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The Program in Higher and Postsecondary Education (HPSE) prepares administrators, academic specialists, policy-makers, researchers, and faculty members who teach, create knowledge, and lead diverse postsecondary educational institutions. Our graduates are scholar-practitioners who lead in the development of research-driven practices and policies. A smaller number are scholars and faculty members who contribute to knowledge about diverse topics in higher education and who teach future practitioners and leaders.
The Program views postsecondary education as a social institution and as an organizational system within which people work, think, and learn in highly varying institutional/system contexts. Our program is framed to ensure that all of our graduates have the opportunity to think and learn deeply about higher education across three nested domains, which we envision as concentric circles: (1) the process of human learning and development, for both students and faculty (2) that occurs within college and university organizational structures and processes, and (3) that are themselves situated, historically, in society and culture. These three domains comprise the program’s intellectual framework.
Domain 1 - Knowledge about educating: At its core, higher education is about a human being becoming educated: students learning and developing; faculty and other educators learning, teaching, and enhancing their intellectual and professional capacities; all members of the higher education enterprise creating knowledge. This domain includes knowledge about teaching and learning, students and student development, curriculum, student cultures, faculty work and careers, faculty and instructional development, knowledge creation.
Domain 2 - Knowledge about organization: In contemporary society, teaching, learning, and knowledge development typically occur in “formal organizations,” and for higher education, that includes, heavily, colleges and universities, though increasingly, adjunctive organizations come into play (state agencies, software development companies, professional development institutes, among others). This domain includes knowledge about organizational planning and design, leadership, administration, finance, and governance; emphasizes attention to structures, processes, policies, technologies, organizational meaning and symbolism.
Domain 3 - Knowledge about social context: The organizations within which the core educating occurs are themselves embedded in social, cultural, governmental, and economic contexts (social institutions) that both rely on higher education and establish definitions of and expectations for it. Here we included knowledge about historical contexts, social institutions, cross-cultural views on student development and organizational design, social policy contexts and institutional influences. This domain promotes understanding of higher education’s larger social/cultural/public environments in support of improved teaching and learning and knowledge development (e.g., by way of civic engagement, philanthropic engagement, efforts to strengthen urban higher education in culturally diverse and rapidly changing societies).
Each domain is itself internally complex and none exists independently of others; the three domains are “nested” within one another with knowledge at any one domain infused by knowledge from others. As this scheme indicates, although different domains emphasize different expertise, all pivot around core commitments to create, offer, and improve substantive college learning and teaching. We organize our curriculum with the understanding that study of higher education, in breadth, involves developing understanding of the range of things that go on at each of these three domains and importantly, between them, with attention to how each domain uniquely conceptualizes (and shapes) every issue and topic in the study and practice of higher education.
In TC’s HPSE curriculum, no one domain dominates the study of higher education. Rather, we seek, purposefully, to “level the playing field” among domains, thereby offering students both an expansive and balanced exposure to knowledge of the field (with opportunities to specialize through advanced study). We believe that this is an important contribution both to students’ learning and the field’s own self-understanding.
We have four degrees in higher education: (1) the Master of Arts (M.A.); (2) the Master of Education (Ed.M.); (3) the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.); (4) the Doctor of Philosophy.
Master of Arts (M.A.) Degree
The 32-point Master of Arts (M.A.) degree develops knowledgeable practitioners in three domains of higher and postsecondary education. Students who pursue the M.A. degree will build on the program’s historic positioning in the study of student development through the college years and its current strengths in studies of academic learning and development. They will also build on the program's growing capacities in higher/ postsecondary education policy, social thought, and comparative analysis, as well as on the department's offerings in organizational studies. As such, students earning the M.A. degree will be positioned to serve in a variety of academic and student support positions, as well as in various administrative roles.
Master of Education (Ed.M.) Degree
The 60-point Master of Education (Ed.M.) degree develops breadth of understanding of higher and postsecondary education, though emphasizing particular domains of study and practice, among them academic learning and development, organizational and institutional processes, and social/cultural and civic perspectives. Students who pursue the Ed.M. in Higher and Postsecondary Education typically bring to their studies well developed understandings of particular facets of the enterprise, often from their own participation in the professional practices that define it (teaching, administration, etc.). The Ed.M. Program helps them situate their practice-based knowledge and their emerging intellectual interests within the broader span of higher and postsecondary education, thereby providing expanded intellectual resources for their scholarly and professional efforts. The program also introduces Ed.M. students to the field of higher education as a scholarly community and a body of developing knowledge.
