phd education programs in massachusetts

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STEM Education PhD

The STEM Education PhD program at UMass Dartmouth helps address the national shortage of essential STEM educators and the need for better STEM education teaching practices. Doctoral students gain in-depth knowledge, robust interdisciplinary research skills, and a variety of practical experiences. The STEM Education PhD offers concentrations in Mathematics Education and Science Education .

In this doctoral program, you will develop the knowledge and skills needed to:

• reconstruct, appropriate, and develop mathematical and scientific knowledge
• explore approaches that emerge from the study of the research literature
• write original research that represents your own contribution to knowledge
• use critical-thinking skills to deal with transformation of knowledge
• formulate and design solutions to complex educational problems

Your research projects involve real-world situations ranging from local schools to higher education departments and other formal and informal learning settings. Your advisors will work with you as you conduct, publish, and present your own research throughout the program.

Doctoral students can explore questions about:

• how to improve STEM education at the K-12 level
• how to promote better learning in STEM fields
• how to engage more K-20 students in STEM-related fields
• how to prepare teachers to better teach STEM content
• how to develop materials to support teaching and learning in STEM fields

The Kaput Center

UMass Dartmouth has a long-standing tradition of leadership in STEM with its nationally renowned  Kaput Center for Research and Innovation in STEM Education . The Kaput Center fosters a spirit of innovation among the faculty, graduate students and educational and scientific institutions, industry, and federal agencies. All benefit from the expertise of UMassD faculty and graduates and their research.

Degree requirements

• 18 credits of introductory coursework to develop your knowledge of research tools, methodologies and theories
• 18 credits of preparatory coursework that refines and focuses your understanding of the research process
• 36 hours of doctoral work, 12 of which are doctoral coursework and 24 credits of dissertation research

Student success

Accepts tenure-track position at Appalachia State University

Assistantship opportunities

A limited number of assistantships are available on a competitive basis. This award is subject to the work needs of the position and department, your satisfactory performance of duties, your academic record, and availability of funds, and may be subject to change.

Learn more about assistantships at UMass Dartmouth

University requirements for graduate admissions

• Submit an application via the online portal. Be sure to provide your full legal name and to capitalize the first letter of all proper nouns.
• Pay non-refundable $60 application fee (American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa) via the online portal. For Nursing applicants, the non-refundable application fee is $75.
• Statement of Purpose, minimum 300 words. Unless otherwise indicated in the program requirement details, indicate your graduate study objectives, research interests and experience, and business or industry experience if applicable. If you are applying for a teaching or research assistantship, include any special skills or experience that would assist us in making assistantship decisions.
• Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended (regardless of whether a credential is earned or not). Unofficial transcripts are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled a final official transcript is required. International students applying with an transcript evaluation, please submit that document with your unofficial transcripts. International applicants for Data Science must submit semester-by-semester transcripts as well as consolidated transcripts. 
• Many programs have specific recommendations/requirements, please see the additional program-specific requirements for more information.
• International students : official TOEFL iBT, IELTS, Pearson PTE or Duolingo (if accepted by program) score. Unofficial scores are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled official scores are required and must be sent by the testing agency (copies/scans not accepted). This is required of any applicant who did not earn a bachelor’s degree or higher degree from an accredited academic institution in the U.S. or accepted English-speaking country, see exemptions for more details . We require an overall/total minimum score of 72 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.0 on the IELTS or a 52 on the Pearsons PTE Academic for entrance to any program and a minimum score of 79 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.5 on the IELTS for consideration for a teaching assistantship. Some programs require higher minimum scores (see program-specific requirements). Most programs also accept the Duolingo with a minimum score of 95. The following programs do not accept the Duolingo: Art Education, Biology/Marine Biology, Nursing (MS, DNP, PhD), Psychology: Clinical, and Public Policy. 
• All official documents are required for enrollment, please have documents (ie. test scores) sent prior to the expiration. 

Program-specific requirements

Candidates must submit the required application materials, university requirements and program-specific requirements, for consideration.

• GRE is waived
• 3 letters of recommendation. Applicants will be required to provide the recommenders name and email address so we can contact the recommender for the letter of recommendation.

Program deadlines

STEM Education faculty

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Course descriptions, schedules and requirements

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Application Deadlines

Fall: June 1 Spring: Fall only Summer: Not applicable

Stephen Witzig , PhD

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Doctoral Degrees

A doctoral degree requires the satisfactory completion of an approved program of advanced study and original research of high quality..

Please note that the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Doctor of Science (ScD) degrees are awarded interchangeably by all departments in the School of Engineering and the School of Science, except in the fields of biology, cognitive science, neuroscience, medical engineering, and medical physics. This means that, excepting the departments outlined above, the coursework and expectations to earn a Doctor of Philosophy and for a Doctor of Science degree from these schools are generally the same. Doctoral students may choose which degree they wish to complete.

Applicants interested in graduate education should apply to the department or graduate program conducting research in the area of interest. Some departments require a doctoral candidate to take a “minor” program outside of the student’s principal field of study; if you wish to apply to one of these departments, please consider additional fields you may like to pursue.

Below is a list of programs and departments that offer doctoral-level degrees.

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Berkeley School of Education

Ma and phd programs, about our ma and phd.

Earning a Master’s of Arts degree (MA) or doctorate (PhD) from Berkeley’s School of Education often leads to a career as an educational scholar and researcher in schools, colleges, and universities; non-profits and think tanks; and corporations.

