Doctoral Programs

Our is a great resource to review what research is currently being conducted at the school. This may help you identify a specific content area of interest, or a few, to help narrow your track options.

After identifying a few research areas of interest, review the key faculty who are researching in those areas and their research interests in our directory.

As you are debating tracks, contact soeinfo@vcu.edu to schedule a meeting with our recruitment specialist to talk through your research interests, past academic and professional experiences, and where you hope to go in your future career.

The Ed.D. in leadership engages leaders of learning organizations with practitioner-oriented knowledge and skills, authentic leadership and research experiences, and opportunities for reflection that will enable them to succeed in a variety of organizational leadership positions. Three analytic lenses (equity, accountability and learning theory) guide coursework and enable students from diverse backgrounds to consider learning through common perspectives. The Ed.D. is a 48-hour, 36-month program which centers on action-oriented andragogy and curriculum, includes the application of theory and research, and focuses on addressing practitioners’ problems of practice, culminating in the Capstone study the final year in the program.

The Ph.D. in education prepares individuals for leadership in a variety of educational arenas, including school administration, curriculum and instruction, research and evaluation, special education and disabilities, as well as private and public organizations and agencies. Students are provided opportunities to build on one’s life experiences and interests through the advanced study of important ideas and practices, through the conduct and application of research, and through interactions with Ph.D. students and professors from departments across the university.