Doctorate in Higher Education Administration

The mission of the Higher Education Administration (HEA) program is to prepare exceptional leaders for administrative, academic, and research positions in two- and four-year higher education institutions, national and international associations, government agencies, and other post-secondary educational settings.

HEA Values

Our doctoral program seeks to cultivate scholarly identities, inquiry-driven learners, critically reflective practitioners, and socially just practices. 

Scholarly Identities: Scholarly identity is the product of your training, areas of expertise, methodological inclination, interests, publications, research agenda, reputation and anything else that may be important in your field. Thus, your scholarly identity is multifaceted and (ideally) signals to anyone who researches your work (googles you), what you have done, what you are doing and what you can potentially do in the future.

Inquiry-Driven Learner: An inquiry-based learning approach lets students share their own ideas and questions about a topic. This helps foster more curiosity about the material and teaches skills students can use to continue exploring topics they are interested in. Rather than simply memorizing facts, students make their own connections about what they are learning that leads to asking questions, making discoveries, and testing those discoveries in the search for new understanding.

Critically Reflective Practitioner: someone who, at regular intervals, looks back at the work they do, and the work process, and considers how they can improve. They ‘reflect’ on the work they have done.

Social Justice Practices: Social justice in education refers to a commitment to challenging social, cultural, and economic inequalities imposed on individuals arising from any differential distribution of power, resources, and privilege. According to NASPA, The social justice competency is defined as “both a process and a goal which includes the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to create learning environments that foster equitable participation of all groups while seeking to address and acknowledge issues of oppression, privilege, and power." We undergird this competency within our course frameworks, and our dispositions.

Learn more about Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education Administration >

Cohorts will meet in-person on the Foggy Bottom Campus (specific location to be shared in advance), on the following dates.

Session Times: 8:10 am-12:00 noon; 1:10 pm-5:00 pm

Summer 2024

• May 31, 2024-June 1, 2024
• June 21-22, 2024
• July 19-20, 2024
• August 9-10, 2024

Fall 2024

• September 6-7, 2024
• October 4- 5, 2024
• November 1-2, 2024
• December 6-7, 2024

Spring 2025

• January 24-25, 2025
• February 21-22, 2025
• March 21-22, 2025
• April 11-12, 2025

Summer 2025

• May 30, 2025-May 31, 2025
• June 20-21, 2025
• July 11-12, 2025
• August 1-2, 2025

As the highest level of academic achievement, our doctorate in higher education administration is designed to produce scholars and experts in the field. Program outcomes include:

Critical Thinking and Analysis: Students will learn to critically evaluate existing research, identify gaps in knowledge, and develop research questions that address those gaps.

Advanced Research Skills: Students will understand research methodologies specific to their field. They will be able to design and conduct original research and analyze and interpret complex data.

Original Contribution to Knowledge: Doctoral candidates are expected to make an original and significant contribution to the existing body of knowledge in their field through the completion of a doctoral dissertation.

Independent Scholarship: Doctoral candidates are expected to demonstrate the ability to work independently and autonomously. They will become capable of conducting research with minimal supervision, managing their time and resources effectively, and making informed decisions about their research direction.

Scholarly Expertise: Program graduates should acquire an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of existing theories, concepts, and research within their area of study, developing into subject matter experts.

Effective Communication: Candidates will increase their communication skills to effectively convey complex ideas and research findings through scholarly articles, conference presentations, and engaging in intellectual discourse within the academic community.

Teaching and Mentoring: Through hands-on experiential learning opportunities, students will acquire pedagogical, supervisory, and mentorship skills, as well as learn to deliver lectures.

Leadership and Professional Development: Students acquire the ability to lead research teams, collaborate with colleagues, and contribute to the advancement of their field beyond their own research.

Ethical Conduct: As doctoral candidates are expected to adhere to high ethical standards in their research and professional conduct, participants gain a deep understanding of how to demonstrate integrity, respect for intellectual property, and awareness of ethical considerations related to human subjects or other ethical concerns specific to their field.