How Long Does It Take To Get A Doctorate Degree

How Long Does It Take To Get A Doctorate Degree

How Long Does It Take To Get A Doctorate Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Overview

A doctoral degree program in education can take approximately three years to complete. Candidates need to hold a master's degree in education to meet program entrance requirements. Students may elect to take the courses for the degree program online, or they can go to a brick-and-mortar campus full time.

General Requirements

Some schools require a 3.0 grade point average (GPA), and students who do not meet GPA requirements may not eligible for the degree. Students must also complete a comprehensive exam after completing a certain number of credits. Residency requirements must be met, which can mean maintaining full-time status for two consecutive semesters or three consecutive summer sessions. After successfully completing a candidacy project, students become eligible for the Ed.D. and can move on to the next phase of the program.

Students must complete a dissertation to earn the Ed.D., and in order to do so they are required to submit original work that has to be approved by the doctoral committee. Dissertations require a lot of writing and can take considerable time to complete. Students are advised to check with school doctoral committees regarding time limits for dissertation proposal and completion.

Curriculum

Doctoral degrees are based on research and typically require one year of coursework. This amounts to roughly 60-90 credit hours of total study, during which time the student develops a dissertation proposal.

First-year studies include traditional coursework, while the second year is more devoted to research. Students may continue to take courses while conducting research and up until completion of the program at the end of three years.

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