To Ed.D or not Ed.D

This weekend, I attended a panel on Ed.D programs at the California Association of Professors of Education Administration (CAPEA) Conference and read Perry's article to Ed.D or not Ed.D in Kappan Magazine. A great read for current and prospective Ed.D students, describing the work of the Carnegie Project on the Educational Doctorate (CPED). As a prospective student, I had concerns about the perception of the Ed.D degree as a Ph.D light and I still find myself often explaining what an Ed.D degree is to family, friends, coworkers,  and even strangers. My big takeaway from the conference is that the Ed.D is a relevant degree for education practitioners and the research produced can strongly impact our fields.


The concept of praxis, combining theory and practice, has been appealing to me in my daily work in academic libraries. Go to any academic library conference and the term, "evidence-based research" is bandied about as a way to improve our services and demonstrate the value of academic libraries. Putting my library career on hold to attend a full-time Ph.D program was not an option I chose since my career path was administration, not academia. The Ed.D allows me flexibility to focus on leadership in academic libraries and to learn from a diverse group of educational leaders. The evening, weekend, and occasionally online coursework enables me to continue my full-tme work. I've gained so many insights about my own workplace through application of educational and leadership theories. Improving my work performance and leadership skills while conducting research that adds to the library and information science field makes me confident in my choice to Ed.D.