How to Get a Doctorate in Education

Last Updated: August 26, 2022 References

A doctoral degree in the field of education can open up career opportunities and provide an outlet for personal and academic fulfillment. However, pursuing a doctorate is a long and arduous process. A “four year” doctoral program will often take six years to actually complete, and that doesn’t count the time choosing between schools and turning in applications. The decision to pursue a doctorate isn’t one to be taken lightly. It will require commitment, the temporary loss of income, and a lot of hard work. However, if you understand how to choose the right program and what to expect while you are completing your course of study, you will be better prepared for the academic challenges ahead.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Choosing the Right Program

1
Take the GRE. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is the standard entrance exam for admission to graduate schools of all kinds, including graduate education programs. Your score on the GRE will help determine the schools you are admitted to and the financial aid you are eligible for. ^{[1]
X
Research source}
- The format of the test is similar to the SATs, but the material is more advanced. It is administered on a computer, and takes about four hours to complete.
- The fee for taking the GRE in 2016 is $160 for those taking the test in the US, and $190 for those taking it outside of the US.
2
Identify your career goals. The two types of doctorates in the field of Education, the PhD and the EdD, prepare you for different types of careers. Even if you know Education is the right field for you, until you know what type of career you want to pursue, you won’t have a good idea of which type of degree is right for you.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- The PhD stands for Doctorate of Philosophy. A student who gets a PhD in Education will study educational theory—the goals of education, the best ways of conducting research, teacher training, etc. Most PhDs in Education don’t actually work in the classrooms or administration of elementary or secondary schools. Rather they primarily function as university level researchers. To the extent they teach at all, they teach prospective teachers in colleges and universities. Pursuing a PhD online is not ideal.
- The EdD stands for Doctorate of Education. The EdD is commonly pursued by aspiring or current school administrators, but some classroom teachers have them as well. An EdD student focuses on the practical methods of education—implementing and executing best practices rather than experimenting to find out what works best.
Advertisement
3
Take your responsibilities into account. Familial and professional responsibilities will narrow the range of educational options a student may have. If your family counts on your financial support, you’ll probably need to look at schools close to home offering part-time programs.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- Unfortunately, a student with a family to support will probably have to pay more for their education, because the stipends offered from graduate assistantships is typically too low to provide for a family.
4
Research the program’s rankings and reputation. Magazine rankings like US News’ Best Colleges are often the first thing people look at when they’re choosing a grad school. While a high rank is nice, it doesn’t make as much of a difference in career outcomes as you might think. Notable research and a strong local reputation matter at least as much in terms of gaining employment.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- A good way to get a sense of the local reputation of a school is to ask local teachers and educational administrators their opinions about the program.
5
Look up the research interests of the faculty. In general, graduate students will enroll in courses and complete research the faculty is interested in. The reality is that the graduate student’s preference with respect to research interests matters very little in terms of their overall educational orientation.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- For example, say your research interest was best practices for teaching poor students. While it’s a fine topic to learn about, if none of the faculty at your school research that same topic, you’re going to struggle to find classes about the subject and a faculty advisor for your dissertation.
- You can find out about the research interests of the faculty members by going to the webpage for your program. There will be a listing of faculty, along with a CV or brief description of publications and research topics.
6
Inquire about career services assistance. Ask the admission office about the types of career services assistance they offer to students and alumni. The better jobs the alumni get, the better a school’s reputation will become, so a school with an apathetic attitude toward career development assistance is a bad sign.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- Also ask how many alumni go on to secure employment in their chosen field and how long it takes them to secure that employment.
7
Complete the application. When you apply to schools, you should apply to three or four you feel evenly match your academic accomplishments, two you’re overqualified for and one or two you’re underqualified for (your dream schools).^{[7]
X
Research source}
- If you want an assistantship—an arrangement where your tuition is waived in exchange for providing research and teaching assistance—you’ll typically apply for it at the same time you would apply for admission.
8
Visit the campus. As you’re narrowing down your selections, it often helps to visit the school’s physical campus. While you are going to school to earn your doctorate, you should also factor your quality of life into the decision-making process. An unhappy student is more likely to be a poor student. Along with any other factors of importance to you, consider the following:^{[8]
X
Research source}
- The size of the school. A large state school with thousands of students won’t be the ideal environment for everyone, especially shy people. Conversely, the culture of a very small school might feel suffocating to a student who doesn’t share that culture.
- The city environment. Along with the school’s size, take into account the size of the city where the school is located. You’re likely to spend several years in the city—make sure it’s right for you.
- Diversity amongst the faculty and student body. Even a very large school can feel alienating and isolating if no one on campus shares your background. While you may want to expand your horizons, you should make sure the school population is interested in doing the same.
- The condition of the facilities. A school with facilities in decay is a bad sign, because it means their budget is too small to conduct maintenance and repairs. Students at schools in financial trouble are far more likely to experience disruptions in their course of study than students at financially sound institutions.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Completing Your Degree

