Organizational Leadership Doctorate (EdD) in Special Education – Quantitative

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Overview

Lead K-12 Special Education Programs

Position yourself for leadership opportunities in special education spheres. Grand Canyon University’s quantitative Doctor of Education in Leadership in Special Education can equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to invest in special education communities and help them grow to their full potential.

This quantitative EdD in Organizational Leadership: Special Education degree program can allow you to formulate and build upon your own personal philosophy of leadership. Equip yourself to make an impact through leadership and education.

Female special education teacher hugging and smiling with two graduating students
Male EdD student giving presentation with education analytics on screen
Why GCU

Choosing To Specialize in Special Education Leadership

Through specializing in a quantitative EdD program, you have an opportunity to create change and move special education forward by performing your own research and making your contributions to the field. You will synthesize into scholarly literature to identify problems and problem spaces that emerge to form a researchable topic of study.

Coursework

Course Topics in Special Education and Leadership

Courses in the program allow you to analyze current trends in special education and leadership, using those trends to build out your own skill set. In your courses, you will analyze the fiscal and management sides of special education, exploring the development practices and the leadership skills necessary to act as an administrator in your education community.

Explore frameworks for providing appropriate educational opportunities for all students and discover how you can make an impact by offering equitable education options for unique student populations.

Throughout the program, you can gain skills in:

  • Student assessment 
  • Internal organizational collaboration
  • Legal and ethical issues in special education
  • Best practice in special education administration
  • Professional development
  • Historical perspectives of special education
  • Foundational leadership theories
  • Change and development in education
  • Staff management and professional development
  • Budgeting and finding sources of funding
  • Critical appraisal of research
  • Sampling, data collection and data analysis
  • Apply research principles to design original and independent research

A Doctorate Program Designed for Working Professionals

As a doctoral student, you can complete the program in your own time and on your own schedule, making it accessible for currently working professionals. After completing course requirements, you will complete a research-based dissertation. GCU’s doctoral programs incorporate dissertation preparation from the beginning of the program and includes opportunities for support along the way, including in-person residency requirements. The dissertation will incorporate your independent, quantitative research.

Performing a quantitative research study may allow you to advance the study of leadership within the field of special education through performing and facilitating your own in-depth research-based approach to increase leadership abilities of strategic education professionals. By completing a written dissertation, you can share your findings and contributions with other special education professionals so they may benefit and learn from your knowledge.

Careers

Job Outlook for Special Education Leaders

Graduates of the quantitative EdD in Organizational Leadership with an Emphasis in Special Education degree program may pursue academic positions.

Some of these positions may include:

Special education director

School district administrator

Special education consultant

Curriculum developer

School administrator

Lead special education teacher

Learning advocate

Two female doctoral graduates walking out of ceremony in caps and gowns

Start Your Journey Today

Earning a doctoral EdD degree with a focus on special education and leadership can offer you the opportunity to reach your personal and professional goals, which may include positioning yourself for potential career advancement within the special education field.

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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 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.

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