This two-year program for senior-level professionals focuses on problem-solving, creativity, innovation and policy both stateside and abroad.
Global Executive Doctor of Education
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Achieve Large-Scale Improvements Across Educational Systems
The Global Executive Doctor of Education (Global EdD) program will prepare you to achieve large-scale improvements across educational systems through the strategic use of policy, innovative practice, assessment and social entrepreneurship.
The hybrid learning experience of this program combines online classes with seven one- to two-week intensive class sessions at USC and in various international destinations. The online learning experience allows you to participate in class sessions virtually. The program requires travel to the USC campus in Los Angeles and up to four overseas program locations.
Through this program, you will:
- Glean insights and solutions from a wide range of global perspectives.
- Have the option to travel to up to four countries for seven intensive class sessions.
- Remain employed while participating in live, online class sessions.
- Interact with ambitious, international leaders with a variety of professional aspirations.
- Complete a dissertation as part of a thematic dissertation group
Curriculum
Transform Education Systems
Examine how governance, finance, innovation, and research shape education at scale. These courses equip you to make data-informed decisions, evaluate impact, and lead meaningful change across complex, global systems.
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View All CoursesEducational Organizations: Governance and Finance I
Explore how global trends are reshaping the governance and financing of education systems. Analyze how policy, funding structures, and leadership decisions influence performance and access at scale.
The Fundamentals of Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship
Examine how new ideas emerge and take shape within individuals and organizations. Build a foundation for leading innovation and fostering creative, entrepreneurial thinking in education settings.
Understanding Research that Informs Educational Leadership
Learn to interpret and apply research to real-world leadership decisions. Develop the skills to evaluate studies, understand research design, and use evidence to inform strategy and practice.
Evaluating and Assessing Educational System Outcomes
Addresses the often-overlooked step in creating educational reform: evaluating impact. Design and implement evaluation strategies that generate actionable insights for improving systems and outcomes.
“If I could be a perpetual student in the Global EdD program, I would. Through the program I was able to dig into what education means to me, while also seeing education through the lens of countries and cultures across the world. This global experience had a multidimensional impact, changing how I hope to influence education in the United States and even how I plan to educate my own children.”
Allison Boxer, EdD ’20
Strategic Advisor to the Dean, University of Utah School of Business
My professional journey has been shaped by a deep belief in our shared humanity and the power of learning to connect us. The Global Executive EdD strengthened that commitment by amplifying global perspectives and leadership frameworks to design solutions that are both strategic and deeply human. Today, my work at the intersection of culture, technology, and responsible AI builds on those foundations. I loved being a student in the Global Executive Doctor of Education, a program that provided me with incredible mentorship, perspective and global networking.
Andrea Thomas, EdD ’19
Founder and CEO, The Common Place
The Global Executive EdD experience fundamentally shifted my leadership from management to strategic, evidence-based transformation. It instilled the intellectual courage required to pioneer the founding of a new school, Tariq Bin Ziad, and lead its vision for bilingual excellence and future readiness. The program equipped me to anchor complex organizational strategy in robust research, allowing me to build systems of conscious leadership and sustainable impact rather than simply reacting to challenges. My favorite lesson was the profound understanding that true leadership is the courage to challenge accepted norms and engage in informed, responsible dissent. This lesson directly fuels my commitment to cultivating critical thinking in our students and pushing institutional boundaries to meet the needs of the future.
Maha Al Romaihi, EdD ’23
Director, Tariq Bin Ziad School, Qatar Foundation
When I began the program, I was living in São Paulo, Brazil, and working as the local USC representative. My aim was to make a significant professional leap upon completing the GEEdD. Unexpectedly, my career progressed more rapidly than anticipated, and halfway through the program, I received an offer to work at USC's main campus in LA. Joining the GEEdD has been one of the best decisions I've ever made, profoundly impacting all aspects of my life by fostering remarkable personal and professional growth, along with invaluable global connections and relationships. One of my fondest memories is our dissertation writing and review group. Through this group, we provided and received feedback, all while learning about the incredible work each of us was accomplishing individually.
Paulo Rodrigues, EdD ’19
Senior Associate Vice Provost, Global Engagement at the University of Southern California
The Global Ed.D. has benefited me in multiple ways. It has allowed me to reflect critically on the work I have done in the past to better understand connections to both local and global contexts. It has also pushed me to ask better questions with a more critical analysis of any given situation. For example, we used a gap analysis framework in the Global Ed.D. – I am constantly needing to use a gap-analysis in understanding the various harms the criminal legal system has imposed on communities. The Global Ed.D. expanded my level of analysis, but also opened up a world – literally -to think about comparison: What is done elsewhere? Does it work or not? Who controls the power, how and why?
Jed Oppenheim, EdD ’21
Program Director, Public Welfare Foundation
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Director, Global Executive Doctor of Education Sabrina Chong
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“You need to leave the box in order to think outside it.”
USC Rossier’s Global EdD program takes students to South Africa and other global destinations to observe and learn from international education leaders. For Shuai Fu EdD ’24, an art teacher from China and graduate of USC Rossier’s Global Executive Doctor of Education program, the most memorable part of his recent trip to South Africa was a visit…
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Advance your leadership and expand your global impact with a doctorate designed for working professionals.
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Contact:
Sabrina Chong
Director, Global EdD Office