EdD Professional Doctorate in Educational Leadership (Online)

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

The University of Bolton's EdD in Leadership is designed for those currently in, or aspiring to, senior or middle leadership roles and responsibilities in schools, colleges, universities or other professional education and training settings. It's highly relevant for education practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and scholars interested in exploring leaders and leadership in an educational context and developing their critique and analyses of best practices to inform managerial decision-making.

This course is designed for senior educational professionals and leaders working in schools, colleges, and other educational organisations committed to high-quality teaching, learning and leadership. Successfully completing this Doctor of Education course will enhance your professional effectiveness, emphasising leadership, educational reform, and managing change. Holders of this qualification will possess skills in organisation and management and the knowledge and political skills needed to improve public and private educational environments.

What can I do with this qualification?

Alternative career options

Graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping stone into a range of other careers. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. Some of these careers include:

• Quality inspection
• Consultancy
• Local Authority senior management
• Department for Education senior management
• Journalism/writing
• Educational charity work
• Educational policy
• Social work
• Local government
• Higher education

Successfully completing this doctorate may facilitate your application for Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).

Home/EU Fees

Home students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Home fee of £4,250 for the academic year 2026/27.

International Fees

Overseas students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Overseas fee of £8,750 for the academic year 2026/27.

Bursaries

Click here for more information on our Master's Bursaries.

Important note regarding tuition fees: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

Home Undergraduate Tuition Fee Adjustment

The tuition fee applicable to the first year of your programme of study is confirmed in your offer letter. The tuition fee set is based on the regulations and guidance in force at the time of offer but remains subject to adjustment in accordance with any government-approved inflationary increase. The University reserves the right to amend tuition fees for all years of study, including the first year, by no more than the maximum increase permitted under legislation and regulatory guidance issued by the UK Government and the Office for Students.

Where such increases are approved, they will not exceed the rate of inflation, as measured by an appropriate index such as the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), or any successor measure specified by government. The University will apply any adjustment consistently across affected student cohorts and will give reasonable notice to students of any confirmed change to the published fee before the start of the relevant academic year.

This approach ensures that tuition fees remain compliant with applicable legislation, proportionate to inflationary changes, and consistent with government policy linking permitted fee uplifts to the maintenance of high-quality education and outcomes. For more information, please refer to the government guidance at: gov.uk – Universities to deliver better outcomes in return for full fees.

Postgraduate and International Tuition Fee Adjustment

The tuition fee applicable to the first year of your programme of study is confirmed in your offer letter. The University reserves the right to amend tuition fees for subsequent years of study in accordance with its Course Fees Policy. Where such increases are approved, they will not exceed the rate of inflation, as measured by an appropriate index such as the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), or any successor measure specified by government. The University will apply any adjustment consistently across affected student cohorts and will give reasonable notice to students of any confirmed change to the published fee before the start of the relevant academic year.

This programme combines a range of online learning approaches enriched by emerging technologies with flexible delivery designed to fit around your demanding personal and professional commitments. We aim to provide a safe but challenging space in a supportive community of peers. Our supervisors, module tutors, guest speakers and moderators are experienced managers and leaders in various educational areas. They are engaged in the drive to raise the quality of provision in all educational sectors.

We favour a style of interaction that places a great deal of emphasis on personal responsibility, self and critical awareness, recognition of the needs of others, and open and honest communication. We'll encourage you to undertake scholarly reflection on and experiment with new concepts and ideas. We'll also guide you in developing your professional understanding of practice and research skills.

We aim to act as facilitators, helping you develop the necessary critical distance from which to review and evaluate research, relevant existing and emerging theories, policies, and best practices. We'll encourage you to examine and challenge your own professional practice and its relationship with theory and trends. We'll also support you in designing and undertaking ethically informed research.

Crucially, your studies will usher you towards the development, production and defence of your thesis – a comprehensive study of your application of knowledge to a professional practice issue or issues with a shared theme. To this end, you'll work with a named supervisor, your Director of Studies, who will guide and advise you from inception through to submission and the oral examination. They will have expertise in your proposed research area, so you can discuss your ideas in tutorial sessions.

Overall, you'll be expected to demonstrate significant independence in your study, taking responsibility for managing your own learning time.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

• Research Methodologies
• The Thesis
• Leadership and Organisational Transformation
• Leading Curriculum Design, Teaching and Learning
• Practicum

Assessment methods

Learning Activities

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.