Doctor of Education
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section is missing citations or needs footnotes. Using inline citations helps guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies. (August 2007) |
The Doctor of Education degree (Ed.D. or D.Ed.) is a professional doctorate that prepares the student for academic, administrative, clinical or specialized positions in education. Like other doctorates, (e.g., the Ph.D., D.A., and so on), the Ed.D./D.Ed. is a terminal degree.
Contents |
[edit] Australia
In Australia entry requirements for the Ed.D. are similar to the Ph.D. except that the former requires a number of the years professional experience in education or academic life.
[edit] United Kingdom and Ireland
[edit] Differences between an EdD and a PhD
In the United Kingdom, the EdD differs from a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Education in that it allows the study of a greater variety of education-related subjects in the first stages of study, focusing on a single topic only at the end. However, both the EdD and PhD are research based degrees demanding the same level of academic rigour. A typical 3-year (Full Time) PhD[citation needed] in the United Kingdom usually requires the submission of a maximum 80,000 word thesis; the entire study period would be spent researching the topic and writing the thesis. For an EdD, a student might be required to research various topics in the first two years, preparing a 5,000-6,000-word report for each. The last two years would be spent on the thesis, which might be 45,000-50,000 words working out at about the same amount of words overall as a PhD[1]. A key difference between the two forms of doctorate is that the PhD student tends to work alone while the EdD student will initially be part of a learning community although increasingly PhD students are now required to take courses on research methods similar to those taken by EdD students.
In Ireland EdD programs have only recently been introduced and they tend to follow the UK model of initial research modules followed by longer research papers and thesis.
Research by Scott, Lunt, Browne and Thorne (2002) has found that the difference between an Ed.D. and a Ph.D. can be somewhat overstated as students of both tend to follow similar courses of study and to research similar topics.
[edit] Professional prospects
In terms of career developments, because the EdD is a professional doctorate, it is not a training for a career in academia (unlike the PhD). The effect on a future career will depend on the area of study. In an ESRC funded report[2] by Professor Ingrid Lunt of the Institute of Education compared the EngD, the EdD and the DBA (Doctor of Business Administration). She concluded that:
"The impact of the development of professional knowledge on employment culture varied considerably; for EngD participants there was a major impact, whereas for those on the DBA, the impact was often more personal, developing and enhancing individual consultancy skills; for EdD participants, there appeared to be little impact on employment, though frequently considerable impact for the individuals themselves."
The EdD is generally presented as an opportunity to prepare for academic, administrative or specialised positions in education, favourably placing the graduates for promotion and leadership responsibilities, or high-level professional positions in a range of locations in the broad Education industry.
[edit] United States
In the United States, the Ed.D. tends to be granted by the Schools of Education of universities. The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) recognize numerous doctoral degrees as equivalent (but see footnote 3 here). A list can be found at doctorate. In Europe, Australia, and the USA the Ed.D. and Ph.D. are both recognized for appointment as lecturer or professor in a university.
[edit] History
The first Ed.D. degree was awarded in the United States, at Harvard University, in 1921, around the time that the Ph.D. was being introduced into the United Kingdom. The first Ed.D. arrived in England in 1992, at the University of Bristol. Six years later, 29 British universities were offering Ed.D. programs.
In South Africa, following a convention of using Latin in academic designations, the doctorate in education is called Doctor Educationis (D.Ed.) and, like other doctoral degrees in that country, it is entirely a research-based qualification.
[edit] See also
- College of education
- Teaching certificate
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/Images/recognition_of_professional_doctorates_(appendix%25202)_tcm6-9063.pdf "Recognition of Professional Doctorates" in 'ESRC Guidelines'
- ^ [http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/ViewAwardPage.aspx?data=5fB%2b8%2bZr1KbWqldbGyUCnYixKf61AYKqiDCwf%2b2VfJkLnjcY%2fp%2fjGtEsX94B01aWGwWsrxqaHu46oi6oCESCESS%2b6G6GY5vlwf22k99mgj1J0DLg4QX5NTLS%2fPsAX1T02rwiScurvASmgM7AsQVuhxM83npIn1UZ5GCqvnSq9UkocguXLV%2bjsIdbGbSLSmziYEM9DxA6q15nNTmnc%2brTvoXeSQb19GN614kBzohTswXIZoQ4b233MR%2brgn3en6NPfaBWM1FndJXhOMJg%2fJad15j3o7cuKFl1DgoxSlZv2D5SlukYLhMJpOhQdErq3vh0DD64xmSiUbYZOJqROhlcpQ%3d%3d&xu=&isAwardHolder=&isProfiled=&LikeMinds=&AwardHolderID=&Sector= "Professional Doctorates and their Contribution to Professional Development and Careers"
