phd in education at nyu

• Skip to Main
• Master's Programs

Ph.D. Programs

• Global & Online Programs
• Library and Information Science Dual - Degree Program
• Certificate Programs
• Application Resource Center
• Financial Aid
• Admissions Events
• Campus Tours
• Newly-Admitted Students
• Message from the GSAS Dean
• Academic Calendar
• Inter-University Doctoral Consortium
• Submitting Your Dissertation
• Fellowships and Awards
• Fellowships & Awards
• Alumni Features
• Public Humanities Initiative
• New Student Orientation
• GSAS Convocation
• The Master's College
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• OASA Room Reservations
• Graduate Student Council
• Graduate Student Clubs
• Student Resources
• Doctoral Alumni Association
• Senior Administration
• Dean's Office
• Policies and Procedures
• Directors of Graduate Studies & Program Directors
• Standing Committees
• History of GSAS
• Dean's Conference Room
• Administrative Resources
• Dean's Advisory Council
• Research in GSAS
• Give to GSAS
• NYU/Axinn Foundation Prize
• Event Calendar
• TELL GSAS Doctoral Research Days

A doctorate is the pinnacle of an arts and science education. Founded in 1886, the Graduate School of Arts and Science at NYU is among the oldest schools offering doctoral programs in the United States. Today NYU’s doctoral programs span the humanities, sciences, and social sciences, and students pursue cutting-edge research with the close supervision of NYU’s internationally recognized research faculty. New York City resources complement and enhance our vibrant intellectual communities. Use the links below to explore Doctor of Philosophy and dual advanced degrees at New York University.

Ph.D. Programs Dual Degree Programs

Earn Your NYU Doctorate in Leadership and Innovation.

Organizational change starts with an online doctorate in leadership and innovation from NYU. Leverage your knowledge and skills in transformational leadership roles to create new, sustainable solutions to systemic institutional challenges with your EdD.

The application for the January 2025 cohort is now open. Extended deadline is September 2.

Our online leadership and innovation doctorate at a glance

Blending academic theory and real-world practice, NYU Steinhardt’s EdD in Leadership and Innovation is more than an online degree. It’s a unique program that provides working professionals with the tools to harness transformative change in their organizations and beyond.

three-day immersive residency at a global NYU site

hours per week

Average time commitment, including classes, will vary

total credits at the doctoral level

per credit hour

Based on 2024–2025 tuition rates

Minimum time to degree completion 1

EdD program overview

NYU Steinhardt’s EdD in Leadership and Innovation is more than a doctorate program. It’s a cohort of professionals, faculty , and distinguished cross-sectoral leaders from spaces such as:

• For-profit companies
• Higher education
• Nonprofit and philanthropic organizations
• Public and governmental organizations

We examine the most important issues cross-sectoral leaders face today and discover solutions that make change possible for tomorrow. We apply an academic lens to myriad sectors so students graduate from the doctoral program with the core competencies for impactful director and executive-level career options.

The research, analysis, writing, and critical thinking involved in students’ strategic design and implementation of a change management project are assets that students will bring to current and future employers.

The Problem of Practice

While many doctoral programs require students to complete a dissertation, NYU Steinhardt challenges students to examine and create an academically informed solution to a persistent organizational problem throughout the EdD program. This unique project is called the Problem of Practice (POP) , and it enables students to create real value for their organizations.

“We want students to have a collaborative experience in which they ignite a transformation in education from across sectors.” DR. NOEL S. ANDERSON FOUNDING FACULTY

Explore the cohort model design

When students work together, they leverage their unique leadership skills and professional experiences to develop new ideas and effect sustainable change. That’s why the cohort model is a defining feature of NYU Steinhardt’s EdD in Leadership and Innovation program. Traveling the curriculum together, students develop a common problem-solving language and discover new solutions to old challenges. Best of all, since courses run continuously through Summer and January terms, students earn their degree in 24–28 months, a duration that’s among the shortest in the country relative to other education doctorates.

