About the Program
Core Values
APU’s Department of Doctoral Higher Education programs are driven by these core values:
- A commitment to rigorous research that makes a difference in real-world settings
- A commitment to enable students to become “big picture” thinkers who are people of character and integrity
- A strengths-oriented perspective on learning and leadership that encourages students to reach their full potential and teaches them how to lead effectively by developing the strengths of others
- A commitment to diversity and an international perspective that enhances learning and leadership effectiveness
- A commitment to mentoring doctoral students academically, professionally, and personally
Program Format
The Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership Program meets on campus full time for two weeks each July and two weeks each January. At each visit, students conclude two courses and begin two new ones. Between sessions on campus, faculty and students are in communication with one another and assignments are submitted electronically. This schedule enables working professionals from the U.S. and abroad to participate in the program.
The APU Experience
APU's doctoral programs in higher education are intensive programs for the working professional. As such, there are distinctive features of these programs that make the APU experience a life-changing one for our students.
The Cohort Model
Students are admitted to the intensive program as part of a cohort. Cohorts are typically 10-15 students who are employed full-time in higher education or a related field. They take courses in a carefully designed sequence and stay with their cohort throughout the program, as much as possible. This affords students the benefit of a network of professional colleagues with whom to study and conduct research. Our students report that their fellow students are one of the highlights of being in the intensive program.
Course Schedule
In the intensive program, students come to APU twice a year for 10 days each time. Morning classes are offered 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m./12 p.m. and afternoon classes meet from 1:30-5 p.m. Two courses are offered each term. Each class consists of five days in July and five days in January; each term, two classes are starting and two classes are concluding. In between terms, students are working online on course assignments.
Registration and Books
Students register for classes when they arrive on campus. Payment for doctoral courses is due each term. A textbook list is sent in advance to students. Doctoral students are expected to complete some assigned reading in advance.
Housing
Campus housing in an air-conditioned residence hall, including kitchen facilities, is available to doctoral students during the July intensive session. University food service facilities are also open and there are many restaurants within easy walking distance of the Azusa campus. In January, doctoral students must arrange for their own off-campus housing. A complete housing packet is sent to doctoral students prior to arrival for the January and July on-campus sessions.
APU also provides housing resources through the Office of Asset Management. Asset Management manages Azusa Pacific University’s non-campus rental properties reserved for graduate, international and ALCI graduate, married undergraduate, other non-traditional students, and faculty/staff, as well as maintains up-to-date listings of housing opportunities for the larger APU and local communities. Please contact Asset Management for additional information about available housing options near APU.
Program Outcomes
Graduates of the Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership program are expected to be able to:
- Conduct and disseminate research that answers meaningful questions and makes a difference to campus practice or to the field of higher education.
- Lead effectively, collaboratively, and with vision.
- Competently effect change at the campus level through creative interventions and program design.
- Articulate and evaluate a strengths-based approach to teaching, learning, and leadership development.
- Articulate and evaluate a Christian perspective on effective leadership in higher education.
- Relate effectively to diverse populations, communicate competently in a global and multicultural context, and appropriately confront personal and institutional injustice and marginalization in higher education settings.
- Demonstrate a commitment and ability to foster student learning within individuals and institutions.
Dissertation
A unique feature of the Ed.D. program is that students in the dissertation phase of the program are clustered into thematic working groups for support and multiple perspectives on key issues facing practitioners in higher education. Students write individual dissertations, but partner with other Ed.D. students who share the same dissertation chair and area of interest. Guided by a faculty member who chairs the dissertations of all students in the same working group, students are able to share insights and recommendations about the literature and methodology in their area of interest, as well as support one another and hold each other accountable. Dissertation groups are initiated by faculty on an annual basis; each July the faculty publish the list of topics from which students may choose.
