If you want to make a difference in your organization and the lives of the students you support, one of NEC鈥檚 fully online or hybrid Doctor of Education programs may be for you.
At a virtual information session, you will hear听from Dr. Gavin Henning, Doctor of Education Program Director, as you learn about NEC鈥檚 three Doctor of Education tracks and which one may be right for you. Plus, you can ask any questions you have.
Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. EST
This program’s three-year, low-residency cohort-based structure is ideal for working professionals. Its focus on applied research allows participants to have an immediate impact on the quality of education in their work environments.
The 笔谤别-碍鈥�12 Leadership program allows participants to develop expertise in specific settings and issues. The program will also engage students, faculty, and other education community members in an integrated inquiry into issues that span our educational systems. This unique combination of deep understanding, expanded vision, and diverse professional networks positions participants for innovative, entrepreneurial leadership in a complex and changing world.
Students in the 笔谤别-碍鈥�12 Leadership program interested in principal or superintendent licensure may combine the EdD requirements with the licensure requirements. Please refer to the program requirements.
Students will meet during two weekends in each seven鈥恮eek course, at the end of the first and sixth weeks. Each summer, the cohort will meet in August to engage in coursework, dissertation development, and comprehensive project development. Participants will display proficiency in meeting the program outcomes through the development of a capstone project, the development of a dissertation proposal, and the completion of the dissertation.
During each term, one course meets on campus, and one course is delivered 100% online, allowing learner-centered flexibility for busy lifestyles.
New England College offers the opportunity to apply doctoral coursework toward the following New Hampshire certifications. Additional courses beyond doctoral coursework are required.
Tuition waivers are possible for previous coursework. You may submit transcripts for preliminary review.
| Collaborative | Flexible听 | Applicable |
| Cohort model emphasizes a collaborative, support-driven environment with other professionals. | The 笔谤别-碍鈥�12 Leadership track of the EdD in Educational Leadership has a flexible three-year, low-residency model and biweekly on-campus student meetings. | Begin dissertation work in the program鈥檚 first course and apply research immediately in work environments. |
| Certification | ||
| Certification for School Principal and School Superintendent offered. |
Earning an EdD in Educational Leadership at the pre-K鈥�12 level prepares you to pursue a career that transforms education concepts to meet the ever-evolving demands of the student environment. The acumen developed through the program鈥檚 curriculum can open up a range of well-paying career paths in which you can directly improve outcomes for schools and districts. Ultimately, these roles can allow you to impact the next generation of students as they make their way through their own educational journeys.
In the Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership, you鈥檒l learn to:
An EdD in Educational Leadership degree can prepare you to confidently pursue a dynamic array of fulfilling careers that take an advanced role in improving education. These well-paying roles can help you develop educational impacts that can last a lifetime.
| School Principal (Approximate Median Annual Pay as of May 2021)
$98,420* |
Education Consultant (Approximate Median Annual Pay as of December 2022)
$63,000** |
Instructional Coordinator (Approximate Median Annual Pay as of September 2022)
$62,000** |
College Professor (Average pay for assistant professor in 2022鈥�2023) $88,597*** |
*U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
**Payscale
***American Association of University Professors
New England College (NEC) is a private, nonprofit college founded in 1946 to serve the needs of servicepeople attending college on the GI Bill after World War II. It is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. Today, 逼哩逼哩is an innovative, military-friendly institution and one of the .
逼哩逼哩offers 60 associate and bachelor鈥檚 degrees, more than 20 master鈥檚 degrees, and one doctoral degree program, all delivered by dedicated faculty focused on giving students opportunities to live what they learn. With access to many clubs, outdoor activities, natural areas, internships, and professor-led trips, 逼哩逼哩students can meet new people and try new things.
At NEC, the world is your classroom.
New England College in New Hampshire has earned recognition as one of the best Online Colleges in New Hampshire, as acknowledged by 听a credible source for evaluating higher education programs.
