Higher Education Administration (Doctoral)

In support of the HEA Program's Mission, the HEA Doctoral Program (Ed.D.) is designed to prepare leaders within the field of higher education. Students complete seated and online coursework to develop the knowledge, skills and background useful for serving in advanced and senior level academic, administrative and research roles in 2-year and 4-year institutions of higher education, national and international associations, government agencies, and other post-secondary educational settings.

Within the academe, doctoral education is unique in that it is highly individualized and requires more independent action on the part of the student. A successful outcome of a quality doctoral program is that the student has developed an autonomy as a scholar-practitioner, and is able to demonstrate the ability to frame questions and solve problems in the positions in which they work. The HEA Doctoral Program aspires to provide a high-quality, fast-paced scholarly experience in which students can integrate theory and research seamlessly with practice.

Learn how GW's HEA Doctoral Program is unique!

Following is a wide-range of information about the HEA Doctoral Program, and should answer many of the questions you may have about graduate work in higher education administration at GW.

Two Distinct Approaches

Working professionals take advantage of a variety of course scheduling options within the HEA Doctoral Program.  Core courses (a select group of HEA-specific courses) are offered one weekend per month, while electives and research methods courses are offered both monthly on the weekend format and weekly on weeknight evenings.  The program is dedicated to providing flexible class times and options to meet the demands of higher education leaders.

Students come from around the DC area or across the country to take advantage of what GW's HEA program has to offer.  With part- and full-time options, students are able to develop a schedule that meets their needs.

• Part-time Students (7 credits).   Part-time students would register for 3 courses, totaling 7 credits per semester. The general program is designed to be a 7-7-7 (fall-spring-summer) sequence of courses, however, deviations can be made. Students complete the core coursework within two years, finalize and defend their dissertation proposals in the third year, and then engage in their dissertation research. Students generally begin the classes in the fall semester.

• Full-time Students (9 credits).  Full-time students would register for 3 courses, totaling 9 credits per semester. Full-time coursework would require students to take weeknight classes or participate in an Independent Research course with a faculty member in addition to the core courses offered one weekend per month. Students generally begin the classes in the fall semester.

Graduation Pathway

The HEA Doctoral Program is designed to be 2-years of active coursework, 1-year of pre-dissertation proposal development, followed by the dissertation research. While the program is designed as a 4-year program, students have advanced more quickly and more slowly, depending on their time, motivation and ability to complete course and other program requirements.

The flowchart to the right outlines the anticipated progression to graduation, including key benchmarks of the Qualifying Exam, Dissertation Proposal Defense, and Dissertation Defense.

Additional information about specific courses, benchmark and other steps on the pathway to graduation are included on this page, or as resources on the HEA Resources & Forms webpage.

Programs of Study

The HEA Program has established a doctoral curriculum that includes HEA Core Courses, electives, research methodology and dissertation development courses to assist students in understanding the breadth of the field, but also becoming specialists in their chosen area of scholarly interests. The HEA Doctoral Program is a 63-Credit Program, culminating with the Oral Defense of the Dissertation.

The HEA Doctoral Program has three distinct phases of the curriculum:

• Higher Education Administration Core Coursework (27-credits),including courses that focus on the foundations of the discipline and the generation and interpretation of research in the field. The HEA Core includes:
  • EDUC 6520 Foundations of College Student Development
  • EDUC 6555 Policy and Policymaking in Higher Education
  • EDUC 6510 Administration and Governance of Higher Education
  • EDUC 8530 Leadership for Innovation in Higher Education
  • EDUC 8110 Advanced Seminar in Ideas, Issues and Practices in Education
  • EDUC 8505 Inquiry in Higher Education
  • EDUC 8525 Curriculum in Colleges/Universities
  • EDUC 8120 Quantitative Research Methods
  • EDUC 8122 Qualitative Research Method
• A Dissertation Development Sequence (minimum of 24-credits)which establishes expanded elective content, research and resources central to the field of higher education. Unique to GW, these courses allow students to build research interests into a successful dissertation proposal prior to completing active coursework. The Dissertation Development Sequence courses include:
  • EDUC 8280 Critical Review of the Literature
  • Advanced Research Methods appropriate to the Dissertation
  • EDUC 8998 Pre-Dissertation Seminar
  • Specialized Content Electives
• In the final phase of their programs, students complete their Dissertation Research Sequence (minimum of 12-credits), in which students implement their doctoral dissertation research. The culmination of the doctoral program is the oral defense of the dissertation.