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Degree
The 90-point Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree develops breadth of understanding about higher and postsecondary education with a focus on an intellectual issue or professional activity (concentration or emphasis area). Breadth is assured through study within the three domains of higher and postsecondary education. As they engage in study across these domains and beyond them (through related out-of-program courses), students will work with faculty advisors to develop emphasis areas, among them studies in teaching and learning, institutional assessment, administration and leadership, diversity and access, student learning and development, and scholarly learning and careers. The Ed.D. requires in- depth study in processes/methods of inquiry appropriate to the area of emphasis, as well as a substantial theoretical understanding of the area and approaches to inquiry within it.
Students who pursue the Ed.D. explore and question the range of perspectives for understanding the higher education enterprise, its educational and intellectual core, its institutional/organizational rubrics, and its social/cultural and civic contextualizations. Thus, through their own research (situated within an emphasis area), students participate in reshaping current understandings of postsecondary education. Ed.D. students conclude their programs by writing a dissertation that, though focused on a particular research problem within higher and postsecondary education, reflects the tripartite aims of the curriculum, as well as deep understanding of knowledge structures underpinning their area of inquiry. They are positioned then to scrutinize prevailing views of what it means to engage in “higher learning,” and to improve and develop the settings in which that learning occurs.
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree
The 75-point Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Higher and Postsecondary Education is designed to prepare scholars and researchers in the area of Higher Education. To achieve the purposes of the program, the Ph.D. was designed to provide both subject-matter competence and research skills (study design, methodology). The domain of inquiry for the Ph.D. is the field of higher education. However, each student will also select a discipline-based cognate as an anchor for their developing understanding of the multi-disciplinary field of higher education.
Candidates for the degree will be equipped to recognize significant issues and their value assumptions, identify problems needing research, and design and undertake original scholarly research projects that are likely to have direct application to a particular higher education setting. Candidates will also receive supervised training in the teaching of higher education as a field of study. The program will draw on designated College strengths in diverse research strategies/methods, tailoring these to the study of higher education when appropriate.
The Ph.D. in Higher Education is designed for students pursuing careers as academic faculty, administrators, policy analysts, and educational researchers. Since the Ph.D. is a scholarly degree, the core objective of this degree program is to prepare researchers of the highest quality. Our program engages in broad explorations of higher and postsecondary education, and of the contexts that shape the enterprise and its activities. Ph.D. students conclude their program by writing a dissertation that, though focused on a particular research problem within higher and postsecondary education, reflects the deep understanding of knowledge structures underpinning a particular area of inquiry.
Points/Credits: 32
Entry Terms: Fall Only
Degree Requirements
The M.A. degree requires a minimum of 32 points of graduate coursework. Students pursue one of three domain sequences: (1) Academic and Developmental Analysis, (2) Organizational and Institutional Analysis, or (3) Social/Cultural and Civic Analysis.
Course requirements common to all sequences include (15 points):
ORL 5521 Introduction to research methods in education (3) or equivalent with advisor approval
ORLH 4010 Purposes and policies of higher education (3)
ORLH 4011 Curriculum and instruction in higher education (3)
ORLH 4040 The American college student (3)
ORLH 5525 Advanced professional seminar: College student development theories (3)
Beyond the core requirements, additional requirements for the Academic and Developmental Analysis sequence include the following coursework as well as a culminating project:
ORLH 4042 Student personnel administration: Programs and services (3) or other with advisor approval
Three (3) elective courses from the following (9 points):
ORLD 4051 How adults learn (3)
ORLH 4012 The community college (3)
ORLH 4041 Student personnel administration: Organization, functions, and issues (3) or other with advisor approval
ORLH 5011 College teaching and learning (3)
ORLH 5044 Theories of diversity in higher education (3)
ORLH 5522 Advanced professional seminar: Contemporary student issues and policies (3)
ORLH 5524 Advanced professional seminar: An analysis of student cultures (3)
ORLH 5527 Advanced professional seminar: The college professoriate (3)
ORLH 5545 Advanced professional seminar: The civic mission of higher education (3)
ORLH 5546 Advanced professional seminar: Philanthropy and education (3)
Other ORLH courses (TBA) related to Higher Education area of interest with advisor approval (3)
Other Courses:
M.A. students with internship must take ORLH 5241, Observation and Supervised Fieldwork in Higher and Postsecondary Education (1 point). Non-internship students elect another Teachers College course with advisor approval (1 point).
