Community College Leadership Program (Ed.D. in Adult and Higher Education)

About the Program

With our Community College Leadership Program, you'll obtain your doctorate in adult and higher education and be prepared for a senior leadership position in a community college.

Program Mode of Delivery

The program is online, allowing for maximum flexibility in your schedule, but does require a one-week face-to-face intensive component over the summer during each of the three years of study. The weeklong section takes place on NIU's satellite campus in Naperville, a convenient location close to Chicago. 

Curriculum

The sequenced curriculum and cohort model in the Community College Leadership Program allow you to engage with other community college practitioners around the country. By learning alongside tenure-track and adjunct faculty instructors, you'll apply theory to practice and create a network of top administrators within the region.

The program concludes with a dissertation of practice, which takes an innovative practice-based problem approach to research, allowing you to directly connect this experience with your professional work experience.

Information about specific course requirements can be found in the NIU course catalog.

Applying to the Program

Our Community College Leadership Program admits students for the summer only. Completed applications with all supporting credentials are due no later than March 1. You’ll need to submit the following:

  • Application
  • Written statement of goals
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Official transcripts
  • Résumé/CV
No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are required. Three years of higher education experience related to the community college context is required.

Start your application now with the NIU Graduate School.

Faculty

Instructors for the program are:

Why NIU Online?

We know you have responsibilities and commitments. It's just easier if you're able to take classes where you are without the commute. The good news is that with NIU, you're not alone. Your classmates and instructors are available via the same technology that helps deliver your classes. In our classrooms or in your living room, we want you to succeed academically because your future is our focus.

Program Type: Blended Ed.D.
College: College of Education, Department of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education
Credits Required: 54 
Tuition per Credit: $589.75 (Learn more about tuition and fees )

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Application Deadlines

For applicants residing in the U.S.

Term Deadline
Summer March 1

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