The doctorate in education (Ed.D.) in organizational leadership is a degree program that’s designed to help leaders of institutions and businesses transform their organizations, expand their professional networks, and afford the time and resources for research that addresses real institutional issues. This type of degree is attractive to those people who want to be effective and ethical leaders in a rapidly changing world.
Given how all-encompassing these degree programs can be, prospective students may want to know if there’s particular academic or work experience a professional needs to succeed. And how do leaders go on to use their organizational leadership degree?
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The Ed.D. in organizational leadership can be a profoundly versatile program, and people from a wide array of disciplines pursue it—which makes sense, given the doctorate program’s tendency to focus on cross-sector collaboration.
To learn more about who is the best fit for this degree, Fortune spoke with professors from two different Ed.D.s in organizational leadership programs to learn more. Here’s what they told us.
Professionals in Ed.D. in programs are seeking solutions to industry problems
On the inside of David Ross’s classroom door is a sign that reads: “Test in progress.” It’s a symbol of what Ross, a professor for Nova Southeastern University’s Ed.D. in organizational leadership degree program, believes makes the program successful.
“We try to make our lessons and our assignments and discussions relevant to the real world,” says Ross. Nova Southeastern’s Ed.D. program is offered online, which means the perspectives and lessons taught in the class stretch internationally to provide an even broader view of potential applications of these lessons, he says.
One of the key benefits of an Ed.D. in organizational leadership program is that professionals are given the space, time, and resources to address real-world problems in their industries.
Students in Nova Southeastern’s program can pursue the traditional doctoral dissertation route—or choose to do a strategic research project that was specially designed for people who want to study an issue in their domain and find specific solutions. Oftentimes, these solutions are utilized and implemented in students’ workplaces post-graduation, Ross says.
Baylor University has a similar offering for its program—the “problem of practice dissertation,” which is a thesis project in which students investigate critical issues, identify solutions, and measure organizational change outcomes.
“Because the Ed.D. in organizational leadership degree program is a professional-level degree, conducting research is a large component of the program experience,” explains Sandi Cooper, Ph.D., a professor and program director of the Ed.D. in learning and organizational change degree program at the Baylor University School of Education. “All students enter the program having identified a problem in professional practice within their organization or industry that they are committed to studying, investigating, and practically addressing through the doctoral work.”
Ed.D. programs benefit professionals seeking an expanded, diverse network
The Ed.D. program at Nova Southeastern University has seen a whole range of students—from teachers, company leaders, nurses, doctors, to members of the military. The experience is similar in Baylor’s Ed.D. program, which is designed for working professionals from a variety of industries—including business, law, health care, nonprofit, and the military—to apply principles to the organizational change process, Cooper says.
Although individuals pursuing an Ed.D. in organizational leadership span different industries, sectors, and countries, all students typically have similar motivations. The ideal Ed.D. student is a working professional with responsibilities related to leading, training, and educating others—either formally or informally—and is committed to inspiring positive workplace and industry transformation, Cooper says.
Ed.D. programs often require, or at least strongly prefer, applicants who have master’s degrees. And many people in these organizational leadership programs have upwards of 10 years of professional experience.
“Students consistently find the strong sense of community between classmates, professors, and program staff to be one of the most defining and impactful characteristics of the Baylor Ed.D. program,” Cooper says.
Apart from the specific industry-oriented issues students seek to tackle in the program, many professionals are also concerned with issues of equity and justice, including how they might create more inclusive spaces.
A course in Baylor’s program, Issues in Diversity, students collaborate on a research project in which they interview and share the experiences of someone from a culture different than their own, allowing them to gain a broader worldview.
This widened perspective is something Ed.D. in organizational leadership students often seek out, as they find it to be an integral part of successful leadership strategy.
“Ed.D. students are articulate, change-oriented, proactive, leaders, visionaries—all of whom are highly engaged and extremely focused on making a difference in their communities and professional organizations,” Cooper says.
Check out all of Fortune’s rankings of degree programs and learn more about specific career paths.
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