The Long-Term Benefits of a Doctorate in Educational Leadership 

If you are wondering about the career impact of an Educational Leadership doctorate, this blog post will tell you about the benefits and suggest factors for you to consider as you research doctoral programs. 

The value of a doctorate in Educational Leadership will depend on your goals and preferences and how they fit with the strengths of the doctoral program you choose. 

Here are some things to consider when choosing a doctoral program. 

A Doctor of Philosophy degree (or Ph.D) and a Doctor of Education degree (or Ed.D.) are both rigorous and well-respected doctoral degrees. A Ph.D. might be slightly more common among full-time faculty in higher education and an Ed.D. might be slightly more common among executives in schools, school districts, higher education, or organizations that work closely with the education field — but that is a generalization. As stated above, both are both rigorous and well-respected doctoral degrees and either program will include coursework in leadership, organizational governance, change theory, and community building in educational settings, as well as fieldwork, research, and a dissertation. 

The time it takes to complete a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and options for full time, part time, in person, online, or hybrid study will depend on the doctoral program you choose. Some Ph.D. programs are 69-credits and may take up to four years of full-time study. 

Meanwhile, Russell Sage College’s Doctorate in Educational Leadership is 46 credits and takes 27 months to complete. It is designed to be pursued part time by professionals currently working in the education field. Courses are a mix of online and in-person over a weekend. Doctor of Education candidates may join a cohort that meets on the Russell Sage College campus in Albany, New York, or in Long Island or New York City.

Individuals with a Doctorate in Educational Leadership have the skills and knowledge to influence educational systems and complex institutions (a school district or university system, for example.) 

They use their expertise to create and support inclusive learning communities and workplaces and manage projects in educational reform, policy development, or program development. 

A doctoral degree is an asset for individuals at any level of educational leadership. 

Russell Sage College’s blog post titled “How a Doctorate in Educational Leadership Can Transform Your Career” goes into more detail about the career impact of an educational leadership doctorate. 

Certain top-level education administration roles in New York state require a School Building Leader advanced certificate or a School District Leader advanced certificate, and some schools that offer SBL or SDL certificates — like Russell Sage College — allow you to apply SBL/SDL advanced certificate credits toward a doctorate in Educational Leadership. The additional investment is minimal when considered with the advantages of a doctoral education in leadership. 

Individuals with a Doctorate in Educational Leadership have resumes that stand out for opportunities as assistant principals, principals, program directors, assistant superintendents, district superintendents, government department of education officials, and higher education administrators and professors. 

The career impact of a doctorate in Educational Leadership is significant, whether you are looking for a new position or seeking greater fulfillment in the job you already hold. 

Employers will often take an advanced degree like a Doctorate in Educational Leadership into consideration with other factors like job performance during salary reviews.

Many Ed.D. candidates count membership in a learning cohort among the advantages of a doctoral education in leadership.. 

For example, a typical 15-student cohort in Russell Sage College’s Ed.D. program includes professionals from public, independent, and charter schools, districts large and small, higher education, and education-related agencies and organizations. 

“It has cultivated a group of strangers into a network of lifelong friends, who care deeply about creating new knowledge, but more importantly, we care about one another’s progress and success,” said one doctoral candidate in “Longtime Newburgh Enlarged City School District Colleagues Say Shared Doctoral Program is Bringing Fresh Excitement to Their Careers.”

Many professionals with an Ed.D. find that being able to have a wider influence is professionally satisfying. In “Longtime Newburgh Enlarged City School District Colleagues Say Shared Doctoral Program is Bringing Fresh Excitement to Their Careers,” another school district administrator spoke about how taking on more responsibility in administrative roles allows him to make a positive difference for teachers and the teaching profession, which ultimately benefits students. 

Doctoral programs in Educational Leadership include opportunities to conduct, publish, and present academic research, which can be intellectually energizing. 

Educational Leadership doctoral candidates at Russell Sage College conduct team and individual research that address significant and real problems, concerns, or questions in education.

Learn more about how faculty mentors guide Ed.D. candidates during research in this Q & A with Research Methods Professor Francesca Durand, Ph.D.

The Educational Leadership Research Colloquium and Dissertations page on Sage.edu includes links to recent dissertations and research presented at the Esteves School of Education’s annual colloquium. 

In addition to applying leadership research in their roles at the top of education systems, many individuals with a doctorate in Educational Leadership find it rewarding to share their expertise and experiences as adjunct or full professors in undergraduate or graduate level classrooms. 

If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Russell Sage College, reach out to a graduate admission counselor or program chair Francesca Durand today.