One
of the things I love about my job is coordinating the higher education
administration concentration of my department’s Ed.D. in Educational
Leadership. My responsibilities include talking with prospective students about
the program and answering their questions. In some cases, these conversations
center on the nuts and bolts of our program--application deadlines, required
courses, and so forth. Just as often, I step into the role of advisor and help
students consider various points that I believe should inform their decision to
apply. In this post, I’ll share a few of those considerations with the goal of
helping others as they evaluate 1) whether they want to pursue an Ed.D., 2)
when is the right time to begin, and 3) what type of program would best fit
their goals and needs. To be clear, I won’t address the great “Ed.D. vs. Ph.D.
Debate.” Although this is a worthwhile question, my advice in this post is
for people who have already decided to go the Ed.D. route and plan to continue
working while they complete the program.
Consideration #1: Timing
Perhaps
the number one point I raise in conversations with prospective students is
whether now is the right time for them to undertake a terminal degree. One
thing to consider is where you are at professionally. Some people who are fresh
out of a master’s degree see good reason to keep going while they are
motivated. Although there is merit to this view, I suggest spending some time
gaining professional experience and a sense of where you intend to go
professionally before undertaking a terminal degree. Make certain that (higher)
education is your long-term career before making a multi-year commitment to
study it in-depth. The applied nature of many Ed.D. programs also means having
some experience will benefit you during classroom discussions and as you
consider dissertation projects. By ensuring you have sufficient professional
experience, you can avoid the problem of being “over-educated but
under-experienced” during the job search.
The
other way timing should enter your decision-making revolves around other
aspects of your life, like family, faith, or other obligations. If it’s the
case that you are just barely balancing work and family responsibilities, or
you anticipate a major life change soon (i.e., starting a family, making a big
professional change, taking care of a loved one), now may not be the right time
to start an Ed.D. program. I recognize that life happens, and it is impossible
to predict what will happen two years from now. And there’s some truth to the
idea that, like starting a family, there is no perfect time to start an Ed.D. program.
But what I tell prospective students is if you’re barely keeping all your
plates spinning, can you handle another couple of plates right now? To help
create space in your life for an Ed.D., I suggest simplifying. Avoid taking on
a major professional responsibility (assuming it is optional), such as
organizing a conference. Talk with your family about ways in which you can
carve out some time for your education.
Consideration #2: Goals
Many
of the people with whom I talk about pursuing an Ed.D. hope the addition of
those three letters after their name will propel their career forward. But
as is true of any academic program, an Ed.D. is not a one-way ticket to your
dream job. It may open doors, create new opportunities, and cultivate
marketable skills, but it’s not a magic potion for promotion. Additionally, if
your sole motivation is career advancement, I suggest that you reconsider
whether an Ed.D. is right for you. Some of my students who only see an Ed.D. as
a means to an end get overly focused on checking boxes, on finishing as fast as
possible. In the process, they neglect to invest in all sorts of things that
may ultimately benefit their career goals, such as building relationships with
faculty members and peers.
At
the end of the day, an Ed.D. is still--or should be--a rigorous academic
program that will require that you have some basic scholarly interest in the
field you are studying. It is this interest, more than anything, that will help
you find joy in completing readings and writing papers. With an Ed.D., we’re
talking about taking a significant number of courses and typically completing a
major writing project. It will be hard at times, and it should be difficult.
For these reasons, I typically tell prospective students that you need to
have some rationale other than career advancement pulling you into an Ed.D.
You have to be willing to see it as a journey whose meaning to you rises above
the next job. Before applying, I suggest that you talk with the admissions
coordinator of the program in which you are interested to see if you can sit in
on a class. Pick up a recently published book about higher education and see if
you can read it--without anyone forcing it.
