Help Shape the Future of Higher Education with the EdD in Higher Education Leadership

  Online: Low Residency at Azusa (main campus)

The Doctor of Education (EdD) in Higher Education Leadership at Azusa Pacific University is a three-year program designed to prepare highly motivated student affairs professionals who serve as transformational leaders in the rapidly changing world of higher education. Led by experienced faculty-practitioners, students are able to develop their leadership strengths to make a significant impact on the next generation of college students and the institutions of higher education that serve them.

Program Highlights

• Cohort model designed for working professionals in higher education
• Unique strengths-based approach to teaching, learning, and research
• Experienced faculty who are professionally active and personally committed to student success
• A one-week residency at APU each June and face-to-face sessions once a month for nine months (not in May or August)

Learn more about the program and our faculty.

International Learning Experience

Each year, second-year EdD students travel to London, England, to explore the rapidly changing nature of higher education as a part of the course, The Changing World of Higher Education. Through world-class teaching, campus visits, and curated tours, students gain perspective on cutting edge developments in the field and how these developments offer new directions for higher education. This immersive experience allows students and faculty to engage with guest lecturers from various universities and learn directly from the author of their action research textbook, Jean McNiff. All in-country costs of the trip except items of a personal nature are included in tuition. Students are responsible for their own airfare to and from London.

Which One is for You: EdD or PhD?

The Department of Higher Education also offers a PhD in Higher Education for higher education professionals who work full time. Compare Higher Education’s PhD and EdD (PDF)

APU also offers an elementary and secondary education-focused Doctor of Education program through the School of Education.

School of Behavioral and Applied Sciences Accreditation

Azusa Pacific University is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).

University Reputation

U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges 2023 edition named Azusa Pacific to its list of top national universities and several other significant lists, including First-Year Experiences and Top Performers on Social Mobility. The Princeton Review designated APU as 1 of 126 institutions in the “Best Western Colleges” section of its 2023 Best Colleges guide. APU’s School of Nursing was named a top nursing school in California for 2023 by College Factual and Niche. APU was included as a top-100 degree producer by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education and is a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Azusa Pacific is also a Military Friendly School and Yellow Ribbon University, serving more than 500 military-connected students and families, and is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as an R2 Doctoral Research University.