Are you considering going back to school to obtain a Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership and Organizational Innovation? If so, one of the first questions you will likely ask yourself is how this type of degree will advance your career trajectory. Find answers here to help you determine the benefits and how they can apply to your future job path.
Overview of an EdD in Leadership
This type of degree focuses on gaining an in-depth understanding and skill set in bettering school systems. This doctoral program typically looks at a range of systems that exist within a school, including political, social, and organizational, to encourage change. The positive impact you can have during your career can apply to a variety of learning environments, including higher education systems and military training environments.
After obtaining your master’s degree, the EdD degree will help to prepare you as a professional for a range of educational positions ahead. Not only will you graduate with a knowledge base that helps you make informed decisions in the future, but also you will develop an innovative mindset that is essential for excelling in a senior-level leadership position.
An EdD Opens Up Career Opportunities
One of the most significant benefits of obtaining an EdD without GRE from Marymount University or another renowned university is that it positions you for many great career paths. These positions are ones that you might not otherwise have the credentials to advance to otherwise, which makes schooling in your best interests.
After receiving your doctorate in Educational Leadership and Organizational Innovation, you can move to rewarding positions that include:
- Education Administrator
- Chief Learning Officer
- College or University Professor
- Survey Researcher
Education Administrator, for example, is an occupation that exists at every school level, which provides you with the opportunity to select the level you prefer and try new areas if you want in the future. As for Survey Researchers, another job on the list above, this interesting position involves designing surveys and analyzing the data from them for higher education institutions, government bodies, and more.
Enjoy More Income and Job Security
By obtaining more education, you can look forward to not only achieving a new job but also earning the higher income that accompanies a top-level position. While money alone does not guarantee happiness, it certainly does help to make life more comfortable. You can pay bills without worry about your income not being enough or stress that you cannot pay for a home renovation, for example.
As for what income you can anticipate with a Doctor in Education (EdD), a future role as a postsecondary teacher can bring you about $79,500 per year, as per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Furthermore, this specific position can bring you a feeling of job security too.
As per the BLS, the job outlook for postsecondary teachers is very positive, with 11 percent growth estimated by the year 2028. That increase in occupational growth is must faster than the average growth rate of 5 percent, and it means about 155,000 more jobs available by 2028.
Or you might want to make six figures and, if so, you might look at getting a chief academic officer position. This administrative professional helps to supervise teams in educational institutions and related facilities. The average annual salary for someone with an EdD in this role is $134,390.
Obviously, salaries can increase even more with a strong combination of education and experience. That means there is the potential to earn more than those stated figures in those positions and others after graduation from a dedicated program in Educational Leadership. You might also receive a yearly bonus at work that adds to your total annual pay.
Making a Positive Difference
A significant reason why many students apply to Marymount University’s EdD Educational Leadership and Organizational Innovation program is that they have the opportunity now to change the field of education for the better. The credentials provide you with the chance to implement new training and development strategies into the academic area that can be seen for years to come.
Those changes can affect many different areas, and it requires that you develop a vision of what needs to be done and a plan to do so, all for the benefit of those who are involved in education. Strategic thinking is what you will learn more about and be able to do better when you are taking Doctor of Education classes.
The ability to see ahead and plan for positive change is a skill set that can take you far and, perhaps even more important, will always be useful. Thus, your resume with Marymount or another accredited university on it will be well received by potential employers who interview you.
Skills of Educational Leaders
As for what skills you can expect to develop in your EdD leadership and innovation program, they include:
- Decision-making
- Team building
- Flexibility
- Communication with others
- Change management
Getting better at each of these skills while in school will help you excel in your career post-graduation. Coursework that practices these useful attributes in a safe, non-judgmental way will help you to later feel confident about using them after the program ends. Then you will position yourself to be a strong leader who invokes lasting change that helps improve the lives of many people, both directly and indirectly.
On Learning Leadership
While some people assume that leadership is not learnable, the opposite is true. Specific programs on organizational leadership can help passionate people become the leaders they want to be.
Among the qualities that you can expect to have by graduation that define a good leader are:
- Innovative
- Problem solver
- Relationship builder
- Honesty
- Encouraging others
- Pushes for results
Perhaps these leadership skills are ones that you have wanted to improve on, or your current employer has suggested that doing so will help you move further within the organization. If so, then applying to an Educational Leadership and Organizational Innovation program at the EdD level is the next step that makes sense for your career.
