Higher Education, Ed.D.
Immaculata’s doctoral program in higher education inspires and equips insightful, ethical administrators and faculty leaders.
Whether you are a college administrator or faculty member or you aspire to these roles, the Doctor of Education in Higher Education will increase your career opportunities by expanding your knowledge of current trends in higher education and developing your scholarship and leadership capacity.
This program provides a balance of theory and application-to-practice for administrative and academic leaders.
At A Glance
Program: Doctor of Education
Audience: Graduate students
Format: Online, interactive classes
Next Start Date: January 16, 2024
Cost: $955/credit
Time to Completion Approximately 4 years, while working full-time
"I chose to complete my doctorate with Immaculata University because it was the only program in the region whose doctoral courses were directly focused on higher education. Additionally, the program is structured to accommodate working professionals, and the faculty are both educators and practitioners. This focused specialization provided richer in-depth discussion of concepts and issues, so I was able to apply things learned in class and from colleagues’ differing perspectives right away. My experiences with Immaculata’s Higher Education doctoral program helped me grow both personally and professionally. I was able to focus my dissertation on a real-world problem facing professional test administrators nationwide and work with their national professional organization, the National College Testing Association (NCTA). I presented the results of my dissertation at NCTA’s national conference in Louisiana and continue volunteering with the organization. I was chosen as NCTA’s inaugural recipient of the Volunteer of the Year Award. Immaculata’s Higher Education program provided me with encouragement, challenges and experiences to help me grow in both confidence and ability."
Kathy Kollar-Valovage '19
Director of Testing Programs and Services at Commonwealth University of PA
Career Outlook
Recent graduates of the program, along with doctoral candidates, have received teaching and administrative appointments in numerous colleges and universities, including public and private institutions, community colleges and selective schools, faith-based and secular universities, schools with both large and small student populations, school districts and independent educational consulting firms. Their positions include assistant and associate professors as well as executive-level jobs, such as:
- Associate Vice President of Planning, Institutional Effectiveness, and Research
- Associate Provost for Accreditation and Assessment
- Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration
- Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
- Vice President of Strategic Innovation
- Assistant Vice President for Student Development
- Associate Vice President for Alumni & Professional Engagement
Employment for postsecondary teachers is expected to grow 12% in the next decade, much faster than average, with a median salary of $79,640, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment growth for administrators in postsecondary education will be average at 7%, with a median salary of $96,910.
Accelerated and Synchronous Online Format
Focus on a single accelerated course with synchronous online sessions, enabling you to network with faculty and peers and build a strong learning community. Take two courses sequentially each 14-week semester (fall, spring and summer) to complete your degree in approximately four years.
Applied Field Experience
A 90-hour applied field experience offers you personalized professional development, growth as a scholar-practitioner and guidance from seasoned professionals. Students have completed field experiences in a variety of areas, including:
- Curriculum development and assessment
- Online learning
- Faculty development
- Multicultural relations
- Strategic planning
- Accreditation
- Student support programming
Curriculum (54 credits)
Your beginning coursework focuses on topics that include:
- The history and philosophy of American higher education
- Contemporary issues and challenges in higher education
- Research-based analysis and strategic thinking
- Higher education leadership and ethical decision-making
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education
- Student access and success
Foundational Core (12 credits)
- HED 700 Seminar in Doctoral Studies (3)
- HED 705 Foundations of American Higher Education (3)
- HED 712 Higher Education Administration and Leadership (3)
- HED 721 Diversity and Multiculturalism in Higher Education (3)
You will also complete a three-course sequence in research methods and applications, preparing you for undertaking the dissertation as well as continuing research as a scholar-practitioner.
Research Core (9 credits)
- HED 702 Methods of Research (3)
- HED 703 Quantitative Research Methods (3)
- HED 704 Qualitative Analysis and Mixed Research Methods (3)
Concentration (15 credits)
Dissertation Sequence (12 credits)
Throughout the entire doctoral program, faculty and practitioners provide mentoring and guidance to help you uncover your unique areas of research interest, investigate relevant literature, and design a research plan, culminating in your dissertation and defense under the direction of a research advisor.
