School of Education – Doctoral Programs Research How to Educate Future Generations

An EdD from Liberty University has many overlapping benefits with a PhD program. Still, the most important differences lie in each program’s focus for either finding new ways to apply currently available research or developing new approaches with innovative research projects. Liberty’s EdD degree includes advanced research and writing that can help you demonstrate your experience and mastery of learning theory. The PhD’s dissertation project emphasizes the development of new, groundbreaking research in the field of education. 

With these differences in focus, EdD students tend to go on to pursue roles that are more focused on the practice of teaching, and PhD students tend to go on to roles in academic research and scholarship.

As the highest level of academic scholarship, a PhD can open many doors to academic roles and the latest research. If you want to focus your studies toward the end goal of becoming a leader in the field of academic educational studies, earning your PhD can help you get there. Graduates of Liberty University’s PhD in Education or PhD in Higher Education are well-equipped to pursue roles as:

• Curriculum coordinators
• Education policymakers
• Education research designers
• Higher education or K-12 administrators
• Research scholars
• University professors

Any role that requires advanced education expertise and excellent research skills can benefit from the practical training and scholarship in Liberty University’s PhD in Education programs.

Both EdD and PhD graduates are qualified to teach at the college level. A PhD may, in some cases, fit better with a university’s specific needs for faculty research. At the same time, an EdD graduate may be better equipped with curriculum development or teaching practice to cover educator training. There is a place for both EdD and PhD graduates in the college setting.

Our online doctoral degree programs offer students great benefits:

• Our online programs are backed by our brick-and-mortar campus – ranked as Niche.com’s #2 Best College Campus in America for 2026 – and that commitment to excellence extends to our online students as well. Earning your degree from a nonprofit university with this kind of recognition can help set you apart from others in your field.
• Online undergraduate tuition rates have been frozen for the last 10 years. Additionally, most of our online tuition rates rank in the top 35% for affordability for 2025 when compared to our leading online competitors. As a nonprofit university, Liberty continues to strive to keep costs low for our students!
• Our education degrees are primarily offered in 8-week course formats, with 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times!
• All of our School of Education initial and advanced licensure programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
• Our students have the ability to join Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), which is an international honor society in education, to promote excellence in future professionals and recognize outstanding contributions made to education.