Higher Education Doctoral Program

Our doctoral program in Higher Education is designed to engage students who are passionate about providing visionary leadership for post-secondary institutions. Our graduates go on to a broad range of careers as researchers, faculty and administrators, driving positive organizational change and better outcomes for their campuses and the communities they serve.

Program overview

The doctoral program in higher education at the University of Maine prepares ethical, visionary, informed and competent programmatic and institutional leaders in increasingly diverse and technologically advanced colleges and universities. Our Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program provides mid-career professionals with the theoretical and practical frameworks to understand colleges and universities as complex organizations within the social context of the United States and global education, including foundations in leadership, law and policy, socio-cultural identity differences/diversity, ethical professional practice, historical context, research and technological competence. Students develop advanced research skills to explore critical questions related to these areas through coursework, evaluating existing scholarship, and by conducting original research. We also offer a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program, though we are not currently accepting students into the program at this time.

The Ph.D. in Higher Education requires 90 credit hours. The program consists of a variety of group and individualized experiences, culminating in a dissertation. These include:

Professional Core (18 credit hours) providing a broad, common strand of doctoral level coursework required of all students in the higher education program.
Research Foundation (minimum 12 credit hours) providing expertise in evaluating and conducting research in educational settings, including basic statistics and introductory qualitative research, research design and either advanced statistics or advanced qualitative research.
Professional Specialization (minimum 18 credit hours) consisting of interdisciplinary courses tailored to the student’s professional goals, needs and interests. May include master’s work and work transferred from other institutions.
Applied Internship or Field Research and Dissertation Research (minimum 6 credit hours) structured to solve problems or produce knowledge with direct applicability to higher education practice.

Sample Program of Study higher Education Doctoral Student Handbook

Faculty

Elizabeth Allan, Program Coordinator, Professor of Higher Education
Kathleen Gillon, Assistant Professor of Higher Education
Leah Hakkola, Associate Professor of Higher Education
Rebecca Sockbeson, Professor of Indigenous Education
Ezekiel Kimball, Professor of Higher Education

Our graduates have gone on to work in a number of administrative, faculty and research positions in higher education at a variety of institutions.

Graduate School Learning Goals

Understand, interpret, shape, and augment the knowledge base
Share disciplinary expertise openly, effectively, and accurately
Demonstrate responsible and ethical practice

At the completion of their program of study, graduates of the doctoral program in Higher Education will be able to successfully.

Analyze the governance, operations, and complexities of higher education institutions in the larger socio-political landscape. (aligns with 1, 2 GSLG)
Recognize and communicate historical and contemporary issues of access, equity, and oppression in higher education. (aligns with 1 GSLG)
Apply critical frameworks, theories, and law to higher education contexts in order to better understand the experiences of minoritized students, staff, and faculty. (aligns with 1 GSLG)
Utilize appropriate theoretical frameworks, technology, and research to develop and assess effective higher education programming and policies. (aligns with 2, 3 GSLG)
Identify and apply social justice principles to advance scholarship in higher education. (aligns with 2 GSLG)
Develop and articulate a professional and ethical disposition that incorporates theoretical frameworks, social justice principles, relevant professional association standards, and rigorous higher education research. (aligns with 3 GSLG)
Design and implement an original empirical study to advance scholarship in higher education. (aligns with 1 GSLG)

For current information about tuition and fees, please visit the Bursar’s office.

Admission requires a master’s for which 45 to 60 credits may be applied to the doctoral degree upon approval by program faculty. The master’s need not be in the education field.

A minimum graduate GPA of 3.5 is desired. For Applicants with a graduate GPA of 3.5 or above, the GRE test is optional. For Applicants with a graduate GPA below 3.5, submission of the GRE score is strongly recommended but not required.

For those wishing to be competitive for graduate school awards, including scholarships and fellowships, GRE or MAT scores should be submitted to be kept on file with the Graduate School.

In addition, candidates to the higher education doctoral program will be expected to submit their CV/resume, and an academic writing sample. Applicants will also be asked to participate in an interview with faculty.

Application deadline: Dec. 1 for consideration of fall admission.

Prior to admission, interested applicants are encouraged to enroll in one or more courses as non-degree status students. These credits can be applied to your degree upon admission. Permission from instructor is required.

Graduate school applications are available online.

Contact Us

Interested applicants should contact program coordinator Elizabeth Allan. For general queries, please email hed@maine.edu. You may also use the Graduate School contact form below.