Program Overview

Doctor of Philosophy - Higher Education

The Ph.D. in Higher Education program is versatile and allows students to concentrate in one of several areas, depending on each person's educational and career goals. Our departmental partnership with educational psychology means that doctoral students get a combination of content and methodological coursework and research opportunities that span individual leadership to organizational levels, embodied within the following three emphasis areas: university and community college leadership; student affairs leadership and; higher education policy and planning.

About

The program is grounded in the concept that successful higher educational leaders must be well-informed and context-sensitive professionals who make theory-based, research-supported, and data-driven decisions. The primary objectives of the program are to prepare students for administrative positions in community colleges, four-year colleges, universities, and other public and private learning and policy environments; prepare individuals for faculty positions in higher education; and assist doctoral students in the development of skills in assessment and evaluation, research design, and quantitative and qualitative methodologies appropriate for leadership roles as faculty or administrators in higher and postsecondary education.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, graduates will be able to:

• Engage in theory-based, data-driving decision making within the higher education context.
• Undertake leadership and research positions in two and four-year College and University settings.
• Discuss and articulate an informed perspective on several issues in higher education (e.g., policy, finance, law, etc.).
• Discuss the historical and philosophical influences that have guided the evolution of higher education in the U.S.
• Demonstrate knowledge regarding participation in the academy as a professor in higher education.

Career Possibilities

• University and college faculty
• Community college faculty
• Administrative positions in higher education
• Employee training specialists
• Program evaluators

Requirements

Admission Requirements

Application deadlines are available on the UNLV Graduate College website. Entrance to the Ph.D. program requires candidates to complete three steps:

1. Minimum admission requirements for UNLV's Graduate College include: Completed application for admission and the nonrefundable application fee.
2. Additional materials each candidate must also upload with the application:

• Personal Statement of Professional Aspirations and research interests
• A professional resumé or vita
• Verification of experience in higher education or related field
• Optional GRE scores
• Two letters of academic recommendation / professional reference
• Evidence of writing ability

3. After reviewing all materials, a select number of candidates will be invited for an interview with department faculty.

Course Requirements

• Total Credits Required: 66
• Required Core Courses Credits: 15
  • EDH 703 - History of American Higher Education
  • EDH 709 - Seminar in the Economics of Education
  • EDH 710 - Finance and Budgeting in Higher Education
  • EDH 715 - Theory of Educational Organizations
  • EDH 738 - Public Policy in Education
  • EDH 705 - Education Law
  • EDH 742 - Academic Governance in Higher Education
• Required Research Courses Credits: 12
  • EDH 707 - Designing & Critiquing Research In Education
  • EPY 716 - Evaluation Research Methods
  • EDH 730 - Institutional Assessment
  • EPY 718 - Qualitative Research Methodologies
  • EPY 722 - Inferential Statistics and Experimental Design
• Research Elective Courses Credits: 6
  • Complete two of the following courses in consultation with your program of study chair
    • EPY 719 - Advanced Qualitative Research
    • EPY 729 - Qualitative Case Study Research
    • EPY 732 - Multiple Regression
    • EPY 733 - Multivariate Statistics
• Specialization Courses Credits: 15
  • Complete 15 credits from the following courses or others in consultation with your program of study chair
    • IPSM 711 - Sport Marketing
    • EDH 712 - Title IX and Gender Equity
    • IPSM 713 - Sport Policy & Governance
    • EDH 714 - Understanding Minority Serving Institutions
    • EDH 719 - Institutional Advancement
    • EDH 732 - Readings in Administration of Higher Education
    • EDH 737 - Ethical Dimensions of Higher Education Leadership
    • EDH 739 - Organization Change & Innovation in Higher Education
    • EDH 740 - Comparative and International Higher Education
    • EDH 750 - Special Topics in Higher Education
    • EDH 780 - Seminar: Teaching in Higher Education
    • EDH 791 - Doctoral Independent Study
• Internship Course Credits: 3
  • EDH 790 - Doctoral Internship
• Prospectus Course Credits: 3
  • EDH 796 - Dissertation Proposal Preparation
• Dissertation Credits: 12
  • EDH 799 - Dissertation

Degree Requirements

1. Students must complete a minimum of 66 credits of approved course work with a minimum GPA of 3.00.
2. Students without a background in statistics may take EPY 721 Descriptive/Inferential Statistics, but the course will not count as credits toward the doctoral program.
3. In consultation with their advisor, a student will organize a dissertation committee of at least three departmental members.
4. The doctoral comprehensive examination consists of two parts: A core examination and an individualized examination.
5. All students are required to engage in an internship experience.
6. Students must complete the residency requirement.
7. Residency requirements and successful completion of the comprehensive exams must be fulfilled prior to the dissertation proposal defense.

Plan Graduation Requirements

The student must submit and successfully defend their dissertation by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public. After the dissertation defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their dissertation to the Graduate College for format check. Once the dissertation format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for dissertation defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found on the Graduate College website. Students may apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing their degree requirements. All required forms must be submitted to the graduate college via the Grad Rebel Gateway.