Online Ph.D. in Educational Leadership

Prepare to take the lead in our virtual classrooms and in your career. If you are ready to take this important next step, apply online now. An application fee of $75 (non-refundable) and documents specified below are required for all Ph.D. applicants.

• Admissions Requirements
• Application Checklist

You will take four research methods courses and four required theory courses in the field of educational leadership. These courses build the foundation for electives, which you may pursue in your specialized area of study. Courses are valued at four semester credits.

Trident University accepts no more than four semester credits of doctoral level credits from regionally accredited doctoral granting institutions provided the transferred course meets the same content standards as the Trident University course.

Note: Students are required to purchase IBM SPSS Statistical Software for the quantitative research courses and dissertation research.

In addition to required core courses, you will engage in three concentration courses to complete this degree plan. Select one concentration from our four areas of study:

• Educational Technology
  This concentration prepares educational leaders to understand and create new technologically and sound pedagogies grounded in innovative research and practice.
• Health Education
  The concentration in Health Education prepares students to serve in the field of health education through teaching, research, and service. We will provide a contemporary curriculum that empowers our students to translate knowledge to meet the growing needs of domestic and global health education. Courses include Research in Educational Leadership, Health Promotion, Program Planning, Design and Evaluation, and Health Behavior and Change.
• Higher Educational Leadership
  This concentration prepares professionals from community colleges and higher education institutions.
• Teaching, Learning and Development
  This concentration prepares professionals from various sectors in pre-kindergarten through high school level teaching.

Designed to help doctoral students follow their progress, Trident’s new Doctoral positioning System (DPS) allows students to track completion of tasks and milestones that are required to obtain their doctorate. The Trident DPS includes 2 features:

1. ePortfolio – To save everything related to the development of your dissertation in a single place.
2. 800 Dissertation Tasks Course – Provides a single place to submit, track, and gain approval for completed tasks.

This includes a written and oral qualifying exam to test your understanding of research methods and statistical concepts within the research process. Upon completion of all courses, the exam is conducted via phone conference or e-conference.

A dissertation committee will be assembled when students begin their dissertation research. Each committee consists of three faculty members, one of whom serves as chair of the committee. One member of the committee must be external to Trident. The chairperson and the committee members will be responsible for guiding the student during the dissertation process.

Students demonstrate a synthesis of their doctoral study, knowledge and scholarship with a significant research project that contributes to general principles of knowledge in the field(s) potentially affected by the research. Following the completion of the course work, including the Dissertation Proposal Seminar (DEL 699), you will work on the dissertation and register in subsequent sessions in the dissertation series (DEL 700, DEL 701, DEL 702), and dissertation continuation courses (DEL 703 and above).

Pursuant to Federal law and regulations, Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval is required for research involving human subjects. Accordingly, prior to conducting research involving human subjects, including the collecting and analyzing of data, the proposed study must be reviewed and approved by the Trident IRB.

Pursuant to California State Law, Trident University publishes and provides to students residing in California, Performance Fact Sheets to help students make informed decisions regarding their program of interest. The fact sheet for each degree program is filed with the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. Regardless of any information students may have relating to completion rates, placement rates, starting salaries, or license exam passage rates, fact sheets contain the information as calculated pursuant to state law. Any questions a student may have regarding this fact sheet that have not been satisfactorily answered by the institution may be directed to the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education at: P.O. Box 980818, West Sacramento, CA 95798-0818 | www.bppe.ca.gov | P:888.370.7589 or 916.431.6959 | F:916.263.1897

Tuition cost for the Ph.D. program:

*Assumes no transfer credits and that student enrolls in an average of 16 credits per year. Does not include cost of dissertation continution courses, the number of which vary based on dissertation completion date.

All per semester credit hour costs are for program level (600/700) courses.  Students in the dissertation stage register for one course of four semester credit hours per session.  In addition, there are dissertation continuation courses which are $800 per course at 0 credit hours.

University Fees: 

• Books and Supplies: $0
• Bounced Check Fee: $30
• Course Materials: $0
• Diploma Copy: $30 (optional)
• Doctoral Application Fee: $75 (non-refundable)
• Food, Housing, and Transportation: N/A
• Graduation Fee: $150
• Lab Fee: $25-69 (for students enrolled in courses with a lab portion)
• Official Transcript: $10 (rush fee $35)
• Other Expedited Shipping Fees: varies based on region
• Payment Plan Set-up: $30 (non-refundable)
• Student ID Card: $10 (optional)
• Technology Fee: $0
• Other fees may apply and are subject to change without advance notice.

Seeking more information on the cost of attending Trident University? Visit Trident’s Financial Aid Resources page where you will find financial aid tools including Trident’s Net Price Calculator and Shopping Sheet, a guide to assist in early financial planning for college.

Get Started Today – Apply Today!