Best Doctorate in Teacher Education, Multiple Levels Programs in 2026
All 4 programs reviewed from the IPEDS database, ranked on degrees awarded and local teacher pay. CIP 13.1206.
- 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
60score- 16Doctorates/yr
- $76,570Metro teacher pay
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Teacher Leadership
- On-campus
About the programKennesaw State University offers a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Teacher Leadership, an online practitioner doctorate for accomplished educators moving into formal leadership roles within P-12 schools. Running three to four years with fall-only entry and at least 45 credit hours, the program is built around a supervised residency in an authentic school setting coordinated with partner districts, and it keeps cohorts small for close faculty guidance. Unlike many doctorates, it carries a clear certification outcome, leading to a Service (S) certificate in Teacher Leadership from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. Admission is demanding in its own way, requiring a clear, renewable Georgia teaching certificate, an earned Education Specialist degree, and a district referral or current employment in a P-12 school. Two tracks serve candidates seeking initial teacher leadership certification and those who already hold it. This program offers a doctoral degree in teacher education, multiple levels in Georgia.
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 16 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
40score- 8Doctorates/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 that spans the full arc of P-12 teaching, from early childhood through secondary specializations within a single research doctorate. The College of Education holds CAEP accreditation, with Music Education also accredited by NASM, and students specialize in fields as varied as agriscience, business and marketing education, early childhood, elementary, mathematics, reading, science, and social science education. The degree requires a minimum of 80 semester hours beyond the bachelor's and moves through comprehensive exams before advancement to candidacy, a structure oriented toward original scholarship. Because Auburn's doctoral programs are not part of its approved Educator Preparation Programs, the Ph.D. does not confer teacher certification. The breadth of specializations suits scholars and future faculty across every grade band. As a doctoral degree in teacher education, multiple levels, it adds to the doctoral-level teacher education, multiple levels options 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.
- 3
University of Iowa
36score- 1Doctorates/yr
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Teaching and Learning
- On-campus
About the programThe University of Iowa offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Teaching and Learning, a full-time, on-campus research doctorate that carries students through coursework, comprehensive exams, teaching practicums, and a dissertation. Candidates enter one of several tracks, Language, Literacy, and Social Studies Education, Mathematics Education, Science Education, or Special Education, with credit minimums ranging from 72 to 90 semester hours depending on the specialization. The Special Education track is the most extensive at 90 hours and folds in six hours of college teaching practicum, underscoring a program that prepares scholars who can also teach at the university level. The catalog notes that some tracks are designed to lead to professional licensure and fall under federal disclosure rules, though not every track does. Overall the degree is built for those pursuing careers in education research and the professoriate. This program offers a doctoral degree in teacher education, multiple levels in Iowa.
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 1 doctorates a year, a steady if smaller cohort.
- 4
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
21score- 2Doctorates/yr
- $65,040Metro teacher pay
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Teacher Education
- On-campus
About the programThe University of Nevada, Las Vegas offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Teacher Education, described as one of only three such dedicated programs in the country. Rather than preparing classroom teachers, it trains practitioner-oriented scholars who study teacher education itself as a field of research and go on to university faculty roles preparing the next generation of teachers. The program admits candidates through both a post-bachelor's and a post-master's track, and UNLV separately offers Ed.D. and Ph.D. degrees in Curriculum and Instruction for those with different aims. The program page does not specify format, accreditation, or a licensure outcome, and the doctorate is not positioned as a certification credential. Its distinctive focus makes it a fit for those committed to research and scholarship in teacher preparation. It is a doctoral degree in teacher education, multiple levels at the doctoral level, based in Nevada.
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 2 doctorates a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV, where elementary teachers earn a median $65,040, roughly $64,900 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 Teacher Education, Multiple Levels 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 Teacher Education, Multiple Levels
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 Teacher Education, Multiple Levels 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.