Ed.D. Programs in Maryland

Earning a Doctor of Education Degree in Maryland

You may want to put a Maryland doctoral program in education on your shortlist. Our school listings contain two highly ranked juggernauts—Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland College Park—and a number of solid schools from the University System of Maryland (USM). Like JHU and UMCP, Salisbury is part of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED). Morgan State, which is a historically black public research university, is another contender.

To get a sense of the landscape, take a look at the curricula and costs in our school listings. This Maryland Ed.D. guide also contains info on online Ed.D. programs, ideas for Ed.D. scholarships & fellowships, and a rundown of administrative certification. Once you’ve decided on an Ed.D. (or three), have a quick glance at our career section. We’ve dug up county-specific data on administrative jobs & salaries and provided links to local job boards. You’ll also find a full listing of educational leadership associations (e.g. MASSP) and ideas for conferences & training opportunities.

Online Doctor of Education Programs in Maryland

Online Ed.D. Providers in Maryland

1. Johns Hopkins University (CAEP-accredited)
2. Morgan State University (CAEP-accredited)

What to Know About Maryland Online Ed.D. Programs

We located two online doctorates of education in Maryland: one private, one public. In the private sphere, it’s Johns Hopkins—a school with a superb reputation for education and an active member of the CPED initiative. JHU’s 90-credit Online Ed.D. comes in three specializations: Entrepreneurial Leadership in Education, Mind, Brain & Teaching, and Urban Leadership. These offerings tend to attract students from around the globe.

The 90-credit number is misleading, since it includes transfer credits for your master’s degree and any post-master’s work. That means you’ll only have to complete 48-54 doctoral credits at JHU. The 3-5-year program contains career-building components: an applied dissertation, short summer residencies, and interdisciplinary coursework. But the honor of having JHU on your résumé also comes with a private university tuition price. See our Funding section for scholarship ideas.

In the public realm, you might consider Morgan State University. It has a 60-credit Online Ed.D. in Community College Leadership that’s aimed at folks who aspire to senior level leadership roles and professorships within a community college setting. Students complete it, on average, in six years.

This online Ed.D. has a lot to recommend it. It’s a cohort-based program that’s been running for many years (always a good sign). It’s available face-to-face or in a 100% online version. The curriculum includes team-based work and an internship or practicum at a community college. And it’s affordable. If you are an in-state resident or can take part in the SREB program (see the terms in our Funding section), you’ll be looking at an achievable budget.

Note: If neither of these options appeal, our overview of online Ed.D. programs contains a listing of online Ed.D.s in every state, plus our rankings of the top Doctor of Education programs.

Doctoral Education Funding in Maryland

Internal Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards

Universities have a habit of hiding their Ed.D. funding in strange places. To save you time, we’ve listed potential opportunities for institutional aid (e.g. internal scholarships, tuition breaks, etc.). You’ll probably need to supplement these sources with external aid (e.g. federal & private loans, tuition reimbursement from work, etc.). The Graduate School and/or the Office of Financial Aid can help you with options.

Bowie State University

BSU has a section on BSU Scholarships, but we didn’t see much beyond the general Graduate scholarship (and you’ll need to check if Ed.D. candidates are considered). However, the university does offer a payment plan. BSU employees (current and retired) and their family members should also take a look at the page on Tuition Remission.

Frostburg State University

FSU has a section on Financial Aid for Grad Students, with details on Scholarship Programs. In particular, take a look at the Dr. Kelly Hall Doctor of Education Scholarship. Graduate Assistantships are only open to master’s students.

Johns Hopkins University

In the Ed.D. FAQs section, JHU states that modest Ed.D. program scholarships are available ($500-$2,000 per semester). You don’t need to apply for these—scholarships are merit-based and are awarded by the Ed.D. Admissions Committee. You’ll find more funding options in the list of School of Education (SOE) Grants & Scholarships—you will need to fill out an application for these. International students are ineligible for both sources. JHU also offers a monthly payment plan.

