Higher Education Ph.D.

Program type:

Major

Format:

On Campus

Est. time to complete:

3-5 years

Credit Hours:

Become a professor in education and help shape the next generation of leaders.

The Ph.D. program in higher education is designed for individuals primarily interested in the scholarly inquiry and/or teaching of higher education as a field of study. This degree qualifies you for a staff position or an administrative position at the middle-management or senior level in a college, a university or a state or regional higher education coordinating, accrediting or governing agency. It also prepares you for positions in student affairs, administrative and business affairs or development/advancement areas in higher education.

Requirements Additional Requirements Tuition & Aid How to apply

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Why Earn a Higher Education Ph.D.?

If you are interested in scholarly research, exploration and teaching higher education, the Doctor of Philosophy degree is for you. This degree will provide you with a career as a professor or an applied researcher and prepare you for senior leadership positions in higher learning institutions, statewide higher education coordinating agencies, medical centers and government agencies.

Our faculty members have published more than two dozen books, monographs and book chapters and more than 100 refereed journal articles. Their research areas include leadership in higher education, higher education policy and finance, access and equity, institutional effectiveness, professoriate, student affairs and student development. Our faculty have:

Served as editors or editorial board members for various academic journals
Presented numerous papers at national and international professional meetings and conferences
Generated more than $2 million in grants from federal, state and private foundations

The program is a member of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED). CPED is a consortium of colleges and schools that aims to improve the quality of the doctorate in education.

Marketable Skills

Assess, develop, implement, and evaluate strategies
Advanced oral and written communication
Resource management of people, physical/financial assets
Produce and use theory-driven research/practices
Multi-cultural/diversity competencies

Higher Education Ph.D. Highlights

Identify problems needing research.

Discover designated College strengths in diverse research strategies/methods.

Academic and research positions in graduate instructional programs of higher education, higher education institutes and centers for the study of higher education.

Applied and management research positions in institutions of higher learning, government agencies, consortia of higher education institutions and higher education professional associations.

Senior administrative positions in four-year colleges and universities where in-depth knowledge and understanding of the conceptual bases of higher education administration are required.

Designed to provide both subject-matter competence and research skills.

What Can You do With a Higher Education Ph.D.?

The Higher Education Ph.D can prepare your for roles in:

Academic and research positions in graduate instructional programs of higher education, higher education institutes and centers for the study of higher education
Applied and management research positions in institutions of higher learning, government agencies, consortia of higher education institutions and higher education professional associations
Senior administrative positions in four-year colleges and universities where in-depth knowledge and understanding of the conceptual bases of higher education administration are required

Higher Education Ph.D. Courses You Could Take

Study of the development of higher education in the United States, including the forces that have shaped institutions and institutional culture and practice. Identification of the significant events and philosophies that have influenced the evolution of higher education institutions and analysis of the implications of these for practice and for the future of higher education.

Links theories about college student development and research methodology on the study of college student outcomes. Specifically addressed are the conditions and kinds of effects that college attendance has on students. The course considers topics of interest to both practitioners and researchers.

Studies in the development, implementation and enforcement of policies by institutions of higher education, state higher education coordinating and governing boards and the federal government. Measurements of the impacts of policies on educational outcomes and institutional management also are examined.

Examination of the theoretical principles of organizational behavior, leadership and institutional culture applied to a functional examination of administrative roles in higher education.

Legal aspects and issues affecting institutions of higher learning and their administrations, faculties and students. Analyses of decisions rendered by the federal and state courts concerning procedural and substantive due process, civil rights, and the operation and function of higher education.

Orients entering doctoral students to the study of higher education. Acquaints graduate students with higher education as an interdisciplinary field of study that bridges practice, theory, and empirical research. Enhances students’ abilities of critical reading, critical thinking and analysis, writing, and inquiry.