Higher Education Track (Ed.D.)

Graduate Studies

Educational Research, Technology and Leadership

Track Description

The Higher Education EdD program of study has been designed to broaden the administrative knowledge and skills of higher education professionals who bring to the program a prior discipline specialization. Students admitted to the program are typically employed in teaching, research and administrative positions in community colleges and universities or education related agencies.

Curriculum

Total Credit Hours Required:  63 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Master's Degree

Students pursuing the Higher Education EdD track are typically employed in two- or four-year colleges or universities. Their programs of study require them to complete a minimum of 27 credit hours of specified core and specialization courses plus two elective courses. Students must also complete credit hours in research, internship, and dissertation. The 63 minimum credit hours is based on evidence of a master's degree with an emphasis related to the study of higher education as a field of inquiry. 

Required Courses—36 Credit Hours

      Core—15 Credit Hours

• EDH 6046 Diversity in Higher Education (3 credit hours)
• EDH 6632 American Professoriate and College Presidency (3 credit hours)
• EDH 7401 Higher Education and Public Policy (3 credit hours)
• EDH 7040 Research on the College Student (3 credit hours)
• EDH 7631 Managing Change, Conflict and Stability in Higher Education (3 credit hours)

      Specialization—12 Credit Hours

• EDH 6065 History and Philosophy of Higher Education (3 credit hours)
• EDH 6540 Organization and Administration of Higher Education (3 credit hours)
• EDH 6505 Finance in Higher Education (3 credit hours)
• EDH 7236 Legal Issues in Higher Education (3 credit hours)

     Research Methods—9 Credit Hours

• EDF 6401 Statistics for Educational Data (3 credit hours)
• EDF 7403 Quantitative Foundations of Educational Research (3 credit hours)
• EDF 7463 Analysis of Survey and Qualitative Data (3 credit hours)

      Elective Courses—6 Credit Hours

A minimum of 12 semester hours are required in elective courses. These elective courses provide the student the opportunity to    develop an area of specialization and expertise in the field of educational leadership and administration.

      Choose two courses from the list below.

• EDH 6047 Theories of College Student Development (3 credit hours)
• EDH 6067 International Higher Education (3 credit hours)
• EDH 6045 First Year College Experience (3 credit hours)
• EDH 7054 Issues in Postsecondary Education (3 credit hours)
• EDH 7237 Legal Issues in Higher Education II (3 credit hours)
• EDH 7366 Assessment Practices in Higher Education (3 credit hours)
• EDH 7638 Advance Seminar in Higher Education (3 credit hours)
• EDH 7934 Higher Education Literature, Research and Professional Writing Seminar (3 credit hours)

Cognate Component

The cognate component is satisfied through the completion of at least six semester hours of graduate study which in or outside the College of Education. The courses serve to support the student's area of specialization and academic interests. Typical areas of cognate study include public administration, communications, psychology, labor relations, and business administration.

     Dissertation—21 Credit Hours

• EDH 7980 Dissertation Research (21 credit hours minimum)

All students must have a minimum of 21 dissertation credit hours. Registration for dissertation hours is not permitted until the student is admitted to candidacy. Admission to candidacy includes the successful completion of all required courses, doctoral examinations, and acceptance of a research proposal/prospectus. A more complete discussion of this process is described in the Educational Leadership doctoral handbook. Doctoral students must present a prospectus for the dissertation to the doctoral adviser, prepare a proposal, present the proposal to the dissertation committee, and defend the final research submission with the dissertation committee.

Residency

Students are required to fulfill a residency requirement through at least two contiguous semesters of full-time study (minimum of nine semester hours credit per semester). These two semesters of residence credit are taken after admission to the doctoral program.

Admission Requirements (in addition to the University's general admission requirements)

• Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) for the last 60 hours
• Master's Degree from an accredited institution
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 on all graduate work at the time of application
• Official, competitive GRE score, taken within the last five years.

Application Procedures

If you are interested in applying to the Ed.D. program, visit www.graduate.ucf.edu and select Apply Online. You can direct admission questions to the College of Education, Advanced Graduate Coordinator in ED 110 or phone: 407-823-0036.

Completed application files include:

1. Graduate Online Application 
2. Official transcripts of all previous academic work
3. Official GRE scores
4. Three letters of recommendation
5. Professional resume
6. Statement of professional goals

For additional information about the program in Higher Education and Policy Studies, you may contact Dr. Rosa Cintron at rcintron@mail.ucf.edu or heps@mail.ucf.edu  and review our Program Brochures for more information. 

 

Program Coordinator: Rosa Cintron Office: ED 206 K Phone: 407-823-1248 Email: rcintron@mail.ucf.edu Program web site Apply Online

The Office of Graduate Studies provides leadership for and administers policies on graduate education at the University of Central Florida. Student services include graduate admissions, student records, thesis and dissertation support, graduate fellowships, and other activities, programs, and services to provide an excellent experience for UCF graduate students from inquiry to graduation.