Create Transformative Change with an Ed.D. in Executive Leadership
Are you a visionary leader who wants to transform your leadership and your organization for the better? The new online Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Executive Leadership program at Teachers College empowers you to cultivate dynamic culture, inspire motivated performance, and activate meaningful change, all while navigating organizational complexity. If you’re a senior-level professional seeking advanced leadership skills, our flexible doctorate in leadership lets you earn your degree without interrupting your career.
A New, Mission-Driven Doctorate in Leadership
Become a catalyst for innovative leadership in a program grounded in the work of career practitioners and leaders who’ve shaped and innovated within a variety of fields, organizations, and industries. To empower you to lead social impact, the Doctorate in Executive Leadership prepares you to support K-12, private, independent, and international schools; higher education institutions; nonprofits; and organizations centered on learning and social change.
The skills you need for maximum impact
Learn to lead in ways rooted in systems thinking, strategy, value creation, and transformation. In our program, you’ll build an understanding of who you are as a leader; develop human-centered approaches to motivation, collaborative problem-solving, and design; and learn how to inspire change in yourself, teams, organizations, and communities. You’ll learn how to remain agile in the face of uncertainty, become innovative and entrepreneurial, and join a lifelong community of individuals dedicated to social impact. You’ll also engage in shadowing, learning calls, and professional rounds within and beyond education, gaining practical experience alongside your dissertation research.
A cohort-based model
Earn your doctoral degree in leadership alongside other professionals committed to personal growth and transformative change. You’ll progress through the program with a dedicated group of colleagues, allowing you to make strong, lasting connections, explore diverse perspectives and life experiences, and receive additional support. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet your cohort in immersive, in-person residencies of three to four days each.
Preparation for careers in any organization, field, or industry
Deepen the leadership expertise and skills you need to excel. At TC, you’ll complete coursework and projects covering a broad range of topics and disciplines, including systems thinking, emotional intelligence and well-being, and the science of learning. You’ll also have access to organizations that partner with TC and the Klingenstein Center for site visits and other learning opportunities. These experiences prepare you to work in nonprofit and for-profit schools, higher education, educational organizations, and learning and social impact organizations on a local to global scale.
Why Earn Your Doctoral Degree in Leadership at TC?
At Teachers College, you’ll join a distinguished, cross-disciplinary program designed for experienced leaders across a wide range of organizations, fields, and industries. Designed in collaboration between TC’s programs in Education Leadership and the Klingenstein Center, Adult Learning and Leadership, and Social-Organizational Psychology, our Doctoral program in Executive Leadership equips you to make informed, ethical, and effective contributions to the people you lead and the organizations and communities you serve. You’ll also apply what you learn in real-world settings, either in your current workplace or in an organization aligned with your area of inquiry.
Ed.D. Executive Leadership Curriculum
The Doctor of Education in Executive Leadership includes courses in education and leadership, adult learning, social-organizational psychology, research and inquiry, and organizational change. Your courses are designed for immediate impact and built to keep pace with industry changes. You’ll benefit from coursework that’s immediately applicable and agile enough to meet the constantly shifting ecosystem of work.
Specific courses and topics include:
- Research and Evidence-Informed Leadership
- Systems Thinking for Strategic Leadership
- AI-Adaptive Teams
- Leading with Social, Motivational, and Emotional Intelligence
- Leadership Frameworks
- Listening Leadership
Program Outcomes
The mission of the Doctorate in Executive Leadership is to catalyze deep change, innovation, and transformation in leaders — for teams, communities, organizations, industries, and for the world. By studying in our program, you’ll gain access to:
- A flexible, cross-industry, market-relevant, and distinguishing executive doctoral program that engages working leaders.
- A dynamic cohort of professionals who will connect and grow their local and global networks while activating sustainable, equitable, and scalable change in their organizations.
- Faculty who model and facilitate professional doctoral learning that threads equity and inclusion, social emotional awareness and well-being, humanities, systems (of power, influence, and organizational structure), scenario, futures, and design thinking, and learning sciences into transformative leadership learning.
- Coursework grounded in nine immersive learning modules in research that engages actual challenges encountered at work.
Ed.D. Executive Leadership Program Faculty
Learn from renowned scholars and experienced practitioners who will support your interdisciplinary and cross-industry study of leadership. Dynamic and forward-thinking, our faculty design learning experiences that strengthen your agility in response to change and impact-making.
Faculty Spotlight
Nicole Furlonge
Professor of Practice, Executive Director of the Klingenstein Center, and Director of the Ed.D. in Executive Leadership
Dr. Nicole Brittingham Furlonge is Professor of Practice and Executive Director of the Klingenstein Center, Teachers College, Columbia University and director of the Ed.D. in Executive Leadership. She also teaches in narrative medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and is co-founder of LEARNS Collaborative, a catalyst for human-centered, equitable change in organizations. As a first-generation college student, Dr. Furlonge earned her Ph.D. and B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and her M.A. from the University of Michigan. Her research examines the intersections of listening, humanities, and teaching and leading; social identities and leadership; systems thinking; belonging and learning; and, schools as social impact ecosystems.
