Ed.D. in Leadership
“From the first class, I realized that this program would work for people of any career. Professionally, that lesson not only has given me confidence to approach my superiors and confidently challenge policy, but also has created opportunities for me in my workplace.”
James Perkins, Ed.D. LC20
"My [capstone] chair was incredible — despite the chaos in the world, she made the experience rich through her guidance, support, humanity, empathy, and expertise, which had a significant impact on me."
Melissa Hill, Ed.D. LC21
"I appreciate that VCU places social justice and equity front and center throughout the program. We had courageous and necessary conversations, which was crucial to the experience."
Adrienne Quarles-Smith, Ed.D. LC22
"What I love about the VCU Ed.D. program is how it's enriched with opportunities beyond coursework. We’re encouraged to present at conferences, build our resumes, and enhance our CVs, which adds significant value.”
Tameka Burroughs, Ed.D. LC23
"What I really loved about the Ed.D. program was how it built on itself and prepared us to think about how we come into a room as leaders, how we unpack problems, and more.”
Jennifer Adams, Ed.D. LC22
The Ed.D. in Leadership is a 48-hour, 36-month program that is available online or face-to-face. The program is designed for mid-career working professionals and uses a cohort structure for accountability and community. Applicants should have a minimum of four years of professional experience and three years of leadership experience.
We center diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in collaborative, team-based projects to improve education and education-adjacent organizations. The curriculum includes action-oriented andragogy, the application of theory and research to practice, and focuses on addressing problems of practice in real-world contexts. The program concludes with a unique, year-long Capstone project, or dissertation-in-practice, in which a team of students work with a partner organization to address a problem of practice.
The Department of Educational Leadership is a founding member of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED).
Program Design and Delivery
Ed.D. courses are offered online or in a face-to-face/hybrid format.
The Ed.D. is a three-year, cohort-based program beginning in the summer only.
Please note that all students must attend required summer in-person residencies (more info below). The Ed.D. program offers engaging and collaborative learning designed to accommodate the lives of our students, who are working professionals leading in a variety of organizations.
Coursework includes key topic areas such as teaming skills, professional writing, organizational analysis, systems and culture change, leadership for equity, research methods for practitioners, policy, ethics, legal issues, and crisis leadership.
In the first year, to build relationships and provide support for success in the program, regardless of the course modality, students must attend an in-person residency. Refer to the application checklist and online application for specific dates based on the year you apply. LC 28 (students starting the program in Summer 2025) has a residency June 6-7, 2025 in Richmond, VA.
In the second year of the program, students complete a Formative Assessment to evaluate their progress relative to program student outcomes. The assessment requires additional time and work outside of classes to complete during summer two and the first month of the fall semester. Students also attend a required in-person residency July 24-25, 2026 in Richmond, VA.
In the third year of the program, students work under the supervision of a faculty chair in collaborative groups and with a community-based partner organization to develop a Capstone Project, or dissertation-in-practice, which includes an academic document and attendant presentations (prospectus hearing and final defense), as well as deliverables for the partner organization. There is no traditional individual dissertation option.
VCU BULLETIN INFO
PROGRAM BASICS
How to apply: Graduate application
Semester of entry: Summer
Course Modality: Online or face-to-face/hybrid
Applications open: Sep. 15
Application deadline: Feb. 1
Faculty listing: Educational Leadership
Faculty areas of interest: Research areasADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- General admission requirements of the VCU Graduate School
- Master’s degree
- Three letters of recommendation addressing the student’s potential for graduate study in education
- Statement of intent
- Transcripts of all previous college work
- A personal interview (may be requested)
- Professional vitae/resume
FOR MORE IN-DEPTH INFO
Learning Community & Cohorts
In the Ed.D Program, each entering group of students is called a Learning Community (LC), differentiated by graduation year (e.g., LC 28 is the group starting in the summer of 2025 and graduating in May of 2028). Within each LC we have multiple cohorts in the following areas:
- General Leadership Online
- Meets for 1.5 hours Wednesdays between 5 and 8 pm ET
- Higher Education Leadership Online
- Meets for 1.5 hours Wednesdays between 5 and 8 pm ET
- K12 Leadership Online
- Meets for 1.5 hours Wednesdays between 5 and 8 pm ET
- International Leadership Online
- Meets for 1.5 hours Wednesdays between 9am and 12pm ET(UT -4)
- Combined Face-to-face
- Meets Thursday evenings 5:30-8pm and five Saturdays a semester
In the supplemental questions area in the online application, students will rank order their preferences of cohort (1 = most preferred cohort; 4 = least preferred). Cohorts are determined after the admissions deadline, and we reserve the right to change initial cohort assignments to balance the needs of the students and the institution*. We take into account student preference, but a given cohort is not guaranteed. Each cohort completes the same Ed.D. courses with shifts in focus depending on the composition of students in a particular cohort. We are committed to reflective and responsive engagement with our learners.
