Higher education doctoral programs california

Among our students are faculty members, deans of community colleges, and administrators at state colleges and universities from throughout California. The full-time program is offered on a quarter calendar beginning in Fall, and requires a minimum of 60 units of course work.

In consultation with the faculty advisor, a student selects the Quantitative or the Qualitative Methods strand to complete, plus one course from the strand they did not select. Students will also take 2 or more electives, and a required teaching and professional development course. See our full curriculum overview. Coursework may explore learning disabilities or challenges, learning styles, and information retention. Choosing a doctorate in higher education requires students to think about their career interests and goals.

They can pick a degree type more easily if they know they want to work as teachers and researchers or administrators and leaders. From there, prospective students should ensure the curriculum, faculty, and school facilities meet their needs. Delivery format, program length, travel requirements, and cost should also come into play. Pursuing an online doctorate in higher education can help expand options, but online learners also need to think about residency requirements and accessibility.

Finally, prospective students should always ensure their school and program hold the proper accreditation. Prospective students need to consider both regional and programmatic accreditation when pursuing a doctorate in higher education. Regional accreditation recognizes the institutions that provide programs and services that meet the standards of their region. Schools without this accreditation may lose access to federal financial aid, and graduates may struggle to find employment.

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation provides accreditation for doctoral programs in higher education. This process ensures that educator preparation programs provide students with adequate training and help maintain the quality of the education system overall.

In addition to employment and financial aid, accreditation can impact postgraduate certification and licensure eligibility. Admission requirements vary by program, but doctoral programs in higher education require a master's degree for admission. Programs may also require a minimum 3. Additional requirements may include a statement of purpose outlining the applicant's research interests and career goals, letters of recommendation, and standardized test scores.

Though rarer, some programs may require prospective students to complete an interview. Most graduates with a doctorate in higher education pursue careers in education, either on the research and academic side or the administration and management side. They may teach future higher education professionals or conduct the research that improves the education system.

From a state with two of the nation's top public higher education systems, and enough elite private research universities to rival New England, it should be no surprise that there's a wealth of top-ranked online PhDs.

With an online PhD, students have no need to leave their current jobs, or relocate to earn their doctorate degrees; they don't even need to be in California at all.

University of Southern California , located in Los Angeles, has a long-standing reputation for grounded, rigorous academics, and rich student life resources. Applicants have an average S. The University of Southern California through the platform, USC Online, offers four fully online doctoral studies programs, including one in Physical Therapy, one in Social Work, and two programs that are focused in education.

The two education focused online Ed. D programs are a Global Executive, Ed. The admission requirements for USC Online are nearly the same as the on campus graduate school, including that each program may require a little more or less than another. As for these four, they each require A bachelor's and master's degree, submission of a GRE , 3. The University of St. Augustine USA for Health Sciences is an advanced degree granting institution with four campuses across the country.

They are the largest physical therapy university, and one of the largest health science focused universities in the the U. USAs main campus is located in St.

Augustine, FL. They offer a range of academic programs for first-professional and post-professional students, including continuing education units, and continuing professional credits, along with master's and doctorate degrees. Much of the course work St. Augustine's offers can be completed as hybrid online programs, including their Doctorate degrees in Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Nurse Practitioner, and Education for those who wish to teach in healthcare education, administration, or leadership.

Students take 33 credits of didactic coursework, 15 of which come from electives. There are required courses in qualitative, quantitative, and theological research, as well as in philosophical issues and leadership. Students also complete an internship before taking a candidacy exam capstone. Once successful, they begin working on their dissertation.

The school provides scholarships for all students during their first two semesters of dissertation work. Brandman University lets students in its Organizational Leadership Ed. Applicants to the interdisciplinary program do not need to submit GRE scores. Enrollees can join local cohorts in 20 locations across California and Washington state. After that, they'll complete field experiences and move on to a nine-credit dissertation project.

The whole curriculum is 57 units. California residents who work as administrators can concurrently enroll in the Clear Administrative Services Credential, a six-credit online program. Both use a weekend format with a mix of on-campus and hybrid courses.

Nearly half of the 60 credits come from a leadership core; an additional 23 credits are reserved for learning how to design and analyze research, while the final 10 go toward dissertation research, writing, and defense.

