The Ed D isn't just for those in traditional education roles. It's a highly practical program, ideal for professionals in many different organisations, as well as educational leadership.

This program can be completed in just 24 months, focusing on real-world applications rather than theory.

It covers vital areas like leadership and education, policy development and market forces that are essential in driving innovation and change. One of the key advantages of the program is its structure.

Rather than having large end of course assessments, the program is built on micro assessments and progressively builds your grades over the two years by the time you begin your thesis. You'll already have 2/3 of your grades completed.

This makes the entire process far more manageable compared to a PhD, where you will, for money, find yourself lost along with research projects. In the end, each assessment builds towards your thesis, so you're constantly working towards it.

If I compare myself to what I know now to what I knew, I have actually picked up a lot. And I feel like I can have conversations with people I consider experts in the field, and I can definitely hold my own with them.

So, what specific skills have I learned?

A lot of concepts about the background of technology, and I am able to kind of understand the concerns, the benefits, and the business cases. I think one of the things we as working professionals bring here is our experience, and we’re able to apply this in the context of this knowledge. I have learnt machine learning and deep learning and how to apply this to sort business problems and get business benefits.

The online thing was a bonus for me because when you're a working professional and have a family, and when you have a young daughter, you know it's very important for me to spend as much time as I can with them. And obviously, work is very demanding. So being able to do this on the weekends was great. I am getting to do my chores during the day and then do my study during the evenings.

I'm a professor at Universidad Monterrey. I really believe that the most important feature of this program is to have the opportunity to share with a group of international people from all over the world, people that are also professional at their education and looking and sharing ideas that can make us a better professor, a better professional, and also to grow as a person.

It's really, really reaching to hear different points of view from people from the U.S., Canada, Asia, the Middle East, and to have the opportunity to share and to walk as a group.

So, I really, I'm really thankful for this opportunity, and I hope this program can provide me with the tools and the knowledge that make me a better professor at Universidad de Monterrey.

I'm a business developer and an integrator, and a venture builder in Singapore.

This journey has really deepened my understanding of how businesses can do so much more than just thrive financially. They can truly be a force for a good society through my studies in organizational behavior.

I realized how crucial it is to create work environments where people feel supported and valued, especially regarding mental health. When employees are happy and healthy, it leads to a stronger and more innovative team. In strategy management, I have been learning how to align businesses' goals with long-term sustainability. We explore how businesses can grow responsibly, ensuring the profit, environmental responsibility and social impact.

With these skills, I’ll be a strong candidate, not only for society, but also to my two daughters so that they can pursue their dreams in the future of our human race.

I am a principal living just west of Toronto. I found that upGrad was very responsive in terms of its technical support, orientations, and onboarding. There are great opportunities for synchronous live sessions to get to know other students in the program and the instructors, but also I really appreciate the Blackboard platform and the fact that I can access recordings of any sessions that I have missed. All of the course content, as well as the assignments, marks, resources, and databases for research, is at your fingertips. You really learn all the different aspects of a doctoral program, as well as what's involved in writing a dissertation, and the courses really prepare you very well for writing the dissertation.

I wouldn't have been able to do a doctorate without an opportunity like this because of my very busy lifestyle, so it's been a really positive experience for me, and I look forward to finishing the program.

Alongside my studies, I work as a venture capitalist focusing on Web3 and AI startups.

I began with the foundations of machine learning and AI module, where I learned key concepts like linear regression, decision trees, and how to use tools like Power BI in Azure ML Studio. This has been incredibly useful in helping me evaluate the technology behind AI start-ups.

I'm currently taking the generative AI pre-trained models module focused on large language models and how they work, how they function, and how to fine-tune them. This has given me an age for identifying truly innovative AI start-ups.

I'd like to highlight how professional and helpful the faculty have been throughout my studies. Their guidance has made complex topics accessible and easy to learn, and the administrative support that upGrad provides has been fast and effective, allowing me to stay focused on my studies.

These courses have been directly applicable to my work in venture capital, and they have deepened my understanding of AI and machine learning, which I continue to use daily to evaluate and invest in Web 3 and AI startups.

When I went for this, I could see that there was that level of dedication and commitment by the university in wanting to ensure that the students would be achieving the necessary education level that they need in sitting and reading for their doctoral degree in itself. Now, as a knowledge hound, this is something that is important to me, the validity and the validation.

But over and above that, I would say that the touch points that have been created by upGrad and GGU for the learner have been very good, a very well laid out student portal.

Everything is in sequence of what we need to do, the instructions are clear. In addition to all of that, there are also live sessions where we actually have lessons to contextualize, to formalize the online learning that we are doing on, you know, our own time.

And yes, they are responsive. They don't leave us hanging, which helps with the learning experience.

I'm a lawyer at Bourgeron Clifford, a top 10 personal injury law firm in Canada.

My interests lie at the intersection of business, law, and technology.

Through upGrad, I'm able to get access to Golden Gate University's DBA program, where all three of those subjects are at front and center.

I was looking for a program that could build on something with a higher level skill set than what I currently have, and something that pushes me to learn to implement new academic theories at work, something that's accessible, and something that's affordable.

Three things that stand out about UpGrad to me are-

Number one, they're weekly live lectures and seminars that help you understand the practicality of topics you learn in theory.

Number two, upGrad buddies that push your boundaries to complete the course, submit assignments on time, and do everything together.

Third, the career mentors in your field of study periodically share great tips with you that you'd never have anywhere else.

The program has allowed me to continue working while attending school and has allowed me to seek my next academic challenge and to immerse myself in doctoral-level business education.