Online Ed.D.

Our Ed.D. in computer science education is designed for professionals wishing to conduct research in computer science education. Our students come from diverse educational contexts and backgrounds. We work with students individually to help them achieve their professional goals.

Choosing between a Ph.D. and an Ed.D. in Education requires careful consideration of academic interests and career goals. While both are doctoral degrees, they differ in emphasis. 

Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy):

• Ideal for those aspiring to pursue careers in academia, research, or leadership positions in technology-driven educational institutions.
• Emphasizes advanced research, theory development, and scholarly contributions in educational technology.
• Focuses on advancing knowledge and understanding of educational technology through rigorous academic inquiry and publishing scholarly work in peer-reviewed journals.

Ed.D. (Doctor of Education):

• Ideal for in-service educators and professionals seeking leadership roles that involve implementing and managing technology integration in educational settings.
• Offers a practice-oriented approach, focusing on applying research to real-world challenges in educational technology.
• Prepares graduates to address practical issues, drive innovation, and lead educational technology initiatives within schools, districts, or educational organizations.

Still have questions? Contact us!

The program is intentionally designed for people working full-time jobs. In fact, all students in the online Ed.D. in computer science education are working professionals.

Each cohort includes 18-20 students.

All doctoral programs at the University of Florida require students to complete a minimum of 90 credit hours beyond their bachelor’s degree. The online Ed.D. in computer science education is designed so that students complete the required courses as a cohort and then work on their dissertations at their own pace. Earning your degree depends on your ability to meet the program’s requirements and demonstrate the quality of work expected at the doctoral level.

Graduates of the program take a minimum of 3 years to complete all requirements.

No, you don’t need any prior experience or computer science or programming knowledge to apply for the Ed.D. in computer science education program. It is designed to welcome students with various levels of computer science proficiency, including those with no background in the subject. However, your application must include a compelling purpose statement clearly outlining how a degree in educational technology will help you achieve your professional goals.

For complete information on the admissions process, please review our program-specific application instructions. Please also visit the following application information for the School of Teaching and Learning.

When you’re ready to start your application, follow the graduate instructions in the UF application portal. 

Our application deadline is in January, which is different from other deadlines in the college that might be in February, so please be aware of the deadline on this page and plan accordingly.

Submitting GRE scores is not required to apply for this program. However, if you choose to include them, please note that the University of Florida Office of Admissions will only accept scores sent directly from ETS. Use code 5812 to send your scores.

The admission requirements of the School of Teaching and Learning specify that letters of recommendation should come from university faculty. However, we understand that many applicants may have been out of academia for an extended period. Therefore, we prefer letters from individuals who can attest to your current professional work and your potential for success in graduate school. These recommenders do not necessarily need to be university professors.

No, the CS education faculty review applications, so we would be writing letters to ourselves. Current UF CS education students who wish to apply to another CS Education program are welcome to talk with faculty about it and to let us know they are applying but we cannot write letters of recommendation.

Regardless of what programs you have completed before, you need to apply specifically to the Ed.D. program. Additionally, the admissions processes for online certificates and degree programs are different.

Credits earned from a certificate can transfer to a program once a student is accepted as long as a “B” or better was earned— for each completed course. Please note that only a total of 36 credits can transfer if you completed your master’s at UF and only a total of 30 credits if you completed your master’s elsewhere. For more information, visit the UF Graduate School website.

A completed master’s degree from an accredited institution is required for acceptance into the online Ed.D. in computer science education program. Additionally, we require prospective students to be currently working as educators. You may be engaged in education in any context.

We do not require applicants to have a CS or CS education background — but it does help.

No. During the first year of the program, students will have the opportunity to get to know the program’s core faculty. Before taking qualifying exams, students are required to submit their research interests. Based on your specific research interests and our core faculty members’ research focus and strengths, we will assign you a dissertation mentor.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required by UF for international applicants unless: 

They have successfully completed one academic year in a degree-seeking program at a recognized/regionally accredited university or college in the United States or a country where English is the official language.

OR

They hold an earned equivalent of associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or Ph.D. degree from a recognized/regionally accredited college or university in the United States or country where English is the official language.

Yes. The online Ed.D. in computer science education program requires all students to attend two separate 4-day workshops at UF. These workshops occur at the end of the first and second years of the program in late June. Attendance is required for all days of the workshop during both years.

Additionally, the University of Florida requires that you be present on campus for your dissertation defense. That date will be scheduled in consultation with your dissertation chair.

Prospective students are required to sign an Application Agreement Letter committing to the program’s on-campus components and submit it with their online application.