A minimum of two additional out-of-Program Teachers College elective courses -- one 3-point course and one 1-point course -- for a total of 4 points. These courses require advisor approval (4 points).
Beyond the core requirements, additional requirements for the Organizational and Institutional Analysis sequence include the following coursework as well as a culminating project:
ORLH 4020 College and university organization and administration (3)
ORLH 4031 Financial administration of higher education institutions (3)
Two (2) elective courses from the following (6 points):
ORLD 4051 How adults learn (3)
ORLH 4012 The community college (3)
ORLH 5011 College teaching and learning (3)
ORLH 5527 Advanced professional seminar: The college professoriate (3)
ORLH 5545 Advanced professional seminar: The civic mission of higher education (3)
ORLH 5546 Advanced professional seminar: Philanthropy and education (3)
ORLH 6556 Educational leadership: Research, art, and practice (3) or equivalent with advisor approval
Other ORLH courses (TBA) related to Higher Education area of interest with advisor approval (3)
Other Courses:
M.A. students with internships must take ORLH 5241, Observation and Supervised Fieldwork in Higher and Postsecondary Education (1 point). Non-internship students elect another Teachers College course with advisor approval (1 point).
Minimum of two additional out-of-Program Teachers College elective courses -- one 3-point course and one 1-point course -- for a total of 4 points. These courses require advisor approval (4 points).
Beyond the core requirements, additional requirements for the Social/Cultural and Civic Analysis sequence include the following coursework as well as a culminating project:
ORLH 5044 Theories of diversity in higher education (3)
Three (3) elective courses from the following (9 points):
ORLD 4051 How adults learn (3)
ORLH 5011 College teaching and learning (3)
ORLH 5522 Advanced professional seminar: Contemporary student issues and policies (3)
ORLH 5524 Advanced professional seminar: An analysis of student cultures (3)
ORLH 5527 Advanced professional seminar: The college professoriate (3)
ORLH 5545 Advanced professional seminar: The civic mission of higher education (3)
ORLH 5546 Advanced professional seminar: Philanthropy and education (3)
ORLH 6556 Educational leadership: Research, art and practice (3) or equivalent with advisor approval
Other ORLH courses (TBA) related to Higher Education area of interest with advisor approval (3)
Other Courses:
M.A. students with internships must take ORLH 5241, Observation and Supervised Fieldwork in Higher and Postsecondary Education (1 point). Non-internship students elect another Teachers College course with advisor approval (1 point).
Minimum of two additional out-of-program Teachers College elective courses -- one 3-point course and one 1-point course -- for a total of 4 points. These courses require advisor approval (4 points).
Changes or other adjustments to requirements and distributions, as shown for the M.A. in Higher and Postsecondary Education, require approval of the HPSE M.A. Advisor. The above plan assumes advisor approval for all courses of enrollment.
Points/Credits: 60
Entry Terms: Fall Only
Degree Requirements
The Ed.M. degree program requires a minimum of 60 points and an integrative paper prepared as a culminating project.
Core courses (36 points):
ORL 5521 Introduction to research methods in education (3) or equivalent with advisor approval
ORLH 4010 Purposes and policies of higher education (3)
ORLH 4011 Curriculum and instruction in higher education (3)
ORLH 4020 College and university organization and administration (3)
ORLH 4031 Financial administration of higher education institutions (3)
ORLH 5011 College teaching and learning (3)
ORLH 5044 Theories of diversity in higher education (3)
ORLH 5526 Advanced professional seminar: The literature of higher education (3)
ORLH 5527 Advanced professional seminar: The college professoriate (3)
ORLH 5545 Advanced professional seminar: The civic mission of higher education (3)
ORLH 6511 Coordinating seminar in higher education (3)
ORLH 6900 Research and independent study in higher education or equivalent with advisor approval (3). (The integrative paper is prepared in this course.)
Remaining eight courses (24 points):
Five courses within the HPSE Program, with the purpose of developing a concentration in one of the curricular domains (Academic and Developmental Analysis, Organizational and Institutional Analysis, or Social/Cultural and Civic Analysis). To substitute an out-of-program course requires advance approval from the HPSE faculty advisor.
Three courses outside the Program, with at least two of these outside the Department of Organization and Leadership. All extra-Program courses should relate conceptually, substantively, and/or methodologically to the student's concentration and area of interest. All out-of-Program electives require advisor approval.
