Interprofessional Leadership
Kent State’s Doctor of Education in Interprofessional Leadership (Ed.D.) is a fully online program designed for experienced professionals aiming to lead collaborative efforts across disciplines. The program emphasizes leadership, team-building, and systems thinking, preparing graduates to drive meaningful change in educational, healthcare, and nonprofit organizations. Graduates are equipped to make impactful contributions to complex, interprofessional environments.
Interprofessional Leadership Doctoral Degree Program Overview
The Doctor of Education degree in Interprofessional Leadership engages students in the study of leadership from an interprofessional perspective. Given the complexity of 21st-century education and society, educators and leaders in all fields must be prepared to address problems across organizational boundaries. The objective of the degree is to develop leaders who are scholarly practitioners. The program is framed around questions of equity, ethics, and social justice to foster leadership to address complex problems of practice. The goal is to prepare leaders who can construct and apply knowledge to make a positive difference in the lives of individuals, families, organizations, and communities.
The Ed.D. degree is cohort-based and starts in the summer term. The program can be completed in three to four years.
Learn more about the athletic training concentration.
Learn more about the cultural foundations concentration.
Learn more about the curriculum & instruction concentration.
Learn more about the educational technology concentration.
Learn more about the special education concentration.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Frame questions of organizational leadership, educational change and social justice to bring about solutions to complex problems of practice
- Develop and demonstrate a professional knowledge base that integrates both practical and research knowledge, and that links theory with systemic and systematic inquiry
- Construct and apply knowledge interprofessionally to make a positive difference in the lives of individuals, families, organizations and communities
- Develop and demonstrate interprofessional collaboration and communication skills to work with diverse communities and to build partnerships
- Analyze problems of practice and use multiple interprofessional frames to develop meaningful solutions
- Generate, transform and use professional knowledge in practice
- Integrate technology as a tool for teaching, learning, assessment, management, planning and communication
Program Structure
- 72 minimum total credits
- 27 major requirement credits
- 12 credits for Cognate Area - students select a cognate with advisor consultation
- 3 credits for capstone course
- Remaining credits for Dissertation I for the culminating requirement (completed in 2 semesters)
- Students present a professional portfolio upon the completion of coursework. The final project is a dissertation in practice.
What is a Doctor of Education?
A Doctor of Education (Ed.D) degree is a professional degree designed for practitioners pursuing educational leadership roles. This advanced terminal degree can qualify graduates for senior education positions in school districts, universities, research, or private industries.
What can I do with a Doctor of Education?
Opportunities with a Doctor of Education degree are endless! Individuals are prepared to become educational leaders, with five concentration areas to select from. Based on the concentration area, job opportunities or advancement may vary. Examples of possible careers include:
- Education administrators, postsecondary
- Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
What’s the difference between an Ed.D. and a Ph.D.?
A Doctor of Education (Ed.D) degree is a professional degree designed for practitioners pursuing educational leadership roles. The Ed.D. focuses not only on research but also on applying that research to real-world practices and complex problems. A Ph.D. in education is designed to prepare graduates for research and teaching roles, focusing only on research.
What will I learn in Kent State’s Doctor of Education program?
The Doctor of Education degree in Interprofessional Leadership promotes the study of leadership from an interprofessional perspective. Our approach is framed around questions of equity, ethics, and social justice and focuses on developing solutions to complex problems of practice. The program prepares leaders who can construct and apply knowledge to make a positive difference in the lives of individuals, families, organizations, and communities.
Students apply to a concentration for specialized study. Examples of cognates include special education, educational technology, curriculum and instruction, athletic training education, and cultural foundations of education.
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Frame questions of organizational leadership, educational change, and social justice to bring about solutions to complex problems of practice
- Develop and demonstrate a professional knowledge base that integrates both practical and research knowledge and that links theory with systemic and systematic inquiry
- Construct and apply knowledge interprofessionally to make a positive difference in the lives of individuals, families, organizations, and communities
- Develop and demonstrate interprofessional collaboration and communication skills to work with diverse communities and build partnerships
- Analyze problems of practice and use multiple interprofessional frames to develop meaningful solutions
- Generate, transform and use professional knowledge in practice
- Integrate technology as a tool for teaching, learning, assessment, management, planning, and communication
Interprofessional Leadership Doctoral Degree Program Admissions Requirements
For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.