In your application, we encourage you to describe your research interests as well as your desire to study with particular faculty in their application materials. If you wish to study educational topics outside those framed in the list below, we still encourage you to apply to earn your MA or PhD because we want innovative thinkers among us.

During the first semester, all students build a plan of study in consultation with their advisor(s). This plan is revisited, updated, and revised yearly thereafter.

What Doctoral Students Can Expect

During the first two years of study, the Berkeley PhD in Education introduces you to research on current issues in education, theories of learning, human development, and inequality, educational policy, and research methods. Students proceed through the program during the first two years in a cohort, taking core courses together.

The degree program’s structure ensures that you have a broad understanding of important topics in education and that you begin developing the research expertise needed to carry out independent research projects. You will also begin to take elective courses within and outside the BSE in your expected areas of expertise.

By the third and fourth years of study, you are expected to develop greater expertise in your research specialties in close consultation with your faculty advisors. You also take advanced seminars; engage in independent studies and research apprenticeships; and complete an oral exam.

The concluding part of your doctoral studies is preparation of your dissertation proposal and the research and writing of your dissertation.

What Master's Students Can Expect

As a Master’s student, you join the Berkeley community for one academic year, affiliating with a cluster of specialization. MA students often complete courses and their Masters projects during the summer. You are required to complete 24 semester units, which equals seven to eight classes, depending on how many units are awarded for each class.

You will have access to your faculty advisors, an MA Coordinator, and Student Services staff within the School of Education.

Learn more about the core requirements for earning a Master's in Education .

Our faculty’s interests span a range of critical topics and issues that are crucial for the attainment of educational equity and greater impact in schools and communities. The broad clusters of our faculty’s expertise are listed below. Click on any of the titles to see faculty who are engaged in this research.

Critical Studies of Race, Class, and Gender

• Critical Social and Cultural Theories
• Globalization, Immigration, and Migration
• Race & Social Inequality in Urban Education
• Domination and Resistance across Educational Settings
• Social Identities in Educational Contexts
• Language, Literacy, and Digital Media

Language, Literacy, and Culture

• Sociocultural aspects of language use and development across the lifespan
• Linguistic and cultural diversity in language and literacy education
• Intersections of disability and language and literacy learning
• Race and inequality in language and literacy education
• Bi/multilingualism and translanguaging in schools and communities
• Indigenous language maintenance and education in local and global contexts
• Literacy in a Digital Age
• Literacy in and out of School

Learning Sciences and Human Development

• Cognitive, Human, and Social Development 
• Mathematics and Science Education
• Teacher Learning and Education
• Technology and Digital Media

Policy, Politics, and Leadership

• Leadership in Educational Organizations
• Policy Analysis and Program Implementation
• Politics of Education Advocacy
• School Improvement

Social Research Methodologies

• Data Science
• Design-Based Research
• Measurement
• Qualitative Research Methods
• Statistics and Econometrics

School Psychology

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The University of Massachusetts is a revolutionary university that harnesses the spirit of Massachusetts to deliver a world-class education that transforms lives.

A World-Class Education

The University of Massachusetts is firmly committed to offering students a high-quality education and a transformative student experience. Renowned both nationally and internationally, UMass is ranked as the top public university in New England by Times Higher Education, and all four undergraduate campuses have been rated as top-tier National Universities by U.S. News & World Report.

The university’s curriculum encourages lifelong learning and intellectual curiosity, with courses taught by distinguished faculty members, including a Nobel laureate, Pulitzer Prize winners, members of the National Academy of Sciences, an American Book Award winner and Fulbright, Guggenheim, MacArthur and Mellon Fellows. In fact, each year UMass has more than a dozen faculty members on Clarivate Analytics' list of "Highly Cited Researchers," a list of the top 1% of researchers around the world in science. Academic programs at UMass are also sharply focused on outcomes , ensuring students graduate with in-demand skills and uniquely marketable degrees attuned to the needs and opportunities of today’s economy. With highly engaged professors, comprehensive academic offerings , groundbreaking research opportunities and a commitment to service and community engagement , UMass offers students a world-class educational experience that is both accessible and affordable.

Located in one of the nation’s strongest economies,  Massachusetts  is home to a significant number of industries, both emerging and established, that provide UMass students with the opportunities to pursue their passions. From life sciences and robotics startups to film studios and large non-profit organizations, Massachusetts is home to a revolutionary spirit that pushes all of us forward. 

At UMass, our revolutionary university is fueled by that same collaborative, hardworking and entrepreneurial spirit, and we harness it to provide our students with a world-class education.

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Graduate school is an adventure of intellectual discovery, discipline, and creative thought. Your journey, though it may seem epic, is not a solo mission.

Whether you are looking for a graduate program, or you are already enrolled, this is your central place to connect with information and resources at Boston University. For prospective graduate students, learn about our programs with our Program Search tool , and discover why BU is a great place to dig in.

For current graduate students, we encourage you to reach across the campuses and take advantage of the richness that our 17 schools and colleges have to offer. Tap into available resources , discover funding and professional and career development opportunities , and connect with the graduate community at BU.

Take a look at our graduate program offerings to see what's right for you.

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Learn more about how to apply to a BU graduate or professional program.

EdDPrograms.org

Ed.D. Programs in Massachusetts

The road to a doctoral education degree in Massachusetts is paved with challenges. Our practical Ed.D. guide can help you avoid the potholes! In addition to school listings (with links to curricula & tuition costs), you'll discover a comparison of online Ed.D. programs, info about Ed.D. discounts & fellowships, and a rundown of ESE licensure requirements. There's even an extensive career & networking section, so you can head into your first job interview with all the facts at hand.

