Doctor of Education

Doctor of Education

The Doctor of Education is both a research and professional doctoral degree that focuses on the field of education. As the highest degree in the field, it prepares the holder for academic, research, administrative, clinical, or professional positions in educational, civil, private organizations, or public institutions. The EdD currently is awarded in several countries in addition to the United States.

About Doctor of Education in brief

Summary Doctor of EducationThe Doctor of Education is both a research and professional doctoral degree that focuses on the field of education. As the highest degree in the field, it prepares the holder for academic, research, administrative, clinical, or professional positions in educational, civil, private organizations, or public institutions. The EdD currently is awarded in several countries in addition to the United States. In Australia, entry requirements for the EdD are similar to the PhD except that the former requires a number of years professional experience in education or academia. In Canada, the Ed. D. is a full academic doctorate that can only be granted by AUCC-accredited institutions and shares equal parity with a PhD. In many cases, the only salient difference between the Ed D. and the Ph.D. relates to the professional practice of the candidate. Within the U.S., EdD programs often tend to focus on existing pedagogical problems as well as specializations in specializations, such as education psychology, history of education, and educational psychology. The dissertation of an EdD program differs only in focus but in the rigour of study but not in the amount of rigour required, nor academic rigor of study. In some cases, Ed.D programs in Canadian institutions must include and original contribution to knowledge which must be defended orally and orally to internal and external examiners. The first Doctor of Philosophy degree was granted at Teachers College, Columbia University in 1893. The first EdD degree was then added by Teachers College in 1934.

The purpose of EdD was to offer a rigorous course of study that would enhance candidates’ prior knowledge and skills and better prepare them to lead as school practitioners. The history of theEdD throughout the 20th century was one of confusion. In many graduate schools of education it was a practitioner degree, while in others it was consider education’s research doctorate. Traditionally arts and science faculty offered doctoral preparation in the form of the Ph D. Both the school of arts and sciences and its faculty had difficulty relinquishing their expertise in doctoral studies or in acknowledging the need for a professional doctorate degree. It has been observed that both EdD and PhD programs have begun to mirror the less-rigorous Edrigorous Drigorous Ph. D programs offered in the United United States, which has led to some criticism of leadership in the education field. In the UK, some universities offer a EdD, while others offer a PhD in education, and still others offer both. It is not known if the Ed d program will be offered in Canada or the UK in the near future. It was established by Henry Holmes, an educator at Harvard College, in 1921. Holmes saw value in increasing Harvard’s role in the professional training of educators and established the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He established the doctorate of education for students who had had a successful teaching experience, possessed a working knowledge of biology, psychology, and the social sciences, and who sought a higher position.