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Programs
Ph.D. in Education
| University | Walden University |
| Degree Level | Doctoral Degree |
| Learning type | Distance Learning |
The Ph.D. in Education online degree program produces leaders who can address the nation's most pressing educational challenges. Each online degree specialization is designed to meet both your professional interests and the needs of your school district, college or university. This graduate degree is ideal if you are already a teacher, and your career goals include becoming a superintendent, faculty member at a university or community college, teacher or administrator.
Graduate Degree Specializations
- General Program
- Adult Education Leadership
- Community College Leadership
- Early Childhood Education
- Educational Technology
- Higher Education
- K-12 Educational Leadership
- Special Education
- Self-Designed
General Program
The General Program in Education is intended for students whose professional practice and career goals cover a range of educational topics or are interdisciplinary, combining specific education subjects with complementary subjects from the humanities, natural or social and behavioral sciences.
Adult Education Leadership
American business, industry, government, and nonprofit organizations spend billions of dollars to train and develop their workforce to succeed in today’s highly competitive global markets. This specialization guides students in developing the knowledge and skills required to conceive, plan, and deliver highly effective corporate training and development activities using the latest techniques, electronic technologies, and learning strategies.
Community College Leadership
Students of Community College Leadership will develop proficiency in how individuals, particularly adults, learn most effectively; what tools and strategies best promote learning; and how educational systems and policies can be changed to promote the academic mission of the community college in today’s society. This program will help shape tomorrow’s community college leaders—from presidents, deans, and department chairs to chief learning officers, directors of student affairs and other leadership positions within the community college.
Early Childhood Education
As the demographics of the family and workforce change, the nation is increasingly turning its attention to the critical need for early childhood development and education. At Walden, you will gain the expertise to lead in the creation and implementation of new program practices, to apply emerging research on development in the early years, and to conceptualize new paradigms for early learning. Graduates attain key positions in college teaching, research endeavors, leadership positions, and advocacy roles addressing the young child, birth through age 8. Other positions include director of kindergarten, curriculum specialist, and director of a Head Start program.
Educational Technology
According to Quality Education Data, more than 90 percent of American schools and more than 60 percent of American classrooms are wired today for Internet use. This specialization helps develop leaders who can effectively apply technology to learning and teaching in schools, school districts, and institutions of higher education across the country. At Walden, you will become highly skilled in course development and delivery using technology, integration of technology in the curriculum, cognition and technology-based instruction, and the management of technology for improved learning. Graduates occupy positions as technology leaders at school and district levels, colleges, universities, and private enterprises, and serve in college and university teaching and research positions. Other positions include director of technology, senior network administrator, and media specialist.
Higher Education
During the 21st century, colleges and universities will undergo profound transformations as the student population becomes older and more diverse, and as educational methods incorporate more technological solutions and distance approaches. Building on the foundational core KAMs in the social and behavioral sciences, the Higher Education curriculum emphasizes proficiency in understanding the needs of a changing clientele and academic community; analyzing and implementing strategies to promote learning and to support development in higher education; and learning how systems and policies can be used to ensure organizational effectiveness and social change in postsecondary settings. Contexts for the study and practice of higher education include community colleges; private and public liberal arts colleges; distance-learning institutions; regional and state universities; proprietary, technical, and trade schools; state and federal agencies; and national professional associations.
K-12 Educational Leadership
Second only to the impending teacher shortage in America is the developing shortage of educational leadership at school, district, and state levels. Walden’s K–12 specialization provides a much-needed new model for advanced study in the field of educational leadership.
A highly flexible, student-centered curriculum is designed to create local, regional, and state educational leaders who can relate to diverse, multicultural K–12 and community-based school populations.
Special Education
Most K–12 educators are strong advocates for improved services for exceptional/disabled individuals. Unfortunately, resources for the delivery of these services are often far less than schools and school districts desire. At Walden, you will acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to provide leadership in the special education field and to better assist your own students in the self-actualization process. Emphasis is on services to exceptional/disabled individuals and to the related areas of special education administration, including law, finance, and ethics. Graduates hold leadership, administrative, and teaching positions in schools and school districts and research and teaching positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. Other positions include director of special education and director of disability services.
Self-Designed
Educators who are interested in pursuing an area that is not among the specializations currently offered may develop their own specialization with the approval of the faculty chair. Current students have developed self-designed specializations in curriculum areas, such as math education, science education, art or music education, and literacy, as well as in discipline areas, such as English-language learning and urban education.
