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School of Education at UW Tacoma Land Acknowledgment
The School of Education community here at UW Tacoma acknowledges that we learn, live, reflect, and teach on the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish people. As our campus is specifically situated on the traditional homeland of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, we will make intentional efforts to create inclusive and respectful partnerships that honor Indigenous cultures, histories, identities, and sociopolitical realities.
The Ed.D. Program's admission cycle for summer 2023 is now closed. The online application for summer 2026 opens in April 2025.
The South Puget Sound region continues to be shaped and impacted by ongoing and historic oppressions, including Indigenous displacement and resource extraction, anti-Black violences, and anti-community of color policies and practices. While seemingly every institution has diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, the continuation of settler-colonialism reinforces, structures, and attempts to justify stark inequities. Community leaders, educators, and advocates have always tasked ourselves with disrupting and dismantling these systems of oppression.
In the 21st century, such efforts to disrupt and dismantle require investments in self- and community-healing, community grounded approaches, centering ancestral knowledges, Black and Indigenous-centric theories, and a commitment to praxis (or a linking of critical reflection and action). Towards the goal of preparing leaders to sustain healing approaches to familial, local, regional, and global traumas, UWT's Ed.D. aims to cultivate leaders who incorporate de-colonial, social justice, and anti-racist approaches to imagine and build educational structures and systems.
The Doctoral Program (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership welcomes educators, leaders, community members, advocates and those committed to systemic and societal transformation to strengthen commitment, approaches, and communities through theory, praxis, and reflection with the Ed.D. practice doctorate degree.
Program Design
This is a three-year, 123-credit cohort-based program. For those who wish to earn the P-12 Superintendent or Program Administrator Certificate, six additional credits are required in order to meet all state competencies; therefore, 129 credits will be required. Courses are offered two full days, Fridays and Saturdays (for education/community-focused leadership) or Saturday and Sundays (for tribal/indigenous-focused leadership), approximately once per month, 12 months out of the year (four quarters). Students will participate electronically in critical discussions and community connected work throughout the month, in addition to monthly class sessions. On the tab labeled 'Courses' a drop-down menu appears. Select 'Course Scheduling' to review the face-to-face class calendar for the current cohort. On the tab labeled 'Muckleshoot Cohort' a drop-down menu appears. Select 'Course Schedule' to review the face-to-face class calendar for the current cohort.
Ed.D. Values and Student Learning Goals
The Ed.D. program aims to prepare and strengthen educator and community leadership through community grounded approaches, ancestral knowledge, relational learning, disrupting and dismantling systemic oppression and foster healing. Learn more by visiting our Ed.D. Values and Student Learning Goals page.
Interdisciplinary Learning
The Ed.D. program is designed for interdisciplinary learning in the field of educational, community, and Tribal/Indigenous leadership. Students work collaboratively in leadership-focused courses on systemic change, anti-racism, and instructional leadership. Students can benefit from cross-disciplinary, cross-profession scholarly discussions, and choose discipline-specific study areas.
