic and diverse educational settings. (Trips to: Washington, DC and People’s Republic of China).

*Does not include non-refundable admissions fee, costs for textbooks and materials, costs for a computer and accessories including a webcam, dissertation related costs, and other costs typically associated with a doctoral program.