Earning a Doctor of Education Degree in Massachusetts

Massachusetts doesn’t have the largest amount of Ed.D. programs in the country—but what it does have is variety. In our school listings , you’ll see options for STEM leaders, urban educators, language & literacy experts, professional counselors, superintendent licensure candidates, and more. Harvard’s Graduate School of Education has an outstanding national ranking , but Boston College isn’t far behind.

To help you whittle these options down to a manageable shortlist, we’ve done some research. Interested in distance learning? Check out our assessment of online Ed.D. programs . Looking for an Ed.D. that will lead you to Administrator Licensure ? Learn why Boston College matches up for superintendents. Searching for the best Ed.D. fellowships? Browse through our school-by-school section on Internal Funding .

Or you can skip ahead to the extensive Career section. In addition to data on Massachusetts employment levels & administrative salaries, we’ve amassed links to useful MA job boards, info about important state associations (e.g. MASS, MSAA, etc.), and ideas for conferences & professional development programs (e.g. NSIP).

Online Doctor of Education Programs in Massachusetts

Online ed.d. providers in massachusetts, bay path university, boston college, boston university, northeastern university, regis college.

• University of Massachusetts – Lowell

What to Know About Massachusetts Online Ed.D. Programs

You’ve got a number of sturdy choices for online doctorates in education in Massachusetts: one public school (UMass Lowell) and all kinds of private options (Northeastern, Regis, BC, BU, and Bay Path). UMass Lowell, Regis, and Northeastern—plus the on-campus program at Boston College—are taking part in the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) . This is a quality marker we like to see.

Thanks to state funding and a streamlined calendar, UMass Lowell is going to be your cheapest option; private schools will be pricier. Keep in mind, too, that MA online Ed.D. programs include occasional on-campus residencies or Saturday classes. So you’ll need to allow for time & travel in the budget.

Note: For more options, see our overview of online Doctor of Education programs . This contains rankings of the 23 best online Ed.D. programs, a full listing of all schools offering online Ed.D. programs, and additional advice.

Online Ed.D. Programs at Massachusetts Public Universities

UMass Lowell’s 42-credit Online Ed.D. in Leadership in Schooling has a lot going for it. It’s part of a school that often earns a top 20 ranking in Best Online Graduate Education Programs . It’s eligible for fellowships and tuition discounts (see our Funding section). And it’s an affordable full-time program for the PreK-12 field—there’s even a STEM Education option if your interested in leading a STEM department or program.

We should also point out that it includes an annual one-week summer residency and does not lead to licensure. Think of it more as a way to expand your instructional leadership horizons—UMass Lowell is looking for Ed.D. candidates with at least three years experience as a teacher and/or instructional leader.

Online Ed.D. Programs at Massachusetts Private Universities

Multiple ed.d. specialties.

Looking for an online option from a CPED member? Northeastern has developed a 60-credit Online Doctor of Education with concentrations in Higher Education Administration; Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership; and Organizational Leadership Studies. It takes around 3-4 years to complete and includes two residencies in Boston, Charlotte, or Seattle. This is a program that can be completed on a part-time or full-time basis.

PreK-12 Leadership

If you live in New England, you could also consider Boston University’s 60-credit Hybrid Ed.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies: Leadership in Early Childhood Education-Grade 12 . This cohort-based doctoral program involves monthly campus visits in the spring & fall semesters and two-week institutes in the summer. It takes 3 years to complete on a part-time basis.

Higher Education Leadership

Aiming for a college or university position? Check out Regis’s 51-credit Hybrid Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership . As the name suggests, this program is for folks who live in the area—students meet on Saturdays four times per semester. All of Regis’s Ed.D. students work full-time while completing this degree; some finish in as little as 3 years.

You can compare it with Bay Path University’s 54-credit Online Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership & Organizational Studies , which is also available in a 30-credit ABD Option . This flexible program contains 100% online coursework and three “Immersive Weekends” (one per year). Collaboration is encouraged—you’ll take part in online, faculty-guided cohorts called Communities of Practice (COPs) and be able to participate in group work, Leader-Scholar Communities, and shared workplace research.

Or you could consider Boston College’s Online Executive Ed.D. in Higher Education with an option to concentrate in Catholic Higher Education. This is a part-time, 3-year program for experienced administrators—candidates must have a minimum of 5-10 years of experience in higher education. You’ll take part in online coursework during the academic year and attend in-person week-long residencies in the summer.

No Dissertation Ed.D. Programs in Massachusetts

Doctoral research projects & capstones.

When you’re looking at our MA listings , you’ll notice that a number of Ed.D. programs include a “Dissertation in Practice” (DiP) or capstone. We favor universities who have adopted these models, since they give seasoned administrators a chance to apply their research and skills to an immediate educational challenge. For example:

