The Health Care Ed.D. degree shapes students to become faculty members or administrators in academic, community or health care settings. You will have the credentials and specialized knowledge to be qualified for roles such as:

• Health Care Management or Administrator
• Speech Language Pathologist Educator
• Occupational Therapist Educator
• Physical Therapist Educator
• Health Care Consultant
• College Professor
• Department Chair

Courses for the Health Care Ed.D. prepare students to address the health educator shortage and teach the next generation of practitioners in your field. Course topics include:

• College Teaching Practicum
• Health Care Systems
• Medical Practice Management
• Health Policy
• Quality Improvement in Health Care
• Health Information Technology
• Introduction to Medical Spanish
• Medical Spanish Human Anatomy & Terminology
• Advanced Medical Spanish
• Medical Spanish Conversational Fluency & Interpretation
• Spanish for the Healthcare Professional
• Medical Spanish and Sociolinguistics
• Managerial Communications
• Organizational Behavior
• HR and Managing People
• Innovation
• Organizational Change

For more information on topics covered in the Health Care concentration, view our program guide.

Graduate certificate options in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion or Medical Spanish are available at no additional cost. Contact your enrollment adviser for more information.

With an Ed.D. degree, enhanced skills and competencies, your earning potential will increase. The BLS reports an annual median salary of $101,340 for medical and health services managers in May 2021 and projects a 28 percent increase in medical and health services manager roles between 2021 and 2031.

A Hospital Operations Manager makes $86,364 on average, but the salary range typically falls between $75,890 and $103,168. Occupational Therapists make an average annual salary of $96,332 with a range between $88,243 and $104,942. Those with additional education and certifications typically earn the higher end of that range. The same can be said for Physical Therapists as average compensation is $97,501 annually, with a range of $90,201 and $105,301 depending on education and experience.

An Ed.D. in Health Care employs teaching methods that are specialized for the health care field. Graduates learn how to design program assessment plans aligned with accreditation processes and can provide more access to health care by helping to address the educator shortage. With an Ed.D. in Health Care, you will have the knowledge to pursue a career as a professor at a college or university, director of a health department, a health care consultant or a variety of roles in health care management. As a qualified health care leader you will be able to help meet a growing demand in health care and shape the next generation of practitioners.

Rockhurst University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The School of Education is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. Business courses in this program are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Rockhurst’s faculty are experienced professionals dedicated to each student’s success and are readily accessible for one-on-one advising and mentoring.

The online Ed.D. in Education and Leadership program can be completed in 2 years (6 semesters).

The online Ed.D. in Education and Leadership program requires 45 credits to graduate.

The online Ed.D. in Education and Leadership program costs $816 per credit hour for a total program investment of $36,720. Financial aid may be available to our online students.

The Medical Spanish graduate certificate program provides students with a better understanding of the social and cultural complexities of patient care in Spanish-speaking communities and prepares them to provide “language-concordant care” to overcome communication barriers. The Medical Spanish certificate requires 4 elective courses for a total of 12 credits at no additional cost. Contact your enrollment adviser for more information.