Higher Education
Office: Morgridge Office of Admissions
Mail Code: 1999 E. Evans Avenue, Denver, CO 80208
Phone: 303-871-2509
Email: edinfo@du.edu
Web Site: morgridge.du.edu/programs/higher-education/
The University of Denver’s Higher Education Department (DUHigherEd) engages in collective learning about the foundations of postsecondary institutions, structures, and systems across diverse educational pathways. Our scholarship is grounded in theory, praxis, and community engagement to address persistent and emergent postsecondary phenomena at the institutional, local, regional, tribal, state, and national levels.
The DUHigherEd community is committed to:
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Teaching and mentoring educators and professionals who seek careers related to postsecondary contexts, such as administration, policy, teaching, and research, as well public and private agencies of higher education.
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Uplifting and celebrating the diverse knowledge bases held by communities historically and contemporarily excluded from higher education.
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Centering and generating consequential research, scholarship, and creative activities that addresses interlocking systems of oppression that perpetuate inequities and injustices influencing the ecology of higher education by informing policy, practice, and theory.
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Fostering a sense of accountability to build liberatory practices needed to disrupt and dismantle oppressive higher education policies.
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Engaging in critical self-reflexivity as part of an intergenerational, collective, and life-long (un)learning process.
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Serving and partnering with communities to build knowledge and enact policy and practice that dismantles systems of oppression.
As a policy-aware and globally conscious department, we recognize that U.S.-based institutions of higher education are founded on ideologies of stolen land, bodies, and labor. We align our commitments to uplift critical scholars who name the ableism, genderism, genocide, heterosexism, homophobia, nativism, racism, settler colonialism, sexism, transphobia, and xenophobia continuously informing the operations of education.
As a community of learners, we traverse the boundaries of valuing education as a human right, while understanding the complicated and problematic relationship higher education has with communities that continue to be systemically marginalized. DUHigherEd welcomes learners who seek to actualize a critical praxis for making meaningful contributions that shift the landscape of higher education.
Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education
Students in the 90-credit Doctor of Philosophy degree program gain knowledge and demonstrate competence through coursework designed to provide a strong foundation in the field of higher education and research methods. In addition, students broaden their scope of study through a wide range of elective possibilities. Students are required to complete a teaching competency during the time of their study, and successfully complete and defend the doctoral comprehensive exam (also known as the preliminary oral examination) near the end of coursework. The culminating requirement for the degree is a dissertation, defended in a final oral defense.
Doctor of Education in Higher Education
Students in the 65-credit Doctor of Education degree program gain knowledge through coursework and research experience. Competence is demonstrated by the successful completion and oral defense of a doctoral comprehensive exam, and the successful oral defense of the dissertation in practice (DiP). It is expected that the DiP will be a publication quality dissertation that investigates a key issue or problem important to the field of higher education. Upon completing the DiP, students will be able to translate what they have learned into real-world applications, and offer practical and policy related recommendations.
Master of Arts in Higher Education
The 50-credit Higher Education master’s degree is designed to prepare professionals for administrative, leadership, student-centered, and/or policy-focused careers in post-secondary institutions, private and public agencies of higher education, and other educational settings. This generalist program enables students to explore the academic and practitioner-oriented issues related to post-secondary settings and to expand their experiential awareness through practical activities in administration, policy, and research. Elective coursework allows students to complete an optional emphasis in one of three areas: College Student Affairs, Diversity and Higher Learning, or Public Policy & Organizational Change. An internship experience is required, and the final degree requirement is the successful completion of an e-portfolio.
Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education
Degree and GPA Requirements
- Bachelor's degree: All graduate applicants must hold an earned baccalaureate from a regionally accredited college or university or the recognized equivalent from an international institution.
- Master's degree: This program requires a master's degree as well as the baccalaureate.
- Grade point average: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for graduate study at the University of Denver is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits (approximately two years of work) for the baccalaureate degree. An earned master’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution supersedes the minimum standards for the baccalaureate. For applicants with graduate coursework but who have not earned a master’s degree or higher, the GPA from the graduate work may be used to meet the requirement. The minimum GPA is a cumulative 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all graduate coursework undertaken.
- Program GPA requirement: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for this program is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
English Language Proficiency Test Score Requirements
The minimum TOEFL/IELTS/C1 Advanced/Duolingo English Test score requirements for this degree program are:
- Minimum TOEFL Score (Internet-based test): 80
- Minimum IELTS Score: 6.5
- Minimum C1 Advanced Score: 176
- Minimum Duolingo English Test Score: 115
English Conditional Admission: No, this program does not offer English Conditional Admission.