• In Northeastern’s Doctor of Education (either in Charlotte , Seattle , or Online ), students work on identifying a problem of practice and developing an action plan at the very start of their program. A faculty advisor is there to mentor and advise as Ed.D. students initiate cycles of data collection and analysis, collaborate with stakeholders, and reflect on their progress.
• Bay Path University’s Online Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership & Organizational Studies has a DiP that includes a series of four sequential dissertation courses that will engage you in action research. You’ll choose an educational problem to analyze, develop an improvement plan, act to implement the plan, observe the effects, and then reflect on results as a basis for further efforts.
• Boston College’s Online Executive Ed.D. in Higher Education —with an option to concentrate in Catholic Higher Education—culminates in a group-based capstone project that takes place at a partner institution. In collaboration with your fellow Ed.D. students, you’ll tackle pressing questions & challenges facing that higher education organization. BC will help your group find an institution that aligns with your interests.
• Boston University’s Hybrid Ed.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies: Leadership in Early Childhood Education-Grade 12 contains a group-based Dissertation in Practice (DiP). In the final years of the program, your team will be challenged to address problems of practice that are specific to your own schools and districts.
• In Regis’s Hybrid Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership , students are asked to take an in-depth look at a critical issue in higher education, research the challenge, and find ways to create positive change. A primary advisor provides guidance. Examples of past dissertation in practice projects have included “Developing Partnerships: Strengthening Parent Engagement in a Title I School,” “An Investigation of the Relationships Among Life Experiences and Resilience With First-Year College Students,” and “A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of Training for Social Workers and Health Care Providers in Managing Challenging or Potentially Violent Client Behaviors.”

Doctoral Education Funding in Massachusetts

Internal scholarships, fellowships & awards.

Massachusetts universities often hide funding information for doctoral students. To save you time, we’ve tried to source every single website that may be of use (e.g. tuition breaks, internal fellowships, assistantships, etc.). If you’re interested in external awards, grants, and loans, the Office of Financial Assistance is the place to go.

American International College

AIC’s section on Types of Financial Aid only lists external opportunities—AIC does not offer merit-based scholarships for graduate students. However, the college does have a Monthly Payment Plan and a limited number of graduate assistantships are available.

Financial Aid is available for online Ed.D. students. Most of this will be in the usual form of graduate loans and grants. Bay Path scholarships are reserved for MS students. Military families should check out the section on Military Benefits & Services .

The Lynch School of Education and Human Development has a separate section on Graduate Tuition & Financial Aid , with details on scholarships (i.e. merit-based awards), assistantships, and federal aid. Named scholarships are for master’s students. You may also want to take a look at the general advice given in Graduate Financial Aid .

BU’s Ed.D. programs are run by the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Wheelock has an entire section devoted to Financial Assistance , with a rundown of:

• Scholarships & Fellowships
• Grants, Loans & Work Study
• Graduate Assistantship Positions

And more. Be sure to check out the sub-section on Doctoral Fellowships —there are some excellent awards that are aimed at Ed.D. students.

Endicott College

The college’s Ed.D. programs are part of the Van Loan School, so doctoral students are advised to contact the Assistant Director of Financial Aid with any questions on the financial aid process. Endicott also has an interest-free monthly Tuition Payment Plan .

Harvard University

On the Ed.D.L. program page, it states that all students receive a full tuition & student health fee funding package, plus stipends, work opportunities, and a paid third-year residency at a partner organization. Harvard is a well-endowed school, so we’ll believe this incredible deal. Learn more on the Ed.D.L. Applicants page.

If you need extra funding (e.g. for family expenses), the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) has a comprehensive section on Financial Aid , with sub-sections on Fellowships & Grants , Student Work , and external student loans. Be sure to check out the Saul Zaentz Fellowship for Ed.D.L. students in the section on Merit-Based Grant Awards .

For the Ed.D, start with the College of Professional Studies (CPS)’s section on Financial Aid . Doctoral students are eligible for the MacFarland Scholarship , which is open to incoming students who are working—or have the intention of working—as an educator in a public school, at the elementary or secondary level, within an urban area.

The university also has a Northeastern Monthly Payment Plan , administered through Tuition Management Systems (TMS).

The Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership site contains a section on Financing Your Ed.D. , with details on Graduate Assistantships . Unfortunately, the Presidential Catholic Leadership Scholarship was discontinued in 2019.

University of Massachusetts-Boston

The College of Education and Human Development lists Scholarships for Education Students ; most of the awards are for teachers. UMass Boston’s section on Graduate Student Aid has more general info about assistantships (stipends & tuition credits), grants, and loans.

Full-time employees of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are eligible for tuition credits. UMass Boston recommends that you contact the HR office at your workplace for more information.

University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth

Graduate Studies has a section on Fellowships & Funding that’s worth investigating; doctoral fellows are eligible for a couple of awards. UMass Dartmouth also has a proximity tuition program in place for Rhode Island residents who are in graduate programs, though it’s best to check if the Ed.D. qualifies.

University of Massachusetts-Lowell

The Ed.D. in Leadership in Schooling has a separate section on Tuition & Financing . It states that Ed.D. students are eligible for the College of Education Dean’s Fellowship (not to be confused with the general Dean’s Graduate Fellowship, which is only for master’s students). In addition:

• Ed.D. students in the STEM concentration who live in neighboring states (CT, ME, NH, RI, VT) may be eligible for reduced tuition through the New England Regional Student Program (NERSP) because Math & Science Education doctoral programs qualify for the discount.
• Full-time, out-of-state graduate students who live in Southern New Hampshire can also check out the Proximity Regional Rates Program .

Note: If a university name is missing from the list, we didn’t find specific examples of Ed.D. funding beyond private & federal loans and external aid.

School Administrator License Requirements in Massachusetts

Administrator licensure.

Massachusetts’s Office of Educator Licensure handles licensure for Academic PreK-12 administrators in Massachusetts public schools and Vocational Technical Education administrators. Licenses are issued by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) .

There are five relevant Administrator Fields in the Academic PreK-12 Administrator category:

• Principal/Assistant Principal – Grades: PreK-8, 5-12
• School Business Administrator – Grades: All Levels
• Special Education Administrator – Grades: All Levels
• Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent – Grades: All Levels
• Supervisor/Director – Grade level depends on prerequisite license; educators applying for a supervisor/director license must specify a particular role.