Faculty Advisors

Upon admission to the program, students are assigned a faculty advisor to assist in planning the graduate program of study, career planning, and other advisement needs. The name of the assigned advisor is included as part of your admissions letter from the graduate school. The student's initial faculty advisor assists the student during the first phase of the program, and through the completion of the HEA Core Courses and the Qualifying Exams. Following the successful completion of the HEA Qualifying Exams, students begin to explore suitable chairs for their dissertation committee.

After students have completed their HEA Core Courses and the Qualifying Exam, they should begin to identify a formal dissertation committee chair. The dissertation committee chair will help guide the student through the dissertation process. Keep in mind that faculty members are limited in the number of dissertations that they can direct at any one time and that faculty members take leaves. Accordingly, faculty members who are your first choice as Dissertation Committee members may not be able to say yes to your request to serve. However, students who have focused topics and are motivated should have no problem identifying and connecting with prospective chairs. After a student approaches and confirms his/her dissertation chair, the student and chair work together to identify the remaining members of the committee.

For additional information about the role of faculty advisors, dissertation chairs, and dissertation committees, please access the GSEHD Doctoral Student Handbook, available on the HEA Resources and Forms webpage.

Field Internships

Because of GW's unique geographic region, students have the opportunity for internship experiences at GW, as well as several other institutional and organizational types within the District and Region. From prestigious nationally known institutions, a premier historically black college and university, a community based university, professional associations, think-tanks, and the Federal Government, students have a wide-range of sites for field experiences unparalleled by other graduate preparation programs in the country. To learn more about the specific expectations of internships and field experiences, click on internships on the HEA Resources & Forms webpage.

Doctoral Exams

The purpose of the HEA Doctoral Examination process is to assess breadth of understanding of the core content in higher education administration and the depth of understanding of the individual scholarly specialization of each student. These exams aim to be developmental in its understanding of a student's progress, and diagnostic in its estimation of a student's likelihood of success in the rest of the program. The HEA Doctoral Exams are designed to assess doctoral student progress at different stages in the program. There are two primary parts of the HEA Doctoral Exams.

• HEA Qualifying Exam. Assesses the breadth of understanding of the core content in higher education administration. This exam is generally taken following the completion of the Core Courses.
• HEA Comprehensive Exam. Assesses the mastery of depth of understanding of the student's individual scholarly specialization. This exam is completed at the conclusion of all course work, and is the Defense of the Dissertation Proposal.

Additional details about HEA Doctoral Exam Procedures can be found on the HEA Resources and Forms webpage. Scroll down to Doctoral Exams.

Dissertation Research

For most doctoral students, the dissertation research phase of the program is the most intellectually challenging and rewarding part of doctoral study. You are no longer allowed to learn mainly from other scholars; rather, you now have to make an original contribution to a body of knowledge. You do that by finding an important gap in knowledge and filling it. The dissertation research and defense is the culminating, integrative, scholarly experience of doctoral study. The purpose of the dissertation research is to (a) make an original contribution to knowledge, in the candidate's field of specialization; (b) demonstrate an advanced command of research skills; and (c) demonstrate an advanced ability to communicate findings so that other researchers in the field can understand and use them.

The HEA Program has established in innovative program in which much of the development of the dissertation is integrated into coursework, so that students are provided support and structure from faculty and other students in the same stage of their programs as they engage in this individually-oriented experience. For example, in EDUC 8505, Inquiry in Higher Education, students begin to narrow their chosen topic down and establish a research problem statement. In EDUC 8280/Critical Review of the Literature, students engage in a semester-long course in which they learn about review and critique of research and complete a solid draft of their dissertation literature reviews (Chapter 2).

