Program overview

Develop critical problem-solving skills to positively influence the course of educational practice in classrooms, communities and beyond with Rider’s Doctor of Educational Leadership. Our cohort program also promotes peer-to-peer learning, networking and the development of close mentoring relationships between faculty and students.

Register for Graduate Open House

$101.3K+

median salary for principals (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022)

15,300

projected job openings for postsecondary administrators each year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022)

Program format

A defining element of this innovative doctoral program is its cohort model of 10 to 12 students. This design creates a highly supportive and interactive learning environment that promotes peer-to-peer learning and networking, as well as close mentoring relationships between faculty and students.

Program features:

  • Flexibly designed around the schedules of working professional educators
  • Asynchronous online classes throughout each semester
  • Three on-campus Saturday sessions (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.) each fall and spring semester
  • 8-day summer residencies in July (2 consecutive weeks, Monday through Thursday)
Amy Stella in her graduation gown.
I made a promise to myself after I earned my master's at Rider that if Rider ever offered a doctoral program in educational leadership I would be the first to enroll. Rider has an excellent reputation in preparing educational leaders.
Dr. Amy E. Stella '00, '20
Doctor of Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)
Read her story

Demonstrate dynamic leadership

Rider’s Ed.D. program transforms skilled professionals into strong decision-makers and impactful leaders. Through the required coursework, you’ll develop a greater understanding and sense of context for today’s major educational challenges.

You will be able to make confident decisions about:

  • Educational reform
  • Instructional leadership
  • Educational accountability and assessment
  • Research methods and data analysis
  • Social context of education
  • Politics and governance
  • Teachers and teaching
  • Resource allocation and deployment
Education building with flowers in front of it.

Curriculum requirements

Our 36-month, 51-credit Ed.D. program involves two years of coursework and a year of dissertation research and analysis. Program coursework will relate to issues facing your own school, district or college, giving you practical knowledge and insights that can be applied immediately to real-world settings.

Standards-based studies

The Ed.D. curriculum is built around the National Policy Board for Educational Administration’s student-centric 2015 Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (formerly known as the ISLLC Standards).

Prepared for and by educational leaders, the standards focus on 10 high-impact areas that drive and measure excellence in professional practice:

  1. Mission, Vision and Core Values
  2. Ethics and Professional Norms
  3. Equity and Cultural Responsiveness
  4. Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
  5. Community of Care and Support for Students
  6. Professional Capacity of School Personnel
  7. Professional Community for Teachers and Staff
  8. Meaningful Engagement of Families and Community
  9. Operations and Management
  10. School Improvement

Rider University is also a member of the prestigious Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED), a consortium of over 100 colleges and schools of education which have committed resources to work together to undertake a critical examination of the doctorate in education (EdD) through dialog, experimentation, critical feedback and evaluation.

Tuition benefits for state employees

Rider University is proud to partner with The State of New Jersey and give back to educators by offering a tuition discount and additional benefits to eligible employees, as well as their immediate family members under the age of 24, for undergraduate or graduate study. As of the fall 2022 semester, this also includes Rider's Doctor of Educational Leadership program. Other partners include Lawrence Township Public Schools, West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District and Ewing Public Schools.  

 

Contact

Leonard Goduto

Ed.D. Program Director; Associate Professor

Graduate Education, Leadership and Counseling

Bierenbaum Fisher Hall

lgoduto [at] rider.edu

609-895-5471

Academic Focus: Educational Leadership

Education building with flowers in front of it.