Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration

The School and Department's vision of “We transform lives” is carried out in our doctoral programs. The PhD in Education Administration has two emphases: a K-12 Administration track and a Higher Education Administration track.

The Education Administration K-12 Emphasis' mission is (a) to prepare leaders for public, charter, and private schools in Texas and the nation and (b) to prepare individuals to conduct research and/or teaching at a university, college, institute, or educational agency. As a result of these dramatic changes, the K-12 Education Administration faculty is dedicated to attracting, mentoring, and preparing the "best, brightest, and culturally aware young leaders for key roles as superintendents, principals and university professors." To reach these goals, the faculty must nurture educational change agents who can focus on improving the technical core of teaching and learning and seek social justice for all students at all levels of education. It is important that the program meets the challenges of integrating theory and research as a resource that can be used to solve complex problems of administrative practice. The faculty members believe that both the school practitioner and the university professor must have skills in reflective practice and be prepared to integrate reliable formal knowledge with clinical knowledge, i.e., theoretical with craft knowledge.

The Educational Administration PhD K-12 emphasis prepares leaders for the university level. If you are interested in conducting research in schools with an emphasis on school improvement, we suggest you apply for the PhD program. K-12 PhD students are encouraged to become full time students to insure their ability to conduct research and obtain a research agenda. The PhD in Educational Administration prepares candidates for culturally responsive leadership and the skills needed to teach, conduct research, and provide leadership as a researcher, and/or policy analyst positions at the university level. This program is designed for those individuals who intend to build an academic career focused on conducting research in the multidisciplinary field of educational leadership. This academic program will prepare individuals for careers in research universities, teaching colleges, and private, non-profit, state or federal educational agencies. Individual students will work alongside highly regarded educational administration and policy faculty with expertise in areas including school accountability, educational law, educational leadership, organizational theory, policy and politics of education, school finance and economics, social foundations of schooling, and education reform. The PhD program is not built on a cohort model, as the program requirement encourage students to be in the program full time. This program introduces students into a research tradition that values rigor, mentoring, and a commitment to education and social justice. In addition to the coursework, individuals will be expected to co-teach with the faculty advisor for at least two semesters. The K-12 Education Administration faculty needs to insure that PhD students are prepared for university positions. We encourage students to apply for a graduate assistantship to conduct research along with their advisor.

The Higher Education Administration emphasis focuses on preparing scholar researchers for professorships in higher education administration programs and preparing scholar practitioners for administrative roles in higher education institutions, public policy positions and state agency leadership. Higher education is a broad-based area of knowledge and study that examines the management and coordination of programs, policies, and processes pertaining to colleges and universities. Programs, policies, and processes include issues associated with access, admission, assessment, curriculum, diversity, economics, enrollment, equity, faculty, finance, governance, law, learning, organizational behavior, philanthropy, policy, resource management, students, and teaching. Our administrative graduates are placed at community colleges, four-year institutions, and state, and national organizations. Our faculty research expertise includes college teaching and faculty life; diversity, equity, and inclusion; student access and attainment; community colleges; and academic opportunities for all students.

Steps to Fulfill a Doctoral Program