Ed.D. Programs in Wisconsin

Earning a Doctor of Education Degree in Wisconsin

Thanks to UW System schools and a few solid offerings from private universities, Wisconsin is a boom state for doctoral programs in education, including online Ed.D. degrees and programs that lead to superintendent/district administrator licensure. You’ll find them all in our school listings, along with links to curricula and costs.

In a nutshell, UW Schools of Education tend to play to their strengths—each Ed.D. has a unique take on the subject. Some are even willing to cross-pollinate, allowing Ed.D. students to take electives from different UW schools. Private university doctorates are a little less varied, but still include plenty of foci. One simple way to make a decision is to see what doctoral funding is available.

Once you have a degree or two in mind, have a quick skim through our educational leadership career section. We’ve pulled out state-specific data on Wisconsin administrative jobs & salaries and provided links to local job boards. You can decide which PreK-20 leadership associations have the best member benefits and plan your calendar of conferences & training programs.

Online Doctor of Education Programs in Wisconsin

Online Ed.D. Providers in Wisconsin

1. Concordia University Wisconsin
2. Edgewood College
3. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
4. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

What to Know About Wisconsin Online Ed.D. Programs

Your choices for Wisconsin online doctorates in education fall into two broad categories: public UW schools with one-of-a-kind degrees and private religious universities that offer leadership programs (Edgewood is Dominican and CUW is Lutheran). UW online tuition rates are the lowest, and the same for in-state and out-of-state students.

However, your options don’t necessarily stop with the four we’ve discussed below. There are some hybrid options out there, including UW Stout’s Ed.D. in Career and Technical Education and UW Oshkosh’s Ed.D. in Superintendent Licensure. You’ll need to be on campus for some evenings and weekends, but you can still take a good chunk of the coursework online.

Note: Our overview of online doctoral programs in education contains a listing of online Ed.D. degrees in every single state.

Online Ed.D. Programs at Public Wisconsin Universities

UW La Crosses’s 54-credit Online Ed.D. in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education is customized for, yep, current professionals in student affairs and higher education. Folks who are aiming to climb the ranks to dean, director, VP, or Vice Chancellor might want to give it a look.

It’s a cohort-based, three-year program that’s 100% online—there’s no residency requirement. We also like the fact that a) transfers are available for previous doctoral credits; b) there’s funding available for online students; c) in-state and out-of-state tuition is the same; and d) you can choose electives from other UW doctoral programs.

You’ll see the same online tuition rate being offered in UW Stevens Point’s 54-credit Online Ed.D. in Educational Sustainability. As the title would suggest, this offering draws on work being done by the School of Education and the university’s Office of Sustainability. And because it’s interdisciplinary, you don’t need a graduate degree in education to apply.

A few more things to note. This is a cohort-based, three-year program that tackles subjects such as systems thinking, ecological thought, ethical action, and diversity & social justice. It also includes annual four-day residencies and one course with place-based field studies, so budget for travel. The best way to evaluate it may be to read the student bios.

Online Ed.D. Programs at Private Wisconsin Universities

If you’re considering UW La Crosse, you could compare it to Edgewood’s 54-credit Online Ed.D. in Educational Leadership – Higher Education and Leadership Studies. This 3-4 year doctorate is also 100% online, with optional residencies. And credit transfers for graduate work are available.

Edgewood’s program & curriculum feel slightly broader than UW La Crosse—it welcomes professionals in higher education, educational agency, and corporate education environments. But the online tuition rate is also more expensive than Wisconsin public options, by a fair amount.

Another distance learning option for educational leaders is Concordia University Wisconsin’s 60-credit Online Doctorate of Education in Leadership in Innovation and Continuous Improvement (LICI). This is designed for administrators & innovators in any field (e.g. education, health professions, business, etc.).

CUW is a Lutheran University, so this Ed.D. is inspired by a Christian worldview. It’s a cohort-based program with 8-week courses in leadership, research, and improvement science & innovation and work on community impact & contributions. There are also two mandatory four-day residencies. Per credit tuition is more than UW, but it’s not excessive. Just bear in mind that it’s 60 credits.

Doctoral Education Funding in Wisconsin

Internal Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards

For this section, we chose to focus on institutional aid for the doctorate in education (e.g. internal scholarships). The Office of Financial Aid and the Graduate School can provide assistance on external aid (e.g. federal loans). Anyone eyeing a UW program will be pleased to hear that a number of member institutions have a fair amount of funding on tap for Ed.D. students.

Concordia University Wisconsin

CUW has a section on Graduate Financial Aid. The university offers small Uncommon Scholarships to adult and post-traditional learners, including employees of corporate and academic partners, Concordia alumni, and employees of qualifying Christian schools and churches.

