The Ed.D. in Leadership for Educational Justice is a nationally recognized program that engages students in rigorous study, preparing them for rewarding leadership roles in education.
The Ed.D. in Leadership for Educational Justice program prepares educators to recognize varying levels of social and educational inequity and to serve as advocates for disenfranchised and under-served students, resulting in their personal and professional empowerment.
Candidates are consistently encouraged to analyze, debate, and develop productive strategies in response to educational justice principles and challenges and opportunities for equity. Five concentration options offer the opportunity for specialization. This allows graduates to become informed educational leaders who actively work to develop ideas and expressions of social justice across educational systems.
This nationally recognized program engages about 20 students per cohort in rigorous study, debate, research, and practice. Our driving mission is to produce scholarly practitioners who are sought after for leadership roles in schools, districts, agencies, and public service, as well as faculty positions in institutions of higher education.
Dedicated to addressing social and educational inequity, candidates in the School of Education’s doctoral degree program develop impactful solutions that strive toward educational justice.
The Doctorate in Leadership for Educational Justice is intended for students of exceptional drive and ambition who are determined to uphold and promote values of equity and access across educational systems. Our energetic, highly qualified faculty constantly strive to help doctoral students develop academically and professionally. At the same time, candidates are pushed to consider innovative ways they can make a difference in the world of education, improving the lives of learners and strengthening the work of schools.
Through this one-of-a-kind program, students develop the skills and deep understanding of educational justice required to create real change in the school systems and other educational institutions -- a change that makes a lasting impact on the lives of those who matter most: the students.
The doctoral program requires 60 credit hours for degree completion, including 21 credits of core content coursework, 15 credits of concentration coursework, 9 credits of methods coursework, and 15 credits of dissertation work.
Designed for working educators, this flexible doctoral degree includes evening and weekend classes for students determined to earn a degree without compromising their careers. The program can be completed in 3 to 4 years -- research included.
The Ed.D. in Leadership for Educational Justice program offers 5 concentrations for educators to tailor their degree to their interests and professional goals. Concentration coursework (15 credits) is broken out below.
The program prepares educational leaders to:
1. Employ a sophisticated understanding of social justice theories to identify and direct responses to educational inequities
2. Apply principles of leadership for social justice to direct a change process
3. Leverage understandings of political, legal, and financial systems to mitigate constraints on equitable educational practices
4. Advocate for just policies and practices for educational institutions and their communities
5. Critically analyze scholarship to inform professional practice and applied research activity
6. Design and implement inquiry relevant to educational leadership and social justice
The coursework segments of the program are delivered in a prescribed sequence dependent upon the selected concentration. Pathways are recommended for timely program completion.
For course descriptions, please view the most recent university catalog.
For course descriptions, please view the most recent university catalog.
EDUC 829: Historical Foundations in Education and Social Justice (3)
EDUC 830: Social Justice Theory and Practice (3)
EDUC 831: Education Law, Policy, and Justice (3)
EDUC 833: Education Finance (3)
EDUC 827: Leadership and Practice in Education (3)
EDUC 822A: Organizational Change and Education (1)
EDUC 822B: Organizational Change and Education (1)
EDUC 822C: Organizational Change and Education (1)
EDUC 871: Special Topics Doctoral Seminar (3)
EDUC 841: Quantitative Methods (3)
EDUC 842: Qualitative Methods (3)
Students will take one of the following:
EDUC 846: Advanced Quantitative Methods (3)
EDUC 847: Advanced Qualitative Methods (3)
EDUC 820A: Writing a Literature Review A (1)
EDUC 820B: Writing a Literature Review B (1)
EDUC 820C: Writing a Literature Review C (1)
EDUC 860A: Dissertation Development and Proposal Writing (1)
EDUC 860B: Dissertation Development and Proposal Writing (1)
EDUC 860C: Dissertation Development and Proposal Writing (1)
EDUC 861: Dissertation Writing (1-9) must be taken for a total of 9 credits.
EDUC 890: EdD Milestone Paper (0)
EDUC 889: Student Success Seminar (0)
The concentration in Higher Education and Student Affairs (15 credits) exposes students to the social, cultural, and organizational contexts of higher education, theories of leadership and student development, and discussion of current issues.
Students in this concentration will select five content courses from the Higher Education and Student Affairs program. For course descriptions, please view the most recent university catalog.
