Online Executive Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration

The 54-credit, fully online, asynchronous EdD-HEA degree program can be finished in less than 3 years and is intended for professionals who have earned a master’s degree and are currently working in higher education administration or a closely related field.

The EdD-HEA program has two key objectives. First, through its required content and research courses as well as its elective courses, the program provides a solid foundation of practical and theoretical training for leadership and research in higher education administration. The program focuses on developing the student’s capacity to perform and to act with integrity as they lead in institutions of higher education. Second, through the Dissertation in Practice – including required seminar courses and doctoral fieldwork and colloquium courses – students engage in a scholarly endeavor that addresses a complex problem of practice.

The program prepares students to lead in data- and assessment-driven environments challenged by changing demography and the erosion of traditional funding sources while remaining focused on curricular innovation and student success. Graduates will be effective analysts and communicators: culturally responsive, organizationally sophisticated, and technologically adept.

Degree Requirements

All students in the Online EdD-HEA program complete 54 credits: core content (15 credits), research methods (15 credits), elective (six credits), and dissertation (18 credits) courses.

The research sequence and core courses are carefully designed to support students in developing the content knowledge, research skills, and communication skills required to successfully execute the Dissertation in Practice. Along the doctoral journey, faculty will formally assess students’ progress through a Year Two Qualifying Exam and Doctoral Qualifying Exam. Following the successful completion of the Doctoral Qualifying Exam, students will begin their dissertation courses. Prior to graduation, students will submit and defend their Dissertation in Practice.

Program Learning Goal 1
Demonstrate an expert understanding of the complex structures of higher education to inform effective change with problem-solving, social justice, and/or value-driven lenses.

Program Learning Goal 2
Drawing upon original research, develop and implement evidence-based solutions that advance higher education in a manner that incorporates community, organizational mission, historical context, accreditation and/or strategic plans.

Program Learning Goal 3
Communicate and interact effectively with a highly diverse set of constituencies – including students, faculty, administrators, alumni, and/or community members – within and related to the field of higher education and demonstrate leadership in navigating the higher education landscape.

Program Learning Goal 4
Identify inequities in higher education and apply theory and evidence-based research towards redressing institutional biases and creating an inclusive space for all.

Program Learning Goal 5
Develop a professional knowledge base that applies theory and research towards the practice of leadership that frames, diagnoses, and responds to the most pressing issues in higher education.

Program Learning Goal 6
Propose, develop, conduct, disseminate, and apply research that advances the strategic needs of an institution.

Over the course of the three-part Doctoral Fieldwork and Colloquium course sequence, candidates will implement a strategic project and collect relevant data. Concurrently, candidates will develop and refine their dissertation in the three-part Dissertation in Practice Seminar course sequence. During the third semester of a candidate’s Dissertation in Practice sequence, they will submit and defend their dissertation.

Each EdD-HEA candidate will have the support of their dissertation chair – who will be a full-time faculty member – as well as two additional committee members who hold terminal degrees in higher education administration or a related field.

Applicants to the EdD-HEA program must have earned a master’s degree in higher education administration or a related field with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Prospective students must submit the following as part of their application to the program:

• Professional resume or CV
• Two letters of recommendation
• Employer support document
• Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions
• Essay
• TOEFL scores (for international applicants whose native language is not English)