As college enrollment declines, enrollment in distance education (DE) continues to increase (Seaman et al., 2018). During the COVID-19 pandemic, universities are relying on DE through online learning, perhaps more than ever (Mullen, 2020). In the field of education, specifically, DE offers students a way to complete a doctoral degree while simultaneously gaining experience and field testing newly acquired knowledge. Doctor of Education (EdD) degrees typically are practitioner-focused (Boyce, 2012; Perry, 2012; Santovec, 2008) and are often completed by those who are balancing a full-time job in the field and other personal responsibilities (Gardner, 2007, 2009; Pratt & Spaulding, 2014; West, 2014). Despite these advantages, DE Doctor of Education (EdD) programs are plagued with a high attrition risk. Researchers have shown the orientations can be an effective means of supporting persistence (Kumar & Dawson, 2012; Matheswaran, 2010; Tinto, 2012) and that doctoral students support the completion of an orientation to a doctoral program (Cho, 2012; Perrine & Spain, 2008; Pintz & Posey, 2013). To address this problem and in light of the exceptionally high rates of attrition for DE EdD programs specifically, a grounded theory study (N = 56) of doctoral students, alumni, non-persisting students, faculty, and a dean was conducted to determine the ideal components of orientation for DE EdD programs. This study found that DE EdD students need various supports from five primary sources: their institution, department, faculty, peers, and family (Motte, 2019). While the idea of supporting doctoral students through these sources is not a new one, this study found that doctoral students, alumni, non-persisters, and faculty desired support for DE EdD students that reached beyond a bounded orientation course. Instead, ongoing support from these five sources was needed to address students' changing needs throughout the doctoral journey (Gardner, 2009; Lovitts, 2008; Storms et al., 2011).