The doctoral program in Higher Education Administration and Student Personnel prepares mid-career administrators at college and university levels. The PhD program is academically rigorous and students are challenged to excel. Their docotoral experience enables them to serve as directors, deans, vice presidents and presidents at various institutions throughout Ohio and the nation.
Graduates of the Higher Education Administration and Student Personnel program will provide leadership characterized by:
- High-level analytic thinking
- Problem-solving skills
- Ethics-based decision making
- Multicultural competence
- Global perspective
- Understanding of colleges and universities as complex organizations
- Effective, persuasive, and inclusive written and oral communication skills
- Comprehension of the impact of social, economic, political, and legal trends
- Flexibility and confidence to provide leadership in times of change
Application to the PhD program can occur at any time , but interviews for admission will be held at meetings of the faculty in October and April. (Applicants for full-time status who wish to have an assistantship should apply by February 1 for fall enrollment.)
The student’s program consists of a variety of academic experiences culminating in the dissertation. Aspects of the Plan of Study include:
- The Core: a common strand of course work required of all students in the Higher Education Administration and Student Personnel PhD program, addressing law, administration, curriculum, politics, and internationalization (18 credit hours)
- Research Foundation: a set of courses to provide expertise in evaluating and conducting research in educational settings including basic statistics and introductory qualitative research, among other courses to prepare students for research design (a minimum of 15 credit hours)
- Elective coursework: a set of courses selected to complement individual professional goals, needs and interests (a minimum of 15 credit hours). Some students choose to focus their electives as a specialization through pursuit of a certificate.
- Dissertation: research structured to solve problems or produce knowledge with direct applicability to higher educational practice
Recent PhD graduates:
Oliver, Shawn L., 2009 (Spr) Comprehensive curriculum reform: as a collaborative effort of faculty and administrators in a higher education institution: a case study based on grounded theory
Maldonado, Anita, 2008 (Sum) Negotiating a sense of place: a study of hispanic faculty in predominantly white universities
Deeb, Bassam M., 2008 (Spr) Conceptions of governing boards accountability in the state of Ohio: a case study
Kulics, Jennifer M., 2006 (Sum) An analysis of the academic behaviors and beliefs of division I student-athletes and academic administrators: The impact of the increased percentage toward degree requirements
Prior to the dissertation process, doctoral candidates should familiarize themselves with policies and procedures described in the Handbook for Ph.D. Students and Advisors and the Theses & Dissertation Formatting.
The Office of Administrative Affairs and Graduate Education examines all College and Graduate School of Education, Health, and Human Services dissertations prior to filing with the University Libraries. We are fortunate to have many highly productive doctoral program areas which generate and produce a considerable number of dissertations. Doctoral candidates use guidelines from the Ph.D. Handbook in the completion of their dissertation.
