Most Affordable Online EDD Programs

The curriculum for the Doctor of Educational Leadership from the University of the Cumberlands  combines core leadership and research coursework with courses in one of several specialty content areas that include education, criminal justice, English, health science, instructional technology, and seven others. Students complete their degrees by writing and defending original, research-based dissertations. The 60-credit hour program features 100% online coursework with most classes attended virtually at specific times, typically on weekday evenings. Students can attend some classes in person on UC’s campus in Williamsburg, Kentucky. 

Admissions requirements include an education-related master’s degree or higher with a minimum 3.0 GPA from a DOE-recognized accredited institution. A limited number of spaces are available in each cohort with selection based on an assessment of all information provided by applicants. 

Program Highlights:

Doctor of Educational Leadership

• Credits: 60
• Cost Per Credit: $375
• Est. Total Tuition: $22,500
• Length: Less than 3 years
• Format: Fully online
• Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) (school); Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) (program)

Union University, a private evangelical Christian-affiliated school in Jackson, Tennessee, offers its Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership with a range of specialized study options. The EdD in P-12 Administration focuses on education theory, research, and practice to prepare leaders working in the pre-school through 12^th grade levels to resolve issues of school policy and improvement and teaching and learning best practices. The program is available in three tracks: Instructional Leadership (licensure), Leadership in School Reform (non-licensure), and Teacher Leadership (non-licensure). Union’s EdD in Higher Education option prepares students for top-tier academic and professional leadership positions with independent higher education institutions. Both options culminate with the research, writing, and defense of dissertations. Except for summer on-campus residencies for Higher Education students, all coursework is completed 100% online in an asynchronous format.   

Program Highlights:

EdD in Educational Leadership

• Credits: 60
• Cost Per Credit: $695
• Est. Total Tuition: $41,700
• Length: 3 years (P-12 School Administration); 3 ½ years (Higher Education)
• Format: Fully online courses with 2-week in-person campus summer residencies for Higher Education students 
• Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) (school); Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) (program)

Southwest Baptist University’s unique Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership program offers three partially online track options, each with different credit hour requirements and program lengths based on individual entry points. For example, candidates with EdS degrees in School Administration/Superintendency or School Administration can earn their EdD degrees in two years by completing at least 30 credit hours, including a dissertation. Students with MS in Educational Administration and building level administrator certifications complete an additional 21 credits and one year of academic study. Candidates non-Educational Administration (but education-related) masters complete 73 credit hours over four years. The EdD program combines classes attended primarily on SBU’s Bolivar, Missouri campus with some asynchronous online coursework and hybrid-formatted synchronous lecture sessions.

Program Highlights:

EdD in Educational Leadership

• Credits: Varies by track (30, 51, or 73)
• Cost Per Credit: $440
• Est. Total Tuition: Varies by track ($13,200, $22,440, or $32,120)
• Length: Varies by track (3, 4, or 5 years)
• Format: Partially online
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC) (school)

Focusing on educational equity, social justice, and border issues, the EdD degree offered by NMSU through its Educational Leadership Doctoral Program prepares students for advanced leadership roles at education institutions serving underrepresented populations. The 63-credit hour EdD cohort-model program begins annually every fall and progresses through six semesters (fall, spring, summer) of coursework followed by the writing and defense of doctoral dissertations. Coursework is presented in a hybrid (80% face-to-face/20% online) format. In-person classes are on NMSU’s Las Cruces campus with online classes attended at specific times. Students complete other coursework online both synchronously and asynchronously. Students are also required to attend at least two program-approved, research-focused academic conferences during their degree studies.

Program Highlights:

EdD in Educational Leadership

• Credits: 63
• Cost Per Credit (tuition and fees): $329.20 (New Mexico residents); $398.20 (out-of-state residents)
• Est. Total Tuition: $20,739.60 (New Mexico residents); $25,086.60 (out-of-state residents)
• Length: Minimum 3 ½ years
• Format: Partially online
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC) (school); Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) (program)

The Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership program at Arkansas State University is a writing-intense, dissertation-based program that prepares graduates for top education leadership roles. There are three program start dates each year. Students progress as a cohort through two years of doctoral sub-core, leadership, and dissertation-prep research coursework followed by the writing and defense of their dissertations. The program features 100% online courses delivered in a combination of asynchronous coursework and synchronous video conferences. Students also attend three-day, in-person summer seminars on ASU’s Jonesboro campus at the beginning, middle, and end of the pre-dissertation curriculum.

Admission into ASU’s Educational Leadership EdD program is limited with selection based on factors that include GRE scores, writing skills, scholarship, evidence of leadership, and employment record.