Doctor of Education in Higher Education
Degree and GPA Requirements
- Bachelor's degree: All graduate applicants must hold an earned baccalaureate from a regionally accredited college or university or the recognized equivalent from an international institution.
- Master's degree: This program requires a master's degree as well as the baccalaureate.
- Grade point average: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for graduate study at the University of Denver is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits (approximately two years of work) for the baccalaureate degree. An earned master’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution supersedes the minimum standards for the baccalaureate. For applicants with graduate coursework but who have not earned a master’s degree or higher, the GPA from the graduate work may be used to meet the requirement. The minimum GPA is a cumulative 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all graduate coursework undertaken.
- Program GPA requirement: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for this program is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
Prerequisites
Applicants must have at least 2-3 years of post-master’s professional experience in postsecondary education, or a related field, prior to beginning graduate coursework at DU within the Higher Education EdD program. Applicants can demonstrate proof of professional experience via resume submission and a letter of recommendation from a former or current supervisor. Applicants who have not met the preferred years of professional experience may be considered for the program on a case-by-case basis, or encouraged to apply at a later date.
English Language Proficiency Test Score Requirements
The minimum TOEFL/IELTS/C1 Advanced/Duolingo English Test score requirements for this degree program are:
- Minimum TOEFL Score (Internet-based test): 80
- Minimum IELTS Score: 6.5
- Minimum C1 Advanced Score: 176
- Minimum Duolingo English Test Score: 115
English Conditional Admission: No, this program does not offer English Conditional Admission.
Master of Arts in Higher Education
Degree and GPA Requirements
- Bachelor's degree: All graduate applicants must hold an earned baccalaureate from a regionally accredited college or university or the recognized equivalent from an international institution.
- Grade point average: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for graduate study at the University of Denver is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits (approximately two years of work) for the baccalaureate degree. An earned master’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution supersedes the minimum standards for the baccalaureate. For applicants with graduate coursework but who have not earned a master’s degree or higher, the GPA from the graduate work may be used to meet the requirement. The minimum GPA is a cumulative 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all graduate coursework undertaken.
- Program GPA requirement: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for this program is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
English Language Proficiency Test Score Requirements
The minimum TOEFL/IELTS/C1 Advanced/Duolingo English Test score requirements for this degree program are:
- Minimum TOEFL Score (Internet-based test): 80
- Minimum IELTS Score: 6.5
- Minimum C1 Advanced Score: 176
- Minimum Duolingo English Test Score: 115
English Conditional Admission: No, this program does not offer English Conditional Admission.
Doctoral Programs
Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education
Degree Requirements
Coursework Requirements
Code | Title | Credits |
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Research Requirements | ||
Research Foundation | ||
RMS 4910 | Introductory Statistics | 4 |
RMS 4940 | Structural Foundations of Research in Social Sciences | 3 |
RMS 4941 | Introduction to Qualitative Research | 4 |
Intermediate/Advanced Methods Courses | 11 | |
Students will complete a minimum of 11 credits (3 or 4 courses) in Research Methods and Statistics. | ||
HED Research Experience | ||
HED 5991 | PhD Independent Study (Students may take up to 6 credits in HED 5991.) | 6 |
HED 4216 | HED Research Processes | 4 |
Dissertation Research Credits | 6 | |
Independent Research 1 | ||
HED Required Courses | ||
HED 4210 | Critical Higher Education | 4 |
HED 4211 | Current Issues in Higher Ed | 4 |
HED 4220 | Organizational Theory in Higher Education | 4 |
HED 4294 | Seminar in Higher Education | 4 |
HED 4294 | Seminar in Higher Education | 4 |
HED 4294 | Seminar in Higher Education | 4 |
HED 4215 | Curriculum Development and Teaching Strategies in Higher Education | 4 |
or HED 4297 | Internship in College Teaching | |
HED Electives | 12 | |
Students will complete a minimum of 12 credits (3 Higher Education courses) to complete the elective requirement. | ||
Cognate Courses | 12 | |
Students may design a 12 credit (3 or 4 courses) cognate, with advisor approval, or they may complete the coursework included in the following cognates: College Teaching, Public Policy, or Research Methods & Methodologies. 2 | ||
Total Credits | 90 |
- 1
In order to maintain degree candidacy, MCE doctoral students who have finished all required coursework will register for one dissertation or doctoral research credit or other credit for consecutive terms fall through spring (summers not required) until the student graduates.
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Cognate course specifics are found in the student handbook.
A minimum of 90 credit hours is required beyond the earned master's degree. No credit hours from the earned master's degree can be transferred into the PhD.
