A PhD in Higher Education is earned through the completion of an education focused doctoral degree program. You may apply for a higher education graduate degree program through the associated college's graduate school application process. The program itself will have requirements to fulfill over the course of the graduate school that includes classroom learning and research experience, culminating in the completion of a dissertation and the awarding of the PhD in Higher Education.
The application process for a PhD program in education usually entails taking regional graduate level college admissions tests, such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) in the United States, and scoring within the range needed to be competitive for admission to a chosen graduate school. Letters of recommendation are submitted to the school, and there is typically an interview process that takes place prior to acceptance. If a school chooses to extend an offer of admission to you for a PhD in Higher Education program, they may also award financial aid for the program in the form of grants, loans, and a paid teaching assistant position. You may also choose to first earn a Masters Degree in Education from the same program before obtaining a PhD.
Once accepted to the PhD in Higher Education program, the first years are spent in classroom instruction, focusing on learning different aspects of the field and education industry. This includes curriculum standards, interacting with students, organization theories, and the history of higher education. The first years of the program may also see you taking qualifying exams to continue on within the program, as well as annual reviews to assess pacing and progress.
After the completion of general classroom learning, there may be a focus in the program on case studies and seminar attendance prior to the start of the dissertation process. Depending on your region and the university attended, the requirements needed to obtain a PhD in Higher Education will vary. The latter years of the program are spent as a PhD candidate, meaning your dissertation has been chosen and a supervising professor has been assigned to you. Your dissertation may be a investigative research project on a subject you choose, using the knowledge you obtained within graduate school.
Individuals who earn a PhD in Higher Education usually go on to work in positions of teaching and research at public and private universities. PhD in Higher Education holders are also employed by government offices, and work as a liaison between institutions. Ultimately, it is possible to be appointed or hired for a leadership position at a major university after years of experience within the field. If you are interested in obtaining a PhD in Higher Education, it is best to concentrate on earning competitive grades and test scores in undergraduate college. It is also important to choose a graduate school geared towards your interests within the field of higher education, and to have in mind the direction you may want to take for your dissertation.