hybrid

Higher Education/Student Affairs

PhD in Education

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

  • 72 units

    required units

  • PhD in Education

    degree awarded

  • Hybrid

    modality

  • Spring, Summer, Fall

    program start

  • 4 years | full time*

    estimated completion time

    7 years | part time

    estimated completion time

Faculty

  • David Drew

    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

  • Portrait of Deborah Faye Carter

    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

  • Portrait of Delacy Ganley

    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

  • Portrait of Dina Maramba

    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 Gipson

    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

    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

  • Portrait of Linda Perkins

    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.

  • Portrait of Mary Poplin

    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)

  • Portrait of Susan Paik

    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

  • Portrait of Thomas Luschei

    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

  • Guan Saw

    Guan K. Saw

    Associate Professor of Education

    Research Interests

    Educational inequality; STEM education and workforce; rural education; college access and success; social capital; mentorship; teacher victimization; health disparities; research methodology

  • Rebecca Hatkoff

    Rebecca Hatkoff

    Director of Teacher Education and 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

Curriculum

Program Features

  • You will take an introductory course, Proseminar for Doctoral Study, designed to orientate you to doctoral study. Toward the end of your program, you will take another course, Capstone for Doctoral Research, to prepare you for the move from coursework into doctoral research and dissertation writing.
  • Sample research and methods courses include: Introduction to Educational Evaluation, Assessment & Effectiveness, Introduction/Advanced Qualitative Inquiry, Introduction/Advanced Quantitative Research Methods, Research Methods & Design, Community-based Participatory Research – Focus on Transformative Movement Organizing, Research Practicum
  • CGU embraces transdisciplinary learning and thinking. To foster the ability to communicate across discipline areas, you will take at least one transdisciplinary course.

Below are all examples of typical SES 4-unit course offerings. It does not include all SES courses.

  • EDUC 457. Economics & Finance of Higher Education
  • EDUC 460. Foundations of Student Affairs in Higher Education
  • EDUC 519. Higher Education & Democracy
  • EDUC 548. Higher Education and the Law
  • EDUC 578. Minority Serving Institutions in Higher Education
  • EDUC 594. Historical & Contemporary Issues in Community Colleges
  • EDUC 657. Access & Equity in Higher Education

Application Guidelines

University Requirements
Application Fee

$80 (fee is non-refundable)

Official Transcripts
English Proficiency Exam
Resume

Applicants must submit an up-to-date copy of their resume.

Program Requirements
Statement of Purpose
Letter of Recommendation
Standardized Test Scores

Key Dates & Deadlines

CGU operates on a priority deadline cycle. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit complete applications by the priority dates in order to assure maximum consideration for both admission and fellowships.

Once the priority deadlines have passed, the University will continue to review applications for qualified candidates on a competitive, space-available basis. The final deadlines listed are the last date the University can accept an application in order to allow sufficient time to complete the admissions, financial aid, and other enrollment processes.

Spring 2025
Priority Deadline – November 1, 2024
Final Deadline (International) – November 15, 2024
Final Deadline (Domestic) – December 1, 2024
Classes begin – January 21, 2025

Summer 2025
Priority Deadline – February 1, 2025
Final Deadline (International) – March 1, 2025
Final Deadline (Domestic) – April 1, 2025
Classes begin – May 19, 2025

Fall 2025
Priority Deadline – February 1, 2025
Final Deadline (International) – July 5, 2025
Final Deadline (Domestic) – August 1, 2025
Classes begin – August 25, 2025

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Cost & Aid

ESTIMATED TUITION (CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS, NON-RESIDENTS, INTERNATIONAL)
Program 72 units
Tuition per unit* $2,070

*Based on 2025-2026 tuition rates.

STUDENT FEES (PER SEMESTER)
$245 Student Fee
$150 Technology Fee
International Student Services Fee**: $768 fall semester, $851 spring semester
**Applies to all international students (F-1 visa only) who are registered in coursework, doctoral study, or continuous registration. The fee is assessed each fall and spring semester for annual ISO accident and sickness plans and administrative fees. Subject to changes.

For estimates of room & board, books, etc., please download CGU’s Cost of Attendance 2025-2026.

review financial aid

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