The unique benefits of getting an Ed.D. from Gwynedd Mercy
Earning a Doctor of Education degree is an excellent way to develop the breadth and depth of your educational expertise, setting you up to become a trusted leader whether you pursue a career in K-12, postsecondary education or the nonprofit sector.
The Accelerated Executive Doctorate in Educational Leadership degree track at
Duration of education: A typical doctoral program can stretch out for years, and sometimes close to a decade. The length may discourage students from sticking with the course of study, completing their dissertations and ultimately obtaining their degrees. Completion also hinges on the level of long-term support from faculty and institutional staff, as these individuals often give the direction needed to finish all classes and dissertations.
A key benefit of the Ed.D. program at The degree track takes only 2 years and 8 months to complete.
At the same time, a cohort of students completes the program as a group, providing support for each other along the way. Through online courses, they may complete concentrations in higher education, pre-K-12 schools and school districts, or special education.
“The program is very organized. Each course is superbly managed and easy to follow. Plus, the Ed.D. curriculum is appropriate for the field, as well as well-rounded in its topics. I have already been able to take what I have learned from my coursework and directly apply it to situations in both my personal and professional lives.”
The student also mentioned the fact that program staff were uniformly “top-notch professionals,” who enabled highly productive learning sessions featuring extensive face-to-face interactions with both classmates and professors. The format of the comprehensive assessment was also highlighted as a major positive of the Ed.D. track.
Dissertations: The Ph.D. Completion Project estimated that 10-year completion rates for doctoral programs were only 49 percent in the humanities and 56 percent in the social sciences. Similarly, the Council of Graduate Schools discovered that 60 percent of graduate students who had completed all their coursework nevertheless didn’t go on to finish their dissertations.
At students begin their dissertations early and subject them to regular reviews and benchmarks. This arrangement ensures students stay on track with their dissertations. Support is always available as the dissertation topic evolves, drafts are written and feedback is integrated – all common occurrences during the course of this graduate program.
“I was paired with an advisor from the very beginning of the program. From early on, we communicated routinely. I changed my initial dissertation topic about a year into the program, but because my advisor and I had established a firm communications channel, I never felt like I was falling behind. I found the dissertation benchmarks and progress tracker documents to be valuable tools in progressing through the dissertation process while completing the coursework.”
Impact on students: With its primary mode of instruction being asynchronous online learning, this means that there are fewer constraints on physical location or time. This gives you flexibility to balance your family, work and learning while at the same time providing you with an outstanding learning environment that adds value to your career and life.
“This is the first time I am taking online courses and interacting with faculty and classmates via channels such as discussion boards. The program has opened my eyes and mind to the broader world and helped me to engage more deeply with our society. I now read journals, news articles and other media differently than before. I attribute this to what I have learned and experienced in Gwynedd Mercy’s EdD program.
Learn more about the Accelerated Executive Doctorate in Educational Leadership, including admission requirements, on our main program page today to get started on your own journey.
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