Walden’s doctoral programs provide a path for lifelong professional and personal achievement.
No. 1 conferrer of doctoral research degrees.1
25 Degree programs and over 150 specializations available to support your goals.
The Walden Doctoral Degree Coach™ helps you find the right support when you need it and stay on track throughout your journey.
Complete suite of services dedicated to the completion of your dissertation and academic success.
Fund your passion and learn more about limited-time savings and other tuition assistance.
New students can connect with an experienced doctoral student who will provide advice, tips, and guidance.
Manage the health of the youngest patient populations with Walden’s DNP specialization in Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) Primary Care.
Provide care to patients with mental health disorders and illnesses in Walden’s DNP Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specialization.
Extend your research skills beyond our core requirements. Coursework includes survey research, tests/measurement, advanced mixed-methods analysis, and multivariate analysis.
This specialization is ideal if you’re interested in teaching adult learners, particularly through online instruction.
This PhD in Psychology specialization focuses on classic educational psychology theory and how to use testing and measurement, with emphasis on adult learners.
Focuses on the intersection of psychology and health. Coursework explores health psychology, biopsychology, psychoneuroimmunology, and how to change health behavior.
Focuses on how our thinking is affected by social context. It includes a focus on social cognition/attitudes, survey research, and applied social psychology.
Design your own program of study. This specialization provides you with maximum flexibility to create a program that closely matches your personal and professional goals.
Evaluate programs in a systematic way in order to address and resolve problems and engage in evidence-based decision making.
Research institutions of higher education from a systemic, organizational perspective. Learn how internal and external systems, politics, and policies impact institutional effectiveness, student learning and development, and the organization’s overall development and impact.
Designed for leaders across the education spectrum, from preschool through higher education. You will build upon your leadership and management abilities and learn to influence policy at local, national, and institutional levels.
Designed for educators who wish to influence positive educational change and improved student and school performance through ongoing research in curriculum, instruction, assessment, and evaluation.
Critically review the latest research to understand the complex family, cultural, societal, and developmental influences that affect child development and learning.
Gain a comprehensive understanding of the trends and issues impacting early childhood special education today. Using real-world case-study scenarios, you engage in collaborative problem solving and investigate and implement research-based strategies to master program outcomes.
Research-oriented program of study designed for educators who wish to gain expertise in best practices in reading, literacy, curriculum design and instruction, teacher professional development, and program evaluation and assessment.
Prepare to create innovative technological solutions to learning challenges, collaborate digitally to demonstrate awareness of local and global interrelationships and diverse perspectives, and develop instructional design skills.
Personalize your online PhD in Education experience. Our innovative self-designed option gives you ultimate flexibility, allowing you to create a program of study that meets your unique interests and passions.
Prepare yourself as a leader and administrator in the field of human development. The Administration and Leadership specialization focuses on the latest theories and research in developmental psychology and equips you with knowledge and skills in the areas of organizational behavior, leadership development, and consulting.
Apply the latest theories and research on child development, abnormal psychology, behavior analysis, and health issues affecting children and adolescents.
Gain an understanding of the relationship between health, health behavior, and human development. You’ll learn to apply the latest theories and research in developmental psychology to real-world situations in the healthcare industry or within human and social services.
Deepen your understanding of current practices in higher education institutions and examine law, policy, and governance as a leader within higher education settings.
Gain knowledge of how to conduct both quantitative and qualitative research, as well as how to critically review the latest research in human development.
The Self-Designed specialization lets you design your own program of study. This offering provides you with maximum flexibility to design a program that closely matches your personal and professional goals.
At Walden, we’ll guide you every step of the way with a comprehensive suite of support resources designed to help you confidently pursue the finish line, including our Doctoral Degree CoachTM. Are you ready to reach a higher level in your field?
Earning your doctorate requires commitment, perseverance, and hard work. You can do it, and Walden is here to help—with our Doctoral Degree Coach™.
In recent years, online education has become increasingly commonplace as more and more universities put their courses online. In a 2015 survey conducted by Walden University’s Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, 89% of surveyed employers of Walden graduates reported that they are satisfied or very satisfied with the Walden graduate employed at their organization. When deciding where to earn your doctoral degree online, be sure to choose an accredited institution.
When you earn a doctorate, you will be well prepared for career advancement and new opportunities. Because only a very small percentage of the U.S. population holds a doctoral degree, which is the highest educational attainment possible, you’ll be in an elite group of achievers. Earning your doctorate can also position you for salary increases, give you highly marketable skills, help you become a true expert in your field, and better position you for leadership roles.
The professional doctorate and PhD degrees are considered terminal degrees, meaning you have achieved the highest formal degree in the field. A PhD is an academic degree focused on original research, data analysis, and the evaluation of theory. A professional doctorate focuses on applying research to practical problems, formulating solutions to complex issues, and designing effective professional practices within your field.
If you’ve made the decision to earn your degree, you may be wondering how you’ll keep up with your online education while balancing work and family commitments. Time management is an important place to start—and these strategies are surprisingly effective. Follow the tips that work best for you:
Academic residencies, skills labs, and pre-practica are face-to-face or virtual learning experiences that align with your online coursework to enhance your skill development, scholarship, and professional practice. Required for most doctoral programs, residencies also provide students with the opportunity to collaborate and network with other students, staff, and faculty members. Academic residencies can be held virtually or at any location around the world.
Procrastination can get the best of many of us when it comes to competing a dissertation or capstone project. So, how do you position yourself for success? Consider these best practices:
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