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The Ed.D. program has been designed for candidates who have demonstrated the potential for doctoral study and leadership, as substantiated during the admission process, and obtained a master's degree in education or a closely related field from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 3.5.

Ed.D. Program Requirements

Please submit the following program admission documents to the Director of Graduate Admissions.

  1. A Graduate Application for Admission
  2. A $50 non-refundable application fee
  3. A Master's degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution
    • Minimum GPA of 3.5 on a 4-point scale
    • Official transcripts (e-transcripts preferred) sent to [email protected] or Graduate Admissions Office
  4. Current resume or vita
  5. Two current letters of recommendation on CUI online forms - one completed by the applicant's supervisor and one from someone who can attest to your potential for doctoral study and leadership
  6. A Statement of Intent. This should be a double-spaced paper, three to five pages in length detailing the applicant's: a) educational goals b) short- and long-term professional goals c) professional activities d) research interests to be pursued in the program e) professional experience f) reasons for choosing the CUI doctoral program.

All program admission documents must be submitted before an application file is considered complete.

Start Term Start Date Application Deadline
Fall 2023 August 28, 2023 August 14, 2023
Spring 2024 March 4, 2024 February 19, 2024

International Candidates

A TOEFL or IELTS score is required if the international student has an undergraduate or master's degree from a non-English speaking university*. The required scores are:

  • TOEFL - 100 or higher
  • IELTS - 7.5 or higher

If an international student has an undergraduate or master's degree from an English speaking university, a TOEFL or IELTS score is not required.

ALL non-US equivalent transcripts must arrive with a certified English evaluation and translation, and evidence of degree posted. The student must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, or equivalent to that according to the grading system used by the country that a student is applying from*.

Please note that CUI does not have a translation or evaluation service, and students are responsible to get an official translation and evaluation done by a NACES-approved evaluation agency verifying the equivalent of a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor's degree or higher – CUI prefers international transcripts to be evaluated through IERF.

Please ask for a Detail Report (also known as a course-by-course report)
Mail it to:
Concordia University Irvine
ATTN: Graduate Admissions/School of Education
1530 Concordia West Irvine, CA 92612

*Scoring and grade requirements should meet or exceed the minimum, although these may not necessarily disqualify a candidate from admission into the program.

After You Submit Your Application

  • Each Ed.D. application file is evaluated as a whole by a doctoral faculty committee to determine if the prospective candidate should be contacted for an in-person interview.
  • During the in-person interview, the prospective candidate meets with the Executive Director of the Ed.D. program and possibly one or more program faculty. You will be asked to discuss how your interest in the doctoral program in educational leadership relates to your career goals, what experience you may have with online learning environments, your interests in scholarship, prior research activities, and how future educational pursuits align with the overall mission of Concordia University, Irvine.
  • Within two weeks of the interview, you will be notified if you have been officially accepted to the Ed.D. program.
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