Higher Education Administration Major, PhD

The PhD with a major in higher education administration offers advanced graduate study to those students aspiring to enhance their leadership knowledge and skill for service in their current positions, to establish knowledge and skill bases for a more responsible executive leadership appointment, to build the capacity and inclination for active participation in policy dialogue related to the purpose and performance of higher education, and to prepare selected scholars for service in faculty and policy scholar roles. Interdisciplinary in design, the program features core course work in higher education foundations, leadership and organizational theory, research foundations, and specialization interests.

Admission

Applicants must submit current GRE scores (taken within the past 5 years). The PhD with a major in higher education administration looks for performance on the GRE Verbal and GRE Quantitative at the 50% and 4.5 on the GRE writing exam. Applicant must also submit three letters of recommendation, the combined Graduate School/Program Application for PhD in higher education administration, official transcripts of all previous undergraduate and graduate work, and a writing sample. An overall GPA of 3.5 in previous graduate study is required, and an interview may be requested of applicants to ascertain match of an applicant’s goals with the resources and goals of the program. Admission to the PhD program is a holistic decision based on an integrated review of the entire admissions credential file. The deadline for having a complete admissions credential file is March 1st.

Requirements

The program requires completion of approximately 48-57 hours of coursework (exclusive of dissertation enrollment), completion of a written and oral comprehensive examination (an overall GPA of 3.5 is required to take the comprehensive examination), and successful completion and defense of a dissertation. The doctoral residence requirement is met by two consecutive terms of full-time enrollment.