Best Doctorate in Secondary Education Programs in 2026
All 4 programs reviewed from the IPEDS database, ranked on degrees awarded and local teacher pay. CIP 13.1205.
- Most education doctorates take three to five years beyond a master's, built around coursework, comprehensive exams, and a dissertation or applied research project, often part-time.
- 2 of 4 ranked programs offer an online or hybrid option.
- Graduate programs are ranked on degrees awarded, cost-of-living-adjusted local pay, and institutional standing, not the undergraduate stats that do not describe a doctorate.
- 1
Kennesaw State University
61score- 18Doctorates/yr
- $76,570Metro teacher pay
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Secondary and Middle Grades Education
- On-campus
About the programKennesaw State University offers a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Secondary and Middle Grades Education, a fully online practitioner doctorate for certified teachers advancing their content-area expertise. Delivered entirely online over three to four years with spring-only entry, the 66-credit program embeds an Education Specialist degree directly within the doctorate and accepts up to 17 transfer credits from Ed.S. work completed elsewhere. Candidates concentrate in a secondary field such as biology, chemistry, English, history, or mathematics, or in a middle grades area, and admission requires a clear, renewable Georgia teaching certificate along with a short scholarly writing sample. Approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, the program builds on existing certification rather than conferring a new license. Its online, cohort-paced structure reflects a degree designed around working educators. It is a doctoral degree in secondary education at the doctoral level, based in Georgia.
Why it ranks hereSchool siteMaster's programs are judged differently here. Undergraduate stats do not apply, so the ranking looks at whether the program is established, the pay its graduates walk into locally, and how the university stands behind it. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 18 doctorates a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, where elementary teachers earn a median $76,570, roughly $76,526 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market.
Area teacher pay: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025, adjusted for local cost of living via U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities. A location figure, not this program's graduate earnings.
- 2
Auburn University
37score- 3Doctorates/yr
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Curriculum and Teaching
- On-campus
About the programAuburn University offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Curriculum and Teaching, a research doctorate for educators pursuing scholarship in a specific secondary teaching field. The College of Education holds CAEP accreditation, with the Music Education specialization additionally accredited by NASM, and candidates concentrate in areas ranging from mathematics and science to English language arts, reading, social science, and instrumental or vocal music education. The degree calls for a minimum of 80 semester hours beyond the bachelor's, with advancement to candidacy following comprehensive exams and at least 10 hours of dissertation research, marking it as preparation for original inquiry. Auburn's doctoral programs sit outside its approved Educator Preparation Programs, so the Ph.D. does not itself confer teacher certification. The emphasis throughout is on developing researchers and future faculty in secondary content teaching. This program offers a doctoral degree in secondary education in Alabama.
Why it ranks hereSchool siteA master's degree earns its rank on program-appropriate signals, not undergraduate ones: established scale, local teacher pay, and institutional strength. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 3 doctorates a year, a steady if smaller cohort.
- 3
University of Akron Main Campus
36score- 1Doctorates/yr
About the programProgram details for this doctoral listing could not be confirmed from an official program page. No verified information about the degree type, format, accreditation, or licensure outcomes was available at the time of research. It is a doctoral degree in secondary education at the doctoral level, based in Ohio.
Why it ranks hereSchool siteMaster's programs are judged differently here. Undergraduate stats do not apply, so the ranking looks at whether the program is established, the pay its graduates walk into locally, and how the university stands behind it. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 1 doctorates a year, a steady if smaller cohort.
- 4
The University of Alabama
25score- 8Doctorates/yr
- $60,220Metro teacher pay
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction with emphasis in Secondary Education
- On-campus
About the programThe University of Alabama offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Secondary Education, a research doctorate aimed squarely at future scholars and teacher-educators. Accredited through CAEP, the traditional in-person track balances 24 hours of curriculum and instruction, 24 hours of content-area research and pedagogy, and 18 hours of research methodology, a structure that signals serious preparation for inquiry rather than practice. Doctoral students work alongside faculty whose NSF Noyce and USDOE grants, exceeding eight million dollars, help fund research assistantships in fields such as mathematics and music education. A parallel Ed.D., offered in both traditional and online formats, serves those oriented more toward practice. The doctorate is not itself a licensure credential, and the Ph.D. path points clearly toward the professoriate. It is a doctoral degree in secondary education at the doctoral level, based in Alabama.
Why it ranks hereSchool siteFor a graduate program we set aside undergraduate figures and weigh three things instead: how established it is, the local market its graduates enter, and the institution's standing. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 8 doctorates a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Tuscaloosa, AL, where elementary teachers earn a median $60,220, roughly $68,649 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market.
Area teacher pay: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025, adjusted for local cost of living via U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities. A location figure, not this program's graduate earnings.
How we rank
Doctoral programs specifically in elementary education are rare, most educators earn a doctorate in curriculum and instruction or educational leadership, so this is a short, complete list rather than a deep ranking. The few programs are ordered by graduate tuition affordability (50%), the university's acceptance rate (30%), and the university's graduation rate (20%). Graduate tuition is researched from each program's official page. Because the federal data does not publish graduation or admission rates for individual doctoral programs, those rates are the university's institution-wide figures, used only as rough context. Every program is shown, with no per-state cap.
- Established program size, degrees awarded per year, capped so volume alone does not win: 30%
- Local-area teacher pay, cost-of-living adjusted (BLS + BEA): 30%
- Program strength, institutional research standing plus accreditation, less a for-profit deduction: 40%
How much a doctorate in Secondary Education program costs in 2026
A doctorate is a multi-year commitment, usually three to five years beyond a master's, so the total cost depends far more on how long it takes and a school's per-credit rate than on any single year's tuition. Public universities are typically the least expensive for residents, and EdD programs built for working professionals often price a fixed cohort program rather than charging by the credit. Because IPEDS reports only an institution-wide undergraduate tuition that does not describe a doctoral program, each card shows a researched per-program cost wherever a school publishes one.
Funding changes the math, and it differs sharply by track. Research-focused PhD students are frequently funded through assistantships or fellowships that waive tuition and pay a stipend in exchange for teaching or research. Practice-oriented EdD students more often pay their own way, but can use federal Grad PLUS loans, Public Service Loan Forgiveness while working in public education, and, in many districts, tuition reimbursement or a raise on the administrator salary schedule once the degree is complete.
Sources: program data from IPEDS; graduate aid from Federal Student Aid.
Ways to earn your doctorate in Secondary Education
Education doctorates come in two forms, and choosing the right one matters more than the format. A Doctor of Education (EdD) is practice-oriented, built for working leaders and centered on an applied problem-of-practice dissertation, and it is commonly offered part-time, in the evening, or online so candidates can keep their jobs. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is research-oriented and prepares candidates for university faculty and research careers, usually as a longer, more full-time program with a traditional research dissertation.
Delivery is flexible at this level: 2 of the 4 ranked programs offer an online or hybrid option, most often on the EdD side, typically as a cohort with periodic on-campus residencies. Whichever the path, the through-line is the same: doctoral coursework, comprehensive or qualifying exams, and an original dissertation or applied research project.
Sources: online and program counts from IPEDS.
Data sources for our Doctorate in Secondary Education ranking
- Program counts and degrees awarded: IPEDS, US Department of Education. Cost figures are researched from each program's own published tuition, since IPEDS reports only undergraduate tuition.
- Program descriptions: each school's official catalog and program pages.