An advantage of choosing Marymount University as the program provider is that you will not have to take the GRE general test. Being able to skip this step is advantageous for anyone who seeks a leadership program, especially with Marymount offering a flexible online program.
For distance learners and those who want to keep working while going to school, online education is a great way to do so. The coursework is available online so that you can easily complete it during the hours that fit with your schedule, such as after work or when your kids are asleep.
What Can You Expect to Learn?
A quality EdD program in Educational Leadership provides so much more than what has been discussed above. It will also teach you organizational development, for example, so that you can begin to see areas that need improvement in education. From there, you can develop strategies to enact change, all while adhering to current legalities of business and principles of management.
Furthermore, the leadership courses you take will touch on studies of leadership and encourage you to collaborate with others on new ones. You will learn about adaptive leadership, how to effectively manage change and ways to lead diverse groups effectively.
Your personal leadership style will become evident during your schooling. The Doctor of Education will help you develop it and determine how best to use it, whatever role you pursue after graduation. Having the enhanced knowledge of yourself will set you apart from others who apply for the same positions as you in the future, helping you to get the jobs you apply for and keep them.
When Leadership is not in Your Job Title
It is also important to point out that the word “leader” does not have to be in your job title for you to be using your leadership skills. Whatever career you move onto after completing the EdD program, you can benefit from what you have learned there.
Understanding organizational leadership can expand your career opportunities and help you successfully lead a group in any number of different environments. You might, for example, become an entrepreneur who reaches excellent success by putting what you have learned during the program into practice daily.
For veterans, leadership programs can be a great fit, too, as an online degree can help you meet your next challenge. Among the roles, you can look forward to being HR managers and operations managers. Learning more about leadership theory at school can further advance your knowledge base to take your career to the next level.
Why Leadership Matters
As an EdD grad, you can also look forward to making an organization successful. Leaders are influencers who encourage others to perform tasks willingly and do so well. An effective leader brings out the competencies in workers and helps them feel at their best.
You are also someone who develops organizational culture, which invokes change throughout the entire enterprise. Doing so works well when your communication style is open and honest. Furthermore, you listen to others’ concerns and integrate their suggestions into strategies for change, whenever possible. A good understanding of teams and the importance of them are integral to a strong leader.
While many people talk about change, many fewer are effective change-makers. Being able to direct positive change as a future leader will be part of what you excel at once you hold the Doctor of Education title. You will provide strategic direction and develop strategies to meet objectives, whatever that looks like.
Understanding Effective Leadership to Advance Your Career
The doctorate program will cover many topics relating to high-quality leadership, such as:
- Ethical decision-making
- Leading diverse teams
- Hallmarks of leadership
- Defining transactional leadership
- Executing strategies effectively
- Applying leadership theory
For many organizations, they are busy with daily operations and cannot see the bigger picture of whether their practices are working effectively or not. As a true leader, you can help them see that.
Take charge of situations and positively invoke change, whether you are a CEO, training and development manager, human resources director, or in another important role. It all begins with learning the credentials for the EdD program of interest and whether you need to take the GRE or not to enroll in it.
Also, make sure you apply before the due date and meet all admission requirements. Among the most common prerequisites are a master’s degree, a certain GPA level, transcripts, reference letters, and a personal essay. Inquire with the university’s advisor if you need assistance with the application process or have questions about their doctorate program.
Getting the Education That You Want
Now that you are looking forward to taking on a leadership role, you must prove that you have the skills to do well in a top-ranking job. Show employers that you are an effective leader by enrolling in the Doctor of Education program at Marymount University. The Educational Leadership and Organizational Innovation program provide you with the knowledge and skills to take on higher-up positions than you would otherwise be qualified for.
Furthermore, you will drive success and innovation in the workplace, whether you work in a college, university, related facility, private business, or elsewhere. The number of settings you could work in is many, and you can go far with an EdD credential on your resume.
Take on challenges and rise to meet them as a future leader. At the end of the workday, feel good about the changes you are making and the team you build to carry out the strategy. Finding potential solutions to problems and ways to combat those issues is challenging but rewarding work.
Set and achieve meaningful goals in an exciting occupation. Direct others toward success daily. If you see yourself becoming a professional leader, then going back to school is a logical next step to prepare for it. Your future career awaits, and there is a lot to look forward to as you embark on it!