Great minds, thinking differently

Our program unites experienced professionals from diverse backgrounds who share their unique perspectives on real-world challenges. By giving them the space to question, explore, and take risks, we foster innovation, resulting in new solutions to persistent organizational problems.

A collaborative system of support

For the duration of the program, faculty serve as mentors, supporters, challengers, and advocates, bringing decades of leadership experience to their partnership with students.

Built for immediate action

Students can complete their degree in as few as 24 continuous months, preparing them to create sustainable and scalable change at their organizations in their leadership roles.

Who is this program for?

The NYU online Doctorate in Leadership and Innovation is different by design. More than an educational leadership program, it’s a global cohort of cross-sector professionals motivated to create real change in their fields. Diverse leaders from the worlds of business, government, nonprofits, healthcare, and education seek out our program to be challenged to think beyond their areas of expertise – and to create new solutions and catalyze change in their organizations.

Current and former students’ employers include:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield
• The World Bank
• NYC Department
of Education
• The Millennium School – Dubai

Current and former students’ job titles include:

• Chief executive officer
• Chief learning officer
• Senior director of global security
• Head of diversity, equity & inclusion
• Program manager, behavioral health
• Military officer
• Director, office of educational assessment
• Adjunct faculty

Students represent a global cohort whose diverse voices are informed not only by the work they do, but from lived experiences around the world. 

The NYU EdD addresses the needs of full-time working professionals with a rigorous online Doctorate in Leadership and Innovation program that can be completed in as few as 24 months.

Three-day immersive residency

At the beginning of the program, your cohort will convene at NYU to meet, discuss your professional experiences, and examine the persistent challenges you face in your organizations. The residency will deepen students’ connections with peers and faculty and help serve as a foundation for the EdD curriculum.

Designed as a cohort model, our 42-credit curriculum includes 17 consecutive courses that can be completed in as few as 24 months. Students continue working while earning their degree, examining and solving a persistent challenge in their organization throughout the program.

Problem of Practice (POP)

Rather than completing a traditional dissertation, you will identify a persistent problem in your organization and examine it through an academic lens throughout the program, emerging with a thoroughly researched, actionable solution that creates real value for your organization.

Frequently asked questions

Finding the right EdD program to expand and leverage your leadership skills is essential to your success. To aid in this decision-making process, we’ve compiled answers to the most frequently asked questions about eligibility, tuition, courses, and more.

Admission requirements

To be eligible for the EdD in Leadership and Innovation program, you must hold both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. You must also have seven years of work experience in a leadership role. The GRE is not required for admission.

Learn how to solve institutional challenges with NYU’s EdD

1 Total time to complete the program may vary based on the number of credits taken each semester.

Tell us about yourself.

Sharing some details will help us customize your experience.

Higher Education (PhD)

Program description, other opportunities.

The PhD program in Higher Education embraces issues of access and equity, state and federal policy, student development, and institutional development and assessment. The strength of the PhD program stems from the range of interests and expertise of faculty in research, policy development, and institutional leadership. The curriculum includes an extensive and rigorous sequence of research courses that prepare students for the dissertation, which requires combined research in literature and empirical investigation. The curriculum offers significant flexibility to ensure that students can construct an individualized program to support their research interests.

The program in higher education also offers an EdD in Higher Education Administration .

Admission to graduate programs in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development requires the following minimum components:

• Statement of Purpose
• Letters of Recommendation
• Transcripts
• Proficiency in English

See  NYU Steinhardt's Graduate Admissions website  for additional information on school-wide admission. Some programs may require additional components for admissions.

See How to Apply for admission requirements and instructions specific to this program.

Program Requirements

The program requires the completion of 54 credits beyond the master's degree. Students with appropriate coursework in higher education and research methods may be waived up to 12 credits and complete the program for 42 credits. Full-time students can generally complete the degree in four to five years.

