Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management, Ed.D.

A cornerstone of a doctoral education is the development of an independent research project leading to a dissertation. The Executive Doctorate approach focuses on scholarly inquiry as a management tool. These dissertations are frequently recognized by professional associations for their outstanding contributions to the literature, and many have been published as books or articles in scholarly or professional journals.

These dissertations adhere to the same rigorous academic standards as all Penn GSE Ed.D. programs. To support students through the research process, a committee chair and a second reader are assigned in the first year. All full-time faculty and several committed practictioner-faculty serve as readers and chairs and are assigned to student committees based on their subject and methodological expertise. A third committee member is selected, often from outside of Penn, in consultation with the student.

Students are not required to have a fully defined research topic at the start of the program, but many enter the program with several areas of interest. Topics are typically selected by the end of the first fall term and are developed during the spring semester, culminating in an oral hearing with the committee to review the dissertation proposal. Data collection generally begins in the summer and continues into early fall, followed by analysis and drafting. Oral defenses of the final dissertation are held toward the end of the spring term of the second year.

The Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management is a full-time Ed.D. program delivered in an executive-style format, allowing students to maintain full-time employment while pursuing their degree.

• Year One begins with a weeklong intensive session in August, followed by monthly in-person course sessions in Philadelphia that span 2.5 days each over the next ten months.
• Year Two kicks off with a two-week international experience in July. Coursework continues in the second year, though at a lighter course load to allow students time to complete their research and dissertation drafts.
• In the weeks between monthly class meetings, students can expect 15 or more hours of assigned or independent work each week. The final program milestone is an oral dissertation hearing, typically held in April, and the completion of a book-length research study.

Course sessions take place monthly in Philadelphia, with the exception of the International module and one other cohort weekend. The program consists of six consecutive terms, beginning with a later summer term and culminating in a spring term two years later. Tuition is inclusive of all books, meals, and on-campus hotel accommodations. All admitted students transfer the equivalent of a year of graduate coursework from a previous master’s degree, first professional degree, or other doctoral degree as part of the credit requirements of the program.