If you’ve been searching for an online phd degree and you already have a background in education, then enrolling in an educational leadership phd program would be a wonderful stepping stone in your career.

Why?  Well, if you have a doctoral degree in educational leadership then you’re considered the cream of the crop as far as schools are considered.  If you love the idea of being in a real position of power, and being able to affect real change in the education industry, then you should seriously consider getting your phd in educational leadership.

What You’ll Learn In An Educational Leadership PhD Program

With a phd in educational leadership, you’ll be qualified to lead any educational institution, from your local elementary school to a major college or university.  You’ll know how to effectively evaluate your organization’s programs to ensure your students are learning in the best way possible, you’ll learn how to steer your school through the constant changes that has become the norm in today’s world, and you’ll be a master of bringing a diverse faculty together to work for the common good of the school.

Most schools try to center their educational leadership phd program on five key areas:

• Leadership
• Diversity
• Ethics
• Research
• Policy

As an educational leader in a public or private school setting, you’ll need to be skilled in all of these areas in order to do your job well.

And what classes will you be taking for an educational leadership phd?

Here are a few examples taken from several different programs:

• Educational Planning
• Educational Policy
• Intro to School Building Planning
• Politics of Education
• Research Methods for Educational Leadership
• Current Issues in Educational Leadership
• Ethics in Educational Leadership
• Collective Bargaining
• Human Resources in Education

You can also choose a specialty for your Educational Leadership phd, depending on what you’re interested in and where you’d like to go once you’re done with school.  A specialty would be either Public School Administration or Higher Education.

Careers With A PhD in Educational Leadership

Having a phd in educational leadership means that you’ll rarely encounter a closed door when it comes to your career.  This is as high as you can go!  There’s not much you’re not qualified to do with this degree, and some of the positions you could expect to work in include:

• College President
• Athletic Director
• Public School Principal
• College or University Faculty
• Academic Dean
• Director of Admissions
• College or University Department President
• Curriculum Specialist
• High School, Middle, or Elementary School Teacher
• Dean of Students
• Special Education Teacher
• Vice President of Student Life

Yeah, it’s a long list.  Hopefully you’re convinced that with a doctoral degree in educational leadership, there’s nothing you can’t do.

Another exciting option with a phd in educational leadership is working in the private sector.  Many major corporations have educators on-staff to create and institute adult learning programs within the company.  You would be in a leadership position as the head of training and development, and chances are pretty good that you would be well compensated for your work here.

The topic of salary brings up an important point, however.  Because an educational leadership phd opens up such a wide range of employment options, giving one salary estimate for this degree is impossible.  Obviously, a university president is going to make far more than a high school teacher.

We can, however give you a few estimates to give you an idea of what you could expect to make.

• High School Principal: $50,000- $90,000+, depending on location
• School Superintendent: $121,000-$200,000 or more, depending on location and number of students
• University President: varies widely depending on the school, $200,000 to $1 million and up
• Dean of Students: $42,000-$60,000+
• College Professor: averages $85,000+, depending on the school (but don’t forget, this is with three months off every year!)

As you can see, the salary ranges for an educational leadership phd vary widely!  But, if you choose an area that you love, then the money will follow.