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    Education & Leadership in Healthcare Online Doctorate (EdD)

    Quick Links

    Our EdD online program allows you to accelerate your career quickly while balancing your personal and professional life. 

    The doctorate's focus on Education and Leadership in Healthcare allows you to develop expertise in transforming organizational culture through concepts such as relationship building, reflection, education, organizational awareness and accountability. 

    No Dissertation Required - The arduous dissertation process has been streamlined into the widely accepted scholarly doctoral practice project, where the student demonstrates effective application of the program’s theories and concepts to address an education or practice issue through translational research.

    Your educational coursework will help prepare you for your Doctoral Scholarly Project. The scholarly project experience allows you to develop a project that aligns with your career passions, and prepares you to be a leader and innovator in healthcare.

    Salaries for healthcare education administrators vary widely in the U.S. and are based on many factors including geography, job description, specialty and experience. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for Postsecondary Education Administrators is $103,960 per year, with an average projected job growth of 3% through 2033.

     

    Is an EdD Right for You?

    A Doctor of Education, or EdD, in Healthcare Education and Leadership is an advanced degree program designed for experienced professionals who are ready to lead and drive change as healthcare educators. Many EdD students bring years of hands-on healthcare experience and a strong desire to move into leadership roles or advance in their current academic positions, sharing common characteristics like:

    • A background in clinical practice or healthcare administration. EdD candidates may be licensed nurses, allied health professionals or administrators seeking to enhance their impact through teaching or leadership.
    • A passion for healthcare education and training. Healthcare EdD students are often involved in mentoring, precepting or training within their organizations and want to build on those skills in formal educational settings.
    • A desire to shape policy or drive organizational change. This program appeals to professionals who wish to shape curriculum development, institutional strategy or workforce initiatives in healthcare education.
    • An interest in bridging practice with research. Students often seek to solve real-world problems in healthcare education through applied research and evidence-based leadership practices.

    Additionally, graduates are well-positioned for a variety of high-impact roles across healthcare and academic environments. Examples of careers that benefit from an EdD include:

    • Academic Program Coordinator – Assist with curriculum planning, student support and program assessment in allied health or nursing programs.
    • Director or Dean of Health Professions Education Programs – Lead and manage academic programs within colleges, universities or healthcare systems.
    • Nurse Educator or Clinical Instructor – Teach in academic settings or guide students and new staff in clinical environments.
    • Staff Development Specialist or Clinical Education Coordinator – Design and deliver continuing education programs within hospitals or healthcare systems.
    • Healthcare Training & Development Manager – Oversee large-scale training initiatives and ensure competency-based education across healthcare organizations.
    • Healthcare Manager or Department Supervisor – Oversee teams while leading staff training and supporting professional growth initiatives.
    • Chief Learning Officer or Education Consultant – Provide strategic guidance on educational practices, policies and workforce development.

    Faculty Within Nursing & Allied Health Programs – Teach at the undergraduate or graduate level, and contribute to academic leadership and curriculum design. Or, in adjunct roles, teach part time while pursuing doctoral-level knowledge in instructional strategies and educational leadership.

    Want to learn more? Watch our most recent Virtual Information Session.

    EdD Online Program Perks

    • No dissertation required. Gain real-world experience through our Doctoral practice project.
    • No Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) required.
    • Complete the program in 24 months with full-time participation, or 36 months with part-time study. 
    • Institutional focus provides expertise to work as leaders in academic and healthcare settings.
    • Rigorous coursework is interdisciplinary.
    • A dedicated writing coach to assist doctoral students in the design, structure, language, and flow of their writing needs.
    • An on-staff statistician is available to assist students in planning and evaluation of their scholarly doctoral project.
    • The Director of Student Counseling who engages our online graduate students with resources to promote health, work-life-school balance, and provides individualized support.
    • Flexible, online format allows you to balance work, school and life.
    • Students participate in two intensive learning sessions over two days on campus during the program.
    • Download the Inquiry Packet for more details

    Accreditation & Licensure

    Nebraska Methodist College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), a regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

    Admissions Information

    Criteria

    In order to be eligible for admission into our online EdD program, you must meet all of the following criteria.

