EdD (Doctor of Education) Degree Salary + Best Jobs After

An EdD (Doctor of Education) degree focuses on how educational practice and educational policy interact. The curriculum is incredibly complex, leading to very specific career options with interesting salaries. There are a number of positions in which an EdD is an absolute requirement, including such positions as Director of Student Services, School Superintendent, and University Professor. Holding this type of degree prepares people to become a leader in colleges and schools, working for government agencies and organizations, or managing school districts. The degree is a terminal degree and develops leaders in positions of educational policy making, research, and administration. Below are some of the positions available:

#1 Executive Director

Generally, an executive director is a senior manager of businesses or organizations that focus on educational policies and developments. They have varying duties and responsibilities depending on the organization. At the same time, they have a number of universal duties, most with regards to the design, implementation, development, monitoring, and reviewing of strategic plans that ensure educational establishments are both time and cost efficient, leading to better educational attainment. Furthermore, they oversee the daily activities of others within the agency or organization and develop strategic plans to meet future goals.

Typical daily tasks of an executive director are:

  • To develop new offerings and services to promote a department, while maintaining and expanding existing offerings
  • To conduct analysis and research of operations to ensure they are efficient and meet strategic goals
  • To supervise other staff, including managers, and hold responsibility for performance reviews
  • To hold responsibility for the operational budget and to make decisions on this so that strategic goals can be met
  • To create and maintain professional relationships with the community, partners, the press, and government agencies.

According to a report by Payscale.com, the median annual salary of an executive director is $77,082.

#2 Assistant Professor

Assistant professors usually work in post secondary or higher education. As part of their role, they:

  • Create new curricula and modify existing ones, in accordance with committee needs
  • Teach specific courses in their area of expertise
  • Provide advice and mentorship to pupils and students

Payscale.com has reported that the median annual salary of a professor is $85,452.

#3 Professor

Professors usually work in post-secondary educational establishments, such as colleges and universities. Obviously, their primarily role has to do with teaching students. At the same time, they work with them to help them create dissertations, perform research, and complete thesis papers. Furthermore, they have to be able to do their own research, collect data and analyze it, examine literature and original documents, and gather various pieces of source materials.

Common tasks of a professor are:

  • To have research findings published
  • To prepare new lectures, laboratory experiments, and exercises
  • To work with students in groups and individually
  • To mark and grade papers and examinations
  • To supervise students performing research
  • To conduct research in order to expand existing knowledge by examining source materials, such as literature and original documents, and also by collecting and analyzing new data from experiments
  • To always remain up to date with academic developments

Payscale.com has reported that the median annual salary of a professor is $85,452.

#4 Elementary School Principal

Elementary school principals sometimes have a master’s degree rather than an EdD, but the EdD will make them become more in demand. In some states, they have to be licensed or certified in order to work as a principal.

Typical duties of an elementary school principal are:

  • To ensure that laws are complied with, establish safety regulations, and create emergency plans
  • To hire school staff and provide supervision and evaluation. Staff includes teachers, administrators, custodians, and kitchen staff.
  • To set standards for behavior and academic performance, and administer discipline where needed
  • To hold responsibility for the curriculum, administration, services, programs, and resources within the school
  • To communicate the overarching goals of the school, its needs and its vision, to the school board, the community, parents, pupils, and teachers

Payscale.com has reported that the median annual salary of an elementary school principal is $79,620.

#5 High School Principal

High school principals run every element of a high school’s administration. They are the establishment’s final authority and provide leadership and guidance to all involved. They plan educational needs by determining whether the curriculum is still relevant and up to date, while providing supervision and performance reviews for teachers. They make decisions on what needs to take priority within the school, including managing tight budgets. Their overall goal is to enhance educational attainment. They also head the student body, resolving disputes and taking disciplinary action as and where needed, especially when the efforts of the teacher or school counselor are insufficient. Furthermore, they must ensure that all safety and academic guidelines and regulations are adhered to. They decide on who gets hired and fired in terms of both support and teaching staff. Should they be a principal for a private school, they will also set the admission standards and make decisions on admissions.

Typical tasks of a high school principal are:

  • To be responsible for the resources, services, programs, curriculum, and administration of the school
  • To communicate the needs, vision, and goals of the school to students, parents, teachers, the school board, the community, and educational departments
  • To set standards for behavior and academics for students and provide discipline where needed
  • To ensure that all safety regulations, laws, and standards are adhered to, setting in place emergency plans
  • To be responsible for the hiring, training, and supervision of all school staff, including its custodians, kitchen staff, administrators, and teachers

According to Payscale.com, the median annual salary of a high school principal is $86,089.

#6 Director of Career Services

Directors of career services are responsible for the management of the provision of such services in a specific institution. They must be strong communicators, both written and oral, and have to be able to explain the objectives and goals of their organization clearly. Furthermore, they must develop strong professional relationships with schools and employers in order to deliver their services. Furthermore, they hold responsibility for the line management of others within the careers service, providing discipline, feedback, and guidance.

Common day to day tasks of a director of career services are:

  • To market the services of graduates of certain schools at international, national, and local venues
  • To create a portfolio of resource materials and enhance them, to be used by students and employers
  • To be responsible for departmental management, including budgeting, allocating resources, and staffing
  • To research activities to determine whether they meet the outcome metrics and make adjustments
  • To create and manage programs through which alumni and students are able to prepare for their careers, writing applications for jobs and/or internships

Payscale.com reports that the median annual salary for a director of career services is $59,729.

#7 Associate Professor

Associate professors work in higher education establishments such as universities, colleges, and vocational schools. Their role is to conduct research and teach students, in the same way as a professor does. However, associate professors are yet to achieve tenure, before they can take on a full professor job.

Common duties of an associate professor are:

  • To teach courses online and in person while helping to achieve learning objectives
  • To conduct research and write grants
  • To take part in policy reviews and departmental meetings within the university or college
  • To create reading materials and course syllabus
  • To grade rubrics

According to Payscale.com, the median annual salary of an associate professor is $75,203.

Summary

Completing an EdD, which is a terminal degree, can greatly enhance the number of careers that are available to you. A wealth of new positions will be open to you, many of which attract very lucrative salaries. Naturally, you will also benefit professionally in a substantial way.

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