In addition, administrator licenses come in a variety of types, which are outlined in the PreK-12 section Administrator License Types and General Requirements . Those types are:

• Professional
• Provisional (Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent License Only)

The standard progression for licensure is Initial -> Professional (after a few years of job experience). However, the type is going to depend upon your education, experience, license(s) already held, whether you have taken the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) , whether you have completed any required performance assessments (e.g. PAL ), and whether you hold the Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement (only if applicable).

Administrator Licensure Requirements for Each Field

The simplest way to find requirements for each Administrator Field is to use the ESE’s Licensure Requirements Tool . For example, you’ll notice that PreK-12 administrators can go down one of three preparation routes to licensure:

• Completing a state-approved educator preparation program (e.g. Boston College’s PSAP Ed.D. in Educational Leadership for Superintendent Licensure)
• OR Completing an administrative apprenticeship/internship
• OR Submitting to a panel review of your education & professional experience

There are plenty of other stipulations for licensure, which are covered in the Licensure Requirements Tool. A few other important things to note:

• All PreK-12 educators seeking a Provisional or Initial license in Massachusetts are required to take and pass the Communications and Literacy Skill MTEL .
• As of September 1, 2014, all educators seeking their first administrator license—principal/assistant principal at the Initial level—must complete the Performance Assessment for Leaders (PAL).
• To qualify for a first Initial license in Massachusetts as a principal/assistant principal or supervisor/director, an educator must hold a Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement .
• As far as we can determine, many educator preparation programs are not at the Ed.D. level—prep programs tend to be at the Ed.S. or master’s level. (Boston College is an exception.)

The ESE also has entire section devoted to information for Out-of-State Applicants , including details on earning a Temporary or Provisional license while you work on fulfilling requirements for full licensure.

Note: Anxious about investing in the right preparation program? The ESE’s section on Statewide Reports contains a slew of accountability reports on Educator Preparation Programs, including MTEL pass rates and post-graduation employment rates!

Vocational Technical Administrator Licensure Requirements

There are only two types of license for Vocational Technical Education administrators: Initial and Professional. You can find a full rundown of requirements for both types in the section on the VocTech Administrator License .

Under the education requirements, you’ll see that Vocational Technical Administrators only have to hold a bachelor’s degree. But they still must complete one of the three preparation routes (i.e. educator prep program, apprenticeship/internship, or panel review).

Educational Leadership Jobs in Massachusetts

Educational leadership career outlook.

For a bird’s eye overview of the MA administrative landscape, begin with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)’s employment & salary data for elementary & secondary school education administrators and postsecondary education administrators . As you might expect from its national reputation, Massachusetts is way out in front.

• The Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH metropolitan area has one of the highest employment levels for elementary & secondary school education administrators in the country. Employment across the state is also high.
• Massachusetts is often in the top three of states with the highest employment levels of postsecondary education administrators , right up there with California. It also has one of the highest concentration levels.

Higher education accounts for a large chunk of the Massachusetts’s economy, and the state is packed with 100+ colleges & universities. However, there has been some discussion about whether the phenomenon can last with shrinking student populations . Something to bear in mind if you’re looking at small private colleges.

Are you focusing on an administrative career in the PreK-12 arena? The ESE’s section on Data & Accountability is a treasure trove of information for this sector. It posts School and District Profiles and annual Statewide Reports , with data on average teacher salaries, student enrollment numbers, and more. You may find these sources helpful for your dissertation research, as well as your job prep.

Educational Leadership Salaries

BLS statistics show that Massachusetts elementary & secondary school education administrators are some of the highest paid professionals in the country. You’ll find exact salary numbers in BLS’s section on State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates for Massachusetts . In addition, the ESE’s data on Teacher Salaries will give you ballpark educator salary averages for each MA district.

Postsecondary education administrators are also paid well, though Massachusetts is not among the top states for wages in this category. You can compare these numbers to the Comptroller of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’s Statewide Payroll , which includes salaries of higher education administrators in MA public universities & colleges.

One caveat—Massachusetts (and the Greater Boston area in particular) is notorious for its high cost of living and housing. So wage numbers are likely to reflect the neighborhood.

Educational Leadership Job Boards

National job sites will have plenty of MA educational leadership jobs on their books (e.g. SchoolSpring, HigherEd, LinkedIn, etc.). However, there are some useful MA-specific job boards to consult, including:

• MASC Superintendent Searches , with postings for in-state and out-of-state jobs for superintendents (including assistant & interim), directors, presidents, and more.
• MASS Job Postings , with openings for superintendents, school business managers, directors, and more.
• MASSLive , with postings for local jobs in education administration (all levels).
• Boston Public Schools TalentEd , which features job listings for principals, directors, superintendents, deans, and more.
• AISNE Job Board , which features openings in member schools of the Association of Independent Schools in New England.

Educational Leadership Organizations in Massachusetts

Educational leadership associations.

• Boston Association of School Administrators and Supervisors (BASAS) : BASAS provides educational and administrative services for schools in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the Local 6 American Federation of School Administrators™ (AFSA).
• Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) : MASC is a member-driven association supporting Massachusetts school leaders (it often conducts superintendent searches). It also acts as a voice of MA school committees, representing their perspective to outside agencies and governmental bodies.
• Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS) : MASS is a statewide organization dedicated to the professional and advocacy concerns of school superintendents and assistant superintendents.
• Massachusetts School Administrators’ Association (MSAA) : MSAA is a membership organization serving the needs of elementary level, middle level, and high school administrators in Massachusetts. MSAA used to be the Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators’ Association, which is why you may see it referred to as MSSAA. It merged with MESPA (the elementary association) in 2017.
• Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) : MTA represents 110,000+ members throughout Massachusetts, including teachers, faculty, support professionals, and administrators at public schools, colleges, and universities. It has a higher education arm.