New England College in New Hampshire has earned recognition as a leading online college in NH, as acknowledged by , a credible source for evaluating higher education programs.
New England College in New Hampshire has earned recognition as a leading college in New Hampshire, as acknowledged by ,听a credible source for evaluating higher education programs.
Professor of Education
Office: Tower Hall, Third Floor
Phone: 603.731.8548
Email: wpreble@nec.edu
Awards
2021鈥�2023: Recipient of Gates Foundation Grand Algebra Challenge Grant Awards to support Math Literacy for minoritized middle and high school students using near-peer mentoring and game-based instruction.
2019鈥�2020: Invited by the University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education, Coalition for Excellence and Equity to share school climate and youth voice research with over 200 school districts from the Mid-Atlantic region.
2015鈥�2020: Invited to serve as a member of the International Youth Voice Symposium; to develop a youth voice research agenda and to advocate for developing youth-adult partnerships in education, teacher training, and educational reform.
2015: Faculty of the Year Award Recipient, New England College
Expertise
National expert on school culture and climate, youth voice, and leadership for equitable school reform
Recent Publications
Preble, W. and Campbell, R, et.al. “Every Educational Philosophy Is Best.” New England College Journal of Applied Educational Research (2022)
Preble, W. and Fitzgerald, C. “Increasing Access to Math Learning for ALL: NEC鈥檚 Flagway Math Literacy Initiative.” New England College Journal of Applied Educational Research (2020)
Preble, B. and Locke, S. “Democratic Thinking and Student-Centered Pedagogy: Bringing Equity, Autonomy and Purpose to Online Learning.” Handbook of Research on Student-Centered Strategies in Online Adult Learning Environments (2019)
Research Interests
Educational Background
Doctor of Education, University of Maine
MEd in Social Studies Education, University of Washington
Bachelor of Arts, New England College
Bio
Bill graduated from New England College in 1975, after completing his student teaching in England. He began his teaching career at Conway Elementary School and then served as a Migrant Education Teacher supporting students who had recently immigrated to Augusta, Maine, from Southeast Asia.
Bill spent over a decade as a middle school Social Studies teacher at Maranacook Community School in Readfield, Maine. While teaching at Maranacook, he helped develop one of the nation鈥檚 first US-Soviet Youth Exchange Programs, with his students, called Project S.A.M.E., in memory of his student Samantha Smith. Samantha had famously traveled to the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War to urge the US and Soviet governments to halt the nuclear arms race that was threatening humankind. He and several of those students continue to apply leadership lessons they learned from Samantha Smith.
While working on his doctorate, Bill鈥檚 dean invited him to develop and serve as Director of a new statewide youth voice and leadership program called the University of Maine Aspirations Project (UMAP). The program would empower Maine students and their adult partners to improve success for all students, by bringing more engaging, student-centered pedagogy into Maine schools. The UMAP program became a model that was later used by the Maine Department of the Attorney General to develop the Maine Civil Rights Teams Project, which continues in over 100 Maine schools today.
In 1992, Bill returned to the Maranacook School District to become Principal of Readfield Elementary School for three years, until he took his position among the faculty at NEC.
