This program has temporarily suspended admission effective Fall 2020.
The Higher Education track in the Education PhD program is designed for applicants who have extensive experience as administrators or staff in postsecondary institutions who want to pursue careers as scholars and leaders.
A doctoral degree in this track will broaden the analytical skills necessary to contribute to the advancement of the field of higher education through research, administration and teaching. The students in this program are considered future leaders interested in intensive study of the organizational and policy issues influencing the diverse sector comprising contemporary American postsecondary education.
The Higher Education track in the Education PhD program requires 66 credit hours beyond the master's degree. The curriculum includes 24 credit hours of core courses, 27 credit hours of specialization courses, and 15 credit hours of dissertation.
Total Credit Hours Required: 66 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Master's Degree
Track Prerequisites
A master's degree in a closely related field from a regionally accredited institution.
Evidence of a minimum of one year full-time or two years part-time professional higher education work experience.
Degree Requirements
Required Courses
51 Total Credits
Core
24 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- IDS7500 - Seminar in Educational Research (1 - 99)
- Complete the following:
- IDS7501 - Issues and Research in Education (3)
- EDF7475 - Qualitative Research in Education (3)
- EDF7403 - Quantitative Foundations of Educational Research (3)
- EDF7463 - Analysis of Survey, Record, and Other Qualitative Data (3)
- IDS7502 - Case Studies in Research Design (3)
- EDF7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education (3)
- IDS 7502 - Case Studies in Research Design may be substituted with one of the approved research electives in Group A listed under Program Details EDF 7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education may be substituted with one of the approved research electives in Group B listed under Program Details
Specialization
27 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Complete the following:
- EDH7401 - Higher Education and Public Policy (3)
- EDH7401 - Higher Education and Public Policy (3)
- EDH7934 - Higher Ed Literature, Research, and Professional Writing Seminar (3)
- EDH7066 - Higher Education: Philosophical/Historical Perspectives (3)
- EDH7508 - Finance in Higher Education (3)
- EDH7665 - Higher Education Leadership (3)
- EDH7636 - Organizational Theory and Practices in Higher Education (3)
- Earn at least 3 credits from the following types of courses: EDH 7047 - Diversity in Issues Higher Education
- Complete at least 1 of the following:
- EDH7631 - Managing change, conflict, and stability in Higher Education (3)
- EDH7207 - Curriculum, Instruction, and Distance Learning in Higher Education (3)
- EDH7366 - Assessment Practices in Higher Education (3)
- EDH7208 - International Perspectives of Higher Education (3)
Candidacy Examination
0 Total Credits
- Candidacy examinations will be scheduled near the tenth week of the fall and spring semesters; summer exams will not be offered. The exams are: - Part 1. Written examination (submitted through webcourses) - Part 2. Oral examination Evidence of the following are required to be eligible to complete the doctoral comprehensive examination in the Education PhD program, Higher Education track: - Currently enrolled in the university during the semester any comprehensive examination is taken. - Submission of an approved program of study (overall GPA 3.0 or greater on all graduate work). - Completion of most course work. (Students may only take exams when only 2-3 semesters of course work remain. This statement does not refer to dissertation hours.) - In consultation with program faculty, the dissertation advisory committee is formed, paperwork filed, and approved. (Committee consists of four members: a minimum of three approved CCIE graduate faculty and one approved graduate faculty scholar or CCIE faculty.) - Submission of an approved doctoral comprehensive examination application by the stated deadline. - Fulfill any program deadlines for submitting comprehensive examination content-related materials (topics, questions, etc.) to the program coordinator by the stated deadline. (See program website for details HEPS: https://ccie.ucf.edu/elhe/higher-education).
Candidacy
0 Total Credits
- Candidacy is the stage of doctoral studies when students focus exclusively on planning, researching and writing their proposal and dissertation. To enter candidacy for the Education Ph.D. program, Higher Education track, students must have an overall 3.0 GPA on all graduate work included in the planned program and pass all required examinations. In addition, evidence of the following are required to be admitted to candidacy and enroll in dissertation hours at least one week before the first day of classes for which the students wishes to enroll in dissertation hours: - Submission of an approved program of study. - Completion of all course work, except for dissertation hours. - Successful completion of all parts of the candidacy examinations. - In consultation with program faculty, the dissertation advisory committee is formed, paperwork filed, and approved. (Committee consists of four members: a minimum of three approved CCIE graduate faculty and one approved graduate faculty scholar or CCIE faculty.) Note: Once students enter Candidacy, they must enroll in a minimum of three dissertation hours (see below) every semester (including summers), until they graduate from the program.
Dissertation
15 Total Credits
- Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: Dissertation Research Registration for dissertation hours is not permitted until the student is admitted to Candidacy. Doctoral students must work with their doctoral adviser/major professor to prepare a proposal and present and defend the proposal to the dissertation committee. Once the proposal is completed and approval is secured from the UCF Institutional Review Board (IRB), students conduct research and submit and defend the final research dissertation to their dissertation committee. Required Documentation During Dissertation Stage All items listed are necessary to fulfill the requirements to graduate. Application to Defend Dissertation Proposal Dissertation Proposal Approval Application for IRB Approval of Research Defense Dissertation Announcement Dissertation Approval Application to Graduate All necessary requirements of the College of Graduate Studies for graduation
Grand Total Credits: 66
Application Requirements
Financial Information
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowship Information
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
Group A (Course below may be taken in place of IDS 7502 - Case Studies in Research Design in fulfilling CORE requirement above)
- EDF 7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7405 - Quantitative Methods II 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7410 - Application of Nonparametric and Categorical Data Analysis in Education 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7415 - Latent Variable Modeling In Education 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7473 - Ethnography in Educational Settings 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7474 - Multilevel Data Analysis In Education 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7488 - Monte Carlo Simulation Research in Education 3 Credit Hours
- SPA 7495 - Doctoral Seminar II: Spoken and Written Language Disorders 3 Credit Hours (Communication Sciences Track students only)
- IDS 7938 - Research Cluster Seminar 3 Credit Hours
Group B (Course below may be taken in place of EDF 7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education in fulfilling CORE requirement above)
- IDS 7938 - Research Cluster Seminar 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7405 - Quantitative Methods II 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7410 - Application of Nonparametric and Categorical Data Analysis in Education 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7415 - Latent Variable Modeling In Education 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7473 - Ethnography in Educational Settings 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7474 - Multilevel Data Analysis In Education 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7488 - Monte Carlo Simulation Research in Education 3 Credit Hours
- SPA 7495 - Doctoral Seminar II: Spoken and Written Language Disorders 3 Credit Hours (Communication Sciences Track students only)
Independent Learning
The dissertation satisfies the independent learning experience.
