Doctor of Education
EdD
Duration
4–6 years
Entry times
1 March
Fees Estimate
Scholarships
Download Brochure
Duration
4–6 years
Entry times
1 March
Fees Estimate
Scholarships
Download Brochure
Overview
The Doctor of Education is a specialised doctorate designed for professionals in education and related fields. Built on a cohort model of inquiry, the Doctor of Education provides a structured, supportive, rigorous approach to doctoral study.
The Doctor of Education builds leadership and commitment, fosters scholarly excellence, and allows candidates to connect educational research with questions of professional practice.
Doctor of Education graduates will:
- Meet high international standards in the quality of their scholarly work
- Adopt an investigative, probing, open-minded, reflective, dialogical stance in addressing scholarly and professional problems
- Draw on insights from their studies in seeking to make a worthwhile difference in the lives of others
- Be able to link, in a coherent and rigorous manner, theory and research to questions of professional practice
- Be adept at presenting their work in conferences and seminars, and in publishing their findings
- Value the process of peer review in advancing scholarly and professional understanding
- Be willing and able to demonstrate leadership in their domains of professional endeavour
- Have a strong sense of global awareness and participate actively in wider scholarly and professional communities.
Every student, before enrolling for the degree, must be approved by the Amo Rangahau | Dean of Postgraduate Research (or delegate) as having adequate qualifications, experience, and ability to pursue the proposed course.
You must have either:
- an Aotearoa New Zealand bachelor’s degree with First or Second Class Honours; or
- a master’s degree with Distinction or Merit; or
- an approved qualification of equivalent standing.
You will normally need to have a minimum of five years’ experience in a relevant professional role. Most students usually continue to work in a relevant professional role while completing Part I of the degree.
In special circumstances, the Amo Rangahau | Dean of Postgraduate Research may approve the enrolment of a graduate who does not hold one of the qualifications above, but who has produced satisfactory evidence of adequate research experience, training, and ability to pursue the degree.
If English is your additional language, you are also required to meet UC's English language requirements.
For the full entry requirements, see the Regulations for the Doctor of Education or use the admission requirements checker.
How to apply
Find out more about how to apply for PhD and Doctoral degrees.
The EdD contains two parts:
- Part I – a research portfolio (120 points)
- Part II – a thesis (240 points)
This qualification tends to take between 4–5 years to complete, as a mixture of part and full-time study (or part-time only for up to 6 years). Part I can only be completed part-time over 2 years.
EdD students start as a group on 1 March.
See Tuition Fee Structure for more information
| Year | Points | Info | Fees (NZD) |
| 2023 | 120 | Annual fee based on 120 points per year | $7,419 |
| 2022 | 120 | Annual fee based on 120 points per year | $7,220 |
| Year | Points | Info | Fees (NZD) |
Contact us
For full requirements, see the Regulations for the Doctor of Education.
For study planning help, contact the Dean of Postgraduate Research or the Postgraduate Office:
Postgraduate Office
Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch 8140
New Zealand
Phone +64 3 369 2244
Email postgraduate-office@canterbury.ac.nz