How to Get a PhD in Higher Education

Do your professional goals involve becoming a leader in the field of higher education? Whether you hope to pursue research and teaching in postsecondary education, become an administrator at a postsecondary institution, or pursue other leadership opportunities in college or university education, earning an EdD or PhD in Higher Education may be an ideal starting point. Once you attain your doctorate, you join a world of scholars whose expertise shapes the academic and professional experiences of millions of American postsecondary students.

PhD Programs in Higher Education

As a doctoral student working toward a campus or online PhD in Higher Education, you learn the theory and methods of conducting research while individually investigating a specific issue in higher education. You may teach undergraduate courses to hone your instructional and mentoring skills. You may also develop administrative skills that prepare you for work beyond academic scholarship.

Alternatives to the PhD in Higher Education

Before you apply to doctoral programs, note that the field of education offers two doctorate degrees--the PhD and the Doctor of Education (EdD). The EdD originated as a professional practice doctorate geared at developing highly educated postsecondary practitioners and administrators. Today, many PhD programs in Higher Education require that doctoral students undertake applied research and professional practice similar to that of EdD students. As a result, although some institutions offer programs leading to both degrees, others offer only one of the two. In higher education today, candidates for non-academic jobs are typically served equally well by either degree. Deciding which degree will best suit your aspirations requires careful research and an understanding of the breadth of knowledge you hope to apply to your future career.

Specializations within the PhD in Higher Education

Undertaking a campus or online PhD in Higher Education allows you to become an expert in your field. These programs offer foundational and methodological courses that are pertinent to any practice within higher education. As you explore your options, keep in mind that programs often expect you to also develop proficiency in a related subject area--your specialization.

Specialization options abound; programs vary in how they structure their courses of study. Some emphasize social sciences research and theory while others prioritize the practice of higher education. Specializations are broad, delineating areas such as:

• Leadership of Higher Education
• Higher Education and Organizational Change
• Higher Education Policy Analysis
• Curriculum and Instruction in Higher Education
• Academic and Student Affairs in Higher Education
• History or Philosophy of Higher Education

Within your specialization, you take coursework in pertinent topics such as:

• Statistics
• Economics
• Sociology
• Organizational behavior
• Organizational administration
• History of education in the United States
• Philosophy of education in the United States
• International comparative higher education
• Leadership ethics
• Student affairs
• Assessment and evaluation
• Policy analysis
• Technology in higher education

By having you declare a specialization, these programs give you the ability to focus your studies on areas of particular interest to you. At the same time, the combination of your specialization coursework and the program's core courses will help you become multi-functional within higher education.

Higher Education Careers

A campus or online PhD in Higher Education is a degree that offers you entrée into an array of careers. After completing your doctorate degree, you may be prepared to become a lifelong academic as a professor or researcher. A PhD program in Higher Education can also lead to various professional careers, such as in administration at a university or college or higher education policy analysis at the legislative or institutional level.

Higher education careers offer a rewarding work environment and comfortable, if not indulgent, compensation. The top earners in higher education tend to be administrators at highly-ranked colleges and universities, with academic deans and chief development officers receiving salaries in a lower but similar ballpark. Directors of student activities and financial aid, as well as deans of students, earn substantially less than administrators but still make a professional-level salary. Policy analysts' and professors' salaries range dramatically, with local cost of living and prestige of the institution factoring into the calculation. College and universities often offer non-financial perks as well, such as ample vacation time and free tuition for students of employees. Consider both your professional interests and lifestyle requirements as you weigh which higher education career to pursue.

How to Apply to PhD Programs in Higher Education

Selecting PhD programs in Higher Education can feel dizzying. In the United States, hundreds of schools of education offer doctorate degree programs. Both campus-based and online PhD programs are now common. Some schools offer PhD programs, some offer EdD programs, and some offer both. Each program has unique course and research requirements as well as experts from whom to learn. With such an array of programs to pick from, evaluating each one can seem daunting. Keep reading for helpful tips on how to decide which campus or online PhD in Higher Education options is right for you.

How to Research PhD Programs

In finding the doctoral programs in Higher Education that best suit you, you'll make your first attempt at becoming a top-notch researcher. Here are some suggested resources to help you:

• U.S. Department of Education. The DOE Web site includes an online database of accredited programs.
• U.S. News & World Report rankings. Published annually, this ranking of graduate programs is a great starting point for identifying institutions that offer Higher Education programs. It also summarizes essential details of each institution, such as contact information, application deadlines and fees, tuition, and student body size.
• School Web sites. As you identify campus-based or online graduate schools that interest you, visit the schools' Web sites to gather specific information on their offerings, including descriptions of degree programs and courses as well as biographies of faculty members.
• Admissions counselors. Admissions counselors can help you determine whether a program meets your needs and whether you are eligible for it.
• Online directory research. Online directories such as WorldWideLearn.com offer extensive information about schools. To view some available online PhD programs in Higher Education, visit WorldWideLearn.com's guides to Degrees By Subject and Degrees By Level. To learn about studying the field of education more broadly, visit the Online Education Guide.
• Information requests. Researching individual programs can take time. To make the process efficient, submit an information request at WorldWideLearn.com. Once you fill out a form identifying your criteria for graduate study, the system identifies schools that suit you and alerts representatives of these schools to contact you.

