Education, EdD

General information

The Doctor of Education (EdD) degree at Ontario Tech University is an online applied research degree that is aimed at working professionals in K-12, universities, colleges, and in public and private sector organizations. The EdD will provide students with a research experience that is focused on professional practice. The increasingly complex and constantly changing modern educational context is presenting challenges that require an ever-more-sophisticated and research-informed response from educators. The EdD degree at Ontario Tech is designed to address these challenges.

The EdD has an overall theme of Education in the Digital Age. This general theme resonates with the strengths within the Mitch and Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education and across the university in the analysis and use of digital technologies. The EdD prepares scholarly practitioners who will operate with critical skills in our changing and complex contemporary society. The EdD program is designed to prepare graduates who can analyze complex problems of practice, and who can use collaborative skills, research, knowledge, policy analysis and experience to provide innovative solutions for communities.

Admission requirements

Academic requirements

In addition to the general admission requirements for graduate studies , EdD applicants must meet the following program-specific requirements.

Applicants’ educational professional practice will be considered in the admissions process. In addition, EdD applicants may be admitted with a course-based master’s level degree from a recognized institution in education or a closely related subject.

Applicants who hold a course-based master’s will be required to show evidence of their ability to:

Define a research question or problem.
Devise a research design.
Analyze and report research findings in an academically rigorous manner, such as a major academic paper.

This evidence may include professional documents that demonstrate the ability to conduct and report on research at a graduate level.

All successful applicants will be assigned a thesis supervisor in the admissions process. Applicants should contact potential supervisors as part of the application process in order to assess whether there is appropriate support for their potential thesis research. The match between a student’s qualifications and area of interest, and the expertise of faculty available for supervision, is a criterion for admission. The supervision topic areas available for each application cohort will be published on the Ontario Tech website where the faculty members available for supervision will be profiled.

Under the university’s English language proficiency policy, all applicants are required to give evidence of their oral and written proficiency in English. See the policy on English language proficiency . Those applicants who must take an English language proficiency test under the university’s general English language proficiency admission policy must obtain a minimum score of 580 on the paper-based TOEFL, 92-93 on the Internet-based TOEFL or 7 on the IELTS. This is higher than the university minimum.

Supporting document requirements

In addition to the general document requirements for applications for admission to doctoral programs , applicants must provide evidence of professional experience.

Part-time studies

Part-time studies are not permitted.

Degree requirements

All students in the EdD are required to successfully complete eight graduate courses, a candidacy exam, and a thesis. There are five core courses and three electives. An internship course can be taken as one of these electives. The required courses and degree elements are summarized below.

EDUC 7001G - Doctoral Seminar I: Critical Issues in Education in the Digital Age
EDUC 7002G - Doctoral Seminar II: Research Perspectives and Methods
EDUC 7003G - Doctoral Seminar III: Thesis Proposal Development
EDUC 7004G - Doctoral Seminar IV: Analysis in the Research Process
EDUC 7005G - Doctoral Seminar V: Thesis Writing
Three elective courses, one of which may be EDUC 7006G - Doctoral Internship
Candidacy Exam
Thesis

The EdD degree is structured around three program phases. Each phase has a different focus as students progress through the program. It will be possible for students to complete each phase within a year for a program that can be completed in three years, but students may take longer to complete. Students in each phase of the program are supported by a cohort experience based in the common core courses required in that phase. This phased cohort experience provides a flexible online learning community support structure throughout a student’s progress.

Phase One: Defining Issues and Refining Skills

The first phase is an orientation to the program and provides students with the tools to define and refine the focus of their research. There are two core doctoral seminars in this phase: EDUC 7001G - Doctoral Seminar I: Critical Issues in Education in the Digital Age offered in the fall term, and EDUC 7002G - Doctoral Seminar II: Research Perspectives and Methods offered in the winter term. It is expected that students will explore their substantive interests through their elective courses during this first phase of the program.

Phase Two: Thesis Proposal Development and the Candidacy Exam

Students will focus on the development of their thesis proposal and complete the candidacy exam. The candidacy examination determines if the candidate has the knowledge and expertise to undertake a thesis. The exam consists of a thesis proposal and an oral presentation, which demonstrates student mastery of the relevant background knowledge. Students are supported in the development of the thesis proposal and in the preparation for the candidacy exam through a core course, EDUC 7003G - Doctoral Seminar III: Thesis Proposal Development , that is offered in the fall term. The candidacy exam is normally taken in the winter term. Any additional substantive electives are meant to be completed within this phase of the program.

Phase Three: Thesis Research, Analysis and Writing

This final phase of the program is focused on completing the research, conducting analyses, and writing a thesis. Students are supported in this phase with two core courses: EDUC 7004G - Doctoral Seminar IV: Analysis in the Research Process , which is offered in the fall term, and EDUC 7005G - Doctoral Seminar V: Thesis Writing , which is offered in the winter term. Most students will have been conducting their research throughout the program with the support of their supervisory committee. Completing the research, analysis and writing are the foci of this last phase.

Three-year program map

Below is a tightly focused three-year program map with the possibility for extension. It is expected that completing the three phases of the program in three years will be possible for students who are well organized and focused. Students who have not completed by the third year can be enrolled in continuance terms until they have completed the program. In accordance with Ontario Tech doctoral regulations, students will have up to six years to complete the degree.