    • Master's degree required, preferably in a healthcare-related field, from a regionally accredited institution.
    • Master's degree GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
    • Admissions essay rubric score.
    • Interview rubric score.
    • Meet State Authorization requirements, if not a Nebraska resident.

    Requirements

    To be considered for admission, the following items must be submitted to the Admissions Office:

    • NMC online application form
    • Official college transcripts from graduating institutions and/or official transcripts containing completed doctoral or in-progress coursework
    • Résumé or curriculum vitae
    • Application essay
    • Select qualified applicants will be invited to participate in a phone interview with two NMC faculty members using a standardized interview process and scoring method
    • Health and safety requirements

    Deadlines

    Application to the Doctor of Education program at Nebraska Methodist College is a competitive process.  In order to be considered, applicants must have all application materials submitted by the posted application deadline.

    Starting Term - Spring 2026

    Standard Deadline - 12/5/2025

    Starting Term - Fall 2025

    Standard Deadline - 7/11/2025

    Costs & Financial Aid

    NMC is committed to helping you find every avenue to finance your education. View the Tuition by Program & Degree page for a comprehensive list of all fees.

    Cost Per Credit Hour

    $850

    Cost of Attendance

    Student Grants or Loans

    Visit our Financial Aid page to learn more about what's available and how to apply.

    Employee Education Benefits

    Employees of Methodist Health System can find details on the MHS Intranet.

    External Scholarships

    Visit our Scholarships page to learn more.

    Nurse Faculty Loan Program

    Aimed at increasing the number of qualified nurse faculty, NFLP loans cover the cost of tuition, fees and books for part-time or full-time enrollment.

    Following completion of the advanced education program, up to 85% of the loan may be cancelled if the borrower works as a full-time nurse faculty for a prescribed period of time.

    Calculate Your Net Price

    Nebraska Methodist College Net Price Calculator.

    Curriculum

    NMC’s EdD online program provides students with access to faculty with years of teaching and clinical experience. Our institutional focus provides the expertise that allows graduates to work as leaders in both academic and healthcare settings. Online students will receive the same support and attention as students who attend courses on campus. 

    All students are required to complete specific coursework. Please use this course list as a curriculum guide only. Course listings and required curriculum are subject to change.

    Read our doctoral program transfer policy to learn more.

    Program Specific

    EDD 700
    PROGRAM ORIENTATION
    DETAILS
    This course provides the doctoral program orientation for Nebraska Methodist College. Emphasis will be placed on program delivery modalities, resource utilization, and scholarly writing. Students must complete this course on campus.

    Prerequisites: Admission to EdD Program.

    Organizational Leadership

    EDD 736
    LEADERSHIP IN ORGANIZATIONS
    DETAILS
    This course focuses on the leadership of complex organizations and the skills and qualities leaders need to guide organizations. Students will delve into principles, concepts and major theories of leadership. Through reflection upon their own leadership styles and behavioral tendencies, students will apply course content to a variety of situations and problems.

    EDD 746
    LEGAL & ETHICAL ISSUES IN ORGANIZATIONS
    DETAILS
    This course examines legal and ethical issues specific to academic and health care organizations. Through analysis of corporate citizenship and accreditation standards, students will be better prepared to ensure businesses operate in an ethical and legal framework.

    EDD 756
    ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE & ACCOUNTABILITY
    DETAILS
    This course introduces strategies for transforming organizations. Students will explore concepts including organizational awareness, relationship building, and issues around accountability in organizational settings. The course explores how to generate creative ideas using mindsets and practices exhibited by successful innovators. Students will develop a good working knowledge of various models, frameworks, and theories that explain how organizational change occurs.