- Master’s degree from an accredited college or university
- Minimum 2.750 graduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
- Official transcript(s)
- Résumé
- Goal statement (1-2 pages) explaining how applicant’s career intentions relate to and will be supported by the program, what they bring to the program and how they intend to use the degree to affect their practice
- Three letters of recommendation from organizational supervisors evidencing the applicant’s leadership capacity and experience in the organization and/or from former professors attesting to the applicant’s capacity for doctoral work
- Interview with designated program faculty (face-to-face or by video conference)
- English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:1
- Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
- Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
- Minimum 58 PTE score
- Minimum 110 DET score
Applicants are reviewed holistically based their professional experience and the requirements listed above.
1International applicants who do not meet the above test scores will not be considered for admission.
Important Dates
Program Courses
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | ||
| CULT 85535 | INTERPROFESSIONAL STUDIES | 3 |
| EDLE 76529 | LEADING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE | 3 |
| EHHS 75001 | SYSTEMS THINKING IN PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP | 3 |
| EHHS 75501 | THEORY AND PRACTICE OF LEADERSHIP | 3 |
| EHHS 75502 | ETHICAL LEADERSHIP IN EDUCATION | 3 |
| RMS 75550 | INTRODUCTION TO QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH IN EDUCATION | 3 |
| RMS 78807 | PROGRAM EVALUATION | 3 |
| RMS 85516 | QUALITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN | 3 |
| RMS 85530 | PRACTITIONER INQUIRY | 3 |
| Capstone or Individual Investigation Elective, choose from the following: | 3 | |
| CI 77096 | INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATION IN CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION | |
| CULT 89596 | INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATION IN CULTURAL FOUNDATIONS | |
| EHHS 81099 | CAPSTONE I | |
| ETEC 77496 | INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATION IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY | |
| SPED 73996 | INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATION IN SPECIAL EDUCATION | |
| or other individual investigation course with advisor approval | ||
| Culminating Requirement | ||
| EHHS 80199 | DISSERTATION I 1 | 30 |
| Concentrations | ||
| Choose from the following: | 12 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 72 | |
1Upon admission to candidacy, each doctoral candidate must register for EHHS 80199. It is expected that a doctoral candidate will continuously register for Dissertation I for a total of 30 credit hours, and thereafter EHHS 80299, each semester until all requirements for the degree have been met. Student dissertation research will be aligned with the needs of their organizations, useful to their organizations and intended to effect positive change in their organizations.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements | ||
| ATTR 75001 | EVIDENCE BASED INTERVENTIONS IN ATHLETIC TRAINING | 3 |
| ATTR 75002 | ACADEMIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP IN ATHLETIC TRAINING | 3 |
| ATTR 75003 | CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AND ASSESSMENT IN ATHLETIC TRAINING | 3 |
| ATTR 75004 | TEACHING AND CLINICAL EDUCATION LEADERSHIP IN ATHLETIC TRAINING | 3 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 12 | |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements | ||
| CULT 79575 | ANTHROPOLOGY AND EDUCATION | 3 |
| CULT 80030 | SOCIAL CONTEXTS OF EDUCATION: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES AND THEORY | 3 |
| CULT 89521 | MULTICULTURAL EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE AND POLICY | 3 |
| CULT 89691 | VARIABLE CONTENT SEMINAR: GREAT IDEAS IN EDUCATION | 3 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 12 | |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements | ||
| CI 71130 | MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION: STRATEGIES | 3 |
| CI 77001 | FUNDAMENTALS OF CURRICULUM | 3 |
| CI 77002 | CURRICULUM LEADERSHIP | 3 |
| CI 77010 | CURRICULUM EVALUATION | 3 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 12 | |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements | ||
| ETEC 77434 | EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR EDUCATION | 3 |
