New Students: The EdD Programs

Overview

The Ed.D. programs in the College of Education at Boise State University are its two largest doctoral programs. Our research-based programs account for a significant share of the University’s annual doctoral graduates, which is especially important as the University continues to strive to earn its status as a recognized research institution.

The Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction (EdD/C&I) was actually the first-ever doctoral program at Boise State, and started in 1994; its first graduates earned their degrees in 1997. Thus far, it has nearly 190 alumni. The Ed.D. in Educational Technology (EdD/EDTECH) is Boise State’s first online doctoral program. It started in 2012, and its first graduates crossed the dais at Commencement in 2016. The EdD/EDTECH program has more than 95 graduates as of November 2025.

The programs share some similarities, but they are not the same. They both require 60 credit hours (which can include transfer or carry-over courses), they are both online, and they both require several credit hours of research courses and dissertation hours. All College of Education faculty are involved in doctoral education to some extent or another, though some tend to only teach “Ed Tech” classes, whereas others teach classes that are more “C & I centric.” The program coordinator for both programs is Dr. Perkins, and Kristin Batten, the Graduate Student Success Coordinator for the College of Education, supports students in both programs as well.

The differences between the doctoral programs include core course requirements, distribution of elective or cognate hours, cost, and mode of delivery.

Ed.D. Program Differences

Elective or Cognate Requirements

Educational Technology: 18 credit hours

Curriculum & Instruction: 26 credit hours

Mode of Delivery

Curriculum & Instruction: Courses are online, but done in “Remote” mode, which means you’ll meet at a specific time on a specific day of the week. Some courses meet weekly, while others meet on a different cycle determined by the instructor. Only a few courses are asynchronous. The program was initially “on-campus” only until Spring 2020. It’s still listed as “traditional,” but it’s online.

Educational Technology: Courses are online, but almost entirely asynchronous. The only “course” where students meet in the same Zoom Meeting room and at the same time are the occasional meetings required for EDTECH 698 Doctoral Seminar. One can attend alternate meetings (ex., a doctoral dissertation defense) to ensure you’ve met the minimum required.

Cost of Program

Educational Technology: Students in the EdD/EDTECH program take 45 credit hours of “EDTECH 6xx” courses, which as of Nov. 2025 are charged at $599 per credit hour*. Students take “EDTECH 5xx” courses for electives or cognate hours, and these cost $478 pre credit hour*. There are no extra online fees, and both in-state and out-of-state students are charged the same amount.

Curriculum & Instruction: All courses with the EDU prefix, required for the C & I doctoral program, are $544 per credit hour* for students who live in Idaho. EdD C&I students who are not residents of Idaho pay significantly higher tuition, as the Out-of-State tuition rate applies ($997 per credit hour*). All program courses are eligible for the tuition waiver benefit if a student who is a full-time State of Idaho employee qualifies for it.

All program courses are eligible for the tuition waiver benefit if a student who is a full-time State of Idaho employee qualifies for it.

If one is taking courses via the College of Education’s OPWL program the costs differ somewhat, and they are not covered by the tuition waiver benefit.

* As of 2026/2027

You can take courses no matter if they are intended for one doctoral program or the other. You can take graduate courses outside of the College of Education as well, but the program coordinator and your mentor or advisor will need to be brought into that conversation.

Cognates and Electives

The “cognate” are courses that are specifically aligned to your field of study. Electives are courses that are graduate course, but can be tangentially related to your topic area or other interests.