I think this is a common question for administrators to ask themselves. The fear is that the Ed.D. is somehow less than the Ph.D. and that could not be further from the truth. I assert that there are people ideally suited to both programs and what route you take for a terminal education degree should primarily be based on where you see yourself in the future. If you are a hard core researcher that is focused on adding to the body of knowledge and doing traditional academic research resulting in a traditional dissertation I think the PhD in Education is the way to go. However, If you are an education administrator and have interests that revolve around solving real world problems I believe the Ed.D. is the way to go. My personal preference is to go with a school that focuses on Action Research.

As part of my Ed.D. program I recently read “Disrupting The Status Quo: The Action Research Dissertation as a Transformative Strategy“. and have to say after reading this I am very comfortable and excited about my decision. I am a firm believer that if we have any hope of solving the problems facing us in education today; we will need powerful transformational leaders who are willing to take calculated risks to achieve significant improvements in both student outcomes and other important metrics. As a future campus president one of the quotes that really spoke to me was:

Leadership is a much more complex undertaking today than it was in the past. Leaders now need expertise in policy formation and implementation, deep knowledge of pedagogy and curriculum issues, expertise in fostering collaboration and teamwork, and a sophisticated understanding of data collection and analysis.

This quote sums up why I felt it necessary to advance my MBA to the Ed.D. Although I have the ability to develop solutions to complex problems within my own department, I also understand that executive leadership in schools brings forward a myriad of considerations not taught to traditional MBA students. I feel a deeper formal background in educational theory and law are also required in order make the difficult cross departmental decisions that will bring resolution to the problems today’s educators face.

If you have thoughts on my writing or the article I would encourage you to please leave me a comment!