Higher Education, PhD

*PhD students admitted prior to Fall 2023 are eligible to follow these revised requirements to qualify for graduation.*

The PhD in Higher Education is committed to advancing scholarship, research, and practice in the field of higher education. Students have research interests ranging from student access to student outcomes, diversity, equity, and justice, international and comparative education, student affairs, faculty and administration, and policy studies. The program is focused on critical scholarship and centers equity and justice.

The PhD degree program in higher education includes a core set of courses designed for students to gain an understanding of historical, political, philosophical, and social elements that shape and continue to reshape higher education. The curriculum is designed to ground students in the study of higher education as a discipline and critical scholarship within the field. Students develop an area of research specialization. The curriculum in higher education is complemented by courses within other programs in the Educational Foundations, Organizations, and Policy Department and School of Education. Students also take courses outside of the School of Education for their supporting field (per School of Education guidelines). In addition, through a strong focus within the program on rigorous methodological training, students gain competency in both quantitative and qualitative research methods and take advanced courses in the methodological approaches they plan to utilize in their research.

90 credits are required for this degree program.

For additional degree requirement information, refer to the School of Education section on Doctoral Degree Requirements.