College of Education Launches New Online Doctoral Degree with Leadership Focus
Students can specialize in early childhood education or K-12 curriculum
EL PASO, Texas (April X, 2026) – Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ College of Education has launched the University’s first fully online doctoral program: the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership and Administration. The program is aimed at experienced educators who want to advance their careers, contribute to innovative, applied research and lead change in their professional workplace.
The new program offers two concentrations in either early childhood education or K-12 curriculum and instruction.
“We have expanded graduate programming to meet the needs of professionals at all stages of their careers who require the flexibility and convenience that the online format offers, while providing the high-quality, graduate-level training experiences that Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ is known,” said Alyse C. Hachey, Ph.D., Co-Chair of the Teacher Education Department. “I am particularly excited about the focus on Early Childhood Education, as there are not many doctoral programs like this one available for professionals in the field.”
Early Childhood Education
The program’s concentration in Early Childhood Education is designed for individuals who wish to focus on educational leadership for the care and education of young children, from birth to age 8. This program of study is ideal for education professionals seeking to take on an instructional leadership role while discovering innovative ways to effect positive change in the care and education of young children.
K-12 Curriculum & Instruction.
This concentration is ideal for education professionals who are seeking to take on instructional leadership roles to apply evidence-based knowledge to address issues in curriculum and instruction in PK-12 classrooms. Students will focus on cross-disciplinary research and lessons related to teaching and learning, teacher education and mentorship, artificial intelligence-mediated curriculum development and applied research methods.
Students enrolled in the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration program can remain embedded in their workplaces, allowing them to conduct meaningful case studies and program evaluations that can create immediate, community‑grounded impact, Hachey said.
“Our new fully online Ed.D. programs really embody the College of Education’s mission of access and impact -- providing a terminal degree that can be completed from anywhere in less than three years to help educators on the ground drive research-based decision-making and innovation in their own communities,” said Clifton Tanabe, Ph.D., dean of the College of Education. “This is the type of forward-thinking programming we are striving for in the College of Education to meet professional preparation needs in today's educational landscape.”
The new online doctorate was spearheaded by Hachey and a faculty taskforce consisting of Robyn Pinilla, Ph.D., Cynthia Wiltshire, Ed.D., Kenneth A. Dore, Ph.D., Elena Izquierdo, Ph.D., Sarah Jean Johnson, Ph.D., David Carrejo, Ph.D., Song An, Ph.D., and Maartje Van den Bogaard, Ph.D., from the Teacher Education Department in the College of Education.
Last Updated on April 02, 2026 at 12:00 AM | Originally published April 02, 2026
By MC Staff Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ Marketing and Communications
