Hybrid Washington D.C. Doctorate in Educational Leadership & Management (EdD)

Washington, DC Campus

With Drexel University’s hybrid EdD in Educational Leadership and Management, you can be the change agent your organization needs. Drexel’s hybrid format combines face-to-face learning at our Washington, DC campus with online learning for working professionals. This blended format gives you the benefits of studying in a dynamic and multifunctional academic center in the heart of the nation’s capital with the convenience of online classes.

Ready to take the next step? Apply for Fall 2025 term by the priority deadline, May 1, 2025, to receive priority application review. Learn more.

What is a Doctorate in Education?

An EdD is the ideal degree for administrators and instructional experts seeking to become leaders and innovators in a wide variety of organizations. Drexel’s EdD program prepares you to create and support strong and sustainable educational organizations, with an accredited curriculum that encourages curiosity, reform, and scholarly proficiencies to lead meaningful action in today’s complex environment.

When looking for a doctorate degree, many educators have to decide between a PhD in Education and an EdD. The main difference between the two is substance and focus. While you will do plenty of research in an EdD program, a PhD in Education is far more research-intensive and is designed for those looking for a faculty position in higher education. An EdD, on the other hand, is designed for those who want to work in hands-on administrative leadership roles.

Hybrid Program Features

• Courses are aimed to develop your personal leadership growth
• Core courses are taught in-person at the Drexel DC Center, while concentration courses are completed online
  • 1st Year: Friday and Saturday in person, once a month
  • 2nd Year: Friday OR Saturday in person, once a month
  • 3rd Year: No in-person requirement (all coursework is online)
• Choose from a variety of concentration options to fit the program to your interests
• Drexel DC Center located just steps away from the US Department of Education and Congress
• First year students benefit from our Mentoring and Coaching Program (MAC). The program provides guidance and support to students as they navigate their coursework and opportunities to expand their networks and gather career advice.

Mentoring and Coaching Program

Elevate your EdD journey with our EdD Mentoring and Coaching (MAC) program. In your first year, get matched with an experienced MAC alumnus who shares similar career interests. They offer invaluable guidance, helping you navigate coursework and adjust to doctoral life. Benefit from their insights, build networks, and gather career advice. Beyond the first year, forge lasting connections with your MAC for continuous support throughout your program.

For questions about the program and how to become a MAC or, if you are a new student wishing to be paired with a MAC, please contact edd@drexel.edu.

Priority Application Deadline

Drexel University offers a priority deadline for the Hybrid EdD in Educational Leadership and Management – Washington, D.C. Applications submitted by the priority deadline will receive priority review by the committee, and accepted students will receive an earlier decision. The priority deadline for Fall 2025 is May 1, 2025.

Applications are still accepted up until the regular deadline for the term. The regular deadline for Fall 2025 term is July 1, 2025.

CPED Program of the year

Drexel's EdD program received the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) Program of the Year Award for 2019, a prestigious distinction that recognizes programs demonstrating excellence, innovation, and impact.

Concentration Options

• Creativity and Innovation
  • Option A: Creativity and Innovation
    Provides an in-depth understanding of creativity, enhanced communication, and creative problem-solving; and explores how these may be applied to practical situations in the workplace.
  • Option B: Mind, Brain, Learning, and Innovation
    Looks at advancements in technology and research related to the human learning process and how this informs pedagogical practices across learning formats.
• Educational Administration
  Examines the impact of education on major social issues and provides the skills and knowledge necessary to develop interdisciplinary models of curricula and teaching strategies. Pennsylvania Superintendent Letter of Eligibility is optional and accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
  
• Education Policy
  Engages with policies and policy issues that have an impact on education, those working in it, and those served by it. Includes a heavy emphasis on the roles of ethics and ethical decision-making in policy development.
• Global & International Education
  Reviews the complex economic, political, cultural, and social structures that shape learning in different parts of the world.
• Higher Education Leadership
• Option A: Administration, Leadership, & Assessment
  Examines the historical growth and advancement of colleges and universities in the U.S. with a look at the impact of variables such as the law, politics, and power structures.
• Option B: Administration, Student Success, & Innovation
  Explores the connection between strategic enrollment management and institutional planning and sustainability with an examination of the student lifecycle from recruitment to the student experience to graduation.
• Human Resource Development
  Produces 21st century leaders with the competencies and capabilities to facilitate workplace learning, performance, and change in any organizational setting.
• Learning Technologies
  Teaches the skills needed to solve the technological learning challenges facing schools and businesses. Includes a focus on areas such as instructional design, performance support, virtual communities, learning in participatory culture, and e-learning leadership.
• Nursing Education
  Prepares registered nurses to assume faculty positions while providing a robust interdisciplinary education between Drexel's School of Education and the College of Nursing and Health Professions. Those who wish to pursue this concentration must have an RN license.
• Special Education Leadership
  Provides the unique leadership knowledge and skills needed to successfully direct programs within special education. Pennsylvania Supervisor of Special Education certification is optional.

Alumni Spotlight

Learn about Dr. Brandon Wallace’s journey in educational leadership and how the EdD in Education Leadership and Management prepared him for success as a professor and a father.

Archived Webinars

• Escaping the Trap of Memorization: Using Active Learning Strategies to Facilitate Knowledge Synthesis
• Leaders’ Role in Recognizing and Responding to Distress and Promoting Wellbeing
• Online Open House: EdD in Educational Leadership and Management
• Student Experience: EdD in Educational Leadership and Management

Additional Program Formats

• Fully online with no residency requirement
• Hybrid option based in Philadelphia

State restrictions may apply to some programs.