Non-coursework Requirements
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Comprehensive Exam
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Oral Defense of Comprehensive Exam
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Dissertation
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Oral Defense of Dissertation
Doctor of Education in Higher Education
Degree Requirements
Coursework Requirements
Code | Title | Credits |
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Research Requirement | ||
Foundations Courses | ||
RMS 4910 | Introductory Statistics | 4 |
RMS 4940 | Structural Foundations of Research in Social Sciences | 3 |
RMS 4941 | Introduction to Qualitative Research | 4 |
Higher Education Research Course | ||
HED 4242 | Educational Policy Analysis | 4 |
or HED 4202 | Program Evaluation in Higher Education | |
Dissertation in Practice Design | ||
HED 4216 | HED Research Processes (Students will register for HED 4216 twice, each for 4 credits.) | 8 |
Doctoral Research Credits | 6 | |
Doctoral Research - EdD 1 | ||
HED Required Courses | ||
Credit requirement will be met by completing a minimum of 24 credits (6 courses). | ||
HED 4210 | Critical Higher Education | 4 |
HED 4211 | Current Issues in Higher Ed | 4 |
HED 4220 | Organizational Theory in Higher Education | 4 |
HED 4226 | The Community College | 4 |
HED 4294 | Seminar in Higher Education | 4 |
HED 4294 | Seminar in Higher Education | 4 |
Higher Education Electives | 12 | |
Credit requirement will be met by completing a minimum of 12 credits (3 courses in Higher Ed) 2 | ||
Total Credits | 65 |
- 1
In order to maintain degree candidacy, MCE doctoral students who have finished all required coursework will register for one dissertation or doctoral research credit or other credit for consecutive terms fall through spring (summers not required) until the student graduates.
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Student designed cognate is not an option in the EdD.
A minimum of 65 credit hours is required beyond the earned master's degree. No credit hours from the earned master's degree can be transferred into the EdD.
Non-coursework Requirements
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Comprehensive Exam
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Oral Defense of Comprehensive Exam
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The Dissertation in Practice
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Oral Defense of Dissertation in Practice
Master's Programs
Master of Arts in Higher Education
Degree Requirements
Coursework Requirements
Code | Title | Credits |
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Research Requirement | ||
RMS 4900 | Education Research and Measurement | 4 |
HED Required Courses | ||
HED 4213 | Leadership and Supervision | 4 |
or HED 4235 | Organizational Change | |
HED 4218 | Organization and Governance in Higher Education | 4 |
HED 4219 | Introduction to Higher Education | 4 |
HED 4246 | Issues of Access & Opportunity | 4 |
HED 4247 | Retention, Persistence, and Student Success in Postsecondary Settings | 4 |
HED 4270 | Internship in Student Affairs | 0 |
or HED 4295 | Internship in College and University Administration | |
or HED 4296 | Internship in Public Policy | |
or HED 4297 | Internship in College Teaching | |
HED 4230 | Reflective ePortfolio | 2 |
HED Electives (Mix and match across HED course offerings or choose one of these optional emphasis areas: College Student Affairs, Diversity & Higher Learning, Public Policy & Organizational Change) | 24 | |
College Student Affairs Emphasis | ||
Assessment in Higher Education | ||
Student Affairs Administration | ||
Student Support in College | ||
Students and College Environments | ||
College Student Development Theory | ||
Seminar in Higher Education (as appropriate) | ||
Diversity & Higher Learning Emphasis | ||
Inclusive Excellence Programming and Development | ||
Inclusive Excellence in Organizations | ||
Critical Race Theory and Education | ||
Gender & Sexuality in Higher Education | ||
Race and Racism in Higher Education | ||
Seminar in Higher Education (as appropriate) | ||
Public Policy & Organizational Change Emphasis | ||
Introduction to Public Policy and Higher Education | ||
Financing Higher Education | ||
Legal Issues in Higher Education | ||
Educational Policy Analysis | ||
Seminar in Higher Education (as appropriate) | ||
Total Credits | 50 |
Non-coursework requirement
- Successful completion of an ePortfolio
HED 4201 Assessment in Higher Education (4 Credits)
This course is designed to give students a broad understanding of assessment in higher education. This course will improve students’ familiarity with existing assessment instruments for students, services, programs, and facilities as well as provide an understanding of the importance of maintaining high standards of ethics and integrity in assessment of higher education and student affairs.
