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Grand Canyon University’s Doctor of Education (EdD) in Organizational Leadership with an Emphasis in K-12 Leadership program can help develop your ability to generate new knowledge and responsibly apply knowledge to help achieve entities that can allow organizational employees and followers to grow and develop to their full potential.
This program of study is consistent with GCU’s mission to develop learners who are global contributors, innovative thinkers, effective communicators and transformative leaders. Graduates who earn this EdD degree will have the opportunity to advance the study of leadership within the field of K-12 education with an in-depth, research-based approach to facilitate the leadership abilities and role as a strategic professional.
Up to 9 doctoral credits
Credits: Fill out the Lopes Eval to find out what will transfer
Admission Requirements (Doctoral)
OR 2.5+ Unweighted GPA and
Admission requirements may differ based on degree level, program and modality, or transfer status. Some programs of study may require a higher GPA and/or other qualifying criteria for admission. Please review full admission and program requirements in the University Policy Handbook.
* Degree must be from an institutionally accredited school. Applicants with a GPA less than 3.4 may be accepted with specifications.
** Degree must be from an institutionally accredited school. Applicants with a GPA between 3.0 - 3.39 may be accepted with specifications. Applicants with a GPA below 3.0 will not be accepted.
With the guidance of knowledgeable faculty, you will examine the political landscape and ethics surrounding K-12 education, study quantitative research designs, develop your skills as an academic researcher, interact with statistical analysis software, and synthesize scholarly literature to form a researchable topic of study.
To graduate from this program, you must take a minimum of 60 credits and pass courses including:
Ethical dilemmas and stewardship
History and politics of K-12 education
Trends and issues in K-12 education
Strategic planning and change
Leading across cultures
Strategic planning in K-12 education
Quantitative data collection and statistical mechanics
Discover how GCU’s online EdD programs can offer the flexibility you need in today’s world. Apply to start your doctoral journey at GCU.
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 licensure requirements, per 34 CFR 668.14(b)32 and 668.43(c).
§ MOU-Alumni 2000 Doctoral-July2025: The Alumni Scholarship for Doctoral Programs is only valid for those applicants who submit a complete application and begin a Doctoral program in July 2025. 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.
Earning your EdD in Organizational Leadership with an Emphasis in K-12 Leadership is a great way to strengthen your skill set with the purpose of becoming a more effective K-12 instructor. Program graduates may choose to pursue opportunities in high school administration and consulting.
Other positions graduates may consider include:
To learn more about time to completion and the dissertation process at GCU, visit our doctoral page.
GCU’s quantitative K-12 Leadership EdD program focuses on examining and analyzing events through numeric data, while GCU’s qualitative program focuses on personally examining events to better understand an observed phenomenon. This quantitative program teaches you how to develop expertise in the creation of a sampling plan and in the collection of data.
You will study the major bodies of literature in leadership, reflect critically on existing theory and identify appropriate applications of theory in education, business and other organizational cultures. As a student, you will be taught to develop academic and organizational research expertise through the study of statistical and research methodologies, as well as employ quantitative methodology to design, collect and analyze information in alignment with conducting a scholarly dissertation.
