What is Ethical Leadership?
Ethical leadership entails modeling integrity, fairness, justice, and a strong sense of moral responsibility. It means making decisions that prioritize values, transparency, and accountability while fostering a community culture of trust and respect. Ethical leaders inspire teams by aligning personal and organizational values, encouraging ethical behavior, and promoting long-term success through responsible actions.
The Ethical Leadership EdD Tracks at Viterbo
Built upon Viterbo’s rich tradition of servant leadership, our doctorate in ethical leadership is a transformative program designed to develop next-level leaders who can meet the demands of 21st-century organizations.
The EdD program will advance your skills in:
- Change Management
- Collaboration
- Decision making
You will explore what it means to be a leader, not just a manager, and steer ever-evolving multidimensional organizations. Through writing, research, and projects, you can use the expertise you’re gaining in the classroom to support the needs of your current organization or community.
Ethical Leadership EdD Program
Explore leadership and ethical decision-making philosophies to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization. The EdD in Ethical Leadership is a full-year program with online (synchronous and asynchronous) courses during the summer, fall, and spring semesters. Two brief (less than a week) summer residencies in La Crosse are required in the first and second years.
- Credit hours: 48
- Location: La Crosse, Wis. and online
Ethical Leadership EdD Program With Superintendent License
The superintendent track of the EdD in ethical leadership prepares current and future administrators to integrate ethical leadership in PK–12 education in Wisconsin. Graduates of this track will receive their EdD in Ethical Leadership and the Wisconsin (WI 5003) Superintendent licensure. This is a year-round program. Ethical leadership coursework is held online (synchronous and asynchronous) during the summer, fall, and spring semesters, with one brief La Crosse residency in the second summer. Superintendent coursework is completed on-site during weekends in the fall and spring and potentially during the week in the summer.
Candidates must possess a principal licensure for admission, and the superintendent track is designed for those already in K–12 educational leadership positions.
- Credit hours: 51
- Location: LaCrosse, WI and online
Ethical Leadership EdD Program Highlights
The interdisciplinary EdD program is designed for working professionals in any field who want to further their knowledge, skills, and leadership practice in a complex, ever-changing, and diverse world.
- Flexible Program Options. Our EdD program can be completed full- or part-time.
- Engaging with Diverse Peers. Your classmates will come from many work experiences—business, education at all levels, health care, and nonprofits—so you will learn from each other as well as through coursework based on current research in a variety of disciplines.
- Expert Faculty with Real-World Insights. Our faculty come from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences, from education to nonprofits. Many instructors currently work in leadership roles, and the program director brings specialized qualitative research experience in informal and formal learning environments and participatory research.
- Comprehensive Dissertation Support. You will receive faculty support on your dissertation throughout the program. Research coursework scaffolds the dissertation process, meaning you can start working on your dissertation early in the EdD program as soon as you know what topic you want to explore.
What Can You Do With an Ethical Leadership EdD?
Learning what ethical leadership entails increases your value as a leader regardless of your career path. Various fields increasingly seek individuals with doctorates who can gather and analyze data and share results for organizational improvement, skills you will gain in the EdD.
Graduates of the general EdD program work as diversity officers, senior management, and change-makers within their organizations. The superintendent license track confers the Wisconsin (WI 5003) Superintendent licensure.
[The EdD program] is a blend of what Viterbo is really great at, the servant leadership component, which is so important in leadership, and then combine it with the great things about education. It’s the perfect blending for me."
—Jennifer Krug Melville, EdD with Superintendent licensure
Examples of Ethical Leadership Courses
Our coursework blends theory and practice, allowing you to reflect on your own leadership practices. You can immediately apply what you’re learning to your current organization and become a knowledge producer through your dissertation research.
EdD online courses include:
- Unique offerings like Social Science Research for Leaders and a Philosophy and Leadership seminar
- Value-based courses like Values in Leadership
Both the general and superintendent track include practicums. Those in the general track investigate a problem in their work environment through the lens of ethical leadership, and superintendent track students work to implement ethical leadership in education.
Related Programs at Viterbo University
The EdD program requires a master’s degree. Consider these other programs if you do not yet have an advanced degree.