You can find an overview of the curriculum and a philosophical explanation on our program page. Students are required to take two courses a semester that total six credits (Fall, Spring, and Summer) for the first two years of the program. 

Our online courses have specific durations, typically spanning 16-week semesters. Although some classes offer live, real-time sessions, attendance is generally optional and intended to help those who need additional support.

Faculty decide whether synchronous sessions are advantageous based on the content of their courses. These sessions are announced at the beginning of the semester and held during evening hours in Eastern Standard Time.

Transfer approvals are based on many factors and are made at the university level so we cannot tell prospective students how many credits will transfer. No questions about transfer credit can be addressed until after a student has begun the program. Once enrolled, your advisor will guide you through the credit transfer process. Transfer credit requests are submitted during students’ first semester in the program and handled by the UF Graduate School after students have registered.

For more information, please read the UF Graduate School’s policy on transfer of credit.

The online Ed.D. program requires an earned master’s degree. Therefore, it is possible to transfer between 30 and 36 credits, depending on whether they were earned at UF or another institution.

For more information on the graduate cost of attendance, please view the most recent graduate tuition costs and distance learning fees at the College of Education Online Tuition and Fees page. You can also find information about costs on the UF Bursar’s website.

A primary concern for working professionals studying part-time is the tuition cost of an advanced degree. Online students who take no face-to-face courses receive an out-of-state fee waiver, which reduces overall costs.

According to UF policy, students must earn a minimum of 90 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree to earn an Ed.D. The number of credits you must take depends on how many credits you can transfer from your master’s degree.

Program faculty cannot answer questions about tuition. The UF Office of Admissions can answer any further questions you might have.

This waiver, which applies to online students enrolled in our certificate, MAE, or Ed.D. programs, is applied after the end of the university’s drop/add period for each semester. It is only applied once per semester, so you must be registered for all courses by the end of drop/add. You can not receive the flat rate waiver if you enroll in courses after the drop/add period. Please note this waiver is not necessary for Florida Residents or EEP students.

The AY flat rate waiver is college-specific. At the end of drop/add, when we are sure that everyone has registered, a staff member sends a list of all those students who qualify to the Bursar’s Office, and then the waiver is applied. If you are in a completely online program (certificate, MAE, or Ed.D. programs), the tuition rate will eventually reflect our tuition page.

Since this waiver is college-specific, meaning the College of Education bears the financial costs of these waivers. Because of this, the UF Bursar’s Office cannot give you accurate information since they typically quote from standard tuition rates, which are higher than the waiver. We know this can be frustrating, but this is the only way we can apply these waivers.

Yes! Most of our courses are eligible for the Employee Education Program at UF.

The UF College of Education awards scholarships to graduate and undergraduate students through an annual scholarship process. For more information on available scholarships and the process for applying for them, please visit the college’s Student Services scholarship site.

A primary concern for working professionals studying part-time is the tuition cost of an advanced degree. Online students who take no face-to-face courses receive an out-of-state fee waiver, which reduces overall costs.

According to UF policy, students must earn a minimum of 90 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree to earn an Ed.D. The number of credits you must take depends on how many credits you can transfer from your master’s degree.

Program faculty cannot answer questions about tuition. The UF Office of Admissions can answer any further questions you might have.

The process to sign up for online graduate classes is different from signing up for classes on campus at UF. After you are officially admitted into the program, you will receive emails from the university prompting you to set up a Gatorlink account, which also establishes your UF email account. After you complete this task, you will receive course registration instructions from the College of Education in your UF email account.

The university handles Gatorlink accounts. Neither the College of Education nor our program faculty can help with this issue. UFIT offers resources related to Gatorlink accounts, and newly admitted students can find information about setting up their accounts on the UF Admissions website.

Online students are not required to have the same immunization documentation as campus-based students. However, students are sometimes incorrectly coded when admitted. If you have an issue with your record, please email Tom McMorrow, Ph.D., at mcmorrow@coe.ufl.edu and copy Kara Dawson, Ph.D., at dawson@coe.ufl.edu. Dr. McMorrow will be able to fix the error.

Everyone in the UF community is required to complete online training courses. The courses you are required to take are determined at the university level. All students will receive emails about completing these training sessions at the beginning of their degree programs. Please be mindful of the deadlines and expectations associated with these courses.

If you have questions about the admissions process, please contact GradAdmissions@coe.ufl.edu. If you have questions about the program, please contact Rui Tammy Huang, Ph.D., at coe-cseducation@coe.ufl.edu.