Doctor of Philosophy

The Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership (HESAL) Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree is a 64-credit hour program designed to prepare doctoral students for administration, leadership, academic, and policy careers. Our graduates are employed as senior-level administrators, institutional researchers, policy analysts, and/or faculty members. The Ph.D. program builds on the foundation of a master's degree by expanding and deepening students' understanding of scholarly writing; research design and methodology; leadership and administration; institutional and public policy; student development, and; social justice, equity, and inclusion. Students are encouraged to conduct a dissertation study that contributes to the scholarly literature and fills important practical gaps.

Learn More about the Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership programs