Program Highlights:

EdD in Educational Leadership

• Credits: 60
• Cost Per Credit: $440
• Est. Total Tuition: $26,400
• Length: As few as 40 months
• Format: Fully online coursework plus 3, 3-day, on-campus seminars
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC) (school); Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) (program)

Xavier University of Louisiana, a Catholic HBCU located in New Orleans, offers a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership that emphasizes the leadership values of social justice, advocacy, and inclusion. The 60-credit hour curriculum combines core program and research coursework with specialized courses in special education leadership, organizational management, and educational law. Study culminates in the research, writing, and defense of a dissertation. All classes are online except for two weeks of on-campus classes each summer. Most classes are synchronous and require virtual attendance on weekday evenings. A few courses and exams are completed asynchronously. 

Admission requirements for Xavier’s Educational Leadership EdD program include a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a 3.0 or higher GPA and a minimum GRE score of 294 or MAT score of 391. Additional application submittals include a statement of interest, a scholarly writing sample, and two letters of recommendation. Selected applicants are invited for a program interview. 

Program Highlights:

EdD in Educational Leadership

• Credits: 60
• Cost Per Credit: $909.47
• Est. Total Tuition: $54,568
• Length: 3 years
• Format: Fully online except for 2 weeks of on-campus classes during summer sessions
• Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) (school); Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) (program)

Operated by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Concordia University-St. Paul offers a Doctorate in Education program that carries its vision of “transforming communities through educational leadership” by developing student competencies in the areas of scholarship, leadership, community, and innovation. Students progress through the first three years as a cohort, completing all didactic coursework and three chapters of their five-chapter dissertations together. Most students then present and defend their dissertations in year four. The program allows students to complete their degrees while maintaining full-time employment. Except for week-long, on-campus residencies during the summers of the second and third years, all degree requirements are entirely online through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous coursework. 

Program Highlights:

Doctorate in Education

• Credits: 64
• Cost Per Credit: $615
• Est. Total Tuition: $39,360
• Length: 3 to 4 years
• Format: Fully online coursework with 1-week, in-person, on-campus summer residencies.
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC) (school); Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) (program)

The Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, Curriculum & Instruction from Evangel University, a private Christian school affiliated with the Assemblies of God, prepares effective leaders in administrative and instructional leadership roles on the K-12 level. The program begins annually each fall. Students progress as a cohort through seven semesters (fall, spring, summer) before turning exclusively to dissertation preparation, writing, and defense in the spring of the program’s third year. The curriculum can be completed entirely online or through a combination of online coursework and in-person classes on EU’s Springfield, Missouri campus. This EdD degree requires 50 credit hours of coursework. However, students can transfer in up to 15 program-approved credit hours for previously completed coursework beyond the master’s degree level. 

Program Highlights:

EdD in Educational Leadership, Curriculum & Instruction

• Credits: 50
• Cost Per Credit: $600
• Est. Total Tuition: $30,000
• Length: 3 years
• Format: Fully online or partially online with blended format
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC) (school) 

The Doctor of Education in Leadership degree from Lutheran-affiliated Concordia University Irvine combines core leadership and research-related classes with coursework in one of three specializations: Educational Administration, Organizational Change, or Special Education. Students progress through the cohort model via six continuous eight-week terms each year, completing all coursework and attending all dissertation seminars together. The curriculum culminates with dissertation writing and defense. 

All courses are available online in a “flipped” classroom format where students first complete assignments (readings, pre-recorded videos, etc.) asynchronously before participating in real-time videoconferences with their cohorts and their instructors on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. A blended-format option allows students to attend Saturday sessions on the school’s Irvine, California campus. The program also includes one embedded educational trip to Washington, DC, where students meet with government officials and others to learn about education-related issues and policies.  

Program Highlights:

EdD in Leadership

• Credits: 46
• Cost Per Credit: $1,015
• Est. Total Tuition: $46,690
• Length: 3 years
• Format: Fully online coursework plus an educational trip to Washington, DC
• Accreditation: WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) (school)

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership program offers a surprisingly affordable option for Texas residents and those living in the four states bordering it. Students in the 66-credit hour program complete three years of 100% online coursework consisting of a sequence of core research and leadership courses along with coursework in either a K-12 Leadership Concentration or the Higher Education Leadership Concentration. Students also complete residency requirements that may include a presentation at a student-friendly or professional conference or co-authoring a journal article. Academic work concludes with the writing and defense of a dissertation based on the student’s original research in educational leadership or other education-related areas. 

Admission into SFSU’s Educational Leadership EdD program is open to candidates with masters’ degrees with a minimum 3.5 GPA on all graduate coursework and leadership experience in a K-16 setting. New cohorts begin annually each summer. 

Program Highlights:

EdD in Educational Leadership

• Credits: 66
• Cost Per Credit: n/a
• Est. Total Tuition: $24,646 (Texas residents); $26,644 (border state residents); $51,592 (out-of-state residents)
• Length: 4 years
• Format: Fully online plus a residency requirement that may include in-person activities
• Accreditation: SACSCOC (school); CAEP (program)