Ed.D. Program: Education, Culture, and Society Concentration

    Program Overview

    The Ed.D. concentration in Education, Culture, and Society (ECS) is designed to attract a diverse cohort of students who desire systematic and rigorous advanced study of theoretical and practical issues of social and educational equity, change, and reform. Coursework will prepare students to become culturally responsive agents of educational change through consideration of issues surrounding race, social class, gender, social justice, community relations, and globalization. The intended audience for this concentration is school and higher education leaders, reformers, policy-makers, and teachers. The goal is to enact improvements to practice and thus to improve the process of education overall. Students in this concentration will be challenged to understand and use research and data effectively in meeting the problems of practice, particularly those related to equity and social justice.

    The Rutgers Ed.D. program is intended for working professionals. Students take 6 credits in the summer and 6 credits in each of the fall and spring semesters. Students begin their doctoral education as part of a cohort and are encouraged to follow the recommended curriculum sequence to complete the program with their cohort in a little more than three years. Alternative sequences can be followed as needed. However, the cohort is a key element of the learning experience in this program.


    For more information about this program:

    Program Details

    Application Deadline

    Jan 15

    Entry Term(s)

    Summer

    Program Level

    Doctoral

    Program Type

    Degree

    Format

    Hybrid

    Credits

    *60

  • What You’ll Learn

    Students who complete this 60-credit program will exit having developed theoretical frameworks and perspectives critical to grappling with issues of social justice and equity in educational settings and processes. Students will gain common knowledge and form a supportive network of scholarly practitioners concerned with similar issues. The concentration courses allow students to shape a specialization in a particular area or set of areas to meet their own practical and intellectual goals. The research methods build on the knowledge of inquiry methods begun in the common core and allow students to gain special expertise with particular modes of intellectual inquiry.

    For more information about the courses in this program, please visit the course catalog and online schedule of classes.

    *The number of credits to complete this program has recently been reduced from 72 to 60 and this change is still pending final university level approvals.

  • Program Requirements

    This program typically takes just over 3 years to complete and requires:

    • 60 Graduate Course Credits
      • 6 Credits – Completed in the 1st Summer
      • 6 Credits – Completed in the 1st Fall
      • 6 Credits – Completed in the 1st Spring
      • 6 Credits – Completed in the 2nd Summer
      • 6 Credits – Completed in the 2nd Fall
      • 6 Credits – Completed in the 2nd Spring
      • 6 Credits – Completed in the 3rd Summer (Dissertation)
      • 6 Credits – Completed in the 3rd Fall (Dissertation)
      • 6 Credits – Completed in the 3rd Spring (Dissertation)
      • 6 Credits – Completed in the 4th Summer (Dissertation)
    • Dissertation 
      • The Ed.D. Program culminates with a yearlong capstone/dissertation experience. The dissertation requires students to identify and investigate a problem of practice systematically using current literature, and inquiry methodology. Students are to write a final report that is presented publicly that may include a conference presentation, journal article or book chapter, or presentation to a local community. Students will have the option of working on their dissertation projects individually or in groups organized around key topics of interest.
  • Faculty
  • Careers and Outcomes

    Graduates of the Ed.D. program who pursued the Education, Culture, and Society Concentration are prepared to be change agents in the educational communities they serve. Educators working in traditional school settings who complete the program may go on to pursue roles including school superintendent, school principal, and other leadership roles at the school, district, or state level. The program may also position graduates for advanced roles in higher education, such as professor, provost, dean, or school executive. Other opportunities exist outside traditional school settings, including nonprofit, government, and corporate education-focused roles such as consultant, advisor, and chief learning officer. 

  • Admissions Requirements
    • Personal Statement
    • Current Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
    • Academic Writing Sample
    • Official Undergraduate Transcripts
    • Official Graduate Transcripts
    • 1-2 Letters of Recommendation (optional)

    Click here for more information on the Ed.D. Program Admissions Requirements.

  • How to Apply
    1. Collect the materials required for admission
    2. Submit your application online at http://gradstudy.rutgers.edu/
    3. Submit supporting materials online
    4. Any supporting materials that cannot be submitted electronically should be mailed to Graduate Admissions’ New Brunswick office. Their mailing address can be found here: https://gradstudy.rutgers.edu/about/contact-us
  • Tuition & Financial Assistance

    Tuition

    For tuition and fees information please visit the tuition landing page.

    Financial Aid:

    While students are encouraged to apply for federal student aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), there are a number of other merit- and need-based support options, including loans and college work-study programs within and external to Rutgers. For more information, please visit the Office of Financial Aid website.

    Scholarships, Fellowships & Assistantships:

    Generous GSE alumni, friends, and community members have established and continue to donate to more than one dozen fellowships and scholarships to help deserving students reach their goals. These awards are granted on the basis of academic achievement and or financial need. While these awards are competitive, interested students are encouraged to apply for consideration and submit the required materials. Students must also submit a FAFSA application to be eligible.  

    To review all current awards and learn more about the donors that established them, please click here.

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