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Doctor of Education in Transformational Leadership

A New Kind of Leadership Journey

For too long, leadership has meant following the map. Someone draws the lines. Someone else gives the orders. The job is to stay on course, manage the system, and keep the machinery running.

But the map is fading. The ink has bled. The systems we once trusted in education, in organizations, in communities are crumbling under their own weight.

The world no longer rewards those who follow directions. It needs those willing to step off the map. To walk into the unknown. To lead with imagination, empathy, and courage when there are no signs to follow.

This is the frontier of transformational leadership.

It’s not a place for the cautious. It’s a call to those who feel that restless pulse inside. The voice that whispers, we can do better than this. The changemaker.

In the Ed.D. in Transformational Leadership program, you won’t be told what leadership is. You’ll uncover what it can become in your own learning context—K12, higher education or workplace learning. You’ll break the old hierarchies, the ones built on control and compliance, and you’ll reimagine systems that actually serve people, not process.

You’ll experiment. You’ll reflect. You’ll co-create with others who believe that leadership starts with awareness, not authority. You’ll learn to see what others miss. To sense the future before it arrives. To turn disruption into direction. You’ll become the kind of leader who helps others navigate chaos with clarity.

This isn’t just a degree. It’s a declaration of intent. It’s about stepping off the map and becoming the compass that sets the direction.

Welcome to the work of your lifetime.

At a Glance

What Sets Us Apart

Everything we do and create mirrors the bigger, better world we aspire to design.

While traditional programs may position you as passive recipients of knowledge, here at ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ you’re expected to be a changemaker. We promote a culture of exploration, inquiry, and transformation, ensuring you don’t just adapt to the educational field, but actively change and shape it.

Our learning experiences are co-directed with you. This democratized approach guarantees all members, regardless of your role, have an active say in the direction and focus of our cohort learning journey – truly embodying the spirit of deep democracy.

This scholarly endeavor is focused on a complex problem of practice with the potential to result in improved understanding, experience, and outcomes in your professional practice. The work begins as you identify an education-related problem and its organizational and historical context. Using theory and evidence to ask the most relevant questions, you will identify opportunities for change, research potential solutions, and develop recommendations to address the problem of practice. The dissertation of practice is grounded in action research, allowing you to engage in numerous iterative cycles of inquiry, interventions, data gathering, and analysis to best address the problem of practice.

ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½â€™s Ed.D in Transformational Leadership program offers dynamic residency experiences, going beyond classroom-based instruction or purely virtual methods. You will embark on 10-day summer residencies each year, allowing you to benefit from hands-on experiences in the historical surroundings of Bethlehem; direct, contextual engagements; and the opportunity to foster deeper connections.

Like a fractal, a complex structure where each part mirrors the whole at any magnification, our cohort learning is a living embodiment of our aspirations for a transformed world and educational system. We don’t just teach transformational principals – we live them. Through our immersive experiences, and as a graduate of our program, you will carry forward an authentic, practiced vision into your current and future leadership roles.

It’s not enough to focus on grappling with current problems. We at ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ extend our sights toward future, restorative possibilities to ensure you are always geared toward constructive, forward-thinking solutions that reimagine the educational landscape.

Curriculum

Our Ed.D. degree in Transformational Leadership is a 56-credit, 26-month program that kicks off each year with a 10-day summer residency on the ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ campus in the heart of historic Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The final summer residency will provide learners the opportunity to showcase their dissertation of practice.  

Fast Facts

  1. You will be a valuable member of a cohort of 15 learners with diverse backgrounds and experiences, providing you with a strong sense of community. Classes will be offered at night and on select weekend days.
  2. Many Doctor of Education programs require 60 credits and 36 months to complete your degree. Here at ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½, we provide an intensive 56 credit, 26-month course to fit your lifestyle and needs.
  3. Potential outcomes and careers after completion include superintendents and other central office roles, principals for public schools PK-12, teacher leaders, and chief learning officers in non-profit and corporate learning environments.

Term 1 Summer
EDD 800 Becoming a Transformational Leader: The Building Blocks (6 credits)
   
Term 2 Fall
EDD 801 Becoming an Objector (4 credits)
EDD 802 Transforming the Dissertation Process (4 credits) 
   
Term 3 Winter
EDD 803 Reflecting on Myself as a Transformational Leader (2 credits)
   
Term 4  Spring
EDD 804 Becoming an Inventor (4 credits)
EDD 805 Understanding Action Research Traditions (4 credits)

Term 5 Summer
EDD 806 Becoming a Curator (4 credits)
EDD 807 Establishing my Dissertation of Practice Plan (4 credits)
   
Term 6 Fall
EDD 808 Becoming a Storyteller (4 credits)
EDD 809 Implementing my Dissertation of Practice Plan (4 credits)
   
Term 7 Winter
EDD 810 Reflecting on My Transformational Journey (2 credits)
   
Term 8 Spring
EDD 811 Becoming a Stronger Practitioner/Researcher (4 credits)
EDD 812 Concluding my Dissertation of Practice Plan (4 credits)

Term 9 Summer
EDD 813 Sharing our Story: Transforming Ourselves, Our Practice and Our Communities (6 credits)

Program Costs

Tuition for our 56-credit program is $55,832. Here’s how we break it down.

  • $997 per credit
  • Four-credit content course is $3,988
  • First year tuition is 24 credits or $23,928

No transfer credits are accepted. 

July 2026 Residency
Dates: July 10-19, 2026
Residential fees: TBD (includes single-room accommodations, meals, and activities)
Commuting fees: TBD (includes meals and activities)

Admissions Process

Rolling Admissions - Accepting applications now through April 1
Notification of Acceptance: Rolling until the cohort is full

Admissions Requirements

  • You must hold employment or be engaged with an educational community as part of your practice.
  • Have a Master's Degree in education or a related field with a minimum 3.0 GPA.
  • Complete the online application.
  • Complete a statement (approximately 200 words per answer) including the following:
    Your responses will be utilized during the first term in Summer 2026
    • Describe yourself as a learner and a leader, including gifts and assets you will bring to our cohort learning community.
    • Describe your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and how your commitment will contribute to the growth of our cohort learning community.
    • What are you most curious about? What questions are in the forefront of your mind these days?
    • Why a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) and what excites you about the ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Program?
    • Describe your current educational community/learning environment. How are the values of that environment aligned and misaligned with your own? What do you want to do to build greater alignment?
  • Submit a current resume or CV.
  • Submit two letters of recommendation.

Mission

Built on ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½â€™s mission to prepare individuals for a reflective life, fulfilling careers, and transformative leadership in a world of change, our new Doctor of Education degree in Transformational Leadership encourages scholar-practitioners to bridge current contexts with a future of equitable educational systems.

Equity Statement

In ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½â€™s Ed.D. program, we are deeply committed to advancing educational equity. We recognize the diverse nature of learners, leaders, and contexts, and we prioritize human-centered, inclusive approaches that uplift every voice. We embrace the unique assets each member brings to the table, actively dismantling barriers while co-creating opportunities for all. Our vision of transformation is rooted in fairness, collaboration, and a profound belief that equitable education is not just an aspiration but an achievable reality. 

Ziegenfuss

Learn More

For more information on our Doctor of Education Degree in Transformational Leadership please contact:

Dr. Randy Ziegenfuss
Professor of Practice
ziegenfussr@moravian.edu