Accelerate your career by building the interdisciplinary expertise and skills to address critical issues in global education.

At a Glance

For the program beginning summer 2025

Credits

60

Format

Online

Residency Locations

United States

Priority Deadline

November 1, 2024, followed by rolling admissions

Final Deadline

January 31, 2025

Duration

3 Years

Critical Global Issue of Study

Education & Social Change

Education & Social Change Icon

WHY A DOCTORATE IN GLOBAL EDUCATION?

Built on SIT’s powerful experiential learning model, our online doctorate in global education (EdD) combines rigorous online coursework with short residencies in Vermont to fit the needs of part-time and full-time professionals seeking to rapidly accelerate their careers in higher education, government agencies, NGOs, think tanks, and more while tackling highly relevant issues in global education, both locally and abroad.

Drawing from SIT’s unique brand of in-depth, reflective practice and intensive research training, this doctorate gives you the tools you need to excel in an increasingly diverse, competitive, and interdisciplinary field. Courses take place in person and online, with an estimated 10 to 15 hours of studies a week.

Begin the program with a two-week summer residency, which will ground and orient you to your studies, introduce you to SIT’s global values, and allow you to bond with students and faculty while acclimating to your coursework. You will gather for another two-week residency in the second year of the program but otherwise work completely remotely.

Courses are immersive, with engaging doctoral seminars, theory, data collection, research methods, reflective practice tied to your ongoing work experience, and guest speakers who share their academic and professional experience. Transfer up to 12 graduate credits from a relevant master’s program into this three-year, 60-credit doctorate.

Throughout the program, you will receive one-on-one guidance from an SIT primary advisor who, along with your doctoral colleagues and second advisor, will work closely with you on the research topic of your choice. You will present your doctoral defense remotely.

SIT’s Doctorate in Global Education is recommended for students with a passion for international education and work at any level, in any subfield, at any location. As a graduate of this program, you will be fully supported by SIT’s global professional and alumni networks to advance to the top of your field as a global educator.

Career Paths

Students in the EdD program go on to work in the field in a variety of areas including leadership positions in academia, higher education, think tanks, NGOs, nonprofits, philanthropy, government agencies, and research. Career paths that may be open to you include:

  • University professor, assistant, or associate professor

  • Executive director of higher education center or nonprofit

  • Nonprofit, think tank, or NGO management or leadership

  • Director of programs for nonprofit or NGO

  • Education administrator

  • Associate/assistant provost or provost

  • Senior or leadership role in academic affairs

  • Researcher at think tank or NGO

Read about SIT Graduate Institute alumni careers through the SIT blog and our Career Impact page. Students who have graduated with this degree work in careers such as the following, among others.

Program Sites

  • Courses take place almost entirely online 
  • Two-week summer residencies during the first and second year of the program

Please note that in order to take advantage of dynamic learning opportunities, program excursions may occasionally vary.

Academics

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:

  • Analyze contemporary educational issues around the globe through the lens of foundational theories.
  • Design and carry out original, ethical research informed by relevant literature and grounded in appropriate methodologies and approaches.
  • Interpret original and secondary data to produce actionable findings.
  • Contribute to scholarship and practice of the field through publishable research findings.

Read more about Program Learning Outcomes.



Coursework

Your doctorate program will span three years, totaling 60 credits. With SIT’s experiential curriculum, you will become an expert in educational policy, practice, theory, research, and administration through curated online coursework in small personalized cohorts combined with limited residential coursework and reflective practice within your ongoing professional activities, and concluding with a dissertation. Coursework is listed below. 


Please expand the sections below to see detailed course descriptions and admissions information.


This is SIT

  • We value active togetherness, reciprocity, and respect as the essential ingredients for building a sustainable community.
  • With open minds, empathy, and courage, we facilitate intercultural understanding and respect for the commonalities and differences between people.
  • We champion social inclusion & justice in all that we are and all that we do, from ensuring our community and our programs amplify the voices, agency, and dignity of all people to deliberately instilling the principles and practices of inclusion in all of our work.
  • We are committed to human and environmental well-being through sustainability and contributing to a better world for all living and future generations.

