EdD in Higher Education Administration | Community College

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100% online, 8-week courses

Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total

Next Start Dates: August 24, 2026 | September 21, 2026 | October 26, 2026

Available Fall 2026

Prepare to Lead Institutional Change Through a Community College Leadership Program

Community colleges carry a big mission: open doors, support students, and connect education to workforce needs. If you’re already serving in postsecondary education, you’ve likely seen how quickly decisions around budgeting, student engagement, and institutional planning can shape an entire campus. Liberty’s Doctor of Education (EdD) in Higher Education Administration – Community College Administration was created for professionals who want to examine those challenges more deeply while strengthening their leadership approach.

Because 2-year institutions often serve diverse student populations with varying academic and professional goals, administrators must balance accessibility, accountability, and long-term institutional vision. Through an online EdD in community college administration degree, you can study how leadership, governance, assessment, and organizational decision-making intersect within the community college setting. Rather than focusing only on theory, this degree emphasizes applied leadership concepts connected to real institutional environments.

At Liberty, our online doctoral degree in community college specialization combines higher education administration coursework with focused study in community college operations and leadership. You will engage with topics connected to student learning, institutional resource planning, accreditation, and research-informed decision-making while completing applied doctoral research. Built for working professionals, the community college administration doctoral program is offered fully online and can help support your continued development in postsecondary leadership roles.

For students enrolling today, who are placed on the current academic year’s degree completion plan, the officially conferred degree name will be Doctor of Education (EdD) in Higher Education Administration – Community College Administration. Degree details, including name, may be subject to change between academic terms.

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No Standardized Testing for Admission
Transfer in up to 75% of an Undergrad Degree
Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree

Top 10 Reasons to Choose Liberty

Why Choose an Online EdD in Community College Administration Degree?

You need a doctoral path that respects your goals and connects directly to the world of postsecondary leadership. This community college leadership program is built for professionals who want to examine the mission, structure, and challenges of 2-year colleges.

As a nonprofit university with decades of experience in distance education, Liberty offers a flexible online format that can help you continue pursuing your academic and leadership development goals. If you’re looking to undertake a community college administration doctoral program and prepare for broader leadership responsibilities in higher education, this degree combines online accessibility with advanced administrative study.

At Liberty, you will study within a School of Education that supports doctoral students through academic resources, online research tools, and digital library access. Through the Jerry Falwell Library, you can access online databases that include education journals, peer-reviewed research articles, and scholarly publications connected to higher education and educational leadership. These digital resources can support research into student development, institutional leadership, policy, assessment, and teaching practices across postsecondary settings.

This postsecondary administration EdD online program also emphasizes how to lead with integrity. Our program includes applied research, institutional planning, and administrative topics that can help you examine real challenges in community college environments. You can connect academic theory with practical questions about student support, resource use, governance, and organizational effectiveness.

What Will You Study in a Community College Administration Doctoral Program?

Community college leadership requires more than general administrative knowledge. In Liberty’s admin community college specialization, you will study governance structures, institutional leadership, and the distinct mission of community colleges. Your coursework will cover how leaders approach organizational effectiveness within 2-year college settings.

Resource planning is another major focus of the EdD in community college administration degree. You will explore how community colleges manage financial, human, and institutional resources while aligning decisions with their mission and goals. Topics such as budgeting, staffing, planning, and institutional priorities will be considered through the lens of limited resources. This focus can help you examine how leaders make careful decisions in complex academic environments.

You will also study the history, purpose, and social role of community colleges. The curriculum covers how economic, political, and cultural factors have shaped these institutions over time. Through this coursework, you can examine the multiple missions, stakeholder groups, and challenges that define community college administration.

Student learning and development are central to Liberty’s community college administration doctoral program. You will explore theories and practices related to persistence, engagement, achievement, and student support in open-access institutions. Your coursework will include attention to adult learners, first-generation students, and underrepresented populations. Our program also includes applied doctoral research, allowing you to investigate a leadership issue connected to higher education practice.

Potential Career Opportunities

Featured Courses

Course Format

We offer both 8-week and full-semester sub-terms each semester. While many online courses can be taken in the 8-week format, some programs require courses that must be taken in the full-semester term. Some courses may require additional approvals or information prior to registration.

In addition to these formats, some courses may be required to be taken in intensive or alternative formats, which may include scheduled meeting times, travel to campus, or required login sessions.

You can view specific sub-term offerings and requirements in the Course Registration Tool.

Degree Information

Degree Completion Plan coming soon

Speak to one of our admissions specialists to help you choose the program that best fits your needs.