Edgewood College

Edgewood has a section on Graduate Tuition & Financial Aid, but it’s primarily info about loans (Ed.D. students are eligible for Federal Stafford loans). However, the college does offer employer reimbursement & monthly payment plans.

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

UW Green Bay has a Phuture Phoenix Scholar Award that provides a discounted tuition rate to qualified non-resident graduate students, including Midwest Student Exchange students. Graduate Studies Grants for research & travel are also available.

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

The Ed.D. in Student Affairs Administration & Leadership (SAAL) website has a section devoted to advice on Financial Support for the doctorate. UW La Crosse offers:

• SAA Need-Based Scholarships to incoming Ed.D. students (they’re modest awards).
• SAA Need-Based Grants to continuing Ed.D. students (also modest awards).
• Advanced Opportunity Program (AOP) Grants to Wisconsin-resident graduate students who are African American, American Indian, Latinx, or Southeast Asian. Online students can apply, but check to see if the Ed.D. qualifies.
• UWL Employee Educational Assistance Program to employees in at least .50 FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) positions.

Most UWL Foundation Scholarships are off-limits to doctoral students, but you may want to check if you can apply for the Tom Macgillivray Student Affairs Administration Scholarship.

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Start with the Office of Graduate Studies and its section on Financial Aid for Graduate Students, with details on Graduate Grants and Graduate Scholarships. According to the fine print, graduate students seeking a second graduate degree, or a post-master’s degree emphasis, are not eligible for UW Oshkosh’s AOP grant.

The Office of Financial Aid also provides a general section for Graduate Students. You can use the UW Oshkosh Scholarship database to search for relevant awards, but we didn’t see any that were specifically for the Ed.D.

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

The Ed.D. in Educational Sustainability website has a section devoted to Funding Your Education. A limited number of Graduate Assistant (GA) positions may be available. Full- and part-time graduate students, residents and non-residents, can apply for the Advanced Opportunity Program (AOP) Fellowship. You can also consider the Oscar Neale Fellowship.

University of Wisconsin-Stout

The Office of Financial Aid has some general info on Types of Financial Aid. Since UW Stout’s Ed.D. in Career & Technical Education is in a hybrid and executive format, graduate assistantships may not be relevant. But have a look at the list of Graduate Scholarships. There is at least one that’s specific to the Ed.D.—the Dr. Carol T. Mooney Onward! Doctoral Scholarship.

In addition, UW Stout is a member institution of the University Council for Workforce and Human Resource Education (UCWHRE), which offers dissertation awards and doctoral travel grants.

Viterbo University

The Ed.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision website has a section on Cost and Financial Aid. Doctoral students are eligible for federal financial aid; you can also look into Graduate Student Work Opportunities. However, extended learning and/or graduate students are not eligible for Viterbo scholarships.

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 Administration Licensure Requirements in Wisconsin

Administrator Licenses

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) handles administrator licenses for educators in Wisconsin public schools. Adminstrative licenses are available in a number of fields, including:

• Principal
• Superintendent/District Administrator
• Director of Instruction
• Director of Special Education and Pupil Services
• School Business Administrator
• Reading Specialist
• Instruction Program Coordinator (in multiple categories)
• Non-Instructional Program Coordinator (in multiple categories)

We’ve provided a brief rundown of requirements for principal and district administrator/superintendent licenses below, but the DPI has more detailed info in its section on Seeking an Administrator License. Requirements are also listed in the Wisconsin Administrative Code (Chapter PI3: Licenses).

Wondering what degree to earn? DPI maintains a database of state-approved educator preparation programs. In addition, eduCATE-WI: WiscAd is a state-approved alternative program for licensure. You only need a specialist degree to qualify for superintendent/district administrator licensure, but there are Ed.D. programs in our school listings that lead to it:

• UW-Oshkosh has an Ed.D. in Superintendent Licensure.
• At Edgewood College, you can take the Superintendent/ District Leadership Licensure Program and then complete the Doctoral Completion Program to earn the Ed.D. in K-12 Educational Leadership.

Note: Coming from another state? Consult the DPI’s section for Out-of-State Applicants.

Principal License

To earn the Principal License in Wisconsin, you must:

• Hold a master’s degree or the equivalent.
• Complete a state-approved educator preparation program in principalship.
• Be eligible to hold a valid teaching or pupil services license at the Provisional Educator level.
• Have completed six semesters of full-time teaching experience or pupil services experience with at least 540 hours of classroom teaching experience.

