Best Doctorate in Secondary School Principalship Programs in 2026
All 1 programs reviewed from the IPEDS database, ranked on degrees awarded and local teacher pay. CIP 13.0409.
- 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.
- 1 of 1 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
Capella University
26score- 1Doctorates/yr
- Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership
- Higher Learning Commission-accredited
- On-campus
About the programCapella University offers the Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership, an online professional doctorate accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Students choose between a self-paced FlexPath format and a structured GuidedPath, and the single specialization spans P-12 schools, higher education, and corporate or government education settings. Rather than a traditional dissertation, the program culminates in an applied doctoral project that addresses a real-world education challenge, underscoring its practitioner orientation. Capella caps total tuition at $32,000 and does not require the GRE or GMAT, positioning it as an accessible route for working leaders. Notably, this specialization does not satisfy licensure requirements for P-12 public school teachers or administrators, and Capella directs those seeking licensure eligibility to its PhD or EdS programs instead. This program offers a doctoral degree in secondary school principalship in Minnesota.
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.
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 School Principalship 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 School Principalship
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: 1 of the 1 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 School Principalship 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.