Online Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership
Drive meaningful change as a leader in higher education
100% online
As few as 3 years
54 credit hours
$1,090 cost per credit
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Advance your leadership to reshape higher institutions
- Apply By: 06/17/26
- Start Class: 08/17/26
Elevate your experience as an educator and prepare to become a forward-thinking, evidence-based leader with Brenau University’s 100% online Doctor of Education in Higher Education: Leadership degree program. You will explore critical challenges that shape today’s complex and evolving higher educational environments, and learn to assess and navigate changing student populations, disruptive new learning technologies and financial implications of government policies.
Brenau’s leadership in higher education program concentrates on organizational, instructional and financial knowledge specific to higher education environments. You will upgrade your leadership toolkit, advance your research capabilities and develop your dissertation as well as participate in practicums and virtual residencies. Upon graduation, expect to move into administrative, leadership and high-level faculty roles that inspire change and reshape institutions of tomorrow.
Concentration details
- Flexible, convenient online coursework ideal for working professionals
- Real-world applications of learning and research
- Mentorship from dedicated, experienced faculty
- Professional values centered on educational excellence
Build expertise to lead effectively
Brenau’s doctorate in higher education leadership online degree program comprises 54 credit hours and can be completed in as few as three years. A convenient, flexible format empowers you to create a study schedule that accommodates your full-time job, personal life and pursuit of career advancement.
To build your expertise in higher education leadership, you will take six concentration courses (totaling 18 credit hours). Topics cover factors impacting higher education academic programs, strategic enrollment management, organizational governance research and theory, and budget planning and financial policy.
Higher education: leadership required courses
Gain insight into the development of and outside influences impacting undergraduate education programs, including policy, sociology, economics and technology.
This course examines and reviews the history, purposes, functions, organization and administration of Admissions, Financial Aid, Records and Registration, Advising and Orientation. This course will take a strategic and tactical approach to enrollment management, and uses as its theoretical foundation the emerging concept of strategic enrollment management (SEM). We will explore SEM from a variety of perspectives and themes that will provide you with knowledge and understanding of enrollment models and current trends (the what, how, and why of SEM), how SEM fits into larger institutional mission and strategy, contemporary issues that inform enrollment management practice (including higher education policy), and the future of enrollment management, including emerging models.
While focused on U.S. institutions and their governing principles, this course also takes into account international higher education management at the institutional and government levels.
This course is an introductory examination of financial, economic, and budgetary issues within higher education. Focusing on not-for-profit postsecondary schools, students will review the primary political, economic, and social issues influencing higher education finance, examine revenue streams and expenditure patterns, survey tuition and financial aid policies, develop the ability to examine and analyze financial information, and assess the budget as an instrument of strategic planning, resource allocation, and control.
Learn strategic planning and execution, focusing on the immediate application of administrative roles, effective crisis communication models, and post-crisis reflection to ensure continuous institutional improvement.
Examine policies and practices related to recruiting, retaining, developing, and evaluating faculty, staff, and administrators.
Brenau’s Ed.D. program offers core coursework that covers essential education topics, including curriculum design, academic program assessment and education policy. You’ll strengthen your capacity for leadership and explore the emerging trends driving the future of education.
View Program CurriculumRise to influential leadership roles in higher ed
Your online leadership in higher education degree from Brenau paves the way to high-impact positions in education. As a graduate of the program, you will be prepared to pursue academic or administrative leadership in:
- Colleges, community colleges and universities in the public or private sector
- Adult training programs
- Local, state or federal government education agencies
- Public or private research firms
- Education policy think-tanks and other education services firms
Be part of the educator workforce where about 21,900 openings for instructional coordinators are projected each year through 2034.1 In Georgia, a new teacher recruitment initiative was launched in 2025 that aims to attract, recognize and retain top teaching talent.2
Potential careers for graduates of doctorate in education programs in Georgia:
Instructional Coordinators $81,280 per year3
Postsecondary Education Administrators $131,590 per year4
Explore more Doctor of Education concentrations
We offer additional Doctor of Education programs focused on elementary and special education. Review those as well as our Doctor of Education in Higher Education programs with concentrations in leadership and teaching and learning.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Instructional Coordinators. Retrieved April. 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/instructional-coordinators.htm.
- Department of Georgia Education. GaDOE launches new teacher recruitment campaign. https://gadoe.org/press-releases/gadoe-launches-new-teacher-recruitment-campaign/.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wages. Instructional Coordinators. Retrieved April. 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes259031.htm.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wages. Education Administrators, Postsecondary. Retrieved April. 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes119033.htm.