Morgan State University

The School of Graduate Studies has a comprehensive section on Graduate Aid and Funding, with details on fellowships, assistantships, and the FAFSA. You can also look into MSU’s payment plans.

Are you from out-of-state and interested in the Online Ed.D. in Community College Leadership? Be aware that MSU has an agreement with the SREB. If your state does not have a university offering a comparable online program, a letter can be submitted for in-state tuition.

Salisbury University

The Office of Graduate Studies has sections on Graduate Assistantships and Graduate Scholarship & Fellowship Information. If you’re a resident of a nearby state, check to see if you can apply for the Good Neighbors Graduate Scholarship (i.e. reduced tuition on non-resident rates).

Ed.D. students are also eligible for couple of Salisbury University Scholarships: the modest Diane D. Allen Scholarship and the Audrey C. Christopher Endowment for Education. You may also want to investigate options for Graduate Research Grants.

Towson University

Graduate assistantships and teaching assistantships are available for doctoral students—TU recommends you contact the Ed.D. Program Director for more info. The Office of Graduate Studies has a list of Graduate Fellowships & Scholarships, such as the Terminal Degree Fellowship program. We didn’t see any general doctorate of education scholarships in the Towson University Foundation Scholarships database, but you may find awards that relate to your area of particular interest. TU also has a payment plan.

University of Maryland College Park

UMCP’s Ed.D. is an unusual program—a closed cohort offered in collaboration with local school systems—so traditional financial aid may not be relevant. Talk to the program coordinator about possibilities.

University of Maryland Eastern Shore

The Department of Education has a useful section on Financial Aid and Scholarships (internal & external)—doctoral students can apply for the Graduate Studies Grant Award. The School of Graduate Studies also has advice on Financial Assistance, with details on the Connective Graduate Studies Endowment Scholarship (students in Educational Leadership programs can apply), and USM Tuition Remission. There’s a separate section on Graduate Assistantships. And there’s a payment plan.

Note: If a university name is missing from the list, we didn’t find specific examples of Ed.D. funding beyond private & federal loans and external aid.

School Administrator Certification Requirements in Maryland

Administrative & Supervisory Certification

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) handles certification for public school teachers, administrators, and specialists in public schools. Administrative and supervisory certification areas include:

• Supervisors of Instruction, Assistant Principals, and Principals (i.e. Administrator I & II)
• Superintendent (i.e. Superintendent I & II)
• Library Media Administrator
• Supervisor of Guidance
• Supervisor of School Psychological Services
• Supervisor of Pupil Personnel
• Supervisor of Special Education
• Supervisor of Teachers of Hearing Impaired

Certification requirements for each area can be found in COMAR 13A.12.04​, but we’ve also given you a brief rundown of the first two categories below.

One way to fulfill the education requirement for certification is to complete an MDSE-approved program. If you look at the MDSE’s list of Approved Programs by Certification Areas (i.e. Administration), you’ll notice many of the same names in our school listings. Many prep programs in Maryland take the form of a post-master’s certificate, but a few Ed.D. programs (e.g. Towson and UMES) are designed to meet MDSE certification standards—when in doubt, ask the Ed.D. program coordinator.

Administrator I Certificate

The Administrator I Certificate qualifies an individual to be assigned as a supervisor of instruction or assistant principal. To earn it, you must:

• Hold a master’s degree from an Institution of Higher Education (IHE).
• Have completed 27 months of satisfactory teaching performance on a professional certificate or satisfactory performance as a certified specialist as defined in COMAR 13A.12.03.
• Have completed one of the following preparation pathways:
  • An MSDE-approved program which leads to certification as a supervisor of instruction, assistant principal, or principal that includes the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders.
  • An approved program which leads to certification as a supervisor of instruction, assistant principal, or principal in accordance with the interstate agreement.
  • 18 semester hours of graduate coursework taken at an IHE at the post-baccalaureate level to include a balance of content in certain instructional categories—see COMAR 13A.12.04​.04 for details.