Sample Plan of Study

Following completion of the required coursework for the PhD, students are expected to maintain active status at New York University by enrolling in a research/writing course or a Maintenance of Matriculation course ( MAINT-GE 4747 ).  All non-course requirements must be fulfilled prior to degree conferral, although the specific timing of completion may vary from student-to-student. Students may be eligible for the MPhil upon completion of all coursework and an approved dissertation proposal.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will:

• Demonstrate knowledge and expertise in the field of higher education and will be able to explain and compare different theoretical approaches in higher education in both verbal and written form.
• Be able to design and execute an original research project to address an identified problem and be able to employ appropriate research approaches to address the problem.
• Be able to effectively communicate complex ideas based on research outcomes in a clear manner; they will be able to disseminate their scholarly work in their field of study.

NYU Policies

Steinhardt academic policies.

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages .

Additional academic policies can be found the  Steinhardt academic policies page . 

Print Options

Send Page to Printer

Print this page.

Download Page (PDF)

The PDF will include all information unique to this page.

NYU Stern Doctoral Program

Our programs.

Pre-Doctoral The Stern Pre-Doctoral program seeks to promote a diverse, scholarly environment and encourage promising individuals from under-represented or non-typical backgrounds (personal, academic, or employment) to enter the academic profession.

NYU Stern's doctoral students thrive in an atmosphere of intellectual rigor and creative collaboration. We cultivate colleagues. Most graduates go on to become top rate scholars who advance state of the art research in their fields.

Stern invites outstanding doctoral students from distinguished universities abroad to engage in research and scholarly interaction at Stern for one or two semesters.

Stern's PhD Program by the Numbers

(as of September 2021)

(as ranked by UT Dallas, Research Contributions 2017-2021 in leading business journals)

(as ranked by the Financial Times, 2015)

Doctor of Philosophy

NYU Silver School of Social Work’s PhD program prepares students to become leading researchers and educators in the promotion of social justice and the health and well-being of marginalized communities nationally and globally.

Our intensive doctoral training competitively positions graduates for top-tier academic and research opportunities—such as faculty positions at leading research universities—cultivating the next wave of independent investigators, scholars, and social work leaders. Building on Silver’s nationally recognized strength in intervention and implementation research and our focus on addressing inequities, the PhD program prepares students to make their own unique contributions to the field of social welfare. 

Our rigorous coursework educates students in classic and contemporary theory, cutting-edge quantitative, qualitative and mixed methodologies, and specialized learning in their substantive areas. The opportunity to take electives within the larger university allows students to explore further their areas and methodologies in an interdisciplinary classroom. NYU Silver also prepares students to be educators through training, including in anti-racist pedagogies, and hands-on experience teaching BSW and MSW level courses.

At the heart of our program is the mentored research practicum offering students the opportunity to put their learning into practice. NYU Silver PhD students are paired from day one with a research mentor as part of our  personalized mentoring program , helping them develop competencies in core research, scholarship, and teaching areas.  NYU Silver  Faculty  are renowned for their expertise in several key research areas, including racial and social justice, behavioral health services, child welfare, and aging. Being part of a large Global Network University and located in the diverse and dynamic city of New York, NYU Silver offers an unparalleled environment for the study of areas critical to local, national and global well-being. 

In fact, PhD Program Director Dr.  Rohini Pahwa was recently awarded a  five-year, $3.1 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health  to gain insight into the factors that influence the social networks and and mental health services use of Black and Latinx people with serious mental illnesses. 

Associate Professor of Social Work and PhD Program Director

“I chose NYU Silver for my PhD . . .

because of the program’s emphasis on preparing students to become leading researchers and educators in the health and well-being of marginalized communities and in the promotion of social justice.”

Sabrina Cluesman, PhD candidate and recipient of a NIDA Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (F31)

In an Emerati Women’s Day video from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Embassy in Washington, DC, PhD student  Layla Al Neyadi  discusses her inspiration to seek her degree at NYU Silver and her aspiration to improve mental health policy and services for her fellow Emiratis:

Please email the doctoral program office or call (212) 998-5941 for additional information.

