Higher & Postsecondary Education

Welcome to the Higher & Postsecondary Education program


The Higher and Postsecondary Education Program at Teachers College, Columbia University prepares knowledgeable practitioners and scholars in the field of higher education. Our students develop the abilities to evaluate, design, and integrate the structures, processes, policies and technologies that comprise colleges and universities. The curriculum includes understanding social/cultural and civic perspectives with attention to the connection between institutions of higher education and their external constituencies.

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The Master of Arts Program develops knowledgeable practitioners in three domains of higher and postsecondary education:

  • Academic & Developmental Analysis
    • The educational core that encompasses teaching and learning, student and professional development
  • Organizational and Institutional Analysis
    • A framework that includes institutional planning, organizational development, policymaking, and implementation
  • Social/Cultural and Civic Analysis
    • Including civic engagement, philanthropy, benefits of higher education in diverse society

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The Master of Education Program 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
  • Social/Cultural and Civic Perspectives

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The Doctor of Education Program 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 three curricular domains:

  • Academic and Developmental Analysis of Higher and Postsecondary Education
  • Organizational and Institutional Analysis of Higher and Postsecondary Education
  • Social/Cultural and Civic Analysis of Higher and Postsecondary Education

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The 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.

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