Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from this program will:

• Identify current issues within the field of higher education and devise appropriate solutions.
• Demonstrate mastery of a research method and application of that method to address a current issue in higher education administration.
• Demonstrate improvement in ability to incorporate multicultural policies and programs into professional practice.
• Construct an identity of a reflective and scholarly educational practitioner.
• Demonstrate improvement in ability to incorporate ethical leadership into professional practice.

Criteria for Admission to Higher Education Focus

Admission to the Higher Education doctoral program is a two-tier procedure. A general application to the University and all transcripts must be sent to the Office of Admission. A previously earned master's degree from any accredited institution is required with a 3.0 or higher GPA. Additional documents must be submitted directly to the program. Upon receipt of all application materials, students will be contacted to arrange a date for a personal interview which will be the final step in the admission process.

Your application includes:

1. Completed UMKC application.
2. Official transcripts from each college attended.
3. A letter of intent including a statement of the reason for pursuing a doctoral degree in Higher Education and a brief discussion about the match between the applicant's needs and the program offering.
4. A vita or resume demonstrating at least 3 years of full-time professional experience in higher education administration or a leadership position in a professional field at the time of program initiation; vita/resume should provide a summary of leadership activities, work experiences, and any scholarly activity if available.
5. Writing sample. This sample may be a previous academic product (from the applicant's graduate program) or a significant professional writing sample. 
6. An interview will be scheduled with at least two faculty members as the final step in the admission process.  Interview topics will be wide-ranging, including personal goals and objectives, current issues in education, and successful college experiences.  The interview is designed to acquire information concerning the applicant's oral skills and critical thinking skills.  The applicant will also have the opportunity to garner additional information about the program.

Note: Letters of recommendation are not required for admission

The GRE is not required for admission.

Curriculum

The program consists of a minimum of 54 semester hours¹ beyond the master’s degree, inclusive of the dissertation. The Ed.D. is a practitioner’s degree designed for the advanced student who wishes to achieve a superior level of competency in their professional field with emphasis on practice and leadership in an urban setting. The degree requires students to demonstrate proficiency in independent research in higher education and make original contributions to the body of knowledge related to higher education. The program is structured in a cohort model. Admitted students must take courses as prescribed, in order, to complete degree program in a three year time frame. Students may complete the program in longer than three years depending on the focus of their applied research project (dissertation) or chosen elective coursework. It is expected that students will complete the doctorate during a four year period of time.

Students are expected to have taken an introductory statistics course prior to enrollment in the doctoral program (e.g. EDUC-R&P 5505 or equivalent). If the student has not taken such a course prior to enrollment they will need to do so before beginning the research methods series in year 2. This pre-requisite is outside of the 54 credit hours required for the degree. 

 ¹Students may transfer up to 21 credit hours (ch) of coursework (exclusive of dissertation hours) from previous degree programs as approved by the student’s advisor and/or program coordinator 

Note: Electives courses may be selected from the list above (prioritized) or from other graduate programs at UMKC as approved by the students' advisor. Students may choose to take additional research methods courses (in excess of the required 9 hours) or electives (in excess of the 9 hours) to support their dissertation focus as needed in consultation with their advisor.