In addition to The Executive Doctorate, the Higher Education Division (HED) at Penn GSE prepares managers for post-secondary institutions worldwide, offering the Ph.D., Ed.D., and M.S.Ed. degrees.

Penn GSE is also home to distinguished research institutes and centers, encouraging collaborative relationships among groups of faculty, researchers, and students.

The Higher Education Management program is distinctive because:

• It combines a broad understanding of the enterprise of higher education with an introduction to the most successful practices of campus management.
• It marries general management education—preparation for leadership at any kind of college or university and for all major positions—with specialized electives in budget and resource allocation, fundraising, diversity, history, law, organizational change, and student affairs.
• The curriculum integrates case studies, discussion-oriented seminars, individual and group research projects and hands-on, work-based programs.
• Program faculty and students participate in research projects, which seek to explore and document issues that affect performance and capacity for renewal in American post-secondary educational institutions.
• The program is a community where students make friends, work closely with professors, enjoy classes with lively discussions, and develop a network of professional associates.

Executive Program in Work-Based Learning Leadership

The program is offered through a collaboration between two schools within Penn — the business school, Wharton, and the Graduate School of Education (GSE). Both Wharton and GSE are recognized globally as being among the best within their respective fields. By leveraging the expertise of these two schools, Penn is uniquely able to offer a program that meets the profession's needs — in academics, logistics, and prestige.

The program offers the opportunity to pursue a master's or doctoral degree — awarded through the Graduate School of Education — or individual certificates awarded through Wharton.

The program is executive in nature — not a traditional, site-based, full-time program, allowing students to continue working while they study. Using a blend of on-site classes and distance learning, the University of Pennsylvania Executive Program in Work-Based Learning Leadership offers the rigor of an Ivy League institution and the flexibility of an executive format.

Certifications and other programs