Changes or other adjustments to requirements and distributions, as shown for the Ed.M. in Higher and Postsecondary Education, require approval of the HPSE faculty advisor. The above plan assumes advisor approval for all courses of enrollment.
A limited number of internships may be available to Ed.M. students pending advisor consultation and approval of the Program Director. For information, please contact the Program’s Internship Coordinator.
Points/Credits: 90
Entry Terms: Fall Only
Degree Requirements
The Ed.D. degree requires a minimum of 90 points of graduate coursework, completion of the certification exam (two parts), and the writing and successful defense of a dissertation.
Required core courses include (33 points):
ORL 5521 Introduction to research methods in education (3) or equivalent with advisor approval
ORLH 4010 Purposes and policies of higher education (3)
ORLH 4011 Curriculum and instruction in higher education (3)
ORLH 4020 College and university organization and administration (3)
ORLH 4031 Financial administration of higher education institutions (3)
ORLH 5011 College teaching and learning (3)
ORLH 5044 Theories of diversity in higher education (3)
ORLH 5526 Advanced professional seminar: The literature of higher education (3)
ORLH 5527 Advanced professional seminar: The college professoriate (3)
ORLH 6511 Coordinating seminar in higher education (3)
Other advanced seminars with advisor approval (3)
A minimum of four (4) additional research courses (12 points) will be selected relative to the student's research preparation needs; selection of research coursework requires approval of the dissertation advisor. Additional methodological coursework and a research apprenticeship are recommended and may be required by dissertation advisor or committee toward development of appropriate research expertise. Consult with dissertation advisor.
The remaining fifteen courses (45 points) are to be distributed as follows:
Five courses within the Program: Development of a concentration within one or two of the curricular domains, or crossing all three, with advisor approval. The concentration must represent a coherent area of study that broadly situates dissertation research.
Five courses outside the Program, with at least three of these outside the Department of Organization and Leadership, with advisor approval. These courses must contribute substantively, theoretically, or methodologically to the student's selected area of study.
Five courses either within or outside the Program, with advisor approval. These courses should contribute to the student’s area of study substantively, conceptually, or methodologically.
Changes or other adjustments to requirements and distributions, as shown for the Ed.D. in Higher and Postsecondary Education, require approval of the HPSE faculty advisor. The above plan assumes advisor approval for all courses of enrollment.
A limited number of internships may be available to Ed.D. students pending advisor consultation and approval of the Program Director. For information, please contact the Program’s Internship Coordinator.
Points/Credits: 75
Entry Terms: Fall Only
Degree Requirements
The Ph.D. degree requires a minimum of 75 points of graduate coursework, completion of the certification exam (two parts), and the writing and successful defense of a dissertation.
Required core courses include (19 points):
ORL 5521 Introduction to research methods in education (3) or equivalent with advisor approval
ORLH 4020 College and university organization and administration (3)
ORLH 5011 College teaching & learning (3)
OR
ORLH 5527 Advanced professional seminar: The college professoriate (3)
ORLH 5044 Theories of diversity in higher education (3)
OR
ORLH 5545 Advanced professional seminar: The civic mission of higher education (3)
ORLH 5526 Advanced professional seminar: The literature of higher education (3)
ORLH 6511 Coordinating seminar in higher education (3)
ORLH 7500 Dissertation seminar (1)
Methods Requirements (9-12 Points):
A minimum of three (3) additional research courses (9 points beyond ORL 5521) will be selected relative to the student's research preparation needs; selection of research coursework requires approval of the dissertation advisor. At least one introductory qualitative and one introductory quantitative course are required; plus, one advanced methods course. Additional methodological coursework and a research apprenticeship are recommended and may be required by dissertation advisor or committee toward development of appropriate research expertise. Consult with dissertation advisor.
Disciplinary Cognate Requirement (12 points):
A minimum of four (4) courses within a discipline that is chosen by the student in consultation with their academic advisor.
The remaining courses are electives. Up to 30 points may be transferred from a relevant master’s degree program with advisor approval.
Changes or other adjustments to requirements and distributions, as shown for the Ph.D. in Higher and Postsecondary Education, require approval of the HPSE faculty advisor. The above plan assumes advisor approval for all courses of enrollment.
A limited number of internships may be available to Ph.D. students, pending advisor consultation and approval of the Program Director. For information, please contact the Program’s Internship Coordinator.