Administrator II Certificate

The Administrator II Certificate qualifies an individual to be assigned as a school principal. To earn it, you must:

• Complete the requirements for Administrator I.
• Present evidence of a qualifying score on the MSDE-approved School Leaders Licensure Assessment from ETS.

COMAR 13A.12.04​.04 has more details for principals who are coming to Maryland from out-of-state, as well as info on special provisions for this certificate.

Superintendent I Certificate

The Superintendent I Certificate qualifies an individual to be assigned as a county deputy superintendent, assistant superintendent, or associate superintendent through either Traditional or Reciprocal Certification. In the traditional way, you must:

• Hold a master’s degree from an Institution of Higher Education (IHE).
• Have completed 27 months of satisfactory teaching performance or satisfactory performance as a certified specialist as defined in COMAR 13A.12.03 in a PreK-12 setting.
• Have completed 24 months of satisfactory administrative or supervisory experience in a PreK-12 setting.
• Have completed one of the following preparation pathways:
  • An MSDE-approved program which leads to certification as a superintendent.
  • A program offered by an IHE leading to certification as a superintendent in the state in which the institution is located.
  • 45 semester hours of graduate coursework, including a minimum of 15 semester hours in education administration taken at an IHE.

COMAR 13A.12.04​.03 has more details on requirements for Reciprocal Certification for out-of-state candidates.

Superintendent II Certificate

The Superintendent II Certificate qualifies an individual to be a county superintendent through either Traditional or Reciprocal Certification. To earn the traditional certificate, you must meet almost the same requirements for the Superintendent I Certificate.

However, in the educator preparation pathway, the MDSE will want to see that you’ve tackled coursework covering public school administration, supervision, and methods of teaching. For the last preparation pathway, it also expects you to have 60 semester hours of graduate coursework—including a minimum of 24 semester hours in education administration.

COMAR 13A.12.04​.03 has more details on the prep pathways and requirements for Reciprocal Certification for out-of-state candidates.

Educational Leadership Jobs in Maryland

Educational Leadership Career Outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks employment & salary data for elementary & secondary school education administrators and postsecondary education administrators across the U.S. Maryland is looking good. It employs a respectable number of K-12 administrators, especially for a small state. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV and Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metropolitan areas are predictable job hotspots.

You can dig deeper into these numbers by visiting the MSDE’s Division of Assessment, Accountability, and Information Technology, which publishes Maryland Public Schools Report Cards. We particularly recommend the section on Staff Publications. Here you can view professional staff categories (e.g. superintendents) in each Maryland county/agency by type of degree and years of experience. There are also data on total employment numbers of each category. For example, Baltimore is a strong employer of K-12 directors, coordinators & supervisors.

State data for Maryland postsecondary education administrators aren’t always available, though the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metropolitan area continues to be popular. So you may wish to consult the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC)’s Annual Data Book, which encompasses all of Maryland’s public postsecondary institutions. Check out the section on Full-Time & Part-Time Staff to view actual employment numbers (UMCP is the clear winner.)

Educational Leadership Salaries

You’ll find mean wage data for all kinds of Maryland educational administrators in the BLS’s section on State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates for Maryland. Salaries for elementary & secondary school education administrators are particularly strong—the state is often in the top wage bracket, along with its neighbor, Delaware. Better yet, the MSDE’s section on Staff Publications has up-to-date salary schedules for public school professionals, with stats on superintendents, CFOs, directors, and more.

The wage story for postsecondary education administrators is similarly rosy. You’ll frequently see Maryland among the top paying states in the country, along with New Jersey and Delaware. The MHEC’s Annual Data Book doesn’t publish salaries for staff at Maryland public colleges & universities, but it does list average salaries of full-time faculty. Large UM institutions are usually the highest payers (e.g. UMCP and UMB). The Baltimore Sun Media also keeps track of university wages in the Public Salaries Archive. You can search by name or institution, but not by title.

Educational Leadership Job Boards

Large job sites (e.g. HigherEdJobs, SchoolSpring, LinkedIn, TopSchoolJobs, etc.) will have postings for educational administrative positions in Maryland. But we also wanted to highlight a few state resources.

