University
The University of WaikatoDoctor of Education
This course is available
On-Campus
Level of Study
Doctoral Degree
Duration
8 years
Next start date
Expected Mar 2027
Campus
Hamilton Campus
Summary
Designed specifically for educational professionals, this qualification is a supervised professional research degree designed to provide you with high quality, advanced research skills to extend your leadership credentials and abilities in education.
The Doctor of Education (EdD) will extend your academic knowledge and expertise so that it can be applied in the wide range of settings in which educators work. This programme is specifically designed for professional educators who have at least three years of experience as an educator and who have a desire to further their knowledge and skills in their educational practice and gain a doctorate.
Globally, this qualification has the same status as the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and is a benchmark in terms of researching education policy and practice. The Doctor of Education (EdD) programme brings together professionals from a range of education contexts and backgrounds. This diversity adds richness to the learning experience and enhances your ability to engage in robust and innovative research.
Most educators study for the EdD part-time over 6-8 years whilst continuing their educational practice, but full-time study over 3-4 years is possible.
The EdD has two parts, a series of taught papers followed by supervised research. Part 1 comprises four taught papers, within which you can explore your specific study interest. These include choosing 2 out of 3 optional papers listed below (choice may be limited to when the papers are offered):
- EDUCA981 Advanced Education Inquiry: Pedagogies and Practices for Social Justice
- EDUCA982 Advanced Education Inquiry: Leading Educational Transformation
- EDUCA983 Advanced Education Inquiry: Policy, Context, Discourse
You will also need to complete the two compulsory papers listed below:
- EDUCA980 Advanced Education Inquiry: Research Paradigms and Theories
- EDUCA990 Advanced Education Inquiry: Research Design
You need to obtain an average grade of at least B+ across your first three papers and pass Research Design (EDUCA990) to qualify for Part 2.
Part 2 is supervised, independent research into an aspect of your educational practice, and builds on your learning in Part 1. It culminates in writing a thesis about your research.
If you are not sure about whether a full Doctor of Education is for you, or you are unsure about a research focus for your EdD, you can still get started with Advanced Education Studies through three other Advanced Education Studies pathways; Postgraduate Diploma in Education, Postgraduate Certificate of Education and Individual Paper Credit, outlined below.
Postgraduate Diploma in Education or Postgraduate Certificate of EducationA set of four taught papers that are selected from those available for Part 1 of the EdD above, with the exception of EDUCAT990, which is specific to the EdD.
This Postgraduate Diploma in Education qualification allows you to get started on your papers whilst considering or searching for supervision. Once supervision has been secured you will be eligible to apply to transfer to the EdD, gaining credit for any of these papers that you have passed.
Or you may not wish to complete the whole Doctor of Education and instead take four Advanced Education Studies papers to get a qualification. This requires you to successfully pass four of these papers, normally within two years of part-time study.
A further alternative pathway is to successfully pass two of the Advanced Education Studies paper and take out a Postgraduate Certificate of Education, normally within one year of part-time study.
Individual Paper CreditA single paper selected from available for Part 1 of the EdD, with the exception of EDUCA990, which is specific to the EdD.
This credit allows you to test the waters in doctoral study. The paper is completed within one trimester of study. If you study goes well and you wish to continue, you can then transfer this credit to the Postgraduate Certificate (two papers required), Postgraduate Diploma (four papers required) or full EdD (subject to supervision availability) depending on how much further you wish to go.
Flexibility and PlanningThese pathways offer flexibility of study programmes to suit your circumstances. You may a...
Entry criteria
To gain entry to the EdD, you need to:
1. have qualified for the award of a recognised teaching or allied professional qualification and must produce evidence of at least three years of competent service as an education practitioner, and
2. have qualified for the award of a New Zealand Bachelor's degree with Honours or Master's degree in a field relevant to the proposed research with at least Second Class Honours (First Division) or Distinction, or for a qualification considered by the Academic Board to be equivalent, or
3. equivalent to these requirements (see the regulations below for more details.
You will be required to secure agreement from two eligible supervisors, one at least of whom is a continuing staff member of the University and the chief supervisor (normally this person would be in the Division of Education). You may have relationships with University staff which you can explore for possible supervision. If not, you can access staff interests and contact details in the staff profiles here. You can also contact the EdD Coordinator, Chris Eames, c.eames@waikato.ac.nz, for advice.
One or both of these supervisors may be secured by you prior to enrolment, or during your Part 1 studies, but must be secured before enrolment in the final Part 1 paper, EDUCA990. The Division of Education will support you to secure appropriate and available supervision.
Disclaimer
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Please note that degrees and qualifications earned via remote or distance learning are excluded from the overseas credential evaluation and recognition services provided by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE). For more information, please contact CSCSE directly: +86-10-62677800 (phone) or visit their website(external link that opens in a new tab).
You can learn more about international recognition of New Zealand qualifications on the NZQA website.