How to Choose a Set of PhD Programs

The first step is to identify a group of campus and online PhD programs in Higher Education that fit your needs. Look for programs with the following must-have features.

• Accreditation. The first point of assurance when considering an academic institution is that it is accredited by a US Department of Education-approved board. Accreditation ensures that the institution meets basic requirements for quality and indicates that your degree will be recognized outside the institution.
• Signs of success. Many campus-based PhD programs have existed for decades, while others, on campus and online, are fairly new. You want to enroll in a program that won't close in a year due to financial strain or inexperienced management, but don't discount a program just because it's new. You can gauge its potential effectiveness by looking at the school's closely-related other programs. The new program should be comparable. As you gather information, look for indicators that each program is set up for success. Key factors include a high graduation rate, compelling job placements for previous graduates, favorable expert assessments, and a competitive ranking against similar programs.
• Faculty who share your academic interests. Working directly with one faculty member is a major component of doctoral work. Research the scholars associated with each program and look for ones with whom you share academic interests. These are the professors who will be in a position to create study and research opportunities appropriate to your goals.
• Your personal must-haves. There are likely additional must-haves that are unique to you. You may only want to apply to programs in a certain geographic area or to online graduate schools. With the abundance of online PhD in Higher Education programs being offered today, this is a viable option that may help you save time and money. Alternatively, you may care most about who your academic peers will be. The stronger the doctoral students, the higher the quality of research and learning taking place in the program. The trade-off is that top-notch peers make for serious competition in the admission process. Another consideration is the cachet of your alma mater. If your goal is to become an administrator at a certain type of institution, you might find it useful to have a similar institution on your resume. For other career paths, the alma mater may matter less than the quality of your research and the focus of your studies. Weigh factors like these against your career goals as you determine which characteristics of the available programs matter most to you.

Applying to PhD Programs

The next step is to make sure you are qualified to attend each program that interests you. Locate the admission requirements for each PhD program and wait to apply until you meet them all. Requirements typically include the following:

• Academic prerequisites. In most programs, before you can begin a PhD in Higher Education, you must have a bachelor's degree in a related field. Some also require that you hold a master's degree. Most do not have language requirements or expect you to have published research; however, they may appreciate these attributes if you have them. If you are missing any of a program's prerequisite courses, consider taking them online and then applying to your top-choice doctoral program.
• Professional work experience. Some programs require that before you begin a PhD in Higher Education, you get a few years of professional experience in an educational setting. Many do not.
• Qualifying exams. Typically applicants for PhD programs in Higher Education must submit GRE scores. International applicants often have to take the TOEFL and submit scores from that as well. WorldWideLearn.com's Education Resources offers information on these tests.
• Faculty recommendations. Applications often require written recommendations from professors or professional supervisors. Your recommenders need to know you well enough to comment positively on your ability to succeed in the type of work required of a student earning a PhD in Higher Education. Be sure to give recommenders a lot to work with--such as a description of each program and your relevant experience and goals--and plenty of time to write.

Know Your Academic Community and Audience

Before you apply to undertake a PhD in Higher Education, get a leg up on the competition by becoming familiar with the academic community you hope to join. This will help you write a personal statement that speaks the professional language of the selection committee reading it. Below are a handful of ways to develop background in your future field.

• Subscribe to publications. Numerous publications targeted at higher education professionals help build your knowledge of the field. The Chronicle of Higher Education provides news and job information. The National Education Association publishes a newsletter, a journal, and an almanac that assesses the conditions of higher education professions. Scholarly journals, including The Journal of Higher Education and The Review of Higher Education, and a professional journal, The Journal of General Education, are also information-packed resources.
• Attend conferences. At conferences, scholars and practitioners come together to collaborate, learn about current research studies and results, and take part in their field's community of practice. Many institutions host conferences annually or throughout the year.
• Join a professional organization or association. Professional organizations and associations exist in every sub-field of higher education. As you narrow down your interests to a particular area, join an organization or association related to it.

Throughout your process of identifying PhD in Higher Education options that appeal to you, be careful and thorough in your research. Look to resources like WorldWideLearn.com to help save you time and limit stress as you take this important step toward your professional future.

Sources

• Association for the Study of Higher Education, ASHE 2009 Conference Information
• Boston College Lynch School of Education, Higher Education Administration Doctoral Program
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Education Teachers, Postsecondary
• Chronicle of Higher Education
• George Mason University, How to Apply to the Higher Education Program
• NASPA, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
• National Education Association, Higher Education Publications
• Northern Illinois University, Ed.D. Versus Ph.D.: What's the Difference?
• NYU School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, Higher and Postsecondary Education
• Pennsylvania State School of Education, Higher Education Doctoral Program
• Stanford University School of Education, Higher Education
• UCLA School of Education, Higher Education & Organizational Change
• United States Dept of Education, Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs
• University of California, Berkeley School of Education, Programs
• University of Michigan School of Education, Higher Education in CSHPE: Doctoral Degree Programs
• US News and World Report, Best Education Schools Specialty Rankings: Higher education administration
• Western Michigan University, Higher Education Journals and Publications