Online Doctor of Education (EdD) Programs in Wisconsin

There are five schools in Wisconsin with Doctor of Education (EdD) degrees students can pursue online. Alverno College, Concordia University Wisconsin, Edgewood College, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and Viterbo University all offer EdD programs that require little or no on-campus requirements. Between these institutions, students can pursue programs in areas such as Educational Leadership, Student Affairs Administration, Educational Sustainability, Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, Ethical Leadership, and Leadership in Innovation and Continuous Improvement.

All of the schools listed on this page are regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). To learn more about their online EdD offerings, continue reading below.

Schools in Wisconsin with Online EdD Programs

Alverno College, located in Milwaukee, offers an online Doctorate in Education with three concentration options: K-12 Leadership, Higher Education Leadership, and Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Students of all three concentrations take courses such as Principles of Responsive and Transformational Leadership, Ethical Organizational Leadership, Equity in Diverse Educational Settings, Scholarly Communication, and Transformational Leadership: Practice and Impact. These courses equip students with the knowledge and skills to understand systemic barriers to success in educational attainment across different academic settings. They then take classes specific to their concentration. For example, students of the K-12 Leadership concentration take courses in LEA Governance, Management and Finance; Assessment, Technology and Data for School Improvement; and Leadership, Educational Law and Policy Leadership. Meanwhile, the Teaching and Learning in Higher Education concentration features courses in Higher Education Curriculum and Assessment; Instructional Design: Fundamentals; and Instruction for Different Populations. Students also complete numerous dissertation-focused courses that provide them with support and guidance as they tackle a problem of practice that is relevant to their place of work in education.

Located in Mequon, Concordia University Wisconsin offers a Doctorate of Education in Leadership in Innovation and Continuous Improvement (LICI) online, for education, business, or health professionals looking to grow as leaders and enact positive change in their organizations. Offered through the School of Education, the LICI EdD program is comprised of 60 credits and designed to be competed in three years. It utilizes a cohort model, with start dates available in both the Fall and Spring semesters (August and January). Students take courses in three core areas (Leadership, Research, and Improvement Science and Innovation Leadership), then choose from electives in one of two emphases: Business or Education.

Courses in the Leadership Core include Advanced Leadership Theory and Practice Exemplary, Leadership Case Studies, Innovative and Entrepreneurial Leadership, and Servant and Ethical Leadership. The Innovation and Improvement Science Core consists of classes in Innovation and Design Thinking, Six Sigma Applications, Lean Systems Analysis, and Organizational Learning, Performance, and Change. In the Research Core, students study topics such as advanced research and statistics, and quantitative and qualitative research methods, as well as work on independent research associated with their dissertation. For the remaining curriculum, students select from courses in either the Business or Education emphasis, or a combination of courses from both. While the majority of the LICI program is online, there are two required four-day residencies on the Concordia campus in Mequon.

Edgewood College in Madison offers a fully online Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership through its School of Education with a concentration in Higher Education and Leadership Studies. The cohort-based program is made up of 54 credits, and typically takes students three to four years to complete. Courses are delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction, using the Blackboard learning management system and Web Ex video conferencing software. Students can access prerecorded lectures, online textbooks, podcast recordings, class discussion forums, and more at their convenience, signing on for synchronous sessions throughout their studies to engage with instructors and classmates in real-time group or one-on-one conversations. A total of 20 courses are required, with students taking two courses each semester. Curriculum in the program covers such topics as Leadership Theory and Practice, Organizational Development, Finance in Higher Education, Inclusive Leadership, Higher Education Law, and Quantitative and Qualitative Research. The program is delivered entirely online; however, there are optional residency opportunities at the Madison campus, where students can connect with faculty face to face.

Two schools in the University of Wisconsin (UW) system have EdD programs students can complete online. The first is the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, which offers a Doctor of Education in Student Affairs Administration and Leadership online through its Department of Student Affairs Administration. This program is fully online, with no campus residency requirements, and boasts a student to faculty ratio of seven to one. Working in cohorts of 12 to 15, students must fulfill a total of 54 credits in order to earn their degree. The intended completion time is three years, but students have up to seven years to finish, if necessary. Curriculum combines coursework in areas such as Organization and Governance, Enrollment Management, Finance and Budgeting, Organizational Communication, Human Resource Management, Program Evaluation, and Policy and Regulatory Compliance, with detailed dissertation planning and development. Along with taking several courses directly related to their dissertation work, students also have the option to attend a writer’s retreat to receive further support in person. UW-La Crosse’s online EdD program also offers international study tours and internship opportunities for those interested.

Students can pursue a Doctor of Education in Educational Sustainability online through the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s School of Education. This cohort-based program is designed for working professionals from all fields interested in “building socially, ecologically, and economically sustainable communities” while growing as educators and leaders. Students complete a total of 52 credits over three years, and can choose to explore the concept of sustainability in one or more of the following core principles: Transformative Learning, Systems Thinking, Ecological Thought, Pluralistic Democracy, Ethical Action, or Diversity and Social Justice. Required courses in the program include Philosophical and Theoretical Foundations of Sustainability Leadership in Education, Social Justice in Education for Sustainability, Reorienting Curriculum and Programs Towards a Sustainable Future, Global Environment Change, and Transformative Sustainability Teaching and Learning. While the majority of coursework is online, the program requires students to attend a four-day residency each year, typically in the third week of June. During these annual campus visits, students receive an orientation to the program (first year) and take part in seminars related to dissertation research and writing (years two and three).

Finally, Viterbo University, located in La Crosse, offers an online Doctor of Education in Ethical Leadership through its Dahl School of Business. This program is designed to prepare students to create, oversee, and improve organizations, and to ensure that these organizations uphold ethical principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Students can choose from a Generalist track and a Superintendent track that is specific to education leaders seeking superintendent licensure in the state of Wisconsin. Students of the Generalist track take core courses in areas such as Social Science Research for Leaders, The Learning Organization and Inquiry Based Leadership, and Critical Analysis of Power, while students of the Superintendent track take courses in Collaborative Leadership for Learning, Superintendent Current and Legal Issues, and a Superintendent Practicum. Students’ culminating experience is a dissertation, wherein they tackle a problem of practice that is relevant to their work setting and/or professional goals. Building up to their dissertation, students complete research and consulting projects that train them to investigate and support the needs of their organization of employment, as well as their community.

Online EdD Programs in Wisconsin

The following is a list of all the schools in Wisconsin that offer EdD programs online. To learn more about any of the degrees described on this page, click on the corresponding link below to visit the program’s website.