Degree Requirements

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Degree Program Requirements

Word Version

Completion of fifteen (15) semester credit hours of the following Higher Education foundation core courses

  • HIED 5083 History and Philosophy of Higher Education
  • HIED 6423 Trends, Issues, and Problems in Higher Education
  • HIED 6643 College Students in the United States
  • HIED 6653 Legal Aspects of Higher Education
  • HIED 6683 Governance and Policy Making in Higher Education

Completion of three (9 semester credit hours) of approved Higher Education practitioner skill-based courses selected from the following:

  • HIED 6013 The Professoriate: Problems and Issues
  • HIED 6083 Management Skills for Effective Leadership
  • HIED 6093 Leading Change
  • HIED 6323 Design and Evaluation of College Teaching
  • HIED 6533 Assessment of Institutional Effectiveness in Higher Education
  • HIED 6663 Finance and Fiscal Management
  • HIED 699V Strategic Enrollment Management

Completion of a minimum of six (6) additional semester credit hours of approved electives in Higher Education

  • HIED 5033 Student Affairs in Higher Education
  • HIED 504V Practicum in Higher Education (Can be taken once for a total of three credit hours)
  • HIED 5043 Student Development in Higher Education
  • HIED 5053 The Community College
  • HIED 5063 Diversity in Higher Education
  • HIED 5073 Management of Higher Education Institutions
  • HIED 5103 Higher Education in International Contexts
  • HIED 6013 The Professoriate: Problems and Issues
  • HIED 6093 Leading Change
  • HIED 605V Independent Study (can be taken once for a total of three credit hours)
  • HIED 6183 Organization Development in Higher Education
  • HIED 6323 Design and Evaluation of College Teaching
  • HIED 6343 Strategies for Effective College Teaching
  • HIED 6533 Assessment of Institutional Effectiveness in Higher Education
  • HIED 6663 Finance and Fiscal Management
  • HIED 674V Internship (may be taken once for a total of three credit hours)
  • HIED 699V Seminar (various topics)

Completion of twelve (12) semester credit hours in graduate level research and statistics:

  • HIED 5093 Research in Higher Education and Student Affairs (or an equivalent course or waived by student's advisory committee)
  • ESRM 6403 Educational Statistics and Data Processing (or an equivalent course approved by the student's advisory committee)
  • Three (3) credit hours of advanced research methods (quantitative or qualitative) as approved by the student's advisory committee
  • HIED 6693 Research Techniques in Higher Education

Completion of a minimum of nine (9) graduate semester credit hours of approved electives outside of higher education (Note: May include graduate hours completed as part of another graduate degree program as approved by the student's advisory committee)

Completion of a minimum of eighteen (18) graduate credit hours in dissertation:

  • HIED 700V Dissertation in Higher Education

Completion of the following doctoral program requirements:

  • Minimum of 96 total graduate semester credit hours (minimum 78 graduate credit hours of coursework plus a minimum of 18 credit hours of dissertation)
  • Minimum of 42 graduate semester credit hours completed beyond the master's degree (including a minimum of 24 hours in higher education coursework and minimum 18semester credit hours of dissertation completed at the University of Arkansas)
  • Present a minimum grade-point average of at least 3.25 on all coursework presented as part of the degree program. No graduate degree credit will be granted for any course grades below "C."
  • Satisfactory completion of all requirements governing candidacy, the dissertation, and the final oral dissertation defense.

Program of Study and Doctoral Advisory Committee forms

  • Prior to the end of the student's first semester in the program, it is the student's responsibility, with advisor assistance, to form an advisory committee, secure signatures of the members, and submit a completed Doctoral Advisory Committee form to the Higher Education Program Coordinator.
  • It is the student's responsibility, in consultation their chair/advisor, to develop a Program of Study plan. The plan must be set forth on a Program of Study form, which is reviewed and signed by all members of the student's advisory committee. The completed Program of Study form must be submitted to the Higher Education Program Coordinator.
  • All members of the student's advisory committee must approve any subsequent changes made to the student's Program of Study form.

For more information about our Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree program contact:

Dr. Michael Hevel
Associate Professor of Higher Education
479-575-4924
hevel@uark.edu