Finish Fast. Lead Sooner.
Graduate in two years through a focused, customizable curriculum and dedicated faculty mentorship.
Build Your Career Momentum
Align your final project with your goals. Choose between a dissertation or capstone that equips you for real-world impact.
Low Tuition. Uncompromising Standards.
Earn a rigorous doctorate from a nationally recognized institution at a lower cost than similar EdD programs.
100% Online. Zero Travel.
Balance education, work, and family life through asynchronous coursework — with no residencies required.
Help Shape the Future of Education
Inspire educators and transform learning outcomes with an online Ed.D. in Teaching and Learning, designed for professionals who want to lead curriculum innovation and support teacher growth. Build advanced strategies for creating engaging, meaningful learning experiences and become a catalyst for instructional excellence at any level.
With AIC’s specialized teaching and learning leadership doctorate, you’ll be ready to coach new teachers, design district-wide initiatives, and shape how students learn for years to come.
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Designed for scholar practitioners, this specialization will help students hone their ability to articulate, evaluate, understand, and develop validated theories and models of assessing:
- Effective teaching methods
- Curriculum models
- Strategies for addressing the needs of diverse learners
Additionally, AIC’s Online EdD Teaching and Learning specialization provides dissertation writing courses woven throughout the program, allowing students to stay connected to their research while refining their skills and transforming into reflective leaders.
- Graduate in just two years (six terms) while studying full-time
- Study 100% online – no campus immersions or travel requirements
- Benefit from a cohort-style learning model, allowing you to build key connections with peers within and outside of your role
- Learn from doctorally-prepared faculty who are educators themselves
- Receive dedicated student advisor support from application to graduation
AIC has a long-standing history of making education more accessible for people of all backgrounds, with a legacy centered around diversity, access, and inclusion. Founded in July 1885, AIC still stands more than 125 years later as a leader in education and continues to foster community more effectively than any other time in its history.
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Designed for scholar practitioners, this specialization will help students hone their ability to articulate, evaluate, understand, and develop validated theories and models of assessing:
- Effective teaching methods
- Curriculum models
- Strategies for addressing the needs of diverse learners
Additionally, AIC’s Online EdD Teaching and Learning specialization provides dissertation writing courses woven throughout the program, allowing students to stay connected to their research while refining their skills and transforming into reflective leaders.
- Graduate in just two years (six terms) while studying full-time
- Study 100% online – no campus immersions or travel requirements
- Benefit from a cohort-style learning model, allowing you to build key connections with peers within and outside of your role
- Learn from doctorally-prepared faculty who are educators themselves
- Receive dedicated student advisor support from application to graduation
AIC has a long-standing history of making education more accessible for people of all backgrounds, with a legacy centered around diversity, access, and inclusion. Founded in July 1885, AIC still stands more than 125 years later as a leader in education and continues to foster community more effectively than any other time in its history.
Why Choose AIC?
| Compare EdD Programs | American International College | University of New England | Northeastern University | Bay Path University |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Massachusetts | Maine | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Ranked by U.S. News & World Report | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Asynchronous/ Fully Online | ✓ | ✓ | × | × |
| Cost | $38,400 | ~ $43,860 | ~ $65,400 | ~ $59,700 |
| Months to Complete | 24 Months | 36-48 Months | 36-48 Months | 36-48 Months |
| Residency/ Immersions | NO | NO | YES | YES |
| Dissertation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Capstone | ✓ | × | × | × |
This course focuses on examining the use of reflective practice to improve instruction and leadership techniques and to engender professional dialogue among colleagues. Facilitating one’s own critical reflection, as well as encouraging that in others, is a key component of teaching, learning, and leading. The course content also explores the concepts of self-renewal and resilience as indicators of health and wellness in individuals and educational institutions.
This course is designed to help students develop an advanced understanding of how learning and developmental theories define the teacher's role as an instructional leader, how students learn, what motivates learners, and how the design and delivery of the curriculum is influenced by these factors.
This course in curriculum will provide an introduction to the foundational areas that affect the design and development of curriculum. The course will include the history, social forces, philosophy, and psychology behind many of the curriculum practices and issues that exist in schools today as well as the nature of the curriculum development process. The focus of this course will be on the process of using knowledge about curriculum and evaluation in an imaginative, creative way.
Choose Your Path
Dissertation vs. Capstone
Finish your EdD with a project that fits your goals. Choose between a dissertation or a culminating experience (commonly known as a capstone project), that addresses challenges in your school district, or organization. Integrated writing courses and ongoing faculty guidance throughout the program ensure you stay focused and supported every step of the way.
Dissertation
- Contribute original research to the field of education
- Build deep academic expertise
- Prepare for research, policy, or higher education careers
- Research writing courses are built into the program
Culminating Experience (Capstone)
- Solve real-world problems in your school district, organization or community
- Apply research in a hands-on, practice-based way
- Improve programs, policies, or systems
- Ideal for professionals seeking practical, actionable outcomes
Online Ed.D. in Teaching and Learning graduates often earn:
$70,000–$120,000+
with salaries varying by position, district size, and years of experience.
