Leadership and Policy Studies, Doctorate of Education

Judson’s campus sits on the banks of the Fox River in Elgin, a suburban town a short drive from Chicago. Students can explore a riverside setting while staying close to the museums, galleries, design studios, and other opportunities of the Chicago area. Campus life includes residence halls, 22 intercollegiate sports teams competing in the NAIA, chapel, Bible studies, prayer meetings, and university-sponsored events. Individual visits and a virtual tour provide ways to explore the campus, facilities, and dorms.

Academic life follows a liberal arts tradition within Judson’s evangelical Christian mission and Baptist heritage. More than 60 programs span architecture and interior design, art, biblical and Christian ministries, business, communication, computer science, criminal justice, education, exercise and sport science, mathematics and science, music, psychology, and social services. Architecture includes a one-year preceptorship, while programs in art, photography, chemistry, biology, accounting, and computer science combine professional preparation with small classes and faculty attention. Study options include undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, certificate, main-campus, Rockford-campus, and online formats.

International students join a community that includes learners from 28 countries and is predominantly, though not exclusively, Christian. Judson’s mission places faith, personal relationships, work, citizenship, and lifelong learning at the center of the educational experience. A 10:1 student-faculty ratio and 76% of classes enrolling fewer than 20 students support close academic contact. Financial aid is available through scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study positions, and more than 99% of students receive assistance.

This Doctor of Education program focuses on leadership and policy studies, preparing educators and administrators for advanced roles in the educational profession. It emphasizes integrated dissertation support, authentic benchmark assessments, and instruction by literacy experts. Classes are held one night a week and one Saturday a month during the school year.

Focus areas include Literacy/Leadership.

The program requires 73 total credit hours, distributed across anchor courses, a major pathway, dissertation writing workshops, and a final dissertation, alongside four doctoral benchmarks.

Graduates are prepared to contribute as writers, speakers, teachers/administrators, and researchers.

A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.35 is required, with no grade lower than C accepted. A maximum of 12 credit hours may be transferred into the program.

The programme totals about 73 credit hours. Classes are held one night a week and one Saturday a month during the school year, with summer calendars varying. The program is designed to be completed in four years. For international students, tuition is below the median for US programmes. The institution admits about 63% of applicants.