Doctoral Programs Side-by-Side Comparisons

Doctoral Program Comparisons

	Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education Policy (PhD)	Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (EDL)	Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership online (EDL online)	Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership online (OCL online)	Global Executive Doctor of Education (Global EdD)
Outcome	Conduct research to inform educational policy as a scholar	Lead high-performing K-12 or higher education institutions	Lead high-performing schools or districts in K-12 settings	Lead effective organizational change	Achieve large-scale improvements across educational systems
Career Trajectory	Tenure-track faculty researcher	K-12 or higher education administrator or adjunct faculty	K-12 administrator	Senior leaders in a wide variety of settings, including non-profits, private firms, government organizations and higher ed	Senior educational leader, policymaker or administrator in universities, school systems, and education-related corporations
On Campus, Online or Hybrid	On campus	On campus	Online with one required immersion weekend on Los Angeles Campus	Online with two required immersion weekends on Los Angeles Campus	Hybrid (in-person sessions in up to four countries, plus online class sessions throughout the year)
Required Work Experience	None	3 years	3 years	5 years	10 years
Required Master’s Degree	No	Yes	Yes	No*	No*
Employment Impact	Four-year, full-time commitment; unable to work outside the program	Ability to continue working full time with classes one evening per week in most semesters	Ability to continue working full time with classes one evening per week in most semesters	Ability to continue working full time with classes	Ability to continue working full time with 1-2 week in person sessions in up to four countries.
Program Length**	48 months	32 months	32 months	32 months (with prior master’s degree) 42 months (without prior master’s degree)	25 months (with prior master’s degree) 29 months (without prior master’s degree)
Units	63	43	43	43 or 60	50 or 60
Classmates	Cohort model with students representing each of the four concentrations	Experienced professionals from each of the four concentrations	Experienced K-12 professionals	Individuals across a variety of workplace settings (business, nonprofits, military, higher education)	Small international cohort of highly accomplished professionals with traditional and non traditional education backgrounds
Concentrations	Educational Psychology Higher Education K-12 Education Policy Teacher Education	Educational Psychology Higher Education Administration K-12 Leadership in Urban School Settings Leading Instructional Change	K-12 Leadership in Urban School Settings	N/A	N/A
Dissertation	Independent piece of scholarly work that makes an original contribution to current knowledge in the field and demonstrates your ability to conduct independent research.	Practically-focused work addressing a problem of practice that impedes access to educational equity. Format options (5-chapter dissertation, curriculum design, or non-traditional written product/public presentation) are unique to each concentration and completed under the guidance of faculty within your concentration. Conceptual frameworks and research methods are not predetermined but determined in relation to the research question.	Practically-focused 5-chapter dissertation addressing a problem of practice that impedes access to educational equity. Conceptual frameworks and research methods are not predetermined but determined in relation to the research question. Completed under the guidance of K-12 faculty.	5-chapter or executive dissertation format focused on problem of practice within the organization or field in which you are currently working. Conceptual frameworks and research methods are not predetermined but determined in relation to the research question. Completed under the guidance of a faculty chair with partial integration of dissertation content with coursework.	5-chapter dissertation using a Knowledge, Motivational, Organizational (KMO) problem-solving framework. Work collaboratively with a small group of students with a common methodological approach.
Estimated Tuition and Fees	Graduate assistantship covers tuition	Tuition and fees	Tuition and fees	Tuition and fees	Tuition and fees

*Those without a master’s degree are required to complete additional units of coursework
**Following the approved program of study. Actual completion time may vary depending on the length of time required to complete your dissertation.

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