"Few programs enroll such diverse, experienced people. We look forward to their success in new leadership roles.
- Andy Porter, Dean
Director's Invitation
We invite you to learn about an innovative approach to training a new generation of higher education leaders — The Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management. Housed in the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE), this program reaches far beyond a standard doctoral program, as it brings together cohorts of current executive and senior managers in colleges and universities to challenge each other and engage with a world-renowned faculty — all without career interruption. In just two exhilarating and comprehensive years, students complete the course and dissertation requirements for an Ed.D. while bringing their significant and ongoing professional experiences to bear on the learning. Many of our alumni become university presidents and senior leaders in a variety of organizations, and shaping the future of higher education.
Diane Eynon, Ed.D.
Senior Fellow, Graduate School of Education
Co-Director, The Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management
Robert Zemsky, Ph.D.
Professor, Penn GSE
Co-Director, The Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management
From The Alumni Board
The Executive Doctorate Advisory Board at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, now celebrating its 10th anniversary, seeks to assist the School and its alumni to continually engage with issues and challenges facing higher education. We aim to positively impact not only the network of institutions our alumni serve, but to broadly shape the field of higher education.
Our Board maintains representation from each cohort since the program’s inception—professionals who come from wide variety of educational institutions and roles, reflecting the diversity of our entire alumni body. We work with faculty, administration, and current students to add value to the program and to help create opportunities for continuing education, networking, and camaraderie.
While many doctoral programs boast of the “transformative” impact they have on their students, The Penn Executive Doctorate program actually delivers on that promise. Within a year of graduation, most alumni are recognized with broader portfolios, promotions, and even new positions. With its focus on higher education leadership, the program has already produced 12 college presidents and countless senior-level administrators. And, in the Penn tradition, Exec Doc students are surrounded by the finest faculty and the most talented classmates. Put all this in a cohort model and the result is nothing short of amazing.
The Alumni Advisory Board remains committed to keeping Penn’s Executive Doctorate program an industry leader and its alumni on the cutting edge of higher education policy and practice.
Karen Sibley, Ed.D. '03
Dean of Continuing EducationBrown University
Chair, Exec Doc Alumni Advisory Board