Is A PhD In Organizational Leadership A Good Choice For Someone Working In Education?
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A PhD in Organizational Leadership may not be a traditional option for those who want to work in education but it still has applications that may benefit your career. What you learn in pursuit of this degree will span several different fields such as law and government, psychology, and administration. All of these things can help strengthen you in an administrative or district-level job.
A more direct approach is the Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership, which will take the same skills and present them in a way that directly relates to education and will likely be more applicable.
See Also: Best Online Doctoral Programs in Organizational Leadership
A PhD in Organizational Leadership is a degree that is going to equip you with the skills you need to be a strong leader across a broad range of disciplines, including education. The courses cover a broad range of topics to make this degree very versatile, and some of those topics include:
- systems design
- strategy
- technology
- ethics
Many universities offer this type of degree with a concentration in education. At its core, this is a management degree that is specifically geared towards creating strategic changes within an organization to help advance it in such a way that it can meet or exceed its goals. The degree that is most closely related to this is a Doctor of Business Administration, but it still has educational applications. Courses that you’d encounter in a PhD in Organizational Leadership program focus on team building, adult learning, psychological theories of motivation, and more. You could easily use those skills to teach, or work in administration at the college level or in other adult learning programs like GED programs and more. The key to finding the right program for you is to find one that approaches leadership from an educational angle or explores the field of psychology.
Top 5 DBA Programs with an Education Concentration
- Northwood University – DBA with Education Emphasis
Professional cohort-based DBA launched in 2020 featuring residencies - Capella University – DBA in Organizational Leadership
Online, part-time, with elective focus on education leadership - National University – DBA in Organizational Leadership
Research-based DBA preparing strategic leaders - Case Western Reserve University – DBA/PhD in Management
Top-tier R1 research university offering DBA or PhD routes - Yale School of Management – Doctoral Studies with Education Option
Although primarily business-focused, doctoral tracks can be combined with education expertise
A degree that might have better applications in the field of education would be something very similar to the PhD and that’s the Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership. You will still learn about research-informed decision making, leadership communication, and strategic policy design and so much more. The main difference in the two programs is that the PhD typically takes a business standpoint and you’re going to want to make sure you’re getting an education that is as tailored to your goals as possible while remaining diverse.
Pursuing an EdD in Leadership online will be a great option if you want to apply an Organizational Leadership degree to a career in the field of education. This will allow you to:
- strengthen your communication skills
- learn how to engage communities
- learn how to coach and mentor the future leaders that you’re responsible for
Top 5 EdD in Organizational Leadership Programs
- University of Massachusetts Global – EdD in Organizational Leadership
Program Length: ~3 years, elective tracks in healthcare, non-profit, or education - Vanderbilt University – EdD in Leadership and Learning in Organizations
Online with in-person immersions; focused on organizational change and learning - Pepperdine University – EdD in Organizational Leadership
Hybrid format, cohort-based, no GRE required - Nova Southeastern University – EdD in Organizational Leadership
Hands-on leadership emphasis with summer residency - Concordia University Chicago – EdD in Leadership and Management
Fully online with global perspective and dissertation capstone
Either degree would be a good option for someone working in education, but it is important to do all the research you can to see which one is going to be a better option according to your goals and needs.
A Doctorate in Organizational Leadership (EdD/DBA) prepares you for roles as:
- C-Suite & Executive Leadership – Chief Learning Officer, Director of Organizational Development
- Consulting & Corporate Training – Organizational effectiveness, change management, leadership development
- Higher Education Administration – Dean, Provost, Director of Leadership Programs
- Non-Profit Leadership – Executive Director, CEO, Program Manager
- Research & Policy – Influence education or workforce development policy at think tanks or government agencies
- Entrepreneurship – Launch coaching businesses, executive education firms, or leadership training ventures
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