| ETEC 77445 | DESIGNING INSTRUCTIONAL AND PERFORMANCE SOLUTIONS | 3 |
| ETEC 77491 | SEMINAR: EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| ETEC 87450 | LEARNING WITH EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES | 3 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 12 | |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements | ||
| CULT 80030 | SOCIAL CONTEXTS OF EDUCATION: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES AND THEORY | 3 |
| EHHS 75515 | CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
| EHHS 75516 | GROUP DYNAMICS IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP | 3 |
| EHHS 75517 | DEMOCRACY AND LEADERSHIP: PHILOSOPHIES AND PRACTICES FOR DEMOCRATIC EDUCATION. | 3 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 12 | |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements | ||
| SPED 73204 | LEGAL AND POLICY FOUNDATIONS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION | 3 |
| SPED 80002 | ANALYSIS OF THE LITERATURE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION | 3 |
| SPED 80005 | EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION | 3 |
| SPED 83201 | CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION | 3 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 12 | |
Graduation Requirements
Students present a professional portfolio upon the completion of coursework. The portfolio will include elements of selected coursework that best represents the student’s learning prior to moving onto the dissertation in practice. Students prepare the portfolio in an online format and defend to a committee of two faculty members from within the concentration. Once the portfolio has been successfully defended, the students move on to the final requirement: the dissertation in practice. Students propose a dissertation in practice that addresses a complex problem of practice. Students conduct an inquiry project to make a positive impact on the problem of practice.
Interprofessional Leadership Doctoral Degree Program Tuition and Fees
Ohio Residents
| Per Credit Hour | Per 3-Credit Course | Approximate Tuition Cost |
| $594.78 | $1,784.34 | $31,4001 |
Non-Ohio Residents
| Per Credit Hour | Per 3-Credit Course | Approximate Tuition Cost |
| $604.78 | $1,814.34 | $32,6002 |
1The $594.78 per-credit-hour tuition rate applies to part-time Ohio resident graduate students taking fewer than 11 credit hours per semester.
2The $604.78 per-credit-hour tuition rate applies to part-time non-Ohio resident graduate students enrolled in a fully online degree program and taking fewer than 11 credit hours per semester, PLUS a surcharge of $10 per credit hour.
Dissertation I - Semester $3,233.20 (Applies to graduate students registered for Dissertation I and the first thirty hours of Dissertation)
This program is calculated at $594.78 per credit hour for 42 credits ($24,980.76), 2 semesters of Dissertation I ($6,466.40) plus the surcharge ($720). This tuition cost does not include distance a learning fee or any college, program, or course fees.
An additional Distance Learning fee for all students enrolled in a distance learning course is $15 per credit hour. Program tuition and costs are estimated and subject to change.
Actual tuition costs may vary based on a student’s chosen academic plan. For a complete listing of tuition rates for approved online programs, please contact Kent State’s Financial, Billing & Enrollment Center at 330-672-6000 or via our website Contact Us link.
The total program costs are estimates and are not final or binding. Program costs are based on standard fees, but fees may vary based on the actual classes taken. Kent State University disclaims any liability arising from the use of or reliance upon these program cost estimates by any person. Program costs are subject to change without notice.
Careers
- -10.4% decline
- 59,300 number of jobs
- $55,350 potential earnings
- 8.1% much faster than the average
- 52,100 number of jobs
- $87,580 potential earnings
- 3.9% about as fast as the average
- 283,200 number of jobs
- $98,490 potential earnings
- 3.7% about as fast as the average
- 190,500 number of jobs
- $97,500 potential earnings
- 1.0% slower than the average
- 69,200 number of jobs
- $49,160 potential earnings
- 4.4% about as fast as the average
- 141,400 number of jobs
- $41,570 potential earnings
Notice: Career Information Source
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
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