WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — Monmouth University has been approved by the State of New Jersey to offer the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership degree. The program will begin enrolling immediately for the fall semester this year.
This new two-year, 54-credit, cohort-based doctoral program will prepare teachers, principals and superintendents for increasing levels of responsibility as they further their careers, says John Henning, dean of the School of Education.
“The program is designed for school leaders to lead transformative changes in their school district even as they are working through the program,” said Henning. “Through their development of transformative leadership projects, doctoral candidates will enhance their ability to design and implement educational innovations. This approach promises benefits for both school leaders and their schools.
“School leaders will develop the analytical and thinking skills needed to connect their work to the latest theories in leadership and school change. Their schools will benefit from the implementation of educational innovations that increase P-12 student learning.”
The program is designed with an inherent flexibility that is critical for working professionals. During the fall and spring semesters, classes will be offered one day during the week and on Saturdays. Classes will be offered in a hybrid format with instruction on-campus one week and online the next. Summer classes will run two days per week.
“This is an important program for Monmouth University and for education in New Jersey,” said President Grey Dimenna. “We have assembled an extraordinary faculty of practicing professionals at the superintendent level and in other leadership roles to provide our Doctor of Education candidates with the latest strategies in educational leadership.”
The need for this program came about as more and more school leaders requested that the university begin an advanced leadership degree program, according to Henning, who said that many of the candidates in the program are likely to be principals aspiring to be a superintendent or who aspire to university employment.
Data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics notes that, on average, there are more than 17,000 openings for leadership positions in elementary and secondary education each year. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects employment of elementary, middle and high school principals to grow 10 percent by 2020.
Bernard F. Bragen, Jr., Ed.D., currently the superintendent of the Hazlet Township (N.J.) Public Schools, will join the university in September as program director for both the Doctor of Education and the Educational Leadership programs.
Monmouth University currently enrolls approximately 1,800 graduate students each year in more than 20 graduate programs.
For more information on the Doctor of Education program, its prerequisites or the graduate admission process, visit monmouth.edu/EdD or contact the Graduate Admissions Office at 732-571-3452.