Educational Leadership Professional Groups

• MassPartners for Public Schools : This is a coalition/advocacy group of teacher, parent, school committee, principal, and superintendent organizations in Massachusetts. It shares a commitment to improving public schools and education standards.

Note: Remember that state and national educator organizations often have funds and scholarships available for continuing education (e.g. Ed.D.). Check the website and ask about opportunities.

Educational Leadership Events in Massachusetts

Educational leadership conferences.

• MASC Day on the Hill : This is a legislative advocacy day that brings school committee members, superintendents and student leaders to the State House in Boston to meet with executive and legislative leadership, as well as local senators and representatives.
• MASC/MASS Joint School Leadership Conference : This is billed as the largest annual gathering of education leaders in Massachusetts, with a program of speakers, panel sessions, exhibits, demonstrations, and networking opportunities.
• MASSCue/MASS Annual Technology Conference : This October event aims to provide MA educators and administrators with exciting ways to enhance teaching and learning with technology.
• MASS Executive Institute : This 3-day conference/professional development program is for superintendents, assistant superintendents and district administrators. It’s held during the second or third week of July.
• MASS Midwinter Meeting : This one-day event for superintendents includes a keynote address and a panel of practitioners. It takes place in the third or fourth week of January, in close proximity to the release of Chapter 70 State Aid figures. MASS also hosts a similar Spring Meeting .
• MSAA Summer Institute : MSSA’s 3-day professional development event in July includes pre-conference workshops, sessions, and exhibits.
• Women’s Educational Leadership Network (WELN) Conference : Hosted by MASS, this one-day event features presentations, panels, and networking opportunities.

Educational Leadership Training

• Assistant Superintendent Leadership Seminars : Organized by MASS, these one-day sessions take place throughout the year.
• EDE-Sponsored PD Offerings : The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) offers a number of professional development, training, and/or technical assistance opportunities for educators through its offices (e.g. Curriculum and Instruction: STEM).
• MSAA Leadership Licensure Program : MSAA runs a one-year licensure program that prepares aspiring administrators for Initial Licensure as Principals/Assistant Principals (PreK-6; 5-8; 9-12), and Supervisors/Directors.
• New Superintendent Induction Program (NSIP) : This 3-year professional development program is a collaboration between the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) and MASS.

School Listings

11 Schools Found

School of Education

Springfield, Massachusetts

Doctor of Education in Leadership and Supervision

• Curriculum Info
• How To Apply

Doctor of Education in Teaching and Learning

Doctor of education in teaching and learning - adult learning, doctor of education in teaching and learning - alternative education, doctor of education in teaching and learning - elementary education, doctor of education in teaching and learning - global education, doctor of education in teaching and learning - middle education, doctor of education in teaching and learning - secondary education, doctor of education in teaching and learning - special education.

Longmeadow, Massachusetts

EdD in Higher Education Leadership & Organizational Studies

Offered Online

Lynch School of Education

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

EdD in Educational Leadership

Executive doctor of education (ed.d.) in higher education, executive doctor of education (ed.d.) in higher education - catholic education.

Boston, Massachusetts

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies - Educational Policy

Doctor of education in educational leadership and policy studies - higher education administration, doctor of education in educational leadership and policy studies - pk-12 school and district leadership, edd in educational leadership & policy studies: leadership in early childhood education-grade 12, msw/edd dual degree program.

Van Loan School

Beverly, Massachusetts

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership in Higher Education

Doctor of education in educational leadership prek-12.

Graduate School of Education

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Doctor of Education Leadership

College of Professional Studies

Doctor of Education

Online doctor of education - curriculum, teaching, learning and leadership, online doctor of education - higher education administration, online doctor of education - organizational leadership studies.

School of Arts and Sciences

Weston, Massachusetts

EdD in Higher Education Leadership

Department of Leadership in Education

Doctor of Education in Higher Education

Edd in urban education, leadership, and policy studies, edd in urban education, leadership, and policy studies - administration and leadership, edd in urban education, leadership, and policy studies - teaching, learning, and leadership.

College of Arts and Sciences

North Dartmouth, Massachusetts

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership

Lowell, Massachusetts

Doctor of Education in Leadership in Schooling

Doctor of education in leadership in schooling - stem.

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Electrical Engineering PhD

The Electrical Engineering PhD program studies systems that sense, analyze, and interact with the world. You will learn how this practice is based on fundamental science and mathematics, creating opportunities for both theoretical and experimental research. Electrical engineers invent devices for sensing and actuation, designing physical substrates for computation, creating algorithms for analysis and control, and expanding the theory of information processing. You will get to choose from a wide range of research areas such as circuits and VLSI, computer engineering and architecture, robotics and control, and signal processing.

Electrical engineers at SEAS are pursuing work on integrated circuits for cellular biotechnology, millimeter-scale robots, and the optimization of smart power groups. Examples of projects current and past students have worked on include developing methods to trace methane emissions and improving models for hurricane predictions.

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PhD in Electrical Engineering Degree

Harvard School of Engineering offers a  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)  degree in Engineering Sciences: Electrical Engineering , conferred through the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS). Prospective students apply through the Harvard Griffin GSAS. In the online application, select  “Engineering and Applied Sciences” as your program choice and select " PhD Engineering Sciences: Electrical Engineering ​."

