Higher Education Studies & Leadership, Ph.D.
The Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Studies & Leadership educates scholars and scholar-practitioners who desire to have meaningful, lasting influence on higher education. The program is uniquely balanced between research, academic rigor, and hands-on professional experience. Students entering the program can expect to be professionally challenged through their apprenticeships and academically challenged throughout the course sequence. The program is small and built on the idea that a great doctoral education stems from great mentorship. The program provides support, camaraderie, and debate as students come together from across the nation, representing a great diversity of regional and cultural world views.
Higher Education is a sophisticated enterprise, and the future scholars and leaders of higher education must be able to integrate research methodologies, complex critical thinking, and administrative responsibilities to foster meaningful change. Therefore, the Ph.D. in Higher Education Studies & Leadership has extensive learning outcomes woven throughout the curriculum. The degree requires 72 semester hours of graduate work arranged in eight blocks of courses. The degree plan may exceed 72 hours if students choose to complete additional courses.
Admission
Admission to the PhD program in Higher Education Studies & Leadership is selective. Admission is based upon student vocational goals as well as a variety of background, skill sets/aptitudes, and dispositional factors that indicate potential success in the program. A hallmark of this program is the integration of Christian faith and learning, and students are expected to model this outcome.
All applicants must submit scores from the General Test of the GRE taken within the last five years, official transcripts of baccalaureate and master’s degrees from regionally accredited institutions, a curriculum vita/resume, a professional goals statement, three letters of recommendation, and a writing sample.
MSEd HESA >> PhD HESL Pathway
Students who complete the MSEd in Higher Education and Student Affairs at Baylor are eligible to apply for a special 2-3 program that allows them to obtain their PhD in Higher Education Studies and Leadership in three years by sharing one year of credit from their master’s program. The first and second years, the student will complete remaining coursework. In the third and final year, the student will complete their dissertation.
Requirements for a PhD in Higher Education Studies & Leadership
This degree plan may be modified during advisement on an individual basis to meet each student’s needs.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Block I: Higher Education Core | ||
| EDC 6345 | Christian Faith and Education | 3 |
| EDL 5375 | Sociology of Higher Education | 3 |
| EDL 5379 | Foundations & History of Higher Education Leadership 1 | 3 |
| EDL 6302 | Teaching and Learning in Higher Education | 3 |
| EDL 6305 | Ethics and Values in Educational Leadership | 3 |
| Subtotal | 15 | |
| Block II: Studies and Leadership in Higher Education | ||
| EDL 5372 | Culture and Organization of Higher Education 1 | 3 |
| EDL 5392 | Higher Education & the Law 1 | 3 |
| EDL 5399 | Faith-Based Higher Education 1 | 3 |
| EDL 6304 | Seminar: Politics, Policy and Governance of Education | 3 |
| EDL 6306 | Student Success in Higher Education | 3 |
| EDL 6363 | Advanced Studies in Educational Leadership | 3 |
| EDL 6385 | Higher Education--Business and Finance | 3 |
| Subtotal | 21 | |
| Block III: Research and Statistics | ||
| EDL 5300 | Research Applications in Educational Leadership 1 | 3 |
| EDL 5336 | Qualitative Research in Higher Education 1 | 3 |
| EDL 6335 | Research Practicum in Education | 3 |
| EDP 5334 | Statistical Methods 2 | 3 |
| or EDP 6360 | Experimental Design I | |
| or EDP 6362 | Applied Multiple Regression/Correlation Analysis in Education | |
| Research and Statistics Elective | ||
| Select one course from the following: 3 | 3 | |
| Ethnographic Research Methods in Education | ||
| Qualitative Theory and Theology in Education | ||
| Measurement and Evaluation | ||
| Psychometric Theory and Test Construction | ||
| Experimental Design I | ||
| Experimental Design II | ||
| Applied Multiple Regression/Correlation Analysis in Education | ||
| Subtotal | 15 | |
| Block IV: Electives/Cognate | ||
| Take 9 hrs from within the department or across the university. 4 | 9 | |
| Block V: Professional Independent Study or Internship | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Special Problems in Education | ||
| Internship in Educational Leadership | ||
| Special Problems in Educational Leadership | ||
| Block VI: Comprehensive Exam | ||
| EDL 6V00 | Graduate Research | 1 |
| Block VII: Dissertation | ||
| EDL 6V99 | Dissertation | 8 |
| Total Hours | 72 | |
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For students completing the MSEd HESA >> PhD HESL pathway, the following 18 hrs will be shared between their master's and PhD:
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If the student has already taken a master’s level statistics course, they will be required to take either EDP 6360 Experimental Design I or EDP 6362 Applied Multiple Regression/Correlation Analysis in Education.
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Students will choose 3 to 6 hrs (depending on whether the student needs to take EDP 5334) in consultation with their advisor. The courses chosen should assist with the publication of the dissertation. In addition, students can use their cognate or elective hours to take additional research courses.
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We particularly encourage taking courses outside the School of Education that may expose students to other fields within the university. For instance, students may wish to take additional courses in management from the business school, particular methods courses from a particular discipline (e.g., history or sociology), or courses about education found in other disciplines (e.g., sociology of education, philosophy of education).