*Be advised that a minimum number of students is required to administer a cohort.
Curriculum Requirements
The Ed.D. in leadership requires a minimum of 48 total graduate credit hours. Since this program is built on a cohort model, no external transfer credits are accepted.
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* Each course is 3 credit hours with the exception of EDLP 798 and 799, which can be taken for 3 or 6 credit hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
For each credit hour, the student should allocate three or more hours of work outside of the classroom (f2f or online) to have adequate time to read, write, and work collaboratively with peers and faculty. Thus, 6 credits requires approximately 18 hours per week of dedicated time outside of class per semester. This may vary by instructor, course, and semester. This is a reading and writing intensive program, with a focus on collaborative learning.
Online cohorts meet synchronously online for 1-1.5 hours on Wednesdays between 5 and 8 pm E.T. Additional time outside of class is dedicated to asynchronous work (e.g., discussion boards), reading, writing, and teaming (i.e., meeting with course project teams).
Face-to-face cohorts meet on the Monroe Park Campus five full-day Saturdays a semester and weekly on Thursday evenings starting between 4 and 6 pm and lasting 2-2.5 hours. Plan for all F2F sessions to be on campus, though some courses use a more hybrid format by including both F2F classes and online synchronous meetings/ work. Additional time outside of class is dedicated to some asynchronous work (e.g., discussion boards), reading, writing, and teaming (i.e., meeting with course project teams).
A sample of Ed.D. Capstone projects available in the VCU Scholars Compass is found under Resources below.
Use this link to calculate tuition expenses. Select "Doctoral - Off Campus" for the online program and select "Doctoral - Monroe Park Campus" the face-to-face program. Select "Part-Time" and the appropriate residency information. Ed.D. students take two classes per semester for nine semesters.
We encourage students to work with their employer to gain tuition support and, if financial support is not possible, to negotiate for allocated school work time. Each year we have students gain promotions, awards, and secure new jobs due to the application of EdD coursework and skills. In other words, work with your employer to see the EdD as professional development and give you time and or/money to support your development. They will benefit from your degree.
Please be advised that since the EdD in Leadership is a part-time program, we are unable to offer scholarships. Most students gain employer support, use savings, and/or use student loans. There are also tuition payment plans available. We encourage you to work with Student Financial Services to explore your options.
Attendance is required. We offer accommodations only in unique and warranted circumstances.
We strive to place students in the best-fit cohort from the outset. Occasionally, we have a student quickly realize they are not in the best fit. In such cases, we may allow a student to shift cohorts with clear rationale and sufficient cohort numbers for the switch. After the first semester of the program, switches are rarely approved barring extreme circumstances.
We require students to have a minimum of three years of leadership experience. The applicant should describe / make evident how they meet this threshold in their statement of intent and resume/CV. For example, leadership in practice may or may not reflect an applicant’s job title. If you are close to the three year minimum, make sure your materials clearly reflect that you meet the three year minimum requirement.
Resources
Ready To Get Started?
- Jenna Lenhardt, Ph.D.
- Director, Strat Recrt & Outrch
- (804) 827-6847
- SOEinfo@vcu.edu
All prospective student inquiries please contact Dr. Lenhardt.
Prospective and current students, please contact Dr. Bukoski with program questions.