While a large fraction of Ed.D. seekers work for K-12 school districts or teach at universities, the credential can also help advance the careers of current or aspiring leaders who work in nontraditional educational settings, such as museums and education-based nonprofit organizations.

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“Educational doctorates traditionally have been less about the fundamental research that might be done in a traditional Ph.D. program, and it’s more about applying a theory into practice,” says Patrick Ainsworth, associate dean for the School of Education at the University of Massachusetts Global, which offers an online Ed.D. in organizational leadership. “We are really geared towards people [who] want to become executive leaders, top leaders in organizations.”

Most Ed.D. curricula constantly evolve to align with the needs of the modern workplace, and they can vary in their areas of focus. Fortune’s ranked online Ed.D. in organizational leadership, though there several other types of EdD. programs, including ones focused on curriculum and instruction, entrepreneurial leadership, and educational leadership.

Ed.D. programs have become more popular in recent years—and that trend is continuing in 2023, along with a few other new developments. Here’s what you need to know.

A surge in interest, especially for online programs

Professionals in a wide range of industries are recognizing the value of a doctorate in education. At UMass Global, the Ed.D. program launched in 2013 with roughly 65% of students working in K-12 education, Ainsworth says. Today, that figure is closer to 50%, and students come from fields ranging from health care to government to higher education.

Given the broad applicability of the degree, there’s been a growing interest in Ed.D. programs, especially in the online format. Among the eight schools on Fortune’s Ed.D. ranking, enrollment jumped 13% in the 2020-2021 academic year compared with the previous year. At a more granular level, Baylor University’s online Ed.D. program experienced a 50% increase in enrollment.

“What we’re seeing is definitely a trend toward more online or hybrid programs—and I think especially [with] potential students emerging from the pandemic wanting much more flexibility,” says Eve Rifkin, senior lecturer and director of the Leadership and Learning in Organizations online Ed.D. program at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development. Vanderbilt was No. 1 on Fortune’s 2022 ranking.

What other factors, beyond the broad applicability of the Ed.D., are driving demand? For one, professionals in the education sector who want to advance into more senior roles need to earn continuing education credits, and pursuing an Ed.D. allows them to do just that. At the same time, they earn a terminal degree that provides practical knowledge and can lead to pay raises as well as new professional opportunities. 

Recent Ed.D. program launches, changes

In recent months, the growing demand for this credential has spurred some schools to launch new Ed.D. programs. In partnership with online learning company 2U, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill will soon launch an online Ed.D. in organizational leadership. The school could start accepting applicants as early as fall 2023 for a spring 2024 start date.

Other schools, including UMass Global and Rockhurst University (Missouri), have added additional enrollment terms to their Ed.D. programs. UMass Global launched a new cohort that started in January—in addition to the one that begins in the fall—as part of an effort to gauge student interest in such a change, Ainsworth says.

“We’re experimenting with this second start time, and boy did we draw quite a group of people,” Ainsworth says. In that cohort, only one student works in the education field, while the remainder come from a variety of other industries.

Rockhurst University, which recently launched two new online Ed.D. specializations in organizational leadership and K-12 leadership, will also add a cohort with a summer start date in addition to the fall option, says Nilufer Guler, director of the Ed.D. program and associate professor at Rockhurst University. The school will also switch to an online-only model for Ed.D. programs this summer, Guler says.

“Online education’s time flexibility is very useful, and of course, we know that the learning styles have started to change,” Guler says. “People are more comfortable in virtual environments.”

4 trends shaping the Ed.D. in 2023 (and beyond)

In addition to the broader growth in the Ed.D. space—in terms of both enrollment and more programs—the following four trends are 

1. More options for customization

Typically, Ed.D. students choose from a limited number of concentrations and stick with their specialization throughout the degree program. But upon realizing that this traditional approach could narrow learning opportunities for students across various industries, Johns Hopkins University—which launched its online Ed.D. in 2013—will shift to more of a “choose-your-own-adventure” format that aligns with their career goals. Students will be able to combine several areas of interest and take courses across disciplines to gain a more holistic perspective of the course material, as Fortune previously reported.

Rockhurst University is also part of this trend, Guler says. Students have the option to complement their Ed.D. with graduate certificates in subject areas such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); health care management; and STEAM [science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics]. “I am seeing a lot of interest [in students] building up their credentials [and] learning more about something deeper,” Guler says.

2. Veering from traditional dissertations

Going hand in hand with its efforts to improve Ed.D. customization, Johns Hopkins University is also veering away from the traditional dissertation requirement—a trend being mirrored across multiple institutions, as Fortune previously reported. Students will be able to present their work in a range of nontraditional formats such as graphic novels or audio stories.

“In the past, we’ve had students write only in scholarly writing,” Laura Flores Shaw, interim director of the online doctor of education program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, previously told Fortune. “The problem is that it limits how that work is disseminated.”

3. Adding DEIJ to the curriculum

Given the increased focus in today’s workplace on DEI, UMass Global is expanding its efforts to integrate this topic into the Ed.D. curriculum, Ainsworth says. “[Students] want that discussion, and they ask for it and they welcome it,” Ainsworth says. “We’re building that aspect into [the program] because when they’re out in their organizations, those are the things they’re dealing with.”

Rockhurst University is witnessing a similar trend and plans to launch a DEI graduate certificate next fall to complement the Ed.D program, Guler says.

4. Integration of emerging technologies into curricula

As new technologies like artificial intelligence quickly become more widespread, leaders will need to adapt to their prevalence in the workplace—a looming trend that will affect professionals across all industries. “We’re looking at, how do leaders effectively apply artificial intelligence without giving up that important aspect of human relationship?” Ainsworth says.

Overall, these trends seem to point to a bigger idea: “As the future of work is changing, so will the future of education,” Rifkin says.

Check out all of Fortune’s rankings of degree programs, and learn more about specific career paths.