Year One

Semester One: Summer, two-week residency and online (8 Credits)

  • Theoretical Foundations I 
  • Research Methods 1: Qualitative Approaches  
  • Reflective Practice Doctoral Seminar 1

Semester Two: Fall, online (8 Credits)

  • Theoretical Foundations II 
  • Research Methods 2: Qualitative Approaches  
  • Reflective Practice Doctoral Seminar 2

Semester Three: Spring, online (5-8 Credits)

  • Research Methods 3: Introduction to Statistical Methods 
  • Reflective Practice Doctoral Seminar 3 
  • Elective  

Year Two

Semester Four: Summer, two-week residency and online (5-8 Credits)

  • Comprehensive Exam
  • Research Methods 4: Qualitative or Quantitative Data Analysis 
  • Reflective Practice Doctoral Seminar 4 
  • Elective

Semester Five: Fall, online (3-6 Credits)

  • Reflective Practice Doctoral Seminar 5
  • Elective
  • Dissertation Proposal and IRB Application Preparation

Semester Six: Spring, online (4-7 Credits)

  • Reflective Practice Doctoral Seminar 6 
  • Dissertation Proposal Defense and IRB Approval
  • Data Collection  
  • Elective 

Year Three

Semester Seven: Summer, online (5 Credits)

  • Reflective Practice Doctoral Seminar 7 
  • Data Collection 
  • Dissertation Writing

Semester Eight: Fall, online (5 Credits)

  • Reflective Practice Doctoral Seminar 8 
  • Dissertation Writing

Semester Nine: Spring, online and graduation (5 Credits)

  • Reflective Practice Doctoral Seminar 9
  • Dissertation Writing and Defense
  • Graduation

Admissions Criteria

We strive to create a diverse and experienced student body to enhance the learning experience both within and outside the classroom. 

To be considered for admission into SIT’s Doctorate in Global Education, an applicant must meet the following criteria: 

  • Master’s degree or an equivalent from an accredited university  
  • One research methods course at the MA level (i.e. Introduction to Research Methodology). In the case of SIT alumni, Practitioner Inquiry will meet this requirement  
  • Strong academic writing and scholarly potential, as evidenced by a statement of purpose  
  • Demonstrated English language ability (see details below) 
  • Intercultural and professional experience 
  • A preferred grade point average of 3.5 out of 4.0 or higher  
  • Demonstrated ability to use experience as a source of learning  
  • All applicants are required to interview with program faculty 

(MA holders and SIT alumni in a relevant field will be able to transfer up to 12 credits toward the EdD program. Please ask us for more information.) 

SIT Graduate Institute’s Selection Process

Our admissions staff work one-on-one with every applicant to facilitate a highly informed and multidimensional admissions experience: applicants are required to undertake an interview with SIT faculty during the application process.   

As applicants become familiar with the attributes of an SIT education—grounded in the experiential learning model and focused on social justice and leadership skills in intercultural environments—they determine for themselves how SIT can help them meet their educational and career objectives. 

English Language Ability

Applicants whose first language is not English and who did not graduate from an English-speaking institution must demonstrate English language proficiency by submitting official test scores for one of the following:

Test Required Minimum Score

  • Duolingo English Test 130
  • ILETS (Academic) 7.0
  • PTE (Academic) 68
  • TOEFL: SIT’s code is 3788 100 on the internet-based iBT

These scores are considered the minimum proficiency needed to undertake graduate-level workScores must be dated within two years of the start date of your academic program at SIT. 

Faculty & Staff

Global Education – EdD (Online)

Alla Korzh, EdD
Chair and Associate Professor
Sora Friedman, PhD
Professor
Melissa Whatley, PhD
Affiliate/Adjunct
Margaret (Meg) Gardinier, PhD
Affiliated Faculty
David Shallenberger, PhD
Affiliated Faculty
Deepa Srikantaiah, PhD
Affiliated Faculty
Elka Todeva, PhD
Professor Emerita
Daniel Shephard, PhD
Affiliated Faculty
Richard Hall, PhD
Affiliated Faculty
Laura Colket, EdD
Affiliate/Adjunct

Discover the Possibilities

  • SIT graduate takes her ideas into classrooms around the world

    Dr. Adeline De Angelis was awarded her EdD in global education as part of the first cohort of doctoral students. She shares her experience with SIT, the global education program, and her plans for the future.

    Read more