- HED 794 Dissertation Research and Evaluation (3)
- HED 795 Dissertation Design (3)
- HED 798/799 Dissertation I and II (3)
Electives (6 credits)
- HED 706 Adult and Student Development (3)
- HED 711 Special Topics (3)
- HED 715 Change and Innovation in Higher Education (3)
- HED 725 Finance and Strategic Planning (3)
- HED 731 Best Practices in Teaching and Learning (3)
- HED 732 Assessment of Student Learning (3)
- HED 735 Public Policy and Analysis of Issues (3)
- HED 740 Academic Curriculum: Design, Delivery and Assessment (3)
- HED 745 Strategies for Institutional Advancement (3)
- HED 748 Enrollment Management (3)
- HED 750 Student Services in Higher Education (3)
- HED 755 Program and Institutional Evaluation (3)
- HED 757 The American Community College (3)
- HED 760 Current Issues in Higher Ed / Community College / Nursing Ed (3)
- HED 765 Advanced Topics in Higher Ed / Community College / Nursing Ed (3)
- HED 820 Applied Field Experience (3)
In the program students will:
- Apply the historical foundations of higher education to current issues and recognize that social and cultural systems develop out of adaptation to historical circumstances
- Analyze potential solutions to issues facing higher education worldwide
- Evaluate and employ leadership values, beliefs, and styles in the context of ethical decision making; acquire professional identity as a scholar and practitioner
- Think strategically in institutional planning, academic direction and programming, organizational budgets, operations, and institutional assessment and evaluation
- Articulate diverse perspectives and incorporate diverse viewpoints and cultural paradigms into program development, implementation, assessment, and personal interactions
- Evaluate and employ current paradigms of curriculum design, delivery and assessment
- Evaluate and apply best practices in student access, retention, and completion in the context of student development theory and institutional environments
- Evaluate current administrative, operational, legal and public issues and trends in higher education
All students entering the Ed.D. program must hold a master’s degree. Learn about admissions requirements.
Concentrations
Expand your knowledge and skills to serve as an effective faculty member and administrative leader at the collegiate level. Our students have researched and written dissertations on topics such as:
- Diversity and equity
- Student access and success
- Academic leadership
- Faculty development
- Spiritual formation
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the factors influencing higher education, its purpose and its practices as viewed by administration and faculty
- Evidence in-depth knowledge of the roles, responsibilities, and governance of faculty and administration
- Demonstrate knowledge of the science of learning assessment and institutional effectiveness and best practices for institutional change and innovation
- Contribute to the advancement of administration and/or student learning effectiveness through intellectual inquiry and scholarship
Courses
- HED 715 Change and Innovation in Higher Education (3)
- HED 725 Finance and Strategic Planning (3)
- HED 732 Assessment of Student Learning (3)
- HED 748 Enrollment Management (3)
- HED 820 Applied Field Experience in Administration and Instruction (3)
“The faculty are both educators and practitioners. This focused specialization provided richer in-depth discussion of concepts and issues, so I was able to apply things learned in class and from colleagues’ differing perspectives right away. I focused my dissertation on a real-world problem facing professional test administrators and worked with the National College Testing Association (NCTA). I presented my dissertation results at NCTA’s national conference. I volunteer with the organization, serving as a committee co-chair, and I was chosen as NCTA’s Volunteer of the Year. Immaculata’s higher education program provided me with encouragement, challenges and experiences to help me grow in both confidence and ability.”
— Kathy Kollar-Valovage ’19 Ed.D.
