Higher Education (Ph.D.)
Jubilee Hall
CHDCM@shu.edu
shu.edu/academics/phd-higher-education-leadership-management-policy-index
Program Code: EC_HRED_PHD
The Ph.D. program in Higher Education prepares students for senior administrative and policy development and management posts in colleges and universities, government agencies, foundations, as well as careers in teaching and research. The Ph.D. program includes the opportunity for qualified students to pursue an optional concentration in Research and Evaluation.
While admissions requirements and other requirements are the same regardless of academic track, curricular requirements and career outcomes for students who add the concentration in Research and Evaluation are different from those who do not.
Admissions Requirements
To be considered for admission, applicants are required to submit the following materials:
- Online application and application fee
- Official transcript(s) from all institutions attended, including an earned Master's-level degree (cumulative GPA of at least 3.0)
- Letters of recommendation (2) from academic and/or professional references
- Personal statement with indication of specialization to be pursued
- Resume/Curriculum vitae
Application Deadline
The program reviews applications on a rolling basis for the Fall and Spring semesters. Priority application review for the Fall is typically in March with Spring reviewed in October. Additional applications are considered following the priority review on a space-available basis.
Course Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 45 credit hours, as listed below. Credits earned from other institutions or other programs at Seton Hall cannot be transferred and applied to the 45-credit requirement.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| I. Core | ||
| ELMP 7765 | Policy Analysis-Admin Pol-Econ | 3 |
| ELMP 8891 | Dir Research Admin Supervision | 3 |
| ELMP 9993 | Org and Govern-Higher Ed | 3 |
| ELMP 9997 | Hist Devel Amer Higher Ed | 3 |
| Subtotal | 12 | |
| II. Advanced Content | ||
| Select four courses from the following: | 12 | |
| American College Student | ||
| College Student Affairs Admin | ||
| Selected Topics in Admin. | ||
| Education Law | ||
| Comp Study-Intl Educ Systems | ||
| Diversity in Higher Education | ||
| Ldship Inst Admin and Sup | ||
| Ldshp Inst Wkshp Adm and Sup | ||
| Institutional Research | ||
| Faculty Personnel Pol-High Ed | ||
| Finan Adm High Ed | ||
| Organ and Admin Jr Comm Coll | ||
| Curric and Instr-Higher Ed | ||
| Subtotal | 12 | |
| III. Required Research | ||
| ELMP 6005 | Statistical Methods | 3 |
| ELMP 8986 | Qualitative Rsch Sem and Admin | 3 |
| Subtotal | 6 | |
| IV. Advanced Research | ||
| Select four courses from the following: | 12 | |
| Intermediate Statistics * | ||
| Survey Research | ||
| Applied Quantitative Analysis | ||
| Program Evaluation | ||
| Advanced Qualitative Research | ||
| Subtotal | 12 | |
| V. Dissertation Seminars | ||
| ELMP 9979 | Disser Sem in Higher Ed | 3 |
| Subtotal | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 45 | |
- *
Required Course
Other Requirements
Qualifying Exam
Students must pass a qualifying examination, in which they are given the choice of one out of two writing prompts concerning selected modern issues in higher education and asked questions drawing on content from the core courses. Possible scores on the exam are either Pass with Distinction, Pass, or Fail. Students have up to two attempts to pass the qualifying exam. Failing the exam twice will result in dismissal from the doctoral program.
Comprehensive Exam
The comprehensive exam is a review of existing literature in the area of the student’s intended dissertation topic. Exams are administered twice a year, once per fall and spring semester. Students should take the exam during the same semester they take ELMP 9979 Disser Sem in Higher Ed , or the semester immediately following completion of that course. Possible scores include Pass or Fail. Students have up to two chances to pass the comprehensive exam. In the event of two failures, the student will be dismissed from the doctoral program. Not sitting for the exam during an administration in which the student was directed in writing to do so (e.g., in the case of a retake), without appropriate documentation of a reasonable exception, will be counted as an automatic failure for the exam. Signing up for the exam and not submitting work will also count as a failure. Students may not defend their dissertation proposal or enroll in Dissertation Advisement until they have successfully passed the comprehensive exam.
Dissertation Proposal
Students must have a documented, successful defense of their dissertation proposal, signed and dated by dissertation committee members. A successful proposal defense is a required intermediate stage of the dissertation process. More detail is in the department dissertation handbook.
Dissertation
Students must complete a dissertation and successfully defend their work with their dissertation committee. More detail is in the department dissertation handbook.
Plan of Study
Requirements for the program are outlined in the "Requirements" tab of this Catalogue. This Planner tab offers a sample semester-by-semester model schedule which accounts for historical course availability. For timely completion of the program, students must routinely meet with their assigned academic adviser to carefully plan their schedule based on available courses.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | |
| ELMP 8891 | Dir Research Admin Supervision | 3 |
| ELMP 9997 | Hist Devel Amer Higher Ed | 3 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| ELMP 7765 | Policy Analysis-Admin Pol-Econ | 3 |
| ELMP 6005 | Statistical Methods | 3 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Third Semester | ||
| Advanced Content Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Second Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| ELMP 8616 | Intermediate Statistics | 3 |
| ELMP 8986 | Qualitative Rsch Sem and Admin | 3 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| ELMP 9993 | Org and Govern-Higher Ed | 3 |
| ELMP 8890 | Survey Research | 3 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Third Semester | ||
| Advanced Content Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Third Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| Advanced Content Elective | 3 | |
| Advanced Content Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| ELMP 8895 | Program Evaluation | 3 |
| ELMP 9962 | Advanced Qualitative Research | 3 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| ELMP 9979 | Disser Sem in Higher Ed | 3 |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 45 | |
After the successful completion of coursework and program requirements such as the qualifying and comprehensive examinations, students register for Dissertation Advisement 1, a course in which they work one-to-one with their mentors on their dissertation studies. Students continue to register for Advisement until they defend their dissertations.
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