The specialization in higher education leadership is designed for graduate students who would like to continue their careers as leaders, administrators, and educators in higher education. Offered as a specialization within the EdD program in Leadership, the higher education specialization focuses on the administration of colleges, universities and other post-secondary institutions, and the policies, practices and issues connected to these institutions, and the cultures and systems in which they operate.
This specialization program encourages students to draw upon and build on knowledge and experiences related to their professional work, while also requiring students to develop strong research skills and a familiarity with evidence-based decision-making. While grounded in topics related to higher education systems in the United States, this emphasis also provides opportunities to explore the internationalization and globalization of higher education.
Program Requirements
Doctoral candidates must complete:
in subject areas covering:
Candidates must also complete:
Required:
Pick four:
Required: five courses
Choose one:
For the EdD, Practitioner Track (10 hours)
Pick two:
For the PhD, Researcher Track (16 hours)
Pick one:
The analysis of the methodological and statistical components of existing research data to enhance and facilitate the educational decision making process. Particular attention is given to applications regarding issues of educational policy.
In this course, concepts, skills and strategies for the enhancement of personal and professional leadership are examined. One’s fundamental leadership beliefs and assumptions are explored along with organizational performance and achievement.
This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the critical issues faced by leaders in every organization in the 21st century. Current, relevant, and timely resources are explored to provide students with opportunities to analyze both organizations and their leadership.
In this course, students explore and examine contemporary and classical leadership theories and their application to a variety of professional settings; students assess and evaluate organization’s leadership platform, policies and professional practices.
In this course, students examine and explore human resources policies and practices; administrative supervision strategies and effective communication techniques; job performance, employee development and deployment, diverse work force, employment law, training and development, harassment and health issues and disabilities and discrimination.
Leading the Knowledge Enterprise is a course that introduces students to the exciting and sometimes hard to define field of knowledge management. The role of the leader is emphasized, especially as it relates to identifying and leveraging the intellectual capital of an organization; promoting and facilitating knowledge sharing and innovation; intellectual assets, knowledge management strategy, knowledge management cycle and knowledge taxonomies.
Effective change leadership requires an understanding of the basic principles and practices underlying innovation, change processes and sustainability in organizations. The focus of LDR-7030 is initiating, implementing and ensuring continuation of change as a key leadership challenge. Various change theories and principles are examined with an emphasis on the leader’s role in capacity building, creativity, organizational strengths and style. Participants are encouraged to develop a more situated and experience informed approach to change in the organizational front lines.
In this course, students explore and examine the five disciplines of learning organizations; characteristics of learning organizations, growth cycles, building capacity and sustainability.
This course examines strategic planning models, forecasting methods, trend analysis, futuring, problem-based learning, return on investment, organizational health and effectiveness, cost/benefit analysis and research and planning.
Addresses the legal environment of postsecondary institutions and specific issues that affect higher education. In addition to faculty and administrative structuring, curriculum development, and institutional financing, a university’s policy is affected by legal concerns, including constitutional privileges, ethics, and regulations that may be relevant in regards to state and local municipalities. Students enrolled in this course will participate in research and weekly discussions evaluating the significance and importance of the limitations and allowances of government defined operating and monetary restrictions on academic institutions.
Addresses the major social issues affected by higher education, specific issues and trends, dominant themes of historical and institutional impact. Students enrolled in this course will acquire an improved understanding of previous events of the significance of higher education, including how it has developed and increased in importance to society.
Includes the theoretical perspectives on higher education organizations, the organizational structure, management and leadership of colleges and universities and governance systems. Learners enrolled in this course will become familiar with the purpose of institutional governance, its various functions, administrative models and the factors utilized to define its strategies.
Addresses the major financial and economic issues experienced within higher education including fiscal awareness, social responsibility and stewardship. Learners will be able to understand the primary concerns involved with budgeting, ethics and management within the higher education landscape, applying theories and principles to maintaining a functioning and sustainable institution. Learners will be exposed to the economic, political and organizational cultural factors which affect the allocation of monetary resources within the higher education organization.
Application of change theory to large and small organizations. Leadership strategies for successful change implementation.
Educational policy-making at the macro (national, regional and state) and micro (local and institutional) levels. Selected educational policies.
Ethical theories and practice of school district leadership.
Sports Leadership and Ethics is designed to prepare learners to evaluate business principles, theories and responsibilities in the field of sports management, with an increased understanding of acceptable practices, human capital, and professionalism. In addition, this course provides learners with an understanding societal reasonability, common moral and ethical values, and how they are applied to varying sports leadership scenarios.
In this course students will examine the ethical dilemmas of leadership, the foundations and context of moral choice and the moral implications of decision making. In doing so, the purpose is to make visible the ethical challenges and decision criteria facing leaders, the role of politics and power in organizations and the leader’s ability to promote and infuse organizational ethics and integrity into the culture.
Principles of research theory, methods, inquiry, problem formulation, data collection, literature searches, and ethical considerations. Emphasis on how to design a doctoral-level research study.
RES-7600 Survey Research
This course introduces students to survey and instrument development including issues related to operationalizing variables, survey construction, sampling, coding, analysis, and evaluating the reliability and validity of survey research methods.
An examination and application of qualitative research approaches with focus on research design, the role of the researcher, data collection and analysis, and writing from a qualitative perspective
Principles and application of action research planning, implementation and reflection in educational environments. Exploration of collaborative, participatory and individual approaches to action research methods that can be utilized to improve schools and/or organizations.
An introduction to quantitative analysis of data. Statistical software will be used to explore descriptive and inferential statistics using both non-parametric and parametric techniques.
This course explores the theory, design, and application of mixed methods research.
An introduction to advanced statistical concepts including multivariate analysis, linear models, hierarchical linear models, factor analysis and data management. Students will use statistical software packages and will learn to write basic syntax for custom analysis.
This course will prepare students to utilize naturalistic inquiry in their own research, most immediately, the dissertation experience. Students will be able to reflect on choices of inquiry paradigms, the goodness of fit between the problem and the approach chosen to explore it, the selection of appropriate instruments, and the role of the writer in the presentation of findings.
The specialization in higher education is designed to enable students to:
In addition to the overall objectives of the leadership department and its programs, students will acquire the following knowledge, skills, and competencies in the leadership program’s specialization in higher education:
The doctoral degree specialization in higher education prepares graduates for leadership positions in post secondary, community college, college and university systems as well as state policy and administrative positions. In many instances, graduates will be represented in higher education faculty ranks, mid- and upper-level administrative positions and student support services. In addition, this specialization prepares graduates for consulting, training and development positions as well as state policy development roles.