1
Complete your required coursework. During the first stage of doctoral study, the student completes coursework preparing them to do the type of original research that is a prerequisite to the granting of the degree.
- Required coursework typically consists of a set of core classes that everyone takes and another set of electives you can personally choose. Your electives should prepare you for your eventual specialization in the field of education.
- In a typical, four year doctoral program, completing the required coursework usually takes between two and three years.
2
Sit for your comprehensive exams. Comprehensive exams (comps) are oral or written examinations certifying a doctoral candidate’s depth and breadth of knowledge in their field. Comps aren’t unique to graduate programs in education; most graduate programs administer them in some form.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- The particular format will largely depend on your school’s program, but comps are usually structured around a set of questions given in advance of the examination or a reading list, or both. Typically, a student must pass their comps before they can move onto the research component of the doctorate.
3
Submit a dissertation proposal. Once the coursework for the doctorate is completed, the student focuses full time on the research component of the degree, the dissertation. A student will work with faculty members to find a topic for research appropriate to their interests and capabilities, and when the student has narrowed the topic sufficiently, they write a dissertation proposal and submit it to a faculty committee, who approves it or rejects it.^{[10]
X
Research source}
- A dissertation proposal is usually about ten to twenty pages long. It should describe the research project and explain why it is significant, review the published literature about the topic, outline the dissertation, explain the research methods, and develop a timeline for the research and completion of the dissertation.
- It would be unusual for a faculty committee to reject a dissertation proposal outright. More commonly, they would point to a specific area (like research methods) and ask the student to improve up on it.
- A dissertation in an EdD program would typically focus on an academic situation, while a PhD in education would focus on an educational theory. For instance, “Defiant Behaviors in South Atlanta High Schools” might be a dissertation topic for an EdD, while “The Failure of Multiple Intelligence Theory to Predict Student Engagement” might be a PhD topic.
4
Write your dissertation. Once you have faculty approval for the topic of your dissertation, you have to finish researching and writing it. The length of time it takes for an individual student to complete their dissertation varies widely (from three months to two years) and is based on factors such as:^{[11]
X
Research source}
- Research. A doctoral student’s dissertation may be delayed because they are awaiting the results of a particular research project.
- Faculty guidance. A faculty advisor will assist the doctoral student during the course of writing. If the advisor suggests extensive revisions, the writing process will take longer.
- Writing speed. The length of a typical dissertation in an educational field is between 200-300 pages, and a slow writer will take considerably longer to complete a project of that size.
5
Defend your dissertation. The dissertation defense is a presentation the student gives to the faculty committee. The student makes their presentation and takes questions from the committee. If the dissertation is successfully defended, the student will be awarded their doctorate. If not, the committee will suggest revisions. After the student makes the suggested revisions, they will be given the opportunity to present their defense once again.^{[12]
X
Research source}
- The typical presentation portion of the defense will amount to forty minutes to an hour, not including faculty question and answer. You should begin preparations at least two weeks in advance.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Getting Your First Academic Job

1
Prepare for a nationwide search. The market for tenure track academic jobs is competitive (some might say downright cutthroat) because there aren't a lot of positions to go around. When the jobs openings in a particular field may number no more than a few dozen, it's important to search for positions nationwide rather than locally.^{[13]
X
Research source}
- Good sources for job openings can be found online.^{[14]
  X
  Research source}
2
Get letters of recommendation. Good letters of recommendation are some of the best ways to make your application stand out from the dozens (or even hundreds) of other applications for the position you're applying for. They're an actual review of your specific capabilities from a third party and not just a dry recitation of publicized works, grade point averages, and places where you studied.^{[15]
X
Research source}
- The best letters of recommendation come from people connected to faculty on the hiring committee or people who work at the university you're applying at. The next best are from eminent scholars in your field. Of course, the more eminent, the better, but if you can't get a letter of recommendation from a figure of that stature, get one from a professor you did actual research work for. If one of your recommenders is willing to make a call on your behalf, it's even better.
3
Publish early and often. Universities grant tenure to professors who do important research, who make lasting contributions to their field. The tenure track positions go to those candidates who seem likeliest to complete that type of impactful research. The best way to convey that type of potential is by publishing research in reputable journals from the very earliest stages of your academic career.^{[16]
X
Research source}
- Although it may not seem as though you have anything meaningful to say as a new doctoral student, that's not necessarily the case. You'll never know until you make submissions for publication. And even if your submissions aren't accepted, you'll have a better idea of what academic journals are looking for, making publication more likely in the future.
4
Complete a dossier. Academic jobs aren't like typical jobs that only require a cover letter, a resume and application to be considered for a position. To be considered for an academic job, you'll have to submit what's called a dossier. What's included in a dossier varies considerably from school to school, but personal statements and CVs are almost always included.^{[17]
X
Research source}
- A personal statement is a lot like a cover letter. It will talk a bit about yourself and why you want the position you're applying for, along with a narrative account of your most relevant work experience.
- A curriculum vitae, or CV, is similar to a resume, but geared toward positions in the academy and positions where academic qualifications are more important than vocational ones. It will cover your educational background, your thesis and dissertation, academic honors and awards, your research interests, teaching and research experience, references, and most importantly, publications. CVs are longer than resumes, and go into more detail about each subject area. You can look at examples online. ^{[18]
  X
  Research source}
- Other items appearing in some dossiers include videos of your teaching, student reviews, and account of your academic philosophy, and anything else the hiring committee might choose to include.
5
Make a backup plan. A lot of people applying right out of graduate school don't get the kinds of positions they're looking to get. Therefore, you should put together a backup plan while you're applying for the jobs you really want. Concentrate on postdoctoral fellowships and visiting/adjunct professor positions.^{[19]
X
Research source}
- Adjunct faculty positions come and go on short notice, so be vigilant when looking.