The Electrical Engineering program does not offer an independent Masters Degree.

Electrical Engineering PhD Career Paths

Graduates of the program have gone on to a range of careers in industry in companies such as Tesla, Microsoft HoloLens, and IBM. Others have positions in academia at the University of Maryland, University of Michigan, and University of Colorado.

Admissions & Academic Requirements

Prospective students apply through the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS). In the online application, select  “Engineering and Applied Sciences” as your program choice and select "PhD Engineering Sciences: Electrical Engineering​." Please review the  admissions requirements and other information  before applying. Our website also provides  admissions guidance ,   program-specific requirements , and a  PhD program academic timeline .

Academic Background

Applicants typically have bachelor’s degrees in the natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, or engineering. In the application for admission, select “Engineering and Applied Sciences” as your degree program choice and your degree and area of interest from the “Area of Study“ drop-down. PhD applicants must complete the Supplemental SEAS Application Form as part of the online application process.

Standardized Tests

GRE General: Not Accepted

Electrical Engineering Faculty & Research Areas

View a list of our electrical engineering  faculty  and electrical engineering  affiliated research areas , Please note that faculty members listed as “Affiliates" or "Lecturers" cannot serve as the primary research advisor.  

Electrical Engineering Centers & Initiatives

View a list of the research  centers & initiatives  at SEAS and the  electrical engineering faculty engagement with these entities .

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Graduate student clubs and organizations bring students together to share topics of mutual interest. These clubs often serve as an important adjunct to course work by sponsoring social events and lectures. Graduate student clubs are supported by the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin School of Arts and Sciences. Explore the list of active clubs and organizations .

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‘There are no jobs’: PhD graduates struggle to build careers in academia

For the first time in decades, Ian Corbin has dental insurance.

Over the past 15 years, Corbin has been a doctoral student, an adjunct professor, and a postdoctoral fellow. And trying to scrape together a living has been tough. “I was always hustling,” he says.

When Corbin — who holds a PhD in philosophy from Boston College and works at the intersection of ethics and medicine — was a postdoc at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2019, he earned about $50,000 a year and had kids to support. “So I was always teaching classes in the evening and publishing articles as fast as I could. Just taking on really anything that anyone would give me,” he says.

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Corbin’s story isn’t unusual. For many of those with doctorates, who typically spend between four and seven years in graduate school, the employment picture is increasingly bleak, especially for jobs in academia.

Maren Wood, who founded a firm that helps those with doctorates find jobs, says that the market for full-time professors has collapsed. Between 2007 and 2020, the number of openings in philosophy dropped by roughly half. The number of openings in English fell by about 60 percent .

Universities staffed up to accommodate millennials, she says, and now they’re trying to cope with declining enrollments, which are predicted to continue indefinitely . “There’s nothing wrong with a PhD,” says Wood, chief executive of Beyond the Professoriate, whose platform is currently used by Harvard and BC . “The problem is there are no jobs.”

Wood holds a PhD in history, and her breaking point was in 2011 when she came in second place for a job thousands of miles away. The gig was a one-year position. In Reno. And she was told the pay wouldn’t even be enough to live on.

The woman doing the hiring encouraged Wood. “You came in second place!” she exclaimed.

“For what?” Wood asked.

Wood had hoped to be a professor. She had been a top student and earned her PhD from the University of North Carolina. But it didn’t take long to realize: Despite the fact that she had a prestigious degree, there were virtually no decent jobs in universities.

Often, those with doctorates serve as adjunct professors — sometimes while they look for a more permanent gig. To students, adjuncts and tenure-track faculty may appear to be the same. They have PhDs. Students call them “professor.”

But when it comes to stability, they’re worlds apart. Adjuncts rarely get health care. They’re generally paid between $3,000 and $7,000 per class, and you might have to drive considerable distances to get from one job to another.

Over 30 percent of nontenure-track educators in higher education make under $25,000 a year, according to a 2019 survey by the American Federation of Teachers . Another 30 percent make between $25,000 and $50,000 a year. But over the past few decades, the number of adjuncts has grown much faster than the ranks of full-time faculty.

The dearth of jobs has been particularly tough on those in the social sciences, humanities, and some sciences, including biology. Richard Larson, a professor of data, systems, and society at MIT, has noted that many professors churn out lots of doctoral students over the course of their careers — and a good chunk of those students would like to be professors themselves.

But the math simply doesn’t work. Only a few of those grad students — fewer than 20 percent — can get the sort of job that their advisers have. (Though there are certainly disciplines — including chemical engineering and computer science — in which graduates can find jobs fairly easily, often in industry.)

Kristina Aikens, who earned her PhD in English from Tufts University, initially tried to piece together a living as an adjunct. For a year and a half, she says, she was teaching four or five classes in two or three locations, which is a common — though brutal — workload.

Aikens doesn’t believe that doctoral students — particularly in humanities — understand the real threat of finding themselves in an unstable position. “I think people think it won’t happen to them,” she says. “It’s not because they think that they’re better than anyone else. It’s just a denial that they’re in.”

But the threat of job instability is considerable. Massachusetts is not only the state with the highest percentage of people with undergraduate degrees; it also has the highest percentage of those with graduate degrees . And while many of those degree holders are thriving, too many live in precarious situations — situations made all the more precarious by the extraordinarily high cost of housing in the Boston area.

So if the supply of academic jobs has waned, why don’t doctoral programs simply slim down and admit fewer students?