Potential roles include:
~4%
Projected growth by 2033
Online Ed.D. in Teaching and Learning graduates often earn:
$70,000–$120,000+
with salaries varying by position, district size, and years of experience.
Potential roles include:
Instructional Coordinator
Curriculum Specialist
Education Consultant
Mentor Teacher
*Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
FAST FACTS
3 intakes per year
Full-time
Classes are 100% online
Career Salary Trends
| Education Administrators (Kindergarten through secondary) | $101,320 |
|---|---|
| Education Administrators (Postsecondary) | $99,940 |
| Post Secondary Teachers | $80,840 |
| Training and Development Managers | $120,000 |
| Chief Executives | $189,520 |
Is Teaching & Learning right for you?
The Teaching and Learning specialization prepares educators to advance their knowledge and refine their practice while deepening their impact in education. Students build expertise in curriculum design, instructional practices, and supervision across K–12, special education, adult learning, and alternative education settings.
Consider this EdD track if you want to focus on:
- Enhancing instructional skills and classroom effectiveness
- Developing expertise in curriculum design and instructional practices
- Expanding leadership across diverse educational settings
Achieve Your Vision, Faster
Teaching & Learning Focus
Design meaningful learning experiences, support educator growth, and improve instructional outcomes.
Diversity, Access, & Inclusion
Become part of AIC’s 140-year legacy, advancing accessible, high-quality education for learners from all backgrounds.
Impact-Driven ROI
Make an immediate impact with a program designed for your career — pursue academic insight or practical application.
Flexible, with Built-in Support
Learn on your schedule as you continue working, with structured support and an accelerated path to completion.
Each online EdD track builds specific skillsets and areas of expertise, allowing you to choose the path that aligns best with your professional goals.
Teaching & Learning
Designed for current educators, this track specializes your knowledge in curriculum design, instructional strategies, and learning theory — empowering you to lead instructional innovation, coach teachers, and improve student outcomes.
American International College is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).
The online EdD degree program costs $960 per credit hour for a total investment of $38,400. Financial aid may be available to our online students.
This program can be completed in two years (six semesters).
AIC’s online EdD is fast, affordable, and customizable. With four concentrations and two final project options, students can align their degree with their career goals, maximize their impact, and complete their education in just two years — without ever traveling to campus.
Additionally, AIC is a nationally recognized institution, ranked by U.S. News & World Report, with a long-standing legacy of academic rigor and dedicated faculty and staff.
The online EdD offers four in-demand concentrations:
- Educational Leadership
- Higher Education
- Teaching and Learning
- Organizational Leadership and Development
Yes, every student completes a final project with the option to choose between a dissertation or a culminating experience (capstone). Both pathways let students produce actionable results that they can bring to their workplace and apply to future roles.
The dissertation path is ideal for students who want to contribute original research to the field of education. It’s a traditional academic route that builds deep expertise and prepares graduates for roles in research, policy, or higher education.
The culminating experience (capstone) project is designed for professionals who want to solve real-world problems in their own organizations or communities. It’s a hands-on, practice-based approach that applies research to improve programs, policies, or systems.
Typically, dissertation research and composition fall at the end of a degree program and can take years to complete. Our process is different. Interwoven throughout the EdD program are dissertation writing courses, where the daunting aspects of a dissertation project are broken down into clear, manageable tasks. This structure allows students to start their dissertations early, stay connected to their research, and complete their degrees in a timely manner.
In this program, you will study under engaged, doctorally-prepared, prolific scholars, practitioners, and leaders who are committed to your success from day one.
Students from a number of states are welcome to apply to AIC's online EdD Please see our State Authorization page for more information.
While all the courses are fully online, there are plenty of opportunities to connect with classmates and faculty. Under a cohort-based model, you will complete your courses alongside the same group of students throughout the program. This model will help you develop those critical relationships and further build a professional network.
Students also experience a mix of asynchronous online courses (meaning there are no mandated log-in times for classes), as well as optional live classes on a week-by-week basis. Students can join live Zoom sessions which provide the opportunity to connect with peers and faculty in real time.
Additionally, students are supported by other EdD students—or accountability partners—during the program. Accountability partners are fellow doctoral students who commit to supporting each other’s academic progress through regular check-ins, goal-setting, and reflective dialogue. Unlike advisors or committee members, accountability partners are peers, not evaluators
Accountability partners pair up and help each other by:
- Maintaining momentum on IRB, and dissertation writing
- Staying engaged and persistent, particularly during independent research phases
- Reducing isolation by fostering scholarly community and shared problem-solving
- Strengthening reflective practice, a core expectation of doctoral-level work
Nicole Esposito
MS ’09, EdD ’12
"My professors at AIC changed how I viewed myself, my abilities, and what I could offer my community."
