Higher Education (PhD)
Loyola's PhD in Higher Education is an interdisciplinary program that encourages students to connect theory to practice while supporting scholarship on equity and social justice in various post-secondary contexts.
Curriculum
The PhD in Higher Education requires 60 credit hours of coursework, a comprehensive examination, and a dissertation.
Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| ELPS 413 | Critical Social Theories | 3 |
| ELPS 430 | Curriculum and Pedagogy in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 454 | Budgeting and Finance in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 459 | Organization & Governance in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 530 | Proseminar: Higher Education | 3 |
| Four Higher Education Elective Courses 1 | 12 | |
| Research Courses 2 | ||
| RMTD 420 | Educational Research I: Building a Body of Evidence With Qualitative Methods | 3 |
| RMTD 421 | Educational Research II: Building a Body of Evidence With Quantitative Methods | 3 |
| One Advanced Methodology Course and One Research Elective | 6 | |
Select from the following courses: | ||
| Survey Research | ||
| Single Subject Design | ||
| Psychological Measurement | ||
| Item Response Theory | ||
| Mixed Methods Research | ||
| Case Study Research | ||
| Advanced Educational Statistics | ||
| Introduction to Linear Models | ||
| Multivariate Statistics | ||
| Hierarchical Linear Models | ||
| Factor Analysis | ||
| Minor Courses 3 | 12 | |
| General Elective Courses | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
- 1
Please confer with Graduate Program Director regarding appropriate Higher Education Electives.
- 2
RMTD 420 and RMTD 421 combined will fulfill the responsible conduct of research and scholarship training required by the Graduate School for all students completing a thesis or dissertation.
- 3
Minor Course Option A: The completion of four graduate-level courses in a single field of study outside the School of Education (e.g., history, sociology, anthropology, management).
Minor Course Option B: The completion of four graduate-level courses in one area in the School of Education (e.g., counseling, foundations of education). Coursework in higher education administration cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.
Minor Course Option C: An intellectually defensible minor developed in conjunction with a student's advisor, consisting of two courses, each from options A and B (e.g., a minor in educational history, drawing on appropriate course work in history and educational leadership and policy studies).
Higher Education Courses
Below is a list of all Higher Education courses. This can be used in reference for electives if not used in other curricular requirements.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ELPS 400 | Inquiry Into Educational Policy | 3 |
| ELPS 405 | Introduction to Educational Policy Analysis | 3 |
| ELPS 413 | Critical Social Theories | 3 |
| ELPS 419 | Leadership in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 425 | Foundations in Student Affairs | 3 |
| ELPS 426 | Student Affairs Administration Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 427 | Foundations in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 428 | The Junior and Community College | 3 |
| ELPS 429 | Selected Topics in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 430 | Curriculum and Pedagogy in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 432 | Multiculturalism for Social Justice in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 434 | American College Student | 3 |
| ELPS 435 | Enrollment Management in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 436 | Women in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 437 | Today's Community College Students | 1 |
| ELPS 438 | Designing Effective Community College Courses | 1 |
| ELPS 439 | Assessing Student Learning in Community Colleges | 1 |
| ELPS 440 | Community College Students as Learners | 1 |
| ELPS 441 | Community College Teaching | 3 |
| ELPS 448 | International Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 453 | Legal Aspects of American Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 454 | Budgeting and Finance in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 455 | Comparative Education | 3 |
| ELPS 458 | International Education | 3 |
| ELPS 459 | Organization & Governance in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 498 | Independent Study | 1-3 |
| ELPS 503 | Critical Perspectives on the Internationalization of Higher Ed | 3 |
| ELPS 506 | Strategic Executive Leadership in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 527 | Higher Education Capstone | 3 |
| ELPS 529 | Seminar in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 530 | Proseminar: Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 550 | Seminar on Globalization and Education | 3 |
| ELPS 565 | International Education Internship | 3 |
| ELPS 600 | Dissertation Supervision | 0 |
Suggested Sequence of Courses
After coursework listed below is complete, students begin taking ELPS 610 Doctoral Study or ELPS 600 Dissertation Supervision until dissertation defense.
The below sequence of courses is meant to be used as a suggested path for completing coursework. An individual student’s completion of requirements depends on course offerings in a given term as well as the start term for a major or graduate study. Students should consult their advisor for assistance with course selection.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| ELPS 413 | Critical Social Theories | 3 |
| ELPS 454 | Budgeting and Finance in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 530 | Proseminar: Higher Education | 3 |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| ELPS 430 | Curriculum and Pedagogy in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELPS 459 | Organization & Governance in Higher Education | 3 |
| Higher Education Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Summer | ||
| Minor or General Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| RMTD 420 | Educational Research I: Building a Body of Evidence With Qualitative Methods | 3 |
| Higher Education Elective | 3 | |
| Minor or General Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| RMTD 421 | Educational Research II: Building a Body of Evidence With Quantitative Methods | 3 |
| Higher Education Elective | 3 | |
| Minor or General Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Summer | ||
| Higher Education Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| Minor or General Elective | 3 | |
| Minor or General Elective | 3 | |
| Research Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| Minor or General Elective | 3 | |
| Minor or General Elective | 3 | |
| Research Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Summer | ||
| Comprehensive Examination | ||
| Hours | 0 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
Comprehensive Exam
After PhD in Higher Education students complete core courses in the discipline and required research courses, they are eligible to complete their comprehensive examinations and should speak with their academic advisors. Advisors assist students to develop research questions and the literature that should be reviewed to complete the exam. The comprehensive examination is offered during the fall, spring and summer semesters.
Dissertation
Students will define an area of research interest and propose a research program leading to a written dissertation. Oral defense of the dissertation required. The final dissertation will be deposited in a publicly accessible database in accordance with Graduate School policy.
Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations
Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supercede school policies.