The specialization in Higher Education Leadership is designed for graduate students who would like to continue their careers as leaders, administrators and educators in higher education. Offered as a specialization within the doctoral program in Leadership, the higher education specialization focuses on the administration of colleges, universities and other post-secondary institutions, and the policies, practices and issues connected to these institutions, and the cultures and systems in which they operate.
This specialization program encourages students to draw upon and build on knowledge and experiences related to their professional work, while also requiring students to develop strong research skills and a familiarity with evidence-based decision-making. While grounded in topics related to higher education systems in the United States, this emphasis also provides opportunities to explore the internationalization and globalization of higher education.
General Graduate Admission Requirements
All applicants must meet the general admission requirements for Concordia University Chicago graduate programs as published in the Concordia University Chicago academic catalog.
New students are accepted into graduate degree-seeking, certificate, endorsement and/or post-graduate programs for online and on-campus study in the fall, spring, or summer semesters. Previously admitted students seeking to change programs may do so at the beginning of a semester (only) by submitting a Change-of-Program quick app. Applicants must be in good academic standing according to Concordia University Chicago’s satisfactory academic progress standards at the time of requesting a program change.
Students awarded the Ed.S. in Leadership (non-licensure) at CUC are not eligible for admission to this doctoral program at CUC.
Degree Requirements for Ed.D. Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Doctoral Program Core | ||
| EDL-7141 | Organizational Change (non K-12) | 3 |
| EDL-7211 | Policy Analysis | 3 |
| FPR-7011 | Philosophical and Theoretical Foundations of Leadership | 3 |
| OLDR-6820 | Leadership: Politics, Power and Applied Ethics | 3 |
| Research | ||
| RES-7605 | Quantitative Analysis | 3 |
| RES-7700 | Qualitative Research | 3 |
| RES-7900 | Research Design | 4 |
| Comprehensive Exam and Dissertation | ||
| COMP-7000 | Comprehensive Examination (no credit) | 0 |
| DISS-7010 | Dissertation I | 3 |
| DISS-7020 | Dissertation II | 3 |
| DISS-7030 | Dissertation III 1 | 3 |
| Higher Education Specialization Courses | ||
| EDL-7121 | Research-Based Decision Making (non K-12) | 3 |
| HLDR-6800 | Law and Higher Education | 3 |
| HLDR-6810 | Institutional Advancement and Development in Higher Education | 3 |
| HLDR-6820 | Historical and Societal Issues in Higher Education | 3 |
| HLDR-6830 | Governance and Leadership in Higher Education | 3 |
| HLDR-6840 | Fiscal and Social Responsibility in Higher Education | 3 |
| LDR-7000 | Leadership Theories and Professional Practice | 3 |
| LDR-7010 | Developing the Organization’s Human Capital | 3 |
| LDR-7030 | Promoting and Leading Change | 3 |
| LDR-7040 | Creating & Leading a Learning Organization | 3 |
| Total Hours | 61 | |
- 1
Upon completion of the nine required hours of dissertation coursework (DISS-7010, DISS-7020 and DISS-7030), candidates must maintain continuous enrollment with DISS-8000 Dissertation Supervision until program completion.
Degree Requirements for Ph.D. Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Doctoral Program Core | ||
| EDL-7141 | Organizational Change (non K-12) | 3 |
| EDL-7211 | Policy Analysis | 3 |
| FPR-7300 | Philosophy of Scientific Knowledge | 3 |
| OLDR-6820 | Leadership: Politics, Power and Applied Ethics | 3 |
| Research | ||
| RES-7605 | Quantitative Analysis | 3 |
| RES-7700 | Qualitative Research | 3 |
| RES-7800 | Mixed Methods Research | 3 |
| RES-7900 | Research Design | 4 |
| RES-7620 | Advanced Topics in Statistics | 3 |
| or RES-7710 | Advanced Qualitative Analysis | |
| Comprehensive Exam and Dissertation | ||
| COMP-7000 | Comprehensive Examination (no credit) | 0 |
| DISS-7010 | Dissertation I | 3 |
| DISS-7020 | Dissertation II | 3 |
| DISS-7030 | Dissertation III 1 | 3 |
| Higher Education Specialization Courses | ||
| EDL-7121 | Research-Based Decision Making (non K-12) | 3 |
| HLDR-6800 | Law and Higher Education | 3 |
| HLDR-6810 | Institutional Advancement and Development in Higher Education | 3 |
| HLDR-6820 | Historical and Societal Issues in Higher Education | 3 |
| HLDR-6830 | Governance and Leadership in Higher Education | 3 |
| HLDR-6840 | Fiscal and Social Responsibility in Higher Education | 3 |
| LDR-7000 | Leadership Theories and Professional Practice | 3 |
| LDR-7010 | Developing the Organization’s Human Capital | 3 |
| LDR-7030 | Promoting and Leading Change | 3 |
| LDR-7040 | Creating & Leading a Learning Organization | 3 |
| Total Hours | 67 | |
- 1
Upon completion of the nine required hours of dissertation coursework (DISS-7010, DISS-7020 and DISS-7030), candidates must maintain continuous enrollment with DISS-8000 Dissertation Supervision until program completion.
Doctoral Graduation Requirements
- Have on file an application as a doctoral graduate student in this program.
- Have on file one official transcript from EACH college/university attended of all previous coursework taken.
- Complete, for this degree and program,
- the credit hours and levels as designated,
- within the specified time limit,
- with grades of C- or higher,
- with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
- Students completing multiple advanced programs or degrees at CUC must have a 3.0 GPA in each academic program in addition to a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
- If transfer credit is approved to be applied: have on file an approved “Graduate Transfer Credit Approval” form(s) or evaluation(s).
- Have on file the Intent to Graduate/Complete form with the Office of the Registrar by the published deadline.
- Have on record the dissertation uploaded into ProQuest.
- Take and pass the final examination or terminal requirements in the program during or after the final course.
- Approval of the faculty.
- All administrative obligations to CUC must be cleared in order to prompt the release of CUC transcripts and diploma(s).
Every attempt has been made to include information to aid the student with information about his/her program, degree and graduation/completion requirements. It is, however, the student’s responsibility to complete all steps and meet all deadlines relevant to graduation requirements.