The goal of the Rutgers doctor of education (Ed.D.) program is to create educational leaders who are change agents. The Ed.D. program helps participants develop the leadership knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to identify and solve problems of practice in ways that improve instructional quality for all students and have a positive impact on the lives of students, families, and communities.

The Ed.D. program is specifically designed to enable participants to enhance their pedagogical, research, and leadership expertise. Through a sequence of coursework, hands-on apprenticeships, and individualized mentoring, participants learn how to:

• Work with instructional staff to enact improvements;
• Critically interpret and use research and data efficiently and effectively to solve problems of practice;
• Create networks and community partnerships to enact policy and improve educational opportunities;
• Hone their pedagogical skills to lead instructional improvements at the classroom and local levels; and
• Advocate on behalf of their educational community.

The Ed.D. is designed for working professionals and is envisaged as a summer intensive program that can be completed in a little over three years. Students begin with a cohort of colleagues and are encouraged wherever possible to work with their cohort throughout the program. By the end of the second year, most students will have completed coursework, identified a dissertation topic, and filed a preliminary plan for completing the dissertation--i.e., topic and dissertation committee--with the Office of Student and Academic Services. As close as possible to the beginning of the fall semester of the third year, the student will have completed the dissertation proposal and held a proposal defense. The student will conduct and report on the study during the final year of the program.