STATEMENT OF GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM

Mission Statement:
This nationally recognized Ph.D. program emphasizes informed, ethical decision making in the administration of higher education. It is intended to launch its graduates into new areas and/or higher levels of leadership in colleges and universities. Students take core coursework in higher education foundations, administration, governance and organization, law, and the college student. Each student, in collaboration with her/his advisor, fashions a cognate that leads to specialization in an area of personal and professional interest. The sequence of four research courses culminates in a dissertation of original contribution to the knowledge of higher education. Based on a full-time cohort model, the program is designed to be completed in three years. All full-time students are employed in a variety of graduate assistantships that both support and supplement the program, and that include a scholarship grant of all tuition and most fees. The Global Understanding Requirement broadens and diversifies the student’s conception of higher education and how it is influenced by culture and custom.

The program is grounded in the following values:

• a commitment to educational leadership grounded in expressed principles, ideals, ethics, and values;
• a zeal for involvement and advocacy in the higher education profession;
• a holistic perspective of higher education that reflects an understanding of the interests and concerns of the internal campus environment (its faculty, staff, students, and administrators), external constituents (consumers, governmental agents, the public), and the global community;
• expertise in a discipline-based academic specialty, in addition to a command of a core of professional studies in higher education; appreciation for both quantitative and qualitative tools of inquiry, emphasizing an understanding of their application to an array of problems, challenges, issues, and practices in higher education.

The research conducted by students and faculty in the program spans a wide range of subjects related to higher education, including such topics as management practices, policy analysis, diversity education, planning and budgeting, student life issues, student retention, student learning and development, college teaching, environmental design and assessment, history of higher education, legal issues, comparative international higher education, and campus safety and security.

Admission Standards:
Admissions requirements include transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (4.0 scale) and a Master’s (or equivalent) GPA of 3.5, GRE scores at or above the mean for students matriculating in graduate programs in education, three strongly positive recommendations which predict success in doctoral studies in higher education administration, a personal statement that demonstrates that the applicant would be a good fit for the program in terms of career goals and research interests, and a resume that shows three or more years of post-Master’s work experience in higher education.

Addressing the Needs of the State or Region:
The Ph.D. program in higher education administration serves the needs of Ohio and the region in two primary ways. First, it brings talented and skilled higher education professionals from around the country and the world to study here in Ohio. A majority of the graduates of the program remain in the state or the region, providing leadership in their respective colleges and universities. Second, the research activities of the students and the faculty in the program often involve studying colleges and universities in the area. These studies often lead to recommendations that could be used to improve those same or similar institutions in teaching and learning, delivery of service to students, fiscal management, etc.

Placement Objectives for Graduates:
The program prepares its graduates to work in higher education and related fields. Since its inception in 1990 the program has graduated 87. Eighty-two alumni have remained in contact with the program, and as of 2004 they reported working in the following areas: student affairs administration, 29; academic affairs administration, 21; teaching faculty, 20; private consultation/enterprise, 5; university planning and research, 3; athletic administration, 1; higher education law, 1; university development, 1; nonprofit foundation, 1.

Program Review:
Date of last review: 1996
Date of next scheduled review: 2004

Contact Information:

Michael Coomes, Chair
Higher Education Administration
Room: 330 Education Building
Phone: 419-372-7382 Fax: (419) 372-9382
http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/edhd/hesa/hied/main.html

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