Most of the people I spoke with noted that professors may be loath to give up their graduate students because they genuinely enjoy working with them. Grad students can talk about esoteric areas of scholarship, built on years of deep study.

“I think that faculty want to believe that they’re doing good,” says Wood. “I think that graduate deans generally believe that graduate education does good. And the fact that universities have paid so little attention to career outcomes means that they don’t actually have good data to work with.”

It’s also possible that schools’ reluctance to admit fewer graduate students is financially motivated. Universities often run on the work of grad students, as the Boston University strike has demonstrated . Grad students teach sections of large classes. They work in labs. They perform in-the-field research.

“The business model only works with a lot of cheap labor,” Corbin says. “I think it’s bad. I think it’s bad for students. I think it’s bad for the classroom. I think it’s bad for the grad students and the perennial adjuncts.” But, he believes, doctoral students represent an enormous pool of untapped talent.

Corbin is now a tenure-track researcher at Harvard Medical School’s Center for Bioethics. It’s a job he likes, and life feels much more stable. “It’s becoming less desperate,” he says.

Aikens — who now serves as the program director of writing support at Tufts — says she doesn’t regret getting a doctorate, and she doesn’t think we should preclude people from pursuing that sort of intense study.

Coming from a working-class background in West Virginia, she had wanted to see if she could do it. And the six years she spent getting a PhD were hard. But she knew that success wouldn’t necessarily lead to employment:

“At my graduation, literally at the ceremony, I turned to my friend and said: ‘Should I apply to law school? Because I don’t think this is going to work out.’”

Follow Kara Miller @karaemiller .

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Does it Matter How Teachers Use Class Time?

• Posted May 21, 2024
• By Heather Corn
• Evidence-Based Intervention
• Student Achievement and Outcomes
• Teachers and Teaching

Should a teacher lecture? Open up the class to big discussions? Let students work indpendently or mostly in small groups? This past winter, Associate Professor Eric Taylor spoke to Ed. about a paper he co-published last summer in the Economics of Education Review that delves into the complexities and nuances of how teachers manage their classroom time, and, in turn, the impact those decisions have on student learning. 

Can you give us a quick rundown of the process of your study?    This paper focuses on teachers’ choices about how to allocate class time across different instructional activities. We studied 250 teachers and their 7,000 students, in England’s public (state) secondary schools. Each teacher was observed eight times over two school years, on average. From those class observations we have time allocation data on a dozen different activities. Those activities fall into four groups: direct instruction, student-peer interaction, personalized instruction, and practice and assessment. We then link each teacher’s class time use data to her students’ test scores at the end of the school year — the GCSE English and math exams, taken at age 14–16. 

What did you find?    Students learn more math skills (score higher on their exams) when their teacher devotes more class time to individual practice and assessment. In contrast, students learn more language skills when their teacher devotes more class time to discussion and work in groups of students. Despite that difference, we find that the average math teacher and average English teacher make very similar choices about how to allocate class time. 

What sparked your interest in research, particularly focusing on class time allocation?    Every year there are students who learn more math, language, and other skills than their peers in the classroom next door because they were lucky enough to get assigned to a more effective teacher. Those lucky students will go on to have more success as adults in college and in the workforce. Understanding why some teachers are more effective than others is an urgent long-standing challenge.

Class time allocation has not been previously studied as we do in this paper. Our data provide a rare opportunity to link class time-use data to student achievement scores for a large sample of both teachers and students.

Learning how best to allocate class time is a skill. But it differs from the kind of skills typically studied by researchers or taught in professional development. Teachers’ choices about how to allocate class time may be easier to change through direction from school leaders or easier to teach to novices. 

Are there other possible explanations for learning beyond how teachers use class time?    You might be skeptical. Perhaps math teachers who spend more class time on individual practice are also teachers who are more skilled at asking good questions or managing student behavior. Perhaps those questioning or management skills are the true cause of students learning more, and class time choices are simply correlated. If that were true, we could ask a less-skilled teacher to increase class time for individual practice, but there would be no change in his students’ test scores. 

Our research addresses that skepticism. We can compare teachers who have the same level of general teaching skills but who allocate class time differently. We have data on each teacher’s time use. But we also have data on each teacher’s instructional effectiveness using the Framework for Teaching classroom observation rubric. In statistics jargon, even after we control for the teacher’s instructional effectiveness, class time use still predicts student achievement. Even among high-skilled math teachers, some allocate more time to individual practice, and their students learn more math. The same is true for low-skilled math teachers. And there is a parallel pattern for English teachers. The practical implication is that students would likely gain (or lose) from changes in class activities even if their teacher’s general teaching skills did not change. 

Did you have any “aha” moments doing this research?    The differences between math and English were most striking to me. Perhaps more-experienced educators are not surprised by the difference. But, at least in our data, both math and English teachers allocated class time in similar ways. For example, both the average math teacher and average English teacher allocated the same amount of class time to “student peer interaction.” English scores were higher in classes with more peer interaction, but math scores were not.

Will there be follow-up research?    Our results are encouraging, but just one study. We are in the early stages of a field experiment where teachers or schools, randomly assigned to the treatment group, would change how they allocate class time, while other teachers or schools continue their current approach (the control group). If anyone reading this is interested in participating in such an experiment, reach out. 

Heather Corn is a writer based in Ohio. Her last piece for Ed. looked at cARTie, the nonprofit mobile art museum bus created by Clare Murray, Ed.M.’20

Ed. Magazine

The magazine of the Harvard Graduate School of Education

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