Consideration #3: Program Structure
I recently wrote about the fact that there are a lot of Ed.D. programs these
days. Because many of them are online, you might have a few options to weigh. I
recommend that you try to gain a good understanding of the program structure
before you apply. Some programs are entirely online and some are hybrid, with a
mix of online and face-to-face instruction. The hybrid programs can also come
in many shapes--the face-to-face instruction could happen in summer, on
weekends, or on select weeknights. When you are considering the program structure,
my best advice is not to prioritize convenience. Too often, I hear students
complain about one thing or another not being sufficiently convenient for their
busy working lives. My response is that an Ed.D. program isn’t supposed to be
convenient or easy. Instead, you should identify a program structure that
aligns with your learning style. If you learn best through regular
interactions with people in the classroom, you ought to pursue a program that
has plenty of face-to-face instruction or other forms of meaningful contact.
Program
structure can influence all sorts of things beyond learning in the classroom. The
ways in which a program structures various elements can affect how you interact
with peers and the mentoring you receive from faculty members. Your peers
can play an instrumental role in holding you accountable, keeping you
motivated, and helping you to enjoy the process. Thus, you may want to look for
signs that a program attempts to build community among students and encourages
networking. For example, the program might be built around cohorts, which
allows you to frequently learn alongside the same group of people as you
advance through the program. And let me crystal clear: it takes a village to
complete any terminal degree. You cannot do this alone! So, don’t just jump
into a program that seemingly fits your schedule the best. It won’t matter that
it was convenient if you don’t finish the program.
Consideration #4: Faculty Members
I
mentioned above mentoring from faculty members. I’m a firm believer in the
importance of program-specific, full-time faculty members. Let me explain that
a bit. Some programs rely heavily upon part-time instructors to teach in their
programs. There’s not necessarily a pedagogical problem with this, as part-time
faculty can be outstanding educators with rich professional experiences.
However, part-time faculty members may also have other jobs requiring their
attention. I see great value in a program with a core group of full-time
faculty members who were trained in the areas they are teaching/researching. In
other words, if you are pursuing an Ed.D. in higher education administration,
the faculty ought to include people who have advanced graduate training in
higher education, are active in higher education professional/scholarly
associations, and have experience advising higher education-related projects.
Otherwise, you may start working on a dissertation, only to find that few
faculty members in your program know much about the topic or how to best assist
you.
Similarly,
you might want to try and discern the faculty-student ratio. It’s no surprise
that there is a market for people seeking an Ed.D., and many programs have not
hesitated to grow enrollment quickly. Full disclosure, my own program did this
a few years. The problem is that our faculty did not expand, or expand quickly
enough, to meet the needs of students. And it’s fair to say that doctoral
students, especially those who haven’t been in school in some time, have many
needs to be successful. So, if it seems like a program is quite large with few
faculty members, I advise asking about the advising model. Try your best to
get a sense of whether the program promotes relationship-building with faculty
to promote your success. Because word on the street is that there are many
programs that are happy to take your tuition money without investing in
essential resources.
Consideration #5: Cost
Speaking
of resources, don’t forget to think about the cost. This often seems like
something that gets glossed over by many prospective students. I don’t have to
convince you that education isn’t really a lucrative career. Be cautious about
financing your Ed.D. through loans with the assumption that you’ll get a
promotion at the end of it to pay everything back. Keep in mind that, if you
don’t finish (and there’s research showing that
many doctoral students don’t), you will need to repay those loans. Many of
my students, for various reasons, need to take time off or slow down their
progress. Each additional semester comes with costs. Lastly, as is true with
other levels of education, there are often additional costs with a terminal
degree--books, travel, technology. Some programs include additional costs into
tuition. It’s worth digging into what is and is not included with tuition and
fees.
Concluding Thoughts
An
Ed.D. is a big decision and investment of time and resources. My hope is that
any of the programs you are considering provide you with all the information
you need to make a good choice for you. Analyze all programs with a critical
eye. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is (Finish Your Ed.D. in Two
Years!) At the same time, I hope you ask some hard questions of yourself before
jumping into anything. Make sure you are starting this journey for the right
reasons and that you are setting yourself up to be successful.
If
there are questions that I didn’t address in this post, feel free to get in
touch with me. Maybe I can share my insights as part of a future post.
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