Online Doctor of Education (EdD) Programs in Arkansas

There are two schools in Arkansas where students can pursue a Doctor of Education degree online: Arkansas State University and the University of Arkansas. Arkansas State University offers an online EdD in Educational Leadership that students can complete 100% remotely, without any campus visits. The University of Arkansas has two EdD programs that can be completed through online study, either entirely online or with minimal campus-based requirements. The first is an EdD in Educational Leadership, designed for those who already possess an Education Specialist (EdS) degree and want to earn their doctorate. This program requires students to attend one weekend seminar on campus per year of their enrollment. The second is a more traditional master’s to EdD program in Human Resource Development that is fully online.

Arkansas State University and the University of Arkansas are regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Arkansas State University’s College of Education and Behavioral Science and the University of Arkansas’ College of Education and Health Professions are also accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). To learn more about these universities’ online EdD programs, continue reading below.

Schools in Arkansas with Online EdD Programs

Arkansas State University (A-State) offers a 60-credit Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership that students can complete in as few as 40 months of study, and which focuses on P-12 education administration. The program’s curriculum consists of a 9-credit Pre-Doctoral Core, a 24-credit Doctoral Leadership Core, and a 27-credit Doctoral Research and Dissertation Core (the pre-doctoral core is waived for students who previously earned their EdS degree). Examples of courses that students take in the Doctoral Leadership Core include Curriculum Theory and Practice, Contemporary Issues in American Education, Advanced Organizational Theory and Inquiry, Comparative Education, the Socio-Cultural Foundations of Education, Educational Leadership Practices, and Curriculum and Instruction. During the Doctoral Research and Dissertation Core, students take courses in Advanced Educational Statistics, Qualitative Research and Evaluation, Advanced Educational Research, and several advanced Research Seminars before progressing to their independent dissertation work. For their dissertation, students center their research upon a question that is relevant to their professional practice and their desire to improve education programs, systems, or structures in their place of work. Students receive mentorship and guidance during their dissertation work through a faculty committee.

The University of Arkansas (U of A), located in Fayetteville, offers two Doctor of Education programs online through its College of Education and Health Professions. The first is an EdS to EdD pathway, which requires an Education Specialist degree (or equivalent post-master’s credits) and a valid teaching license for admission. Offered by the Curriculum and Instruction Department, this Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership program consists of 42 credit hours and takes around three years to finish. Working in a cohort, students complete the following core courses in sequence: Problems of Practice, Educational Policy and Change, Intro to Qualitative Research, Statistical Literacy for Educational Leaders, Advanced Qualitative Research, Program Evaluation, and Topics in Education Research. Along with this online coursework, the program requires students to attend a campus intensive once per semester. These intensives give students the opportunity to meet scholars and practitioners in the field, participate in facilitated group discussions, and build relationships with their classmates through hands-on learning experiences. Finally, the curriculum includes 18 semester hours dedicated to research and development of students’ capstone dissertation project.

In addition to their Educational Leadership program, U of A has a more traditional master’s to EdD pathway in Human Resource Development, which is available online through their College of Education and Health Professions’ Department of Rehabilitation, Human Resources, and Communication Disorders. This Doctor of Education in Human Resource Development requires a minimum of 96 semester hours of graduate study; however, students can apply qualifying credits earned from their master’s degree (or other graduate-level work) toward this total. All coursework for the EdD in Human Resource Development can be completed online, with no campus-based requirements. The curriculum is comprised primarily of 33 credit hours of Research and Statistics courses, which includes 18 dissertation hours, and a 24 credit hour Human Resource Development Education (HRDE) Core.

In the Research and Statistics block of courses, students take classes in Educational Statistics and Data Processing, Project and Program Evaluation, Qualitative Research Design and Analysis, Quantitative Research Design and Analysis, and a HRDE Seminar. Meanwhile, the Human Resource Development Education core is made up of three distinct pillars, each focusing on a different aspect of the field. There is a Career Development Pillar, with courses in History and Foundations of HRDE, and Career Theory and Decision Making, as well as an Organizational Pillar, which covers Organization Development, Leadership Models and Concepts, and HRDE Ethical and Legal Issues. Finally, the Training and Development Pillar consists of courses in Learning and Teaching Theories, HRDE Training and Development, and Technology Systems in Human Resource and Workforce Development. Students then round out their studies by choosing a number of electives related to their particular career focus or area of interest in the field. Students are required to complete a doctoral dissertation as their final graduation requirement.

Note: The University of Arkansas also offers an online Doctor of Education in Adult and Lifelong Learning program (with concentrations in Adult Education Leadership and Community College Leadership) that combines online coursework with six face-to-face sessions each year. At this time, OnlineEdDPrograms.com classifies this program as a hybrid program because it requires more than three campus visits per year.

Those interested in earning their EdD online in a specialization not available at U of A or A-State, such as Organizational Leadership, Higher Education Administration, or Curriculum and Instruction, may want to explore programs offered by out of state schools. Many colleges and universities around the country offer online EdD programs that accept students from Arkansas. Some of these can even be completed entirely online, while others include one or more on-campus residencies or other face-to-face instructional sessions. To learn more about the different EdD specializations and browse available programs, check out our Online EdD Program Specializations page.

Online EdD Programs in Arkansas

The following section includes links to both Arkansas State University and University of Arkansas’ online EdD programs. For more information about the degrees discussed on this page, click below to visit the school’s website.