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Higher Education in Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Doctor of Philosophy, Concentration in Higher Education
The Ph.D. concentration in higher education prepares experienced college and university leaders, student affairs administrators, and other qualified scholars to provide administrative leadership of holistic, transformative, and integrated learning experiences in colleges and universities.
Please click on this link for answers for frequently asked questions related to the Ph.D. program.
Program Emphasis
The doctoral program in higher education offers a focus on two key emphasis areas. Doctoral students concentrate their studies and locate their doctoral dissertation research in one of the following two areas.
- Leadership and Organization Studies -- Current and future community college leaders typically select this emphasis. Theory and research in areas such as organizational behavior, organizational theory, institutional theory, and leadership theories applied to college and university settings. Key topics include organizational renewal, institutional mission, program planning, leadership in normative institutions, motivation, organizational culture, discourse processes, conflict management, policy, and critical organizational studies, among others.
- Student Development and Student Affairs Administration -- Current and future student affairs administrators typically select this option. Includes theory and research in the cognitive, intellectual, spiritual, leadership, moral, identity, and other areas of development of college students, including 'adult learners'; the professional preparation of student personnel administrators; the impact of college on students; and organization and administration of student affairs, among others.
Admission Information
Admission to the Ph.D. program is competitive. Due to constrained faculty resources, the department has a limited enrollment capacity and can only admit a small number of qualified applicants. Of the dozens of talented individuals who apply, we typically select four to eight doctoral students each year. The following criteria are used to select candidates for admission to this program:
- Master's degree from an accredited college or university
- How has previous coursework prepared applicants for advanced study in the field of higher education? Is there coursework in college and university organization, leadership theory, student development theory, higher education law, or other higher education topics on the candidate's transcript? What, if any master's level coursework will be required before the candidate is in a position to succeed in advanced-level study and research in the field of higher education?
- Applicants presenting degrees in the field of higher education--typically higher education administration or student personnel administration--will be more competitive when compared with candidates with degrees in other fields and disciplines.
- Minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a four-point scale
- Satisfactory GRE scores
- The department does not have a minimum required GRE score; however, candidates with higher GRE scores will be more competitive than those with lower GRE scores. In 2006, GRE scores of admitted doctoral students were in the 550-712 range for quantitative and 550-700 range for verbal. The writing score was above 4.0 for these candidates.
- GRE scores must be recent, that is, no more than five years old.
- For candidates whose native language is other than English, a minumum score of 550 (paper version) or 213 (computer version) is required.
- In addition to the information required by the Graduate School, applicants to the Ph.D. program must submit a statement of purpose (approximately 3-5 pages in length), written as a scholarly paper, along with their application packets. The personal statement acquaints faculty with the candidate's background, and experience, career goals, and purpose for doctoral study. This statement of purpose will help faculty assess the candidate's preparation in the field of higher educaiton, the alignment of the candidate's interests with program resources, and his or her scholarly writing abilities. The following questions should be addressed explicitly:
- Why do you wish to pursue an advanced degree in the field of higher education (Ph.D)?
- How has your background and experience prepared you for doctoral study in this field?
- What are your career aspirations following graduate study?
- How will a doctorate contribute to those aspirations?
- What are your research interests?
- What do you believe you will gain from doctoral study at UNCG?
- Finally, the statement of purpose should indicate the student's choice of one of the areas of emphasis offered in the doctoral progam in higher education. These areas of emphasis represent the knowledge repertoire of full-time faculty and include the following:
- Leadership and Organization Studies--Theory and research in areas such as organizational behavior, organizational theory, institutional theory, and leadership theories applied to college and university settings. Key issues include organizational renewal, institutional mission, program planning, leadership in normative institutions, motivation, organizational culture, discourse processes, conflict management, and critical organizational studies, among others. Current and future community college leaders typically select this emphasis.
- Student Development and Student Affairs Administration--Includes theory and research in the cognitive, intellectual, spiritual, leadership, moral, identity, and other areas of development of college students, including 'adult learners'; the professional preparation of student personnel administrators; the impact of college on students; and organization and administration of student affairs, among others. Current and future student affairs administrators typically select this option.
Please note the following key details relating to the application and admission process.
- We admit doctoral students only for the fall semester. The Application deadline is JANUARY 10. Admissions decisions are communicated to applicants aound the first of April each year.
- All materials should be submitted to the Graduate School, not the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
- Applicants should obtain an application from the Graduate School. Online application is also available. The application fee is $45.
- Two official transcripts are required from every college and university where the applicant previously completed nine hours or more of course work.
- Three recommendations (forms enclosed in application packet) are also required and should be submitted in sealed envelopes to the Graduate School.
- A Residency Statement is required for applicants claiming North Carolina residency.
- Doctoral applicants must submit an updated resume or CV.
Curriculum Information
A. Required Core Courses (12 hours minimum)
CUI 661 – Higher Education in the US
CUI 662 – Curriculum in Higher Education
CUI 745 – Higher Education: Equity, Inclusion, and Learning
B. Research Requirements (21 hours minimum)
Graduate learners are expected to acquire a deep understanding of the concepts of research and inquiry as they relate to higher education. The knowledge base should include understanding of various research paradigms, criticisms of these paradigms, and expertise in the conduct of scholarly research. The research component must include ERM 681 – Design and Analysis of Educational Experiments and one doctoral-level qualitative methods course. The research component must also include at least 6 hours of applied research. This requirement may be satisfied by completing CUI 775 - Directed Doctoral Research, which may be repeated once for credit. The remaining research courses will be selected with advice and approval of the doctoral committee. Often, research courses include the following:
ERM 680 – Intermediate Statistical Methods in Education
ERM 681 – Design and Analysis of Educational Experiments
ERM 642 – Evaluation of Educational Programs
ERM 668 – Survey Research Methods in Education
ELC 688 – Narrative Inquiry
C. Higher Education Concentration Courses (21 hours minimum)
Graduate learners take 21-27 hours of coursework to be determined during consultation with the doctoral advisory committee. Doctoral students without previous coursework in the field of higher education or student affairs should expect to take additional, foundational courses such as CUI 602 – Theoretical Foundations of Higher Learning and CUI 606 – Administration in Higher Education or other courses as recommended by the doctoral advisory committee. Course work in the concentration area typically includes the following courses, among others:
CUI 751 - Higher Education: Economics and Finance
CUI 752 - The Law of Higher Education
CUI 663 - Planning Programs in Postsecondary Education
CUI 600 - The Community College
CUI 612 - Current Issues in Higher Education
CUI 627 - Enrollment Management
D. Comprehensive Examinations
Each candidate for the doctoral degree is required to successfully pass oral and written comprehensive examinations. Dates for these examinations are determined by the student and the doctoral advisory committee chair.
E. Dissertation
Each candidate for a doctoral degree must prepare and present a dissertation that focuses on some aspect of higher education—typically student affairs administration or college and university leadership, shows independent investigation, and is acceptable in form and content to the student’s committee and The Graduate School.
*Note – Information in the Graduate Bulletin supercedes any information provided on this website. This information is subject to change without notice.