Director, Testing Programs & Services
Commonwealth University of PA
Expand your knowledge and skills to serve as an effective faculty member or administrative leader at two-year colleges. Our students have researched and written dissertations on topics such as:
- Transportation and community college persistence
- Faculty validation of students
- Formerly incarcerated students
- Title IX
- Low-income and first-generation students
- Perceptions of white privilege among community college faculty
- Student veterans
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate knowledge of the profile, issues, strategies, and practices of two-year institutions reflecting varied constituents
- Evidence in-depth knowledge of the roles, responsibilities, and governance of faculty and administration in community colleges
- Demonstrate knowledge of the science of learning assessment and institutional effectiveness and best practices for institutional change and innovation in community colleges
- Contribute to the advancement of administration and/or student learning effectiveness at community colleges through intellectual inquiry and scholarship
Courses
- HED 715 Change and Innovation in Higher Education (3)
- HED 725 Finance and Strategic Planning (3)
- HED 732 Assessment of Student Learning (3)
- HED 757 The American Community College (3)
- HED 820 Applied Field Experience in Community Colleges (3)
“Immaculata University’s doctoral program in higher education is uniquely organized and facilitated so that students are nurtured to become self-reliant and empowered scholars. The program gave me the tools to be a better higher education practitioner. The coursework helped me to realize the importance of diversity, inclusion and culturally responsive teaching in the classroom and that the teacher sets the tone and ensures that all students are treated equitably. As a result, my dissertation work explored how a sense of mattering among first-generation community college students affected their persisting and succeeding in college.”
—Victoria Vetro ’21 Ed.D.
Assistant Professor of English
Montgomery County Community College
This concentration equips nurses to become qualified faculty and academic leaders at the collegiate level who can teach in both the classroom and clinical settings. Our students have researched and written dissertations on topics such as:
- Nursing simulation
- Diversity health science pipeline programs
- Job satisfaction among novice nurse educators
- Altruism in nursing graduates
- Barriers in R.N. to B.S.N. education
- Anxiety in nursing students
- NCLEX first-time pass rates
You must be a registered nurse (R.N.) and hold a Master of Science in Nursing to enroll in this concentration.
Learning Outcomes
- Evidence in-depth knowledge of nurse educators’ roles and practices in higher education as faculty members and academic leaders
- Conceive evidenced-based strategies to design, implement, evaluate and improve nursing education to reflect modern theory and trends in higher education, healthcare, and nursing practice
- Design curriculum and programs in nursing education including planning for development, implementation, assessment and evaluation using 21st century delivery and assessment methodologies
- Contribute to the advancement of the science of nursing education through intellectual inquiry and creative scholarship
Courses
- HED 770 Program Development & Evaluation in Nursing Education (3)
- HED 771 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development in Nursing Education (3)
- HED 772 Learning Theory & Practice for Classroom & Clinical Nursing Education (3)
- HED 773 Advanced Scientific Inquiry in Nursing Education (3)
- HED 820 Applied Field Experience in Nursing & Health Care (3)
“The Ed.D. in higher education program with a focus in nursing education is the best of both worlds; it broadened my knowledge and understanding of higher education and enhanced my skills as a nurse educator. The program helped prepare me for opportunities in leadership, research and teaching.”
—Cristina Tansey ’21 Ed.D., R.N.
Assistant Professor
Program Faculty
Sister Ann Heath, IHM, Ph.D., Program Director, has served as a math and computer science professor, department chair, dean, vice president for academic affairs, and Middle States accreditation liaison officer. During her tenure, she has led diverse curricular change projects across modalities of delivery, coordinated highly successful student success and retention initiatives, redesigned learning spaces, directed external strategic planning, and served as peer evaluator and accreditation visit chair for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. She serves on the executive board of the American Association of University Administrators and as vice-chair of its Publication Committee.
Program Faculty
David Parkyn, Ph.D., Associate Faculty, has worked at various private institutions, serving as a faculty member, vice president for planning, provost, and president. His experience includes leading a large fundraising campaign, transforming undergraduate curriculum, increasing enrollment of students of color, and serving as a peer evaluator and accreditation visit chair for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Affiliated Faculty
The Higher Education Program is enhanced by the teaching and scholarship of affiliated faculty with administrative and faculty appointments such as dean, provost, assistant chair, learning center coordinator, state system of higher education chancellor, first year experience program director, director of faculty development, as well as professionals working in student affairs, student success, accreditation, assessment and planning.