    EDD 786
    ORGANIZATIONAL OUTCOMES & SUSTAINABILITY
    DETAILS
    This course equips students with concepts and strategies necessary to analyze system performance, healthcare outcomes, and evaluate impact. Students will make evidence-based recommendations for interventions based on data. Students will develop skills to design a comprehensive plan for quality improvement and organizational sustainability.

    Education

    EDD 694
    TEACHING, LEARNING, & INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS
    DETAILS
    This course provides the foundation in educational principles for the student. Learning theories and best practices provide the basis for analyzing the concept of learning in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains. Teaching strategies to facilitate student learning in the classroom, clinical, practice, and online environment will be examined. Legal, ethical, and professional faculty responsibilities in higher education are explored.

    EDD 698
    CURRICULUM PLANNING & EVALUATION
    DETAILS
    This course focuses on curriculum planning, design, implementation, and evaluation. The concept of curriculum will be explored at the individual course and program level.  Best practices in education will be incorporated into curriculum design while considering the influence of regulatory and accrediting bodies.

    EDD 812
    INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN HEALTHCARE & EDUCATION
    DETAILS
    This course provides students with a deep understanding of information technology in health care and education. Emerging technology related to health informatics and instructional technology will be explored. Students will develop skills to leverage information technology to transform organizational settings.

    Healthcare Leadership

    EDD 832
    POPULATION HEALTH
    DETAILS

    This course provides the theoretical foundation for role development and skills required to identify health needs at a population level and strategies to improve population outcomes. The course focus is on translational research and the application of evidence-based concepts essential to the advancement of population-based health. Analysis of the impact of social, cultural, and ecological systems across various populations will be emphasized throughout the course.

    Corequisite: EDD 880

    IDS 750
    HEALTHCARE FINANCE
    DETAILS
    This course focuses on the fundamentals of healthcare finance and its relationship to financial and managerial accounting practices. Through examination of the basic foundations of health care finance, students gain practical knowledge and apply financial management theory and principles in facilitating decision-making that promotes the financial well-being of organizations.

    IDS 754
    HEALTHCARE POLICY
    DETAILS
    This course provides the foundation for analyzing the social and political forces that influence healthcare policy decisions. The relationship between health policy, social justice, and practice will be explored. Students will examine current healthcare policy and factors which influence policy development. The healthcare policy making process will be investigated

    Research

    EDD 880
    Doctoral Scholarly Project I
    DETAILS

    This is the first of a four-course series that provides an opportunity for the doctoral student to participate in the completion of a scholarly project. This course will focus on identifying a practice problem and appropriate intervention within a specific population upon which to focus a doctoral scholarly project.

    Prerequisites: SSC 730, SSC 734, IDS 742. Corequisite: EDD 880

    EDD 882
    Doctoral Scholarly Project II
    DETAILS

    This is the second of a four-course series that provides an opportunity for the student to participate in the completion of a scholarly project. The student will incorporate the essentials of scientific writing in the completion of a Doctoral Scholarly Project proposal.

    Prerequisite: EDD 880

    EDD 886
    Doctoral Scholarly Project III
    DETAILS

    This is the third of a four-course series that provides an opportunity for the doctoral student to participate in the completion of a scholarly project. The student will refine, implement, analyze data, and evaluate results of the Doctoral Scholarly Project.

    Prerequisite: EDD 882

    EDD 890
    Doctoral Scholarly Project IV
    DETAILS
    This is the last of a four-course series that provides an opportunity for the doctoral student to participate in the completion of a scholarly project. This course will focus on translation and dissemination of scholarly project findings.

    Prerequisite: EDD 886

    IDS 742
    RESEARCH
    DETAILS
    This course provides an in-depth study of the design and conduct of health care research with emphasis on identifying researchable clinical, educational, and health care delivery problems. Analysis and interpretation of data from qualitative and quantitative research designs will be emphasized. Students will begin to investigate and develop their project question and complete a systematic literature review to support the doctoral scholarly project.

