Online Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Leadership and Learning in Organizations

Bridge the divide between theory and practice while gaining the deep understanding and contextual experience needed to lead organizational change across industries.

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Program Overview

Why Earn an Online Ed.D. in Leadership from Vanderbilt University's Peabody College?

Program Facts

Program Director: Eve Rifkin

Program Start Dates: January, May and August

Application Deadline: The final deadline for the Summer 2024 cohort is March 8, 2024.

Credit Hours: Our 54-credit program can be completed in three to four years. Students in the program are required to attend all classes, complete a capstone project, and attend three on-campus convenings.*

OPM Disclosures: Vanderbilt Peabody College works with an online program manager to offer this degree program. Learn more about Vanderbilt's partnerships with OPMs.

*The full program requires a total of 84 credit hours - 54 credit hours in addition to 30 credit hours transferred from a regionally accredited institution, preferably from a completed master’s program.

Online Ed.D. Curriculum

The online Ed.D. in leadership and learning in organizations curriculum prepares students to identify, assess, and resolve organizational challenges. Students will learn how to improve operations in organizations across industries while focusing on three key competency areas:

  • Leadership and organizational development
  • Data and analytics
  • Learning and design

Students will also develop leadership skills and an in-depth understanding in the following areas:

  • Organizational change and systemic improvement
  • Different methods of inquiry and analysis
  • Issues of practice from a variety of perspectives
  • Impact of systems and practice on learning
  • Methods to address organizational challenges
  • Context-specific individual and organizational learning
  • Organizational improvement, practice, and processes
  • Data analytics

Capstone

The program culminates with a capstone project that provides the opportunity to identify a problem of practice, conduct research, test a solution, and make recommendations for improvement. Students will work in small teams of two to three with the approval of a faculty adviser. More specifically, students will:

  • identify and analyze a problem of practice, challenge, or complex phenomenon in an external organization;
  • investigate the problem and provide multiple forms of evidence that demonstrate a need to focus on the problem in the particular organizational context;
  • design an intervention or process that implements a learning, improvement, or change to solve the problem;
  • develop a system of evaluation for the recommended intervention; and
  • share a detailed plan and evaluation strategy to address the organization’s challenges.

Ed.D. Admissions

Admission to the online Ed.D. in leadership and learning in organizations depends on several factors, including the overall quality of application materials, depth and relevance of leadership experience, and a record of academic and professional achievements.

Those with less than three years leadership experience are unlikely to be admitted to the program. Internships, student teaching, and assistantships during undergraduate or graduate study will not be counted as work experience.

Applicants interested in applying to the online Ed.D. in leadership and learning in organizations must meet the following requirements:

  • A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
  • A superior undergraduate scholastic record, normally above a 3.0 GPA.
  • At least 30 applicable graduate-level hours:
    • The 30 applicable graduate-level hours must be transferred to this degree program from a regionally accredited institution, and preferably from a completed master’s program. Applicants should have earned Grades of B or better in their 30 hours. Grades of P, S, or CR will transfer if approved by the department.
  • A high level of verbal and quantitative ability. Submission of GRE or GMAT scores, or other indicators of verbal and quantitative skill, is strongly encouraged.
  • A Statement of Purpose that explains your reasons for wishing to undertake doctoral study at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development, your professional goals, and any additional information that may aid the admissions committee in evaluating your application.
  • Three letters of recommendation.
  • Evidence of a minimum of three years of successful leadership experience.
  • Results of either the TOEFL or IELTS for applicants whose native language is not English, unless they have demonstrated competence while attending an accredited institution in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or an English medium university in South Africa.
  • Applicants must be U.S. citizens, or permanent U.S. residents, who reside in the United States. Current exceptions to this policy include active members of the U.S. military who are stationed abroad, and residents of U.S. territories.

Required Application Materials

  • Transcripts

    You must submit official academic records from all institutions where you earned your bachelor’s or master’s degrees. You must also submit records from any additional college- or university-level course work, even if you did not earn a degree from these institutions.

    Many schools issue transcripts electronically, either through their own web services or through vendors. If this option is available, please have your transcript(s)emailed to this address: apps@peabodyonline.vanderbilt.edu. This will expedite the delivery of your transcript(s) and the completion of your application.

    Your transcripts can be sent by mail to:

    Vanderbilt University
    Application Processing Center
    Peabody Online
    P.O. Box 30096 025-001
    College Station, TX 77842

    Please note: To be considered an official transcript, the transcript must be sent directly from your institution(s), through an electronic transcript vendor retained by that institution, or delivered in the original sealed envelope from the institution(s). If a transcript appears to have been opened, unencrypted, or downloaded by any party other than Vanderbilt University Application Processing Center, it will be marked as unofficial.

    Official verification of prior degrees is required for any new student who has earned a university degree prior to enrolling at Vanderbilt. Students must submit final, official transcripts (and any necessary supporting documentation) prior to the first day of classes of their first semester at Vanderbilt. Students who have not submitted required documentation by the first day of classes are subject to having their classes canceled.

    All entering students to Peabody College must have their prior degrees verified in order to register for classes for their first term. A final, official transcript should list the degree(s) awarded and the month and year of conferment.

  • Statement of Purpose

    Applicants to the online doctor of education (Ed.D.) in leadership and learning in organizations program are required to write a Statement of Purpose that explains their desire to pursue doctoral study at Peabody College.

    The Statement of Purpose gives prospective students the opportunity to outline their professional goals and highlight any professional or academic experiences that have prepared them to pursue a doctor of education. This portion of the application is also used to evaluate effective verbal, writing, and analytical skills. To write an effective Statement of Purpose, applicants should provide clear and compelling reasoning for their motivations and qualifications for doctoral study.

  • Reference Letters

    Peabody requires at least three letters of recommendation. Letters should come from current or former employers who can comment on your professional contributions and/or former instructors who can speak to your academic preparation for doctoral-level work. Personal recommendations will not be accepted. 

    Letters of recommendation must be submitted directly in the online application by the references themselves, not by the applicants. Contact the admissions team at +1-855-338-4540 or admissions@peabodyonline.vanderbilt.edu to discuss any questions you may have about this process.

  • Résumé

    A professional résumé is required. Your résumé should include all relevant professional and academic experiences and accomplishments.

  • TOEFL or IELTS Scores (for non-native English speakers)

    Results of either the TOEFL or IELTS for applicants whose native language is not English, unless they have demonstrated competence while attending an accredited institution in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or an English medium university in South Africa.

  • Citizenship

    Applicants must be U.S. citizens, or permanent U.S. residents, who reside in the United States. Current exceptions to this policy include active members of the U.S. military who are stationed abroad.

Ed.D. Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition for the 2023-2024 school year is $2,245 per credit hour. The cost of the 54-credit Ed.D. program is $121,230, not including fees and campus convenings. Please note that tuition and fees are subject to change and may rise each year.

Financial Aid

In order to qualify for federal student aid, you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and be enrolled in a degree-seeking program with at least a half-time status. At the graduate level, federal student aid includes the Direct Unsubsidized loan and the option to apply for the Direct Graduate PLUS loan.

International students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents can apply for a private alternative educational loan. Some private education loan lenders may require the assistance of a U.S. citizen or permanent resident as a cosigner.

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