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[msmommy]

Autie13 - don't let misinformation sway you from your goal or misconstruded information detract from what a EdD is versus a PhD.  It really does depend on your goals.

I'm 33yrs old, mom of 4, former high school teacher looking at completing my Masters in Ed Community College teaching.  I'm passionate about education.  I don't want an administrative position ever, I don't think.  I might like to do something in the political arena someday and I have yet to make any decisions toward EdD or PhD.  If I move into politics, I don't see either making any difference - if I'm fighting for education with a doctorate that states I'm a professional educator, I can't go wrong IMO.  If you have either doctorate teaching, you are still called Dr. so and so or Professor so and so by your students.

Some think a Masters in Ed and a goal to teach Community College is not worthy of acedemic discussion, another board is all about the BIG Top schools and teaching at the university level at a top school and you'll never amount to anything unless you follow their plans - yeah, right.  I define me as a person and if I choose to make a name for myself as the best instructor to have XYZ1 CC then I've exceeded my goal.  Students at CC are just as worthy of having outstanding instructors as student's at big universities.

Even in the private sector, businesses hire educators to come in and do training courses.  The PhD or EdD after your name would not make a difference in this situation.  Actually, there are Master programs designed to this end.

If your current teaching position is soon to be over, have you considered moving into community college teaching?  You would not incur more debt with more education, by moving over to a community college. 

I'm your age and have no educational debt, we've done the pay as you go.  I've had some scholarships along the way.  My masters will be done part time, pay as I go.  As will any work done toward a doctorate.

[nomad]

I am in the evaluation field. The applied research nature of my EdD is perfect for me and for my career aspirations.

jclift,

I read this response and your similar response in another post. I was surprised to hear that you are in evaluation and getting an EdD. I assumed that for a field with a lot of analysis you would need the PhD. The majority of programs that offer a EdD tend to require fewer stats. The PhD students tend to take 4-5 courses in quantitative analysis. This is why I choose the PhD, specifically because of the stats and specifically because I am aiming for a career in research and evaluation. I was actually advised by individuals at several EdD programs that I should not apply if I wanted to focus specifically on research.

I am just curious (jclift or anyone else) how many stats courses does your EdD or PhD in ed require/offer. Mine offers 4 in quant and several in qualitative as well. The EdD programs I looked at offered only 2 and I looked at several different programs.

Of course there are EdD programs that offer/require far more stats then many other PhD programs. Harvard's EdD (they don't have a PhD) requires 5 research courses.
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/academics/doctorate/curriculum/index.html

[jonesey]

I am just curious (jclift or anyone else) how many stats courses does your EdD or PhD in ed require/offer.

One quantitative and one qualitative in my Ed.D program.

Students are also required to take one action research and one program evaluation course, but those aren't as stat heavy as the first two.

 

[autie13]

The EdD program I was looking at had 4 grad level stats courses.

[jclift]

Nomad,

My EdD required statistics; program evaluation & policy analysis; research design and methods; and measurement, testing, and assessment. I know there is more stat courses and evaluation courses that I need to take to be a well-rounded evaluator.

I am very new at evaluation. I really didn't think too much of the field until I started the EdD and had to take program evaluation. In my job, I was doing a lot of goal-oriented evaluation (quite honestly, without knowing too much about it as a field of research). For my dissertation, I evaluated how a health clinic implemented a health intervention on a target community and (because the program is education based) had to do an education curriculum to close the gap I identified in my mixed-methods research. I applied to Claremont Graduate University for their program evaluation certificate. Wish me luck!

I am in the evaluation field. The applied research nature of my EdD is perfect for me and for my career aspirations.

jclift,

I read this response and your similar response in another post. I was surprised to hear that you are in evaluation and getting an EdD. I assumed that for a field with a lot of analysis you would need the PhD. The majority of programs that offer a EdD tend to require fewer stats. The PhD students tend to take 4-5 courses in quantitative analysis. This is why I choose the PhD, specifically because of the stats and specifically because I am aiming for a career in research and evaluation. I was actually advised by individuals at several EdD programs that I should not apply if I wanted to focus specifically on research.

I am just curious (jclift or anyone else) how many stats courses does your EdD or PhD in ed require/offer. Mine offers 4 in quant and several in qualitative as well. The EdD programs I looked at offered only 2 and I looked at several different programs.

Of course there are EdD programs that offer/require far more stats then many other PhD programs. Harvard's EdD (they don't have a PhD) requires 5 research courses.
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/academics/doctorate/curriculum/index.html

[msmommy]

It depends on what you want to do -- take a look at these Professor's educational degrees at UMASS

http://umb.edu/academics/departments/gce/programs/curriculum_instruction/faculty.html

There should be no shame in an EdD

[neutralname]

I'm not sure what a particular list of faculty at a Graduate College of Education is meant to prove.  I'm sure that many people with EdD degrees are excellent scholars, and that they get hired by good schools.  Good schools also grant the degree. 

All that is independent of the reasons for concern about the degree that some have expressed.