    Prerequisites: Graduate statistics course

    SSC 730
    BIOSTATISTICS
    DETAILS
    This course is designed to prepare the graduate student to understand and apply bio-statistical methods needed in the design and analysis of biomedical and public health investigations. The major topics to be covered include descriptive statistics, probability distributions, sampling distributions, inferences (point estimates and confidence intervals), hypotheses testing (one-sample tests, two-sample tests), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), as well as simple linear regression and multiple regression analysis. The course emphasizes the application of statistical concepts to analyze research for best available evidence to support quality nursing practice. The course also provides students with hands-on experience in using statistical software (SPSS) to assist in making effective decisions.

    Meet the Faculty

    Our EdD faculty are highly experienced and credentialed in their own fields, giving you constant real-world insight you can use. While any instructor can recite from a textbook, ours go a step further and draw from vast personal and professional experiences. Instructors here care as deeply about their students as they do the subject matter and it shows.

    Meet the Faculty

    Additional Information

    Example Plans of Study

    August Start

    January Start

    Online EdD Program Outcomes

    1. Display leadership skills as an effective communicator, collaborator, educator, and change agent.
    2. Demonstrate professional skills to develop and sustain systematic change in health care, academic,
      and community settings.
    3. Navigate emerging information technology in health care, academic, and community settings.
    4. Serve as an active and effective interdisciplinary team member in health care, academic, and
      community settings.

    Testimonials

    "Nebraska Methodist College is one of the nation's best kept secrets. It is the place where you can breathe the rare air of academic excellence with the grace and compassion of the human heart. Since I have been a doctoral student at Nebraska Methodist College, I have endured five unexpected life crises. But the spirit of grace and compassion that I found here as a student has held me tight and kept me warm. This school has been a treasure to find, complete with a world-class faculty and staff that exhibits the consistent thread of grace and compassion with professionalism that I have come to appreciate. I am proud to be a graduate Nebraska Methodist College."

    - Derrick T., 2021 NMC Graduate

    "I don't even know where to begin - I feel so fortunate to have had so many wonderful staff and faculty members help me along my educational journey. From the incredibly helpful staff members in admissions that were there to assist me with registering for classes, to the incredible people in the IT department that got me connected when I was in Mexico because I had an assignment that had to be submitted or even helped me sign back in after I failed to change my password by the required time, to the wonderful lady at the front desk that answered my frantic call after my husband ended up in the hospital and I was going to be late for the required intensive weekend, to the absolutely incredible faculty member who virtually dried my tears when I wanted to give up (you know who you are Dr. Jeannie), to the extremely understanding and patient faculty member that did not give up on me when I just could not figure out my data analysis (that's you Dr. Kindschuh), and lastly to the incredible Dr. Wade whom I admit scared the daylights out of me when interviewing for the cohort (such that I threw up afterwards) - everyone has been amazing! I would be proud to call everyone at NMC a friend for life!"

    - Kimberly S., 2021 NMC Graduate

    Program Handbook

    Doctor of Education Application Essay

    Please develop a thoughtful and organized response to the two questions below. The admissions committee is looking for responses that are not only well supported but that also use appropriate style and grammar.

    Each question response should be approximately 250-400 words using APA format and citations where applicable and will be critiqued using the following criteria: purpose, organization, content, individuality and conventions.

    Instances of plagiarism within an applicant’s personal statement will disqualify them for acceptance to Nebraska Methodist College due to the College’s commitment to academic integrity and stringent plagiarism policies.

    1. Describe your role aspirations and what you expect to derive from your doctoral studies at Nebraska Methodist College.
    2. What impact should graduates of the EdD online program have on the delivery and scope of healthcare in your community and in the United States?

    Be sure to include your name and program on the document itself.

    Please submit your completed Admissions Essay to admissions@methodistcollege.edu.