What Careers Are Available to Me Once I Have My Doctor of Education (EdD) Degree?

Graduating from an EdD program can help prepare you for key leadership positions in a number of professional sectors, including education, public agencies, private businesses, civil service, and nonprofit organizations. In fact, you may be pleasantly surprised by how many different careers begin with one powerful graduate degree program—the Doctor of Education.

The EdD degree program provides one of the highest levels of curriculum content in the field of education. An online EdD degree program from an accredited institution offers the knowledge and skills to help you become an effective scholar-leader—and an influential change agent in various educational settings. Robust EdD programs also provide multiple specialization options, giving you the flexibility to focus more strongly on the study areas that most closely align with your career goals. EdD degree holders may enjoy certain advantages over master’s-prepared educators, including increased job options, greater marketability, and higher salaries.

Online EdD Programs

A Doctor of Education degree should focus on five core elements: teaching and lifelong learning, research and reflective analytical thought, diversity, leadership and communication, and collaborative social change. If you aspire to be in a hands-on leadership role at the top of your profession, a Doctor of Education might suit you best, because it focuses on improving and implementing strategies in an educational setting. (A PhD in Education, on the other hand, takes on more of a research role, driving change by adding to the body of knowledge throughout the field of education.)

EdD Specializations

Many online EdD programs offer specializations that can help further your particular career objectives with finely tuned skills. For example:

• A curriculum, instruction, and assessment specialization can provide you with the skills to enhance learning for diverse student populations, as well as increase your program design and evaluation skills for professional development.
• An educational technology specialization will help you enhance your technology skills, use them to create innovative solutions for learning challenges, and develop a technology-based learning community.
• A higher education leadership and management specialization can prepare you with leadership skills in program evaluation, strategic planning and budgeting, assessment, and more.
• A special education specialization can prepare you to focus on key issues in the field of special education, such as leadership and policy, program development and assessment, and ethical practices.
• Focusing your studies on P-20 Education will allow you to gain insights into issues that affect students from pre-school through undergraduate postsecondary education.

EdD Careers

An EdD degree can pave the way for challenging careers both in and out of the classroom in professional, academic, administrative, research, and clinical positions.Popular EdD careers include principal, superintendent, elementary or secondary school administrator, education consultant, dean or associate dean, university faculty, policy writer or analyst, education researcher, education director or administrator for a government agency, program course developer, adult educator and trainer, chief learning officer, professional development director in business and industry, director of educational programs for corporations and nonprofit organizations, and more.*

“Having the opportunity to choose my own research topic was extremely important to me because this was my career, this was my vision for my life, and I wanted to be be empowered.”
—Curtis Alston
Walden University
Doctor of Education (EdD) Graduate

Get the education you need to advance your career and make a difference for students, schools, and society. Explore Walden University's education degree programs and earn your degree in a convenient online format that fits your busy life.

*Career options may require additional experience, training, or other factors beyond the successful completion of this degree program.