• ASBO MD&DC posts current Job Opportunities for business officials, as well as links to HR departments in Maryland counties.
• MABE advertises current Maryland Superintendent Vacancies; PSSAM has a similar section on Career Opportunities for superintendents, interim superintendents, etc.
• Each Maryland county (e.g. Harford County Public Schools) will have job postings under its Careers or Human Resources section. The MDSE has links to all Local Education Agencies (i.e. counties).
• USM provides links to USM Institutions’ Offices of Human Resources (i.e. job openings in many of Maryland’s public universities).

Educational Leadership Organizations in Maryland

Educational Leadership Associations

• Association of School Business Officials of Maryland and the District of Columbia (ASBO-MD&DC): ASBO-MD&DC is a professional organization which provides programs and services to Maryland school business officials.
• Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE): MABE is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to serving and supporting boards of education in Maryland. All 24 Maryland boards of education are members of MABE.
• Maryland Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (MACTE): MACTE is a voluntary state association composed of higher education institutions and related organizations involved in educator preparation programs.
• Maryland Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development (Maryland ASCD): Maryland ASCD is a state affiliate of ASCD. Members include school system administrators, teachers, college & university faculty, and others.
• Maryland Association of Elementary School Principals (MAESP): MAESP is a professional association that offers service, support, and advocacy for Maryland’s elementary school leaders. It has ~900 members and it’s a state affiliate of NAESP.
• Maryland Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP): MASSP is a state affiliate of NASSP. Membership is open to middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and other school administrators—building, district, and state.
• Maryland College Personnel Association (MCPA): MCPA is a state division of the ACPA. It serves and represents student personnel professionals at colleges and universities across the state of Maryland.
• Maryland State Education Association (MSEA): MSEA is the state’s teacher union and a state affiliate of the NEA. It has ~74,000 members, including teachers, administrators, higher education faculty, certificated specialists, and more.
• Public School Superintendent’s Association of Maryland (PSSAM): PSSAM membership is made up of the 24 school superintendents representing each of the local agencies in the State of Maryland.​

Educational Leadership Professional Groups

• Council of Educational, Administrative and Supervisory Organizations of Maryland (CEASOM): CEASOM is an umbrella organization comprised of seventeen organizations involved in the areas of educational administration and supervision, teacher preparation, facilities management and support, and professional development. Check out the Scholarships section.

Note: State and national educator organizations often have funds available for continuing education (e.g. Ed.D.). Check the website and ask about opportunities.

Educational Leadership Events in Maryland

Educational Leadership Conferences

• ASBO-MD&DC Annual Fall Conference: This boutique one-day conference for school business officials typically focuses on a relevant theme. It’s held in November.
• ASBO-MD&DC Annual Spring Conference: This four-day event for Maryland school business officials usually takes place in May.
• Common Ground Maryland: This popular professional development event in May is the brainchild of CEASOM, in collaboration with professional organizations in Maryland and the MSDE. It attracts ~1,200 educational leaders.
• MABE Annual Conference: MABE’s flagship event in October attracts around 150 school board members and other educational leaders from across the state.
• MAESP Annual Conference: This three-day conference for elementary school administrators and school leaders usually occurs in March.
• MASSP Spring Conference: MASSP organizes a three-day event for middle & secondary school administrators in late March.
• MCPA Conferences: MCPA hosts two events—a Fall Conference, which happens in October, and an Administrative Professionals Conference, which occurs in April.

Educational Leadership Training

• ASBO MD&DC Professional Development: Maryland school business officials and staff can investigate ASBO’s Allen Gaddis Leadership Academy, foundations courses, certification program, webinars, and more.
• MABE Professional Development: MABE’s programs are designed for new & veteran board members, but programs like the Legal Services Seminars have wider applications.
• MSDE Office of Leadership Development & School Improvement: This Maryland Department of Education Office runs the Leading for School Improvement Institute, Promising Principals’ Academy, and Leadership Presentations.