Public Policy - PhD

The doctoral field in public policy offers students mastery of the interdisciplinary concepts that form the basis of public policy analysis. With a focus on the preparation of students for careers in academic institutions, non-university research settings, government, and other institutional settings where public policy is made and influenced, the policy field promotes an understanding of the empirical, methodological, and theoretical issues that have framed and continue to frame policy analysis and research. Although students may choose to focus on a core area, such as urban poverty or housing, the overall objective is comprehensive exposure to the analytical methods and social science theory and research that frames public policy discourse.

Students in the public policy field must complete the modules in microeconomic analysis and in applied statistics and econometrics. While economics and political science have traditionally anchored the conceptual foundations of the policy process and rational models of policy activity, the field of public policy has witnessed an intellectual revolution among the social sciences that form the basis of research and policy analysis. Sociological, historical and anthropological methods and theories, for example, have begun to expand our conceptual approaches to public policy in different ways, particularly as questions about the role of decision-making, politics, and identity have become important considerations in the evaluation of policy action. Students will become familiar with how analytical methods and theories from these various disciplines and intellectual communities offer competing and/or complementary approaches to the rational model.

Sciences: Applied, Behavioral, Environmental, Life, and Physical

Bolster your expertise in the way our world and its citizens work by diving deep into an advanced degree in the sciences. Whether you’re interested in human behavior, the living or physical world, or the science behind physical and emotional wellness, you can explore what you’re passionate about at NYU—and prepare for careers in biomedical research, ocean science, anthropology, psychological practice, applied research, and more.

• No. 9 Industrial Organization programs
• 49 National Academy of Sciences members on faculty

Applied Science

Behavioral science, environmental science, life science, physical science.

Virtual Office Hours: Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Email: [email protected] Phone: 212-992-4723

Applied Physics: MS Tandon School of Engineering

Applied Quantitative Research: MA Graduate School of Arts and Science

Applied Statistics for Social Science Research: MS Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development

Cognition and Perception: PhD * Graduate School of Arts and Science

Counseling Psychology: PhD Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development

Developmental Psychology: PhD Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development

Executive Coaching and Organizational Consulting: MS School of Professional Studies

Global Security, Conflict, and Cybercrime: MS School of Professional Studies

Human Development and Social Intervention:   MA Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development

Industrial and Organizational Psychology: MA Graduate School of Arts and Science

Psychology: MA Graduate School of Arts and Science

Psychology and Social Intervention: PhD Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development

Social Psychology: PhD * Graduate School of Arts and Science

*Interested applicants may have the opportunity to participate in the NYU Abu Dhabi Global PhD Student Fellowship program .

Animal Studies: MA Graduate School of Arts and Science

Atmosphere Ocean Science and Mathematics:   PhD Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences

Environmental Conservation Education: MA Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development

Environmental Engineering: MS Tandon School of Engineering

Environmental Health Sciences: MS , PhD Graduate School of Arts and Science and Grossman School of Medicine

Environmental Science: MS Tandon School of Engineering

Biological Anthropology: PhD Graduate School of Arts and Science

Biological Anthropology–Human Skeletal Biology: MA Graduate School of Arts and Science

Biology: MS , MS/MBA , PhD * Graduate School of Arts and Science; dual MBA w/ Stern School of Business

Neural Science: PhD ✝ Graduate School of Arts and Science

*Interested applicants may have the opportunity to participate in the NYU Abu Dhabi Global PhD Student Fellowship program or the NYU Shanghai doctoral study and research program . ✝ Interested applicants may have the opportunity to participate in the NYU Shanghai doctoral study and research program .

Chemistry: MS , PhD * Graduate School of Arts and Science

Physics: MS , PhD * Graduate School of Arts and Science

*Interested applicants may have the opportunity to participate in the NYU Abu Dhabi Global PhD Student Fellowship program or the NYU Shanghai doctoral study and research program .

If you’re excited by more than one subject and would like to combine them to create your own individualized program of study, you may be interested in the MA in Individualized Study degree at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study.

Back to Programs and Degrees