Ed.D. Degree | Nursing Education

Who is this degree for?

The Doctor of Education in Nursing Education is designed for nurses with masters degrees who want to become nurse educators in either academic or staff development settings.  The program fosters deep collaboration among students and faculty to maximize preparation for educator roles. Also, the program features a unique collaborative approach to dissertation design and development.

The newly revised curriculum for the EdD in nursing education was designed by a group of nursing education experts who recognize the impact of distance education on nursing education.  It was approved by the State of New York in 2015 as an online offering.  

Why choose an Ed.D. degree in Nursing Education?

Nurses interested in pursuing doctoral work have at least three degree options: PhD, DNP, and EdD. The primary focus of PhD programs is to prepare nurses to become scientists who conduct and seek funding for research. The focus of Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree is to prepare advanced practice nurses to become independent care providers and is intended to be a parity degree with other health care doctorates such as psychology (PsyD), medicine (MD), and dentistry (DDS) (AACN, 2004). The third option, the EdD, is designed for those desiring to be experts and lead change in nursing education as they seek preparation for faculty and/or educator roles.  The role of the Ed.D. is to lead change in nursing education. At Teachers College, the EdD in Nursing Education has also included an emphasis on research and scholarly inquiry.