Admission Information
Displaying requirements for the Spring 2025, Summer 2025, and Fall 2025 terms.
Doctor of Education
- Points/Credits: 75
- Entry Terms: Spring
- Enrollment Formats: Full-Time Cohort
Application Deadlines
| Entry Term Available | Priority Deadlines | Final Deadlines | Extended Deadlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | November 15, 2025 | November 15, 2025 | N/A |
| Summer | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Fall | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Application Requirements
| Requirement | |
|---|---|
| Online Degree Application, including Statement of Purpose and Resume | |
| Transcripts and/or Course-by-Course Evaluations for all Undergraduate/Graduate Coursework Completed | |
| Results from an accepted English Proficiency Exam (if applicable) | |
| $75 Application Fee | |
| Two (2) Letters of Recommendation | |
| Master's degree required | |
| Supplemental application required (included in online application) | |
| Interview (phone, video, or in-person) required | |
| Work Product (a sample of written communication from work context addressing one or multiple stakeholder groups in or related to the organization) | |
| Have 10+ years of experience in a relevant organization and/or role |
For admission-related inquiries, please contact ORLadmission@tc.columbia.edu.
Additional Information
- Please note that all interviews will be offered via Zoom.
Ed.D. Executive Leadership Program Cost & Aid
Teachers College is committed to helping you become a stronger leader through respected, accessible education. As a student in our program, you may be eligible to receive various types of aid, such as grants, fellowships, and loans through various sources. You’ll also be eligible for the Vanguard Scholarship, designed to offset program costs for online graduate students.
View cost of attendance, explore types of aid, or contact us to learn more.
Why TC? Hear From Our Faculty
"The Ed.D. in Executive Leadership will amplify your capacity to lead strategically, intentionally, with agility and purpose. You'll deepen your ability to make impact while learning alongside fellow cohort members who are as dedicated to leading as you are."
The skills you need for transformational leadership
TC’s Doctoral degree in Executive Leadership develops core capabilities and pathway-specific expertise such as:
- Design and data collection
- Designing and coaching action learning programs
- Facilitation for organizational transformation
- Inclusive leadership and equity-driven practices
- Listening and systems thinking
- Future thinking
- Evidence-informed decision making and leadership practices
- Strategic communication
- Social, Motivational, and Emotional Intelligence
- Talent development and management
- Problem solving
- Perspective taking
- AI-Adaptive Leadership
Doctorate in Leadership Career Opportunities
With a Doctoral degree in Executive Leadership from TC, you’ll graduate ready to make an impact — on people, organizations, learning, and communities. Whether you want to work in education, corporate, ed tech, or the nonprofit world, our program positions you to influence change as a scholar, practitioner, consultant, or in countless other roles.
Our graduates excel in senior leadership positions in the following settings:
- K-12 Independent Schools
- Higher Education Institutions
- Learning-Centered Nonprofits
- Private Learning Organizations and Associations
- Global Educational Institutions or Associations
- Consulting
- Education Entrepreneurship
- Education Technology
- Talent Development and Management
Doctoral Program in Executive Leadership FAQ
TC’s Doctoral program in Executive Leadership prepares you for a wide variety of corporate education jobs and educational and organizational leadership careers, including:
- Head of School
- Associate or Assistant Head of School
- Division Director
- Director of Advancement or Development
- Chief Diversity Officer
- Director of Teaching and Learning
- Chief Transformation Officer
- Director of Admissions
- Chief Financial Officer
- Chief Information Officer
- Chief Executive Officer
- President
- Executive Director
- Learning and Development Partner
- AI Learning Designer
- Curriculum Designer
Transformational leadership involves inspiring and motivating teams to achieve exceptional results. In this practice, leaders foster an innovative, inclusive, and supportive organizational culture. Transformational leaders encourage continuous learning, creativity, and adaptability, empowering their teams to achieve personal, communal, and organizational growth.
Yes. While some students may take longer to complete the degree, the program is designed to support you from the beginning in conducting effective, meaningful dissertation research with the aim of completing your Ed.D. within three years.
As part of your application, you’ll be asked to submit a written work product that demonstrates your ability to think critically, communicate effectively, and engage with complex ideas relevant to leadership. This could be a professional report, policy brief, strategic plan, academic paper, a comprehensive communication, or another piece of writing that reflects a process or initiative you led, or your experience and potential as a doctoral candidate.
The In-Person Days (IPDs) required for this three-year program include:
- Immersive 1: January 22-23, 2026
- Immersive 2: June 29-30 and July 1 - 2, 2026
- Immersive 3: June 28-30 and July 1, 2027
- Immersive 4: June 26-29, 2028
These residencies allow you to meet and connect with peers and faculty, get immersed in research and industry topics, and engage in practical learning experiences.
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