UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State College of Education’s World Campus Doctor of Education program has reached a key milestone — the celebration of its first graduate.
Amanda Peterson, who identifies as a Black and Native American woman, mother to Black sons, and an autistic and gifted individual, has become the first person to receive a D.Ed. entirely via the Penn State World Campus D.Ed. program. Based in Chanhassen, Minnesota, Peterson serves her community through her dual roles as a licensed professional clinical counselor and a higher education executive administrator.
“We are thrilled to celebrate Dr. Peterson as the first graduate of the World Campus Doctor of Education program,” said College of Education Dean Gwendolyn Lloyd. “Her capstone reflects the kind of meaningful, practice-driven scholarship our program was designed to cultivate. She is the first of many, and we look forward to seeing the impact she will continue to make.”
Peterson’s career began as a pastor before she transitioned into roles as a community advocate and program manager in California, focusing on mental health and anti-stigma programs. At that time, she said, she did not feel drawn to continuing her formal education.
However, after returning to Minnesota, she said an incident of racism directed at her child fundamentally shifted her trajectory. While this pivot was catalyzed by profound hardship, her enduring passion for discovering relevant solutions and sharing them with her community remains at the forefront of her work.
Motivated to become a better advocate for her family and community within the public education system, she decided to return to school, she said. She pursued clinical psychology and counseling, ultimately focusing on racialized trauma and serving marginalized and neurodiverse populations.
While she received offers from multiple brick-and-mortar doctoral degree programs, Peterson didn't want to disrupt her family’s lives by relocating. She said she was deeply grateful to find the Penn State World Campus program when she did, as it allowed her to achieve her educational goals without uprooting her family.
Peterson then discovered Penn State’s World Campus D.Ed. program, which she said appealed to her because it allowed her to continue her work and stay with her family. Encouraged by mentors, she applied and was accepted into the highly competitive program.
Once enrolled, she said she was pleasantly surprised by the strong sense of community among students, despite the students very rarely ever physically being in the same place at the same time.
“I have to say that community had a lot to do with my ability to be able to finish,” Peterson said. “Any time things would get confusing, or when the changes would happen, it would be really great to have a space to go to.”
Peterson said it was a refreshing change to not be in competition with her peers for spots at research conferences, as she was used to with other programs, and enjoyed the low-stress environment that was all about personal growth and engagement.
She said she also found getting to work with and learn from the College of Education’s diverse world-class faculty to be a formative experience, one she feels made enrolling in the program more than worth it.
“I think people should be made aware that they will get access to some of the most brilliant minds in the world, and, that this program does not just have a small niche group of faculty, but you actually have access to a wide range of different perspectives and different experiences,” Peterson said.
“Dr. Karen Paulson quite literally blew my mind, when I took her course,” Peterson continued. “Dr. Gerry LeTendre, just his absolute expertise in mixed methodology, and his way of pulling out of you more than you thought you had. I don't think that they, in their excellence, can ever be highlighted enough.”
Peterson said she credits much of her successful navigation through the rigorous program to the unwavering support and care of her adviser, Lydia Ocasio-Stoutenburg. Today, Peterson plans to not only apply her doctorate in her clinical practice but also in her ongoing work as a higher education administrator. Looking ahead, she said she sees her future as stepping further into higher education leadership, noting that the D.Ed. provides the competitive edge and foundational knowledge necessary to drive systemic, community-focused change at the executive level.
“We are happy to see how Amanda made steady academic progress throughout her time in the program,” said Joseph Polizzi, director of the World Campus D.Ed. program. “Knowing Amanda — Dr. Peterson — and all our scholar-practitioners, we expect her to be a positive force and a changemaker as she graduates with a professional doctorate.”
About the D.Ed. program through Penn State World Campus and the College of Education
Launched in the fall of 2023 with its first cohort of 30 students, the D.Ed. program is Penn State World Campus’ first doctoral program in education and the fourth overall doctoral program to join the portfolio of more than 175 degrees and certificates offered online.
The D.Ed. program has been designed to allow students to customize the degree to best fit their professional and educational needs from various subject areas taught by the graduate faculty from the College of Education.
“Complex problems in education require highly trained professionals who can use data-based decision-making and develop new practices to better serve the communities within which they are embedded,” Polizzi said. “The D.Ed. is designed to be a flexible, practice-based research experience for people who want leadership roles that shape the future of education.”
It focuses on developing practical skills for industry application, which is different from prioritizing teaching and research in a doctoral program. Students can take electives within the following disciplines to customize their degree:
- curriculum and instruction
- educational leadership
- higher education
- learning, design, and technology
- organization development and change
- special education
- adult education
The D.Ed. also includes a capstone experience in which students will research and critically analyze a problem of practice aligned with their career interests. Students will also participate in a five-day, in-person summer summit at the University Park campus, where they will attend workshops and professional development opportunities.
This summer experience provides an in-depth opportunity for those enrolled in the program to work closely with each other and the world-class faculty of the College of Education.
To learn more about the World Campus D.Ed. program or to apply, visit the D.Ed. program website.