Superintendent/District Administrator License

To earn the Superintendent/District Administrator License in Wisconsin, you must:

• Hold an education specialist or doctorate degree.
• Hold a Principal License.
• Complete a state-approved educator preparation program in district administration/superintendency.
• Be eligible to hold a valid teaching or pupil services license at the Provisional Educator level.
• Have completed six semesters of full-time teaching experience or pupil services experience with at least 540 hours of classroom teaching experience.

Educational Leadership Jobs in Wisconsin

Educational Leadership Career Outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks employment & salary data for elementary & secondary school education administrators and postsecondary education administrators in every state.

Job prospects for Wisconsin K-12 administrators look pretty healthy. The state is usually in the second employment bracket—job numbers are not as high as Illinois or Michigan, but they’re similar to Minnesota. In fact, the Racine WI metropolitan area often has one of the highest concentration of these jobs in the country.

Prepping for an interview? The DPI regularly publishes Student & School Data, including School & District Report Cards and Public School Enrollment Data. But we favor the interactive dashboards on the WISEdash Public Portal, which allows you to compare districts. You may also be interested in the DPI’s section on Public Staff Reports, which contains plenty of data on Wisconsin K-12 public school administrators.

The career outlook for Wisconsin postsecondary education administrators is along the same lines as K-12. Like Minnesota and Iowa, Wisconsin supports a fair number of higher education leaders. The Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metropolitan area is a frequent hotspot.

The UW System publishes a variety of Education Reports & Statistics on its universities, including the latest Enrollments. You can use the Faculty & Staff dashboard to view administrator profiles (e.g. race/ethnicity) and employment numbers—UW Madison is far and away the biggest employer in the UW system.

Educational Leadership Salaries

Exact numbers for Wisconsin educational administrator job categories and annual mean wages are posted in the BLS’s page on State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates for Wisconsin.

Overall, mean wages for Wisconsin K-12 administrators are good, if not outstanding—Minnesota and Illinois tend to pay school leaders better. Feel free to compare these statistics to the AWSA’s Wisconsin Statewide Salary Report.

In addition, you’ll find detailed Public Administrative Salary Reports for Wisconsin K-12 educators listed in the DPI’s section on Public Staff Reports. You can search by name, hiring agency (e.g. school district), assignment position, and more. This database also lists the person’s title (e.g. district administrator), years of experience, and highest degree.

Annual mean wages for Wisconsin postsecondary education administrators also tend to lurk in the second wage bracket (when comparing all states)—better than Illinois and similar to Minnesota. If you’d like exact numbers, Wisconsin news publications (e.g. La Crosse Tribune, Madison.com, etc.) frequently publish UW System salaries. You can search by name, title, campus, and more. UW Madison is the top payer.

Educational Leadership Job Boards

Traditional employment websites (e.g. LinkedIn, SchoolSpring, HigherEdJobs, Indeed, etc.) will have postings for Wisconsin educational leaders and PreK-20 administrators. But you may find it quicker to consult state job boards.

• The Wisconsin School Leadership Center (WSLC) Career Center is the collective job board for WASPA, WASBO, AWSA, WASDA, and WCASS. It lists a variety of administrative openings in Wisconsin K-12 schools (e.g. director, principal, superintendent, special education, curriculum & instruction, etc.).
• WASB posts current Wisconsin Superintendent Searches with vacancy notices and State Two Application forms.
• WASFAA maintains a list of Jobs for Wisconsin student financial aid administrators (e.g. financial aid advisor, functional analyst, etc.).
• UW System’s section on Careers at UW contains links to HR & career websites for all UW institutions.
• The Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities has links to member institutions, but you’ll need to dig into the website to find the job section.

Educational Leadership Organizations in Wisconsin

Educational Leadership Associations

• Association of Wisconsin School Administrators (AWSA): AWSA is the primary professional association for Wisconsin principals, associate principals, deans of students, aspiring administrators, and academically oriented district administrators.
• Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB): WASB is a non-profit, member-driven organization comprised of Wisconsin public school boards and Cooperative Educational Service Agencies. See also the Wisconsin School Attorneys Association (WSAA).
• Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials (WASBO): WASBO represents ~1,400 Wisconsin employees working on the business side of school operations. It offers voluntary certifications and it’s a state affiliate of ASBO. Check out the WASBO Foundation Scholarship for Graduate Students Pursuing 08 Licensing.
• Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators (WASDA): WASDA serves Wisconsin superintendents and school district administrators—see the Membership Types section for more details.
• Wisconsin Association of School Personnel Administrators (WASPA): WASPA is a non-profit professional association that represents Wisconsin school district HR professionals and college and university educational placement officials.
• Wisconsin Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (WASFAA): WASFAA is a non-profit organization that provides support to financial aid administrators and other agencies involved in the administration of financial aid programs in Wisconsin’s post-secondary educational institutions.
• Wisconsin Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (WASCD): WASCD is a non-profit organization representing 600+ educators who are interested in improving education. Members include prin­ci­pals, direc­tors of cur­ricu­lum and instruc­tion, super­in­ten­dents, teach­ers, spe­cial­ists, col­lege and uni­ver­sity pro­fes­sors and admin­is­tra­tors, and CESA and DPI staff. It’s a state affiliate of ASCD.
• Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services (WCASS): WCASS represents educators who serve as special education or pupil services administrators in Wisconsin school districts and other educational institutions.
• Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC): WEAC is the state’s teachers’ union. Members include teachers, counselors, library media specialists, and education support professionals in public K-12 schools as well as faculty & support staff in the Wisconsin Technical College System. It’s a state affiliate of the NEA.

