A part-time doctorate designed for professionals committed to extending their understanding and improving practice
Bring your vision for professional change to life
The Cambridge EdD is a part-time research degree for professionals who are passionate about using education to lead evidence-informed change, wherever they work.
Alongside the research methods and skills that all doctoral courses offer, the EdD will support you to imagine, research and instigate sustainable transformations in your own setting, institution, organisation or sector.
The course welcomes students from any professional background. With expert academic guidance and insights from fellow professionals, you will develop a “living lab” in your own context, applying research to drive systemic and institutional improvement.
Lead change in any sector
The EdD is open to students in the UK and internationally and we welcome applicants from all over the world and from any field. While some EdD students are school or education leaders, many more come from sectors such as business, healthcare, law, government and the charitable sector. All share a commitment to using education as a pathway to achieve sustainable, positive changes in policy or practice.
A curriculum designed for innovators
EdD students work towards a substantial piece of original research through which they critically examine how change is created and sustained in a professional setting or sector. Your chosen setting will become a “living lab” where you develop and refine your research ideas, and your final thesis of transformation will contribute both to scholarly knowledge and real-world professional practice.
Alongside general research methods and skills, the course covers a wide range of subjects to support professional innovation and change. Key themes include:
- Different approaches to reform and innovation.
- Politics, policy and professional learning.
- Leadership and organisational change.
- Using evidence to drive improvement.
- Equity, inclusion and social justice.
- Collaboration, negotiation and change leadership.
Residences in Cambridge and flexible online learning
All EdD students join a Cambridge college and have full access to the libraries and learning resources of the University of Cambridge, including the specialist education information service provided through the Faculty of Education’s Library Team.
The course is built around residential weekends in Cambridge (eight during your first three years). Here, you will be introduced to various research methods by Cambridge academics and hear from working professionals – including EdD alumni – who have already led systemic or institutional change in their own areas. Each residential takes place in a college, providing plenty of opportunities to chat and socialise with your fellow-professionals on the course.
Between residentials, students are supported by their Cambridge supervisor. You will receive access to online learning materials linked to your research and may also work with a professional mentor.
Information Sessions
Interested in applying for the EdD? Join one of the Postgraduate Open Days