Senior Professor, Education
Phone: 603.428.2322
Email: dnitschke@nec.edu
Expertise and Awards
逼哩逼哩Tenure
Awards
Educational Background
PhD in Human Development, Special Education, Fielding Graduate University
MA in Human Development, Fielding Graduate University
Specialist in the Assessment of Intellectual Functioning (SAIF) Certification, Rivier College
MEd in Special Education: Developmental Disabilities and Learning Disabilities, Keene State College
BA in Elementary Education and General Special Education, New England College
Research Interests
Bio
Debra came to New England College as a student in 1971 and graduated in 1975. At that time, 逼哩逼哩did not have a certification in special education. She worked with the Director of Teacher Education and the New Hampshire State Department of Education to create the special education licensure program and get it approved by the Bureau of Credentialing in the State of New Hampshire. After graduation, she taught students with special needs at the Dame School in Concord, New Hampshire, and later taught kindergarten at the same school and at the Henniker Community School. Throughout her tenure teaching special education and kindergarten students, she hosted a number of student-teachers and taught as an adjunct faculty member at NEC. In 1985, she became a full-time Instructor at NEC, teaching courses in special education, reading, assessment, language arts, and curriculum and instruction. She supervised many students in the field as her passion is to help individuals become the best teachers they can be
She has held many positions at NEC, including Director of Academic Advising; Interim Director of Academic Advising and the Support Center; Director of the Project Pericles Grant; Dean of Undergraduate Programs and Faculty; Chair of Knowledge, Growth, and Action Collegium; Director of Teacher Education; Director of Graduate Programs in Education; Director of Teacher Certification and Field Placement; and Associate Dean of Education. She, along with Dr. Carlton Fitzgerald and Dr. Bill Preble, helped create NEC鈥檚 doctoral program. Debra’s passion is working with individuals who want to help students be successful in all they do. She is also passionate about helping doctoral students develop their dissertations; her focus is on qualitative research. She thoroughly enjoys helping doctoral candidates create their research questions, develop their research methodologies, collect data that helps them answer their questions, and complete their dissertations. She is the dissertation chair for many 逼哩逼哩doctoral students.
She has been a consultant for Campus Compact of New Hampshire in the work they did regarding partnership development and the integration of service-learning into higher education and K鈥�12. She has received a number of grants to support that work. In addition, throughout the United States and in New Hampshire, she presented at national conferences and provided professional development helping educators in kindergarten through higher education develop courses that include service-learning as a pedagogy. She is committed to helping others see the power service has and how individuals can meet academic goals through service to others.
Professor, Higher Education; Director of MS in Higher Education Administration and Doctorate of Education Programs
Office: CEI 205
Phone: 603.428.2444
Email: ghenning@nec.edu
Professional website:
Expertise and Memberships
Awards
2023 George D. Kuh Outstanding Contribution to Literature and/or Research Award from NASPA鈥擲tudent Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
Expertise
Published Books
Educational Background
PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of New Hampshire
MA in Sociology, University of New Hampshire
MA in College and University Administration, Michigan State University
BA in Psychology and Sociology, Michigan State University
Research Interests
Bio
Gavin is a college student educator with a reputation as an organizer, collaborator, and catalyst for educational change. His professional mission is to generate applied scholarship, bridge theory to practice, create systems and processes, and teach higher education professionals to foster college student learning and success. He has advanced this mission during his 20+ years in higher education in positions including professor, assessment practitioner, and student affairs educator. In his current positions at NEC, Gavin helps prepare the next generation of professionals to improve educational organizations. Gavin frequently consults and presents regionally, nationally, and internationally on the topic of assessment. His scholarship includes over 100 peer-reviewed presentations and over 90 invited presentations and keynotes regarding assessment. In addition, he has published articles and books on assessment including Student Affairs Assessment: Theory and Practice with Darby Roberts that serves as the foundational text for assessment courses in many higher education graduate programs. He has been recognized for his contributions to student affairs and higher education by receiving ACPA鈥檚 Annuit Coeptis award and Diamond Honoree awards.
NEC鈥檚 Doctor of Education in 笔谤别-碍鈥�12 Leadership is designed to be completed in three years.
The 笔谤别-碍鈥�12 Leadership Doctor of Education features a cohort-based structure with one on-campus class and one online class each term.
Earning an EdD in educational leadership prepares individuals to promote change and progress in education at both an institutional and district level from a leadership standpoint via well-paying career paths.
To apply for the Doctor of Education in 笔谤别-碍鈥�12 Leadership program, individuals must provide a r茅sum茅, transcripts, a personal essay, and two letters of recommendation.
Earning a Doctor of Education at 逼哩逼哩does more than prepare you for an advanced career path. It gives you the knowledge and skills needed to shape educational strategies to meet students鈥� dynamic needs. Learn how we can prepare you to make a positive impact in a critical field.