Doctor of Education (EdD)

Doctor of Education (EdD)
Programme Code :   A3D045 / C4D001
Study Mode :   Full-time / Part-time
Medium of Instruction:   English
Programme Director :   Prof LEE, Kwai Sang
E-mail :   edd@eduhk.hk

• Non-local applicants are advised to apply for Doctor of Education (EdD) programme (Full-time).
• Local applicants can either apply for both Doctor of Education (EdD) programme (Full-time) & (Part-time).

* For definition of local and non-local applicants, please click here. Please check with the Immigration Department of HKSAR if there are any conditions / restrictions on your study in Hong Kong.

The University is committed to uphold the educational quality and standard of the programmes it offers. The University, being funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC), is one of the nine self-accrediting institutions in Hong Kong. In addition, the quality of the educational experience in all programmes offered by the UGC-funded universities is subject to the quality assurance process administered by the Quality Assurance Council of the UGC.

Individuals who wish to apply for qualification certification in Mainland China after graduation should contact the Chinese Service Centre for Scholarly Exchange (website: https://zwfw.cscse.edu.cn/cscse/lxfwzxwsfwdt2020/xlxwrz32/index.html) directly for updated details and confirmation. The certification in Mainland China is an independent process from the conferral of academic qualification in Hong Kong by the University. For the avoidance of doubt, no warranties are given in respect of individual graduate’s qualification certification or recognition in Mainland China or any other professional qualification or license outside Hong Kong.

此課程設有中文班﹐有意申請入學的學生請按此。

The EdD programme aims:

• To enhance professional expertise, preparing participants for leadership roles and addressing complex educational challenges;
• To equip practitioners with skills to translate research findings into actionable solutions, driving meaningful change;
• To promote international learning, empowering graduates with the ability to apply knowledge transfer across cultural and professional contexts;
• To foster an entrepreneurial spirit, encouraging impactful social and commercial contributions through innovative approaches.

Upon the completion of the Programme, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate an expert knowledge, understanding and competence in the Specialized Area and in the larger educational context;
• Generate appropriate theoretical frameworks to address, analyse and propose innovative approaches to a broad range of educational issues;
• Develop insights into research trends in the Specialized Area and demonstrate readiness to contribute to the professional literature in that field;
• Analyse educational policies, processes or practices from different perspectives critically;
• Effectively communicate concepts and theories within the Specialized Area to an audience of peers both locally and internationally; and
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of ethical practices within the Specialized Area.

The EdD programme comprises 72 credit points (cps) which normally takes 3 years of full-time and 4 years of part-time studies to complete. Students are required to attend face-to-face classes on weekday evenings, weekends, and/or during long holidays. Classes in the same or different semester(s) may be scheduled at the Tai Po Campus / Tseung Kwan O Study Centre / North Point Study Centre / Kowloon Tong Satellite Study Centre and/or other locations as decided by the University. Depending on enrollment numbers, courses may be delivered in directed study mode. Different modes of delivery, teaching and learning activities as well as assessment methods could be adopted as deemed appropriate.

Each applicant can only choose ONE of the following Specialised Areas for their application :

* = Part-Time mode is not open for application for 2025/26 intake
^ = Full-Time mode is not open for application for 2025/26 intake

Basic Requirements

1. must hold a Master’s degree in a discipline within education or a cognate field relevant to their chosen Specialised Area;
2. with four years or more of work experience are preferred.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend admission interviews / tests.

English Language Requirements
Applicants are expected to demonstrate a high standard of competence in spoken and written English. Applicants whose entrance qualification is obtained from an institution in a non-English speaking system should normally fulfil one of the following minimum English proficiency requirements:

• Overall score of IELTS 6.5# with no subtest lower than 6.0; or
• A TOEFL# score of 80 (internet-based test); or
• Other equivalent qualifications.*

^#  The results of IELTS/TOEFL provided should be within two years (i.e., for the 2025/26 intake, the IELTS/TOEFL test must be obtained on or after 1 Jan 2023); and should be “taken in test centres” (i.e., tests taken online such as IELTS indicator/IELTS Online and TOEFL Home Editions are NOT accepted).

* The College English Test (CET) is not accepted as an equivalent qualification.

Remarks: Individual Specialised Area such as Language Education (English) may have higher requirement.

• The tuition fee for the 2025/26 academic year is HK$5,500 per credit, i.e: HK$396,000 for the 72-credit point of EdD programme, which is provisional and subject to adjustment. The University reserves the right to make changes to tuition fee without prior notice. Tuition fees paid are normally not refundable or transferable.
• Extension fees will be charged to students who have to extend their studies beyond the normal duration (i.e. 3 years for full-time and 4 years for part-time).

Entrance Scholarship for Outstanding Non-local Students
Doctor of Education (EdD) Entrance Scholarship for Outstanding Non-local Students (the Scholarship) is established to attract outstanding non-local candidates to the Programme.

The Scholarship
The Scholarship covers the 72-cp programme tuition fees and a living allowance of HK$40,000 per year (up to three years) to cover partial living expenses.

Eligibility Criteria

• The Scholarship applicant must be a full-time non-local* applicant admitted to the EdD programme
• * For definition of local and non-local applicants, please click here. 

Selection Criteria
The following criteria, in no particular order, will be assessed:

1. Academic performance – in the study of master’s degree with a final GPA of 3.3 out of 4 or 3.5 out of 4.3 or above or equivalent. If the applicant is a final-year student, the Scholarship offer will remain conditional. The applicant must provide proof of a final Programme GPA upon completing the master’s study; if the final GPA requirement is not met, the Scholarship offer will be revoked.
2. Outstanding personal development and achievement (e.g. sports, art, music, culture, etc.)
3. Outstanding participation in social and community services (e.g. overall impact, length of services, nature of services, location, number and profile of beneficiaries, public recognition, initiation of community projects, etc. should be provided)
4. Contribution to the internationalisation of the EdD programme

Application Procedure
Eligible applicants will be invited to submit applications for The Scholarship. Invited applicants should submit a completed application form, a Personal Statement and supporting documents (if any) to EdD by a stipulated deadline.

Development of Research Skills
The Graduate School (GS) is committed to provide students with opportunities to develop and enhance their research skills. The following workshops and programmes are organized for research students:

• Postgraduate Students Library Workshops
• Research Supervision Training Workshops
• Statistical Consulting Services
• Academic Writing Workshops

Award Schemes

Postgraduate Students Publication Award
To cultivate a research and outcome-oriented environment, the Postgraduate Students Publication Award is to reward students who produce quality research output in the form of journal articles.

Conference Award
To build and strengthen research capacity of students, the Conference Award is to reward students who present their work at international/national/local conference.

International Outreach Programme
To equip students with an international vision and broaden their exposure to multicultural environment through participating in outreach activities, the Doctor of Education programme has organised the International Outreach Study Programme (IOSP). During the IOSP, EdD students participated in various intellectual and scholarly exchange activities including workshops, academic sharing and networking with international research students, tours and cultural visits, etc. In the past years, students visited universities in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Japan, Korea and Singapore.