Organizational Leadership Doctorate in Higher Education – Quantitative

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Degree Level

Doctoral

Class Setting

Online

Area of Study

Business

Program

EdD in Organizational Leadership: Higher Education Leadership (Quantitative)

Current Education Level

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Citizenship Status

U.S. Citizen

Military Affiliation

No military affiliation

Country

United States

GCU alumni enrolling in a doctoral program for the first time may be eligible for a $2,000 scholarship.^{(See disclaimer §)}

Alumni Doctoral Degree Scholarship

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Overview

Become a Leader in Higher Education Organizations

Embrace your inner leader by earning a quantitative Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership: Higher Education Leadership degree from Grand Canyon University. This degree program is designed for learners in the field of education seeking to impact their higher education community or organization.

The EdD in Organizational Leadership allows you to take an in-depth, research-based approach to facilitate your leadership abilities and position yourself to take on the potential role of a strategic professional within higher education.

Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership: Higher Education Leadership (Quantitative Research)

Offered By

College of Doctoral Studies

Class Settings

Evening

Online

Why GCU

Choose GCU for Your EdD Degree

Within the program, you will have the opportunity to study major bodies of literature within leadership and higher education administration, critically analyze and reflect on existing theory and identify appropriate applications of theory in education, business and other organizational cultures. As a graduate, you can exit the program having formulated a personal philosophy of leadership that can be applied within the context of higher education.

GCU’s higher education leadership degree program takes a unique, Christian approach to the practice of administration and leadership. By analyzing research and theory through the lens of the Christian worldview, you will have the opportunity to develop a leadership skill set grounded in ethics and morality. Courses within the higher education leadership program will additionally explore the history and politics of higher education in order to identify how the roots of higher education are impacting today's education organizations.

Qualitative Program Option

Coursework

Specializing in Higher Education Organization Leadership

The program will explore the current research within the field, the governance and structure of higher education institutions, including both internal and external leadership frameworks and the leadership practices required in these areas.

In coursework and in the overall dissertation process, you can develop academic and organizational research expertise through studying and enacting research and statistic methodologies. You will be taught to employ quantitative methods to design, collect and analyze information in alignment with conducting a scholarly dissertation.

This organizational leadership program includes opportunities to prepare for and work on the scholarly dissertation from the very beginning of the program. The program offers support for the dissertation even before course requirements have been completed, including two residencies, which include writing workshops and intensives to inspire you to make significant progress on your dissertation.

Careers

Career Outlook for EdD in Higher Education Organizational Leadership

As a graduate of this degree program, you may be able to position yourself for a variety of high-level leadership positions within the higher education sphere.

These positions may include:

Academic dean

Chief academic officer

Financial director

Postsecondary administrator

Training and development manager

Higher education consultant

Learning advocate

Government representative or policymaker

Dissertation

Time to Completion and Dissertation Process

To learn more about time to completion and the dissertation process at GCU, visit our doctoral page.

Courses

Program Curriculum

Core Courses

RES-815

3 Total Credits

Course Description

This course introduces doctoral learners to the principle elements of research, scholarly writing, and effective argumentation. Learners are made aware of the dispositions and expectations of doctoral researchers as well as the University’s overarching values and beliefs regarding research and the responsibility of scholars to contribute new knowledge to their respective fields of study. Learners begin the process of identifying a researchable dissertation topic and are acquainted with appropriate scholarly resources that support the development of the dissertation.

RES-820A

3 Total Credits

Course Description

In this course, learners are introduced to the critical reading of scholarly qualitative and quantitative literature at the doctoral level. Learners also explore the concept of synthesizing the scholarly literature to identify problems and problem spaces that emerge to form a researchable topic of study. The application of scholarly argumentation from the extant literature to defend the need for a research study is discussed.

LDR-800

3 Total Credits

LDR-825

3 Total Credits

RES-831

3 Total Credits

Course Description

In this course, learners are introduced to key components of qualitative and quantitative research designs and the means to critically appraise the application of research designs as observed in the scholarly literature. The University's core research designs are presented. Consideration is given to the initial selection and defense of a research design to address a problem that emerged from the extant literature.

RES-832

3 Total Credits

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to the sampling, data collection, and data analysis methods employed in qualitative and quantitative research designs. Learners explore the alignment of sampling, data collection, and data analysis methods to the research topic, research questions, and research design. The course positions learners to select qualitative or quantitative designs for their dissertation studies. Prerequisite: RES-831.

RSD-851

3 Total Credits

EDU-805

3 Total Credits

EDU-812

3 Total Credits

EDU-822

3 Total Credits

RES-842

3 Total Credits

RES-844

3 Total Credits

LDR-804

3 Total Credits

RSD-884

3 Total Credits

EDU-827

3 Total Credits

DIS-955

3 Total Credits

RES-874

3 Total Credits

Course Description

In this course, learners focus on data collection, data preparation and management, and the analysis of quantitative data to produce written research findings, results, and implications. Learners continue to work with their respective dissertation chairs and apply information from this course to move ahead in the dissertation process. Prerequisites: RES-844 and one of the following: DBA-955 or DIS-955 or DHA-955 or PSY-955 or PCE-955 or TLC-955.

DIS-960

3 Total Credits

RES-884

3 Total Credits

Course Description

In this course, learners focus on the interpretation of quantitative data to produce written research findings, results, and implications. Learners continue to work with their respective dissertation chairs and apply information from this course to move ahead in the dissertation process. Prerequisites: RES-874 and one of the following: DBA-960 or DIS-960 or DHA-960 or PSY-960 or PCE-960 or TLC-960.

DIS-965

3 Total Credits

Continuation Courses

The course identified above represent the minimum academic course requirements only. Most students will also need to take one or more of the following Research Continuation Courses to complete a dissertation. Research Continuation Courses are 3-credit courses charged at the standard doctoral per credit rate.

DIS-966E

3 Total Credits

DIS-967E

3 Total Credits

DIS-968E

3 Total Credits

DIS-969E

3 Total Credits

DIS-970E

3 Total Credits

DIS-971E

3 Total Credits

DIS-972E

3 Total Credits

DIS-973E

3 Total Credits

DIS-974E

3 Total Credits

GCU cannot and will not promise job placement, a job, graduate school placement, transfer of GCU program credits to another institution, promotion, salary, or salary increase. Please see the Career Services Policy in the University Policy Handbook.
Please note that this list may contain programs and courses not presently offered, as availability may vary depending on class size, enrollment and other contributing factors. If you are interested in a program or course listed herein please first contact your University Counselor for the most current information regarding availability.
Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Programs or courses subject to change

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Take Your Next Step With GCU

Earning a doctoral degree in higher education organizational leadership can be your next step toward achieving your personal and professional goals. Contact us today to learn more.

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If you are seeking licensure/certification, please refer to the "Accreditation and Compliance/State Disclosures” link for the specific program of interest’s website for your location and/or employment state’s licensure requirements, per 34 CFR 668.14(b)32 and 668.43(c).

^{(See disclaimer §)} MOU-Alumni 2000 Doctoral-Jan2026: The Alumni Scholarship for Doctoral Programs is only valid for those applicants who submit a complete application and begin a Doctoral program in January 2026. This scholarship cannot be used in conjunction with any other GCU scholarship or awards and only applies to online and evening programs. Please speak to a university counselor for complete details.