Answers to FAQ’s about the Doctor of Education

1. Tuition Cost?
2. Are the instructors NEU faculty or adjuncts?
3. Does the EdD lead to state certification?
4. Is the doctoral project work-related?
5. Format of classes?
6. When and where do classes meet?
7. What are the admissions requirements?
8. What is the availability of the main campus library?
9. Do committees review doctoral project proposals and the project themselves?
10. What support is offered for students completing their projects?
11. What if I begin with a cohort and I am unable to take one or more classes with my cohort?
12. Are multiple classes being scheduled during the weekend or only one class?

1.  Tuition Cost?
$438/credit hour (2009-2010 rate); the entire program is 45 credit hours over 3 years.

2. Are the instructors NEU faculty or adjuncts?
Both: a mix of full-time faculty and practitioners.

3. Does the EdD lead to state certification?
No, there is no certification linked to the EdD.

4. Is the doctoral project work-related?
Yes: doctoral projects are based on a current challenges facing K-12 or higher education. Initial data gathering and analysis will be done in teams, but individual candidates will then write their own approaches to meeting the challenge researched by their team.

5. Format of classes?
All EdD courses run on the quarter academic calendar: 12-week terms start in September, January and April. There are also half-term (6-week) courses in the above academic quarters and starting in July. Hybrid courses use a mixture of face-to-face and online instruction; others are completely online. There are also intensive (week-long) summer courses.

6. When and where do classes meet? 
Hybrid courses are offered at Northeastern’s Boston campus and at a growing number of off-campus locations. Most on-campus courses meet on weekday evenings, most off-campus courses meet on Saturdays. The summer-intensive courses meet in Boston.

7. What are the admissions requirements?
Requires a master’s degree and 3 years of professional experience. Applications must include a personal statement and three letters of recommendation (go to: http://www.cps.neu.edu/admissions/the-admissions-process/graduate).

8. What is the availability of the main campus library?
Many of the library resources including journals and search engines are available online. Visiting the main campus library in person is always an option.

9. Do committees review doctoral project proposals and the project themselves?
Yes, there are project review committees who will hear candidates’ defense of their proposals and their final project reports.

10. What support is offered for students completing their projects?
Each student will have a faculty advisor

11. What if I begin with a cohort and I am unable to take one or more classes with my cohort?
There may be a delay in completing the program depending on the number of courses missed, but we intend to run “trailer” sections of the core courses.

12. Are multiple classes being scheduled during the weekend or only one class?
Current plans are for one course meeting per weekend.