Higher Education (Ph.D.)

The Ph.D. in Education program produces leaders who can address the nation's most pressing educational challenges. Each of the specializations is designed to match your professional interests and meet the needs of your organization. In fact, it requires educators to come to the program with defined learning goals and challenges them to design their own program of study. The program combines collaborative online study with self-paced, faculty-guided research modules and face-to-face residencies.

During the 21st century, colleges and universities will undergo profound transformations as the student population becomes older and more diverse, and as educational methods incorporate more technological solutions and distance approaches. Building on the foundational core KAMs in the social and behavioral sciences, the Higher Education curriculum emphasizes proficiency in understanding the needs of a changing clientele and academic community; analyzing and implementing strategies to promote learning and to support development in higher education; and learning how systems and policies can be used to ensure organizational effectiveness and social change in postsecondary settings. Contexts for the study and practice of higher education include community colleges; private and public liberal arts colleges; distance-learning institutions; regional and state universities; proprietary, technical, and trade schools; state and federal agencies; and national professional associations.