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Tuition & Aid

At Liberty University, a private Christian education is less expensive than you think. Many of our online tuition rates rank in the top 35% for affordability for 2026 when compared to our leading online competitors.

EdS and EdD Full Time	$630/Credit
EdS and EdD Part Time	$695/Credit
Military EdS and EdD	$395/Credit

These rates are reflective of academic year 2026-2027. Tuition rates may change annually. For the current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

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Financial Aid & Scholarships

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Admission Information for Our EdD in Higher Education – Community College Administration Online

Admission Requirements

Apply online or over the phone with an admissions counselor by calling (800) 424-9596.
- A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required).
Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system). A regionally or nationally accredited master’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA is required for admission in good standing.
Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy.

Preliminary Acceptance

If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:

Be in your final term and planning to start your doctoral degree after the last day of class for your master’s degree.
Complete a Master’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
Submit an official transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show that you are within 6 credit hours of completion for a 30-48 credit hour master’s degree or within 9 credit hours of completion for a 49+ credit hour master’s degree.
Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new doctoral degree.

Transcript Policies

Official College Transcript Policy

An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to luoverify@liberty.edu.

Admissions Office Contact Information

Submit your application online or over the phone.

Start Online Application

Apply by phone: (800) 424-9595

Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.

Who May Qualify?

Active Duty
Reserve/National Guard
Veterans/Retirees
Spouses of Service Members and Veterans/Retirees
Current Department of Defense Employees

Available Benefits:

Tuition discounts – $395 per credit hour for EdS and EdD courses
8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)

These rates are reflective of academic year 2026-2027. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

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Frequently Asked Questions About the Community College Administration Doctoral Program 

How do you become a community college administrator?

Career paths in community college administration often vary based on institutional needs, professional experience, and leadership responsibilities. Many administrators begin in areas such as teaching, student services, enrollment management, or academic support before moving into leadership positions.

Through Liberty’s EdD in higher education – community college administration, you can study administration, governance, research, and organizational leadership topics connected to leadership roles within 2-year colleges.

What is the difference between an EdD and an EdS in community college administration?

An Education Specialist degree is a post-master’s credential, while an EdD is a doctoral degree with a deeper research component. Liberty’s EdD includes applied doctoral research and advanced study in higher education administration. If you want to examine institutional challenges through practice-focused doctoral research, the EdD may align more closely with that goal. If you are comparing options, be sure to review credit hours, research requirements, and career expectations before choosing a path.

What degree do you need to become a community college president?

Community college presidents often hold advanced academic credentials connected to leadership, higher education administration, or organizational management. Although hiring requirements vary by institution, many colleges look for candidates with doctoral-level education and significant professional experience in postsecondary leadership. Our community college administration doctoral program can help you study leadership practices, governance structures, and institutional planning concepts connected to executive leadership environments.

How do you advance from faculty to community college dean?

Faculty members often move toward dean roles by gaining experience in academic leadership, curriculum planning, assessment, budgeting, and faculty support. A community college faculty career advancement degree can help support that transition by providing doctoral-level study in administration and institutional leadership. In Liberty’s program, you will examine how community college leaders guide programs, support student learning, and respond to institutional needs. Professional experience, institutional fit, and hiring requirements will still vary by college.

Is an EdD better than a PhD for community college leadership?

The better choice depends on your goals. An EdD emphasizes applied leadership and problems of practice, while a PhD emphasizes original scholarship and theory-building. For administrators who want to address leadership challenges in active educational settings, an EdD can be a strong fit. Liberty’s Doctor of Education in higher education – community college online degree is designed around applied research, higher education administration, and community college leadership practice.

EdD in Higher Education – Community College Administration Help Strengthen Community Colleges from the Inside Out

Prepare to Lead Institutional Change Through a Community College Leadership Program

What Sets Us Apart?

Why Choose an Online EdD in Community College Administration Degree?

What Will You Study in a Community College Administration Doctoral Program?

Potential Career Opportunities

Featured Courses

Course Format

Degree Information

Not sure what to choose?

Tuition & Aid

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Admission Information for Our EdD in Higher Education – Community College Administration Online

Admission Requirements

Preliminary Acceptance

Transcript Policies

Admissions Office Contact Information

Ready to Apply?

Military

Frequently Asked Questions About the Community College Administration Doctoral Program

How do you become a community college administrator?

What is the difference between an EdD and an EdS in community college administration?

What degree do you need to become a community college president?

How do you advance from faculty to community college dean?

Is an EdD better than a PhD for community college leadership?

Are you ready to change your future?

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Frequently Asked Questions About the Community College Administration Doctoral Program 