The PhD in Education with a concentration in Higher Education/Student Affairs prepares forward-thinking educators who focus upon the important roles that institutions of higher education (IHEs) play to support our diverse communities.

As a student in this program, you may aspire to be university faculty whose area of expertise and research centers on IHEs: their histories, structures, norms, governance, practices, policies and impact. You might also aspire to assume a leadership position at an IHE, such as a university president, dean of student affairs, chief equity or financial officer, vice-president of university communications or advancement, and the like. As a graduate of the program, you will understand how to utilize existing research and create new insights to address the most pressing questions facing IHEs today.

The School of Educational Studies understands education through a lens of educational equity and social justice. We believe that while colleges and universities are a microcosm of society itself (where biases and oppression can and do play out), they can also simultaneously be agents of change that disrupt historical discrimination and advance practices and ideologies rooted in individual and community wellbeing.

Program Highlights
  • Courses are held at convenient times for working and commuting professionals. Most meet once a week at 4:00 or 7:00 p.m. Others are held on weekends.
  • Join a well-established network of alumni from the School of Educational Studies. There are university leadership and faculty across the nation (and especially prevalent in California) who are ready to welcome you as kindred spirits and advocates of “the CGU Way.”
  • Earn an Allies of Dreamers certificate as part of your PhD program. The first program of its kind nationally, Allies of Dreamers is a graduate‐level certificate program that provides the historical context, theoretical framework, and specific knowledge needed by K12 teachers and administrators, student affairs professionals in higher education, and community leaders to offer mentorship and advocacy for Dreamers and other undocumented students.
  • Work with a faculty mentor who will help you navigate your way through graduate school in light of your specific aspirations and interests.

Program at a Glance

UNITS
72 units

ESTIMATED COMPLETION TIME*
4-7 years (depending upon full- or part-time status)

*Actual completion times will vary and may be higher, depending on full- or part-time course registration, units transferred, and time to complete other degree requirements.

COURSES BEGIN
Fall | Spring | Summer

DEGREE AWARDED
PhD in Education

Featured Courses

EDUC 457
Economics & Finance of Higher Education

Explores methods for practical and essential understanding of the financial nuances and current challenges of higher education.

EDUC 459
Historical Foundations in Higher Education

Explores major trends in American higher education from colonial times to the present in political, social, and economic contexts within which American higher education has evolved.

EDUC 657
Access & Equity in Higher Education

Introduces the research, theoretical, and practical issues surrounding access to college and equity in higher education institutions as they relate to racial/ethnic minority groups and socioeconomic status.

EDUC 548
Higher Education & the Law

Examines the legal underpinnings of our postsecondary colleges and universities, and explores how such institutions evolved in a legal context and how federal and state regulations came into play on campuses. Also explores legal concepts in individual college settings and the issues affecting the relationships and interests of the various members of the campus community.

EDUC 481
Organization, Administration & Governance in American Higher Education

Explores how institutions of higher education are organized and governed, including the contexts that shape different organizational structures within administrative units, as well as contemporary issues that higher education institutions must contend with.

EDUC 461
The College Student Experience

Explores literature, theory, and research on the increasing diversity of college students, identity issues in college, factors that influence success, and implications for practice in college and universities.

Program Features

Faculty & Research

  • David Drew profile image

    David Drew

    Professor of Education
    Joseph B. Platt Chair in the Management of Technology

    Research Interests

    STEM education, data science, model building, technology development and management

  • Deborah Faye Carter profile image

    Deborah Faye Carter

    Associate Professor of Higher Education

    Research Interests

    Higher education; transition to college; college student outcomes; access to college; race in education; mentoring, equity, and diverse learning environments in STEM

  • DeLacy Ganley profile image

    DeLacy Ganley

    Dean, School of Educational Studies
    Professor of Education

    Research Interests

    Culturally relevant education; resiliency and achievement of marginalized populations; intersection of families, community, and school; language acquisition; social capital theory; systems theory

  • Dina C. Maramba profile image

    Dina C. Maramba

    Professor of Education

    Research Interests

    Equity and diversity issues in higher education; theory and practice in student affairs; college student development; access and retention; first-generation college students; Asian American and Pacific Islander populations; minority serving institutions

  • Frances Marie Gipson profile image

    Frances Marie Gipson

    Clinical Professor of Education
    Director, Urban Leadership Program

    Research Interests

    Urban schooling; distributed leadership; social-emotional learning; culturally relevant and linguistically responsive education; systems theory; learning and achievement; talent and leadership development; P-20 school policy

  • Gwen Garrison profile image

    Gwen Garrison

    Clinical Professor of Education
    Director of Educational Evaluation and Data Analysis

    Research Interests

    Organizational effectiveness; diversity & inclusion; research & evaluation process; data systems; data management; data visualization and storytelling

  • Linda Perkins profile image

    Linda Perkins

    University Professor
    Director, Applied Gender Studies

    Research Interests

    Women and African-American higher education, history and contemporary issues on women in higher education, especially Black women, global gender issues.

  • Mary Simpson Poplin profile image

    Mary Simpson Poplin

    Senior Research Fellow
    Professor Emerita

    Research Interests

    Highly effective teachers in Los Angeles area; effective teaching methods; students, schools and poverty; differences between Judeo Christian and secular thought; Mother Teresa (worked with her in 1996)

  • Susan J. Paik profile image

    Susan J. Paik

    Professor of Education

    Research Interests

    Educational productivity; talent and leader development; giftedness and creativity; learning and achievement; psychosocial and environmental factors; urban and international studies; underserved students; Asian Americans and education; family-school-community partnerships; research methods, design, and evaluation

  • Tom Luschei profile image

    Tom Luschei

    Professor of Education

    Research Interests

    International and Comparative Education; Economics of Education; Teacher Quality, Teacher Policy, and Teacher Distribution; Education Policy across the Americas; Bilingual Education Policy and Practice

  • Torie Weiston-Serdan profile image

    Torie Weiston-Serdan

    Clinical Assistant Professor
    Director, MA in Community Engaged Education & Social Change

    Research Interests

    Critical mentoring; critical youth work; non-profits and social enterprises; diversity and equity; non-profits and philanthropy; youth-serving non-profits; culturally sustaining pedagogy; abolitionist teaching; Black Feminism in education; learning and teaching

  • Guan K. Saw profile image

    Guan K. Saw

    Associate Professor of Education

    Research Interests

    Educational inequality; diversity and inclusion; STEM education and workforce; college access and success; sociology of education; educational psychology; educational evaluation and policy analysis; quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods; health disparities

  • Rebecca Hatkoff profile image

    Rebecca Hatkoff

    Clinical Assistant Professor

    Research Interests

    Critical Social Justice Teaching Competencies; Classroom and School Ecology; Effective and Empowering Pedagogy for all Students, Teacher Candidates, and Teachers; Strength-Based Views of Schools, Teachers, Students, Households, and Communities

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Gabriela Krupa

Associate Director of Admissions
T: 909-607-9101
E: gabriela.krupa@cgu.edu

Carina Navarro

Assistant Director of Admissions
T: 909-607-0201
E: carina.navarro@cgu.edu