Are you ready to pursue a research-intensive doctoral program designed to examine critical issues concerning postsecondary education? As a PhD candidate in Higher Education (HED), you will complete coursework emphasizing research methods and theoretical frameworks, enabling you to conduct independent research that tests or applies conceptual models and generates new knowledge in the field.
DU’s HED PhD program is committed to equipping you to drive positive transformation toward more significant equity and justice in postsecondary institutions and related organizations. Our faculty are nationally and internationally renowned experts, and highly engaged in their fields, and they maintain strong professional networks that will benefit you throughout your career.
Join us to gain the competence and connections needed to make a significant impact in higher education and beyond.
Start Dates: Fall
Curriculum: 90 Credit Hours
Program Length: 48 Months
2 Teaching internships during the program
100% Percentage of admitted students who receive some form of tuition assistance from the Morgridge College of Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education
How our curriculum prepares you for your career in Higher Ed
Take courses that prepare you for topics within higher education
Your coursework will include current issues, organizational theory, governance and critical higher education frameworks.
Gain research experience
Our required research courses provide you with a broad range of research experience upon graduation.
Take courses that complement your educational career interests
In addition to completeing 38 credits in research-related courses, you can select from a wide range of elective options that support your needs and interests for career advancement and learning.
Refine your teaching skills
Our Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education requires you to complete two teaching internships during your time in the program. This enables you to develop and refine teaching skills that prepare you for an academic career.
Advance your career within higher education
The coursework prepares you to be a faculty member at prominent research universities, regional public universities and minority-serving institutions.
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Application Information
Coursework Requirements
90 Credit Hours
Non-Coursework Requirements
- Comprehensive Exam Oral
- Defense of Comprehensive Exam
- Dissertation
- Oral Defense of Dissertation
HED Electives
Students will complete a minimum of 12 credits (three higher education courses) to complete the elective requirement.
Cognate Courses
Students may design a 12-credit (3-4 courses) cognate, with advisor approval, or they may complete the coursework included in the following cognates: College Teaching, Public Policy, or Research Methods and Methodologies.
Research Foundation
- RMS 4910 - Introductory Statistics
- RMS 4940 - Structural Foundations of Research in Social Sciences
- RMS 4941 - Introduction to Qualitative Research
Intermediate/Advanced Methods Courses - 11 Credit Hours
Students will complete a minimum of 11 credits (3-4 courses) in Research Methods and Statistics.
HED Research Experience
- HED 5991 - PhD Independent Study (Students may take up to six credits in HED 5991.)
- HED 4216 - HED Research Processes
Dissertation Research Credits
- HED 5995 - Independent Research
HED Required Courses
- HED 4210 - Critical Higher Education
- HED 4211 - Current Issues in Higher Education
- HED 4220 - Organizational Theory in Higher Education
- HED 4294 - Seminar in Higher Education
- HED 4294 - Seminar in Higher Education
- HED 4294 - Seminar in Higher Education
- HED 4215 - Curriculum Development and Teaching Strategies in Higher Education
- or HED 4297 - Internship in College Teaching
Featured Higher Education Faculty
Dr. D-L Stewart
Professor and Chair of the Higher Education program
I research issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) in U.S. postsecondary education in three areas: 1) how DEIJ has shaped the history and philosophy of U.S. higher education; 2) how higher education serves as a crucible for the learning, development, and becoming of minoritized college students and their experiences; and 3) how institutions of higher education (dis)engage with issues of DEIJ in organizational policy, practice, and processes. My focus is largely on Black and African American, transgender, and non-binary students and those who live at the intersection of those identities and other identities and social locations such as dis/Ability, social class, and religion/faith/spirituality.
Mile Higher Ed Podcast
In the Mile Higher Ed podcast, we shine the spotlight on the work DU higher education faculty and alumni are doing to advance our field. We will bring you the latest stories from our department--from compelling research findings to innovative practices to leadership in the field. Whether you are a DU higher ed alum, prospective student, researcher or practitioner, we invite you to learn from our community as we work to make higher education more effective and equitable.
Careers With a PhD in Higher Education
With a PhD in Higher Education from DU, you can pursue a variety of career paths. You might embark on a faculty career, shaping the minds of future educators and researchers. Many graduates pursue careers in postsecondary education policy with organizations such as the Colorado Department of Higher Education. Impressively, 93% of all graduates from our program secure employment in administrative, student affairs, policy, organizational and academic roles. Alumni from our PhD program have gone on to become faculty members at prominent research universities, regional public universities and minority-serving institutions, showcasing the program's strong track record of success.
Notable Alumni of the Higher Education PhD Program
Dr. Saran Stewart
Associate Professor University of Connecticut
Dr. Chayla Haynes Davidson
Associate Professor Texas A&M University
Dr. Sophia Laderman
Chief Policy and Research Officer, Colorado Department of Higher Education
"With regard to my dissertation topic focusing on exploring the experiences of gendered racism that Black women experience at predominantly white institutions, I have developed a coaching business that aids in providing support, mentoring and coaching for first-generation professionals, specifically women of color who have experienced racial- and gender-based trauma at predominately white institutions of education as professionals."
- Shaniquè Broom, (PhD ’22)
Get Started on Your PhD in Higher Education
Build your career in Higher Education with a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Denver’s Morgridge College of Education.