Generally, the program curriculum is designed so that students have completed dissertation proposals (usually Chapters 1, 2, and 3 of their dissertations) prior to completing coursework. However, the dissertation development and implementation process timeline is largely reflective of the motivation of the student--students who regularly reflect on their area of interest, are committed to their research and writing, and are self-motivating will proceed in the dissertation process successfully in a timely manner.

HEA and GSEHD also provides a number of other non-classroom based support mechanisms to assist students in their dissertation work, including a monthly Dissertation Support Group facilitated by GSEHD Faculty, assisting student-created writing groups, doctoral townhall and academic advising meetings, and a research laboratory and assistant.

Dissertation work can be a defining period in a scholar-practitioner's career. It assist them in refining and demonstrating their research competency, allows the student to become a specialist in a needed topic of interest, and contributes to the generalized knowledge of the profession.

Work Opportunities

One of the strengths of professional preparation in GW's HEA Program, particularly for students interested in attending full-time, is the availability of graduate apprenticeships/assistantships, and other professional work experience and funding opportunities. These kinds of opportunities provide the opportunity for students to make theory-to-practice connections between classroom learning and real-world settings, as well as to develop and refine their skills in professional work experiences.

Because of the unique setting of the District, GW HEA Students can explore opportunities for work experience at GW, at one of several other major institutions within blocks of campus, or in professional associations, government agencies and other settings. Current GW students work in full-time and part-time positions at GW, Georgetown, American, the U.S. Department of Education, ACPA, and several other institutions, agencies and organizations!

Student Profile

The HEA Program is an extremely diverse educational experience, and involves students with varied backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. The Graduate School of Education and Human Development has been named by Diverse Issues in Higher Education as one of the top 40 providers of graduate degrees to students of color, and the HEA Program reflects the School's commitment to issues of difference. In 2008, just over 40% of the students in the program were students of color. 60% of HEA Doctoral Students are women, and the average age of students in the program is 40 (range of 26 to 63). HEA also involves a number of international students, non-heterosexual students, traditional and older students, and students from diverse religious backgrounds. HEA has a national and international, competitive applicant pool.

To discover the impressions of current and graduated students of the HEA Doctoral Program, please see the Prospective Students page for streamed video interviews!

Pre-Admission Meeting

Prospective Students to the program have a number of opportunities to learn more about the program, it's requirements and the application process. Open House Sessions are regularly scheduled for students to meet and talk with faculty knowledgeable about the program. Generally scheduled monthly by the GSEHD Office of Admissions and Student Services, Open Houses provide the opportunity to meet and interact with HEA Faculty as well as interact with other prospective HEA students. If you have questions that are not answered by the webpage, please plan to attend one of the available open house, and upcoming events! You can determine the schedule of these sessions and other events by visiting the HEA On the Road webpage.

Application Process

Students generally begin the HEA Doctoral Program in the fall semester. To apply for the HEA Doctoral Program, applicants should:

• Complete the Online Application for Admission to the Graduate School.
• Take and request that the GRE Score be sent to the GW.
• Submit Two Letters of Recommendation Forms (can be completed online).
• Request Official Transcripts be sent from all of the ApplicantÕs Undergraduate and Graduate Institutions directly to the Graduate School.
• Write and submit a Statement of Goals.
• Submit a current resume/vita.
• Required Interviews. Following an initial review of the application materials, applicants for admission will be invited to participate in a formal interview. In order for a complete application to be considered for admission to the program, students will need to complete an interview with one or more faculty members of the program. To best facilitate this process, the program offers multiple options for interview times and locations. A face-to-face interview is preferred, although not always possible. Please see the HEA On the Road Webpage for specific times in which interviews may be conveniently scheduled, or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The HEA Program reviews the total application package, so students should take care in crafting their Goal Statement and identifying references that can speak to their specific experiences and strengths as a future professional and scholar in the field of higher education.

HEA has a rolling-admissions process, and applications are reviewed on a regular basis, year-round.The priority deadline for consideration for merit-based tuition assistance is January 15th, and students who apply and accept their offer of admissions earlier can begin to explore the wide range of work/funding opportunities more quickly.  Students may continue to apply for the next fall after January 15th, and will be considered for aid as it becomes available.

To access additional details about the application process, or the online application system, please see GSEHD Admissions.