Educational Leadership Professional Groups

• School Administrators Alliance (SAA): SAA is a statewide organization comprised of five member organizations: AWSA, WASBO, WASDA, WCASS, and WASPA. It represents the interests of Wisconsin school children and public schools before the State Legislature, the Office of the Governor, and state agencies.

Note: Keep in mind that state and national educator organizations often have funds and scholarships available for continuing education (e.g. Ed.D.). Check the website and ask about opportunities.

Educational Leadership Events in Wisconsin

Educational Leadership Conferences

• AWSA Conferences: AWSA hosts a Leading for Learning Summit in June, an Elementary Principals Convention in October, and a School Leaders Advancing Technology in Education (SLATE) convention in December.
• DPI State Superintendent’s Conference on Special Education and Pupil Services Leadership Issues: This annual leadership event addresses current issues and changes in state and federal policy related to meeting the needs of students with disabilities and students facing other challenges to success in school. It occurs over two days in November.
• Joint State Education Convention: This popular event on current Wisconsin education issues is sponsored by WASB, WASDA, and WASBO. It’s held in Milwaukee over three days in January.
• WASBO Conferences: WASBO hosts a large number of conferences for school business officials, including its annual fall and spring conferences and events in accounting, facilities management, and more. Viterbo University credits are available for some of these conferences. See the WASBO Year of Success Program for discounts.
• WASBO/DPI/WCASS Federal Funding Conference: This two-day event in March provide school districts with the information they need to maximize their federal resources.
• WASBO/WASPA School Personnel Academy: This annual joint conference is tailored to HR managers, school business officials, school board members, and district administrators. It takes place over two days in December. Viterbo University credit is offered.
• WASDA Annual Educational Conference: WASDA’s three-day conference in April addresses current & critical issues for Wisconsin superintendents. There are 30+ breakout sessions.
• WASDA Fall Superintendents Conference: WASDA also hosts a three-day conference in September in cooperation with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
• WASFAA Conferences: Wisconsin financial aid administrators can choose to attend the three-day Spring Conference in late April or the Fall Conference in early November.
• WASPA Conferences & Events: Wisconsin school personnel administrators have the option to attend WASPA’s Summer Legal Conference or New HR Academy in July, the Fall Administrator Conference or Fall Administrative Support Seminar in November, and the WASBO/WASPA joint event in December (see above).
• WCASS Events: WCASS conferences are designed for Directors of Special Education and Pupil Services, as well as other leaders in special education. There’s a Winter Conference in February, a Spring Conference in May, and joint events with the DPI and WASBO. Vitero graduate credit can be earned at most WCASS conferences.

Educational Leadership Training

• AWSA Professional Learning: Building-level leaders can take advantage of AWSA’s many conferences, academies (e.g. New Building Administrators, Building Effective Leadership, etc.), school & district workshops, and coaching opportunities.
• WASB Workshops & Institutes: WASB provides an assortment of training opportunities for Wisconsin school board members, including workshops and a Summer Leadership Institute.
• WASBO Mentorship Program: This one-to-one mentoring program is designed to provide technical assistance and advice to first- and second-year school business officials. Participation is available to all District Professional members.
• WASBO Wally Zastrow Leadership Academy: This year-long professional development academy is open to all WASBO District Professional Members. Six two-day sessions are held in the WI School Leadership Center in Madison.
• WASCD New Directors of Curriculum Program: Wisconsin ASCD’s program for leaders in curriculum, instruction, and assessment includes mentorship.
• WASDA Workshops & Seminars: WASDA runs a First Year Superintendents Academy Workshop and a Summer Legal Seminar, as well as a joint Professional Growth Coaching for Leaders Academy with AWSA.
• WCASS Mentorship: WCASS members can apply for free mentorship/professional coaching through a network of experienced WCASS mentors.