Higher Education, EdD

Doctor of Education, Doctor of Philosophy

Admission Requirements

Students seeking admission should apply for either the EdD or PhD program depending on their academic preparation, prior experience and career goals. Admission to the program is selective and restricted.

In addition to the minimum requirements of the Toulouse Graduate School and the College of Education listed under the “Admission Requirements” heading in the appropriate section of this catalog, admission to the EdD and PhD doctoral programs in higher education is contingent upon the following:

The submission of GRE or GMAT scores. Contact the academic program for information concerning acceptable admission test scores.
The quality, quantity and relevance of the applicant’s prior undergraduate and/or graduate work and prior work experience in higher education administration, teaching and/or research.
The applicant’s career objectives.
The submission of three professional references.
The quality of the application essay.
An interview by program faculty.

Each semester has an application deadline. Contact the program for application deadlines.

After review of the application packet, eligible applicants will be invited to be interviewed by the faculty.

Both doctoral programs offered in higher education enable students to acquire knowledge about and evaluate major organizational, behavioral and learning theories applicable to higher education; to conduct applied and/or original research in the field of higher education; to become familiar with past, present and emerging patterns of organization and professional administrative practice in higher education; and to observe and participate in the actual practice of higher education administration and/or research. However, the two programs differ significantly in length and emphasis and in course work, research tool, minor field and dissertation requirements.

Doctor of Education

The EdD program in higher education is designed for individuals interested primarily in the application of theory to practice. It is particularly appropriate for persons who aspire to administrative leadership careers in one or more of the following areas.

Senior leadership positions in four-year colleges and universities, such as dean of students, vice president for student affairs, dean of administration, vice president for administration, vice president for development, assistant to the president, dean of continuing education and dean of a college of education.
Senior leadership positions in two-year community colleges, junior colleges and vocational/technical institutes, such as department chair, dean of learning resource centers, dean for instruction, dean of students, dean of administration, vice president and president.
Higher education middle management administrative positions in student affairs, administrative affairs, business affairs and development in all types of institutions of higher education, including such positions as director of housing, director of financial aid, director of student services, director of student life/student activities, director of student center, director of purchasing, director of auxiliary services, director of institutional research, director of development, director of human resources and director of continuing education.
Senior administrative and staff positions in higher education coordinating and/or governing agencies in state, regional and federal government.
Administrative leadership positions with higher education accrediting agencies, professional associations, consortia and other professional organizations.

Degree Requirements

Higher education doctoral core (15 hours).

Provides the student with a broad overview and integrated perspective of higher education as a field of study and academic enterprise:

EdD base course requirement (9 hours).

Provides the student with a knowledge of the main areas of administrative specialization common to most institutions of higher learning. Each student must complete at least three of the following base courses:

Internship (6 hours).

Intended to help the student better relate theoretical concepts to administrative practice and to gain work experience in one or more areas of higher education administration.

A supervised administrative internship of up to 180 clock hours (90 clock hours for each 3 semester hours of course registration) is required of any student who has not been employed in a full-time administrative position in an institution, agency or professional association of higher education for at least one academic year, or the equivalent (as determined by the higher education faculty), prior to taking written comprehensive examinations.

Minor or cognate area (12–15 hours).

The student completes a minor of at least 12 semester hours from courses outside the department, or a cognate of 15 hours in an area of specialization in higher education.

College of Education research core (6 hours).

The College of Education requires that each student complete

Higher education program research course requirement (3 hours):

EDHE 6530 - Research on Higher Education

Dissertation research requirement (minimum of 12 hours).

The EdD dissertation may be related to immediate operational problems of any aspect of higher education, either in an analysis and solution format or in an application of theory or research context.

Minimum total for EdD

(60–66 hours beyond the master’s or 90–96 hours beyond the bachelor’s degree).

To meet the residency requirement for the EdD,

students must enroll in a minimum of 18 semester hours during a calendar year.