The school funds graduate assistants, who can waive tuition for up to five credits per term. The Graduate School of Education has partnerships with the Autism Communication Center at Cal Lutheran and the California Reading and Literature Project, which provide resources to learners with autism and professional development to instructors, respectively. Cal Poly Pomona's Ed. The curriculum is designed to take three years to complete. Students typically take two courses per semester for the first two years, often one from the leadership core and another one covering how to conduct research.

Toward the end of their second year, students propose a dissertation topic. They continue taking leadership classes while working on their dissertation throughout their final year. The school targets professionals and therefore only schedules courses on campus every other weekend. Students in the Ed.

The school schedules courses only in the evenings or on weekends. The program is broken up into three phases. Once they have that foundation, students move into the second phase, during which they take their seven specialization courses. For the postsecondary track, this includes courses such as Community College Administration and Postsecondary Legal Issues. Additional courses cover literacy, fiscal planning, and human resources.

The final phase is the dissertation, which constitutes 12 units of the credit program. The university wants to create K administrators and policymakers who will help close opportunity gaps that students of color and other marginalized demographic groups face. The unit curriculum covers community outreach, equitable systems, and transformative change.

Most of the classes meet on Thursday or Friday afternoons or even Saturdays; the rest are completely online. CRECE works with nearly 20 urban school districts in the area to improve student experience. The partnership gives doctoral candidates a means of conducting research for their dissertation.

Those interested in working in public school settings and school districts can opt for the P Educational Leadership focus. They must also choose between learning in-person alongside their cohort or studying online with both asynchronous and synchronous delivery methods. Regardless of their choices, they can finish in three years of full-time study. Students start with 27 credits of core coursework then move on to 21 units of specialization study.

They finish by racking up 12 credits for their dissertation. CSU Fullerton splits its Ed. The school has built a Clear Administrative Services Credential for California-based educators into the P program, meaning students will earn that credential while completing their Ed.

The specializations follow a similar structure: three courses per term for the first two years, with at least one of those courses covering research skills. Students focus exclusively on their dissertation during their third year. Cal State Long Beach offers an Ed. Core courses explore power structures, diversity, ethics, and diversity within the context of education. Students also attend five seminars on educational leadership and take research courses.

Additionally, the program features four specialization-specific courses covering financial issues, leadership, learning theories, and student and school cultures.

Enrollees in the program start and finish their dissertation in the third and final year of the credit program, which requires full-time enrollment. Classes are held during nights and weekends. At Cal State LA, all students in the Doctorate in Educational Leadership program take courses in organizational leadership, educational equity and access, and community engagement. The foundational research courses all revolve around using data to better understand and assist urban public schools.

Cal State LA enrollees move through the credit curriculum in sequence, graduating alongside their specialization cohort within three years. Classes meet on weekday evenings, with periodic labs held on weekends.

Students complete the majority of the 60 credits by coming to the Northridge campus one night per week. They supplement their on-campus attendance with online work, periodic weekend seminars, field work in community schools, and dissertation research. The subject matter for both cohorts is broadly similar and focuses on urban education. The curriculum is built around the themes of leadership, policy, and decision-making. Students also put their studies into practice at local public schools and junior colleges, as the curriculum covers both PreK leadership and community college leadership.

The school schedules classes for every other weekend for the first two years of the three-year program, often on campus but sometimes at partner schools. During year three, enrollees work on their dissertation. As of , students can enroll in two field experiences to earn their Preliminary Administrative Services Credential. Classes for the Ed. On one weeknight they head to the main campus, the Palm Desert campus, or to their computer monitors for a video-stream.

The calendar is split into quarters, with students knocking out two courses per term. In year three, after they've finished the didactic coursework, they move on to their dissertation.

Students move through a prescribed course sequence. At five points, the cohort splits so that students can either take a class relevant to PreK leadership or one focused on community colleges and higher education. CSUSB's doctoral program takes aim at opportunity gaps that leave people of color and other learners at a disadvantage. The Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership program at Stanislaus State uses a credit curriculum, which is standard for most Ed.

However, the university's program is attuned specifically to the context of California's Central Valley, with instructors using local examples to shed light on universal issues. The curriculum's core consists of 39 units, which are the same regardless of specialization.

An additional nine units are specific to the specialization. A credit dissertation rounds out the requirements.

Students should finish the program within three years. The customizability of the Ed. Each concentration is shared with the school's other doctoral programs and includes at least three courses. Alternatively, students can select elective courses from various concentrations until they've locked up 16 credits.

As part of the Leadership for Change Praxis, students complete 12 credits' worth of internships in their area.