EDUC 607: Introduction to Higher Education and Student Affairs (3)
And will also choose four courses from the following options:
EDUC 605: Community College Today (3)
EDUC 606: Topics in Higher Education (3)
EDUC 608: Evaluation and Assessment (3)
EDUC 612: Media and Digital Technologies for Leadership in Higher Education (3)
EDUC 624: College Student Development Theory (3)
EDUC 631: Law, Policy, and Ethics in Higher Education (3)
EDUC 633: Working with College Students (3)
EDUC 669: Diversity and Social Justice in Higher Education (3)
The concentration in School and District Leadership with an embedded Preliminary Administrative Services Credential (PASC) provides candidates with the opportunity to expand on their leadership skills in a deep and meaningful way, meet the state standards for educational leadership, engage in meaningful fieldwork in education administration, and complete the state performance assessment for education leaders (California Administrator Performance Assessment - CalAPA).
In this five-course series, students engage in a deep dive into program evaluation and assessment; education law, finance, and personal management; coaching and teacher development; and, applied leadership skills in leadership labs. For course descriptions, please view the most recent university catalog.
EDUC 828: School Law, Finance, and Personnel Management (3)
EDUC 643: Coaching and Teacher Development (3)
EDUC 670: Program Evaluation and Assessment (3)
EDUC 675: Curriculum and Program Development (3)
EDUC 634A: Leadership Lab A (1)
Co-requisite EDUC 635A (zero-unit CalAPA registration).
EDUC 634B: Leadership Lab B (1)
Co-requisite EDUC 635B (zero-unit CalAPA registration).
EDUC 634C: Leadership Lab C (1)
Co-requisite EDUC 635C (zero-unit CalAPA registration).
The concentration in School and District Leadership (with no credential) provides candidates, particularly those who already possess an administrative credential, with the opportunity to expand on their leadership skills in a deep and meaningful way. Students in this concentration will select five content courses from the School and District Leadership Program. For course descriptions, please view the most recent university catalog.
Students will take five courses from the following course offerings:
EDUC 602: Leadership for Diverse Populations (3)
EDUC 641: Leadership for Change (3)
EDUC 643: Coaching and Teacher Development (3)
EDUC 670: Program Evaluation and Assessment (3)
EDUC 671: Ethical and Reflective Leadership (3)
EDUC 673: School Resource Management (3)
EDUC 674: Education Law and Policy (3)
EDUC 675: Curriculum and Program Development (3)
EDUC 676: School Personnel Management (3)
EDUC 828: School Law, Finance, and Personnel Management (3)
The concentration in Community Engaged Leadership in Schools and Society (15 credits) provides candidates with opportunities to explore the power and promise of community-embedded approaches to social change.
Students in this concentration will take five courses examining the role of educational leaders in promoting democratic participation in K-12 schools and communities. For course descriptions, please view the most recent university catalog.
EDUC 836: Race, Equity and Schools (3)
EDUC 837: Literacy and Democracy (3)
EDUC 872: Education and Community Organizing (3)
MALT 601: Foundations of Learning (Inside-Out Course) (3)
EDUC 871: Special Topics in Community-Engaged Leadership (3)
The general concentration (15 credits) provides a lot of choice and is intended to allow students to take a range of graduate courses, as per their interests. Students should discuss possible choices with their advisor or dissertation chair. For course descriptions, please view the most recent university catalog.
EDUC 871: Special Topics in Community-Engaged Leadership (3)
Options: 12-credits of graduate coursework
After receiving her MBA from the School of Business, U of R employee Mai Vang ’18, ’22 decided to pursue a doctoral degree from the School of Education, where she is researching a topic that is particularly relevant to her own life—the experiences of mothers of color in graduate school.
What are some of the challenges that LGBTQ teachers face in the classroom? Recent Ed.D. graduate Amy Cecilio ’14, ’18 addressed this question in her University of Redlands School of Education dissertation titled “The Perceptions and Experiences of Queer Teachers.”
Sara Durazo-DeMoss ’13, ’19 was among those presenting recently at the national conference of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE).
Brian McDaniel ’11 uses innovative methods to reach middle school music students
After four years of excelling as the director of bands and choirs at Painted Hills Middle School in Desert Hot Springs, Calif., McDaniel was named a California Teacher of the Year.
Applications to the Ed.D. program are accepted 3 times throughout the year in December, March, and June, though priority is given to applications received by the December and March deadlines. Review the complete Ed.D. admissions application requirements.
The Ed.D. in Leadership for Educational Justice program prepares compassionate, highly skilled leaders that are positioned to face educational equity challenges head-on and become advocates for the under-served.
Five concentration options allow you to tailor the degree to achieve your individual goals and establish a career focused on promoting equity and justice across educational systems.
Ready to get started? Request information, or apply now.