HED 4202 Program Evaluation in Higher Education (4 Credits)
This course is an overview of the craft of program evaluation, “…the systematic assessment of the operation and/or the outcomes of a program or policy, compared to a set of explicit or implicit standards, as a means of contributing to the improvement of the program or policy” (Weiss, 1998, p. 4). Program evaluation, simply put, is the craft of applying research methods in a thoughtful way to the task of finding out what and/or how interventions work in the context of the programs or policies in which they operate. This is accomplished by systematically investigating the effectiveness of program processes and outcomes within their political and organizational context. The goal is to inform social action and, by extension, improve conditions for program recipients and participants. Students in this course will explore program evaluation within the context of higher education. The purpose of this course is threefold: (1) Develop an understanding of existing evaluation theory and practice; (2) Apply evaluation theory and approaches to the context of education evaluation; and (3) Develop an experiential base upon which to engage in evaluation in educational practice, including doctoral research projects.
HED 4210 Critical Higher Education (4 Credits)
This course examines the social and political context of U.S. education and provides an analysis of schooling, cultural politics, and global influences that inform current practices and structures of the higher education system. Central to this course is the development of a critical understanding of topics related to meritocracy, stratification, diversity, and decentralization in higher education. Prerequisite: Ph.D. student in higher education or permission of instructor.
HED 4211 Current Issues in Higher Ed (4 Credits)
This course is a study of contemporary higher education as a specialized field of inquiry and as a professional area in which to work. It explores institutional missions as well as entities such as administration, faculty, curriculum, and students, in relationship to current issues.
HED 4212 Introduction to Public Policy and Higher Education (4 Credits)
This is an introductory course that gives students an overview of federal and state public policy, current issues, research methods, and practical skills required for the policy formation process. This is the introductory seminar to the Public Policy, Leadership and Organizational Change emphasis area for the master's program.
HED 4213 Leadership and Supervision (4 Credits)
General leadership theory and its implications for higher education; specific focus on leadership skills, such as conflict resolution, problem solving, use of teams and change advocacy.
HED 4214 History American Higher Ed (4 Credits)
The purpose of this course is to trace the history of higher education in the United States from the system’s pre-colonial beginnings through the present day. Readings will focus on the original purposes of higher education within the US, the forces leading to system massification and the subsequent competing visions and goals that have led to its becoming one of the most highly contested social institutions within the public arena. Higher education in many ways serves as a mirror to US national and state-level priorities. Understanding this relationship between higher education as a system, and higher education as a national, state and individual level asset helps us understand how we’ve arrived at our current historical moment: a decentralized system in which education represents a spectrum of institutional types, constituencies and local concerns. One could therefore argue the history of higher education gives us an opportunity to view the US postsecondary educational system as a dynamic reflection of our country’s past, present, and future.
HED 4215 Curriculum Development and Teaching Strategies in Higher Education (4 Credits)
The goal of this course is to prepare those who will serve in higher education with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to design curriculum and pedagogical strategies that produce effective and equitable learning outcomes for all students and adults in postsecondary settings. This course pushes students to think about curriculum and instruction as a decision-making process that requires articulated goals, strategic alignment, and thoughtful planning in order to realize a more effective and inclusive pedagogy. Throughout the course, students will come to understand the complexities of curriculum and teaching design but also have the process clarified with a framework for choosing among different ways of teaching that result in significant and transformative learning experiences for their future students.
HED 4216 HED Research Processes (4 Credits)
The course enables students to explore current research and theories associated with their scholarly interests and resources for doing research as well as to address problems in conducting original inquiry and investigations in postsecondary education. Attention is directed to the investigation of a research problem of each student's interest. Prerequisites: RMS 4940 and RMS 4910 and RMS 4941 and (HED 4202 OR HED 4242).
HED 4217 Student Affairs Administration (4 Credits)
This course provides a review of student services with emphasis on programmatic content and its relationship to student development; organization of student service programs; and national trends. Further, this course describes the historical development of student affairs work including significant persons and activities and begins the development of students' own professional identities as reflective practitioners and understanding of their responsibilities for integrating assistantships/internships/work experiences to theory and new knowledge.
HED 4218 Organization and Governance in Higher Education (4 Credits)
Students enrolled in this course will acquire a nuanced understanding of how colleges and universities are governed in the United States. Questions guiding this course will be: Who has the power to make decisions on college campuses? What roles do various constituents, such as board members, presidents, deans, faculty, staff, chief diversity officers, student affairs professionals, and students play, and how reflective are these individuals of the broad diversity of U.S. higher education? How does the larger social/political context in the U.S. affect how institutions are governed? What does academic governance reveal about power, privilege and oppression? We will explore how organizational characteristics (the culture, history and structure), positionalities and identities, and policies (for example, tenure and promotion, shared governance, and academic freedom) influence the ability of institutions to dismantle systemic oppression, promote opportunity for all stakeholders, and strengthen democratic life. We will use normative and critical theories to examine the organization and governance of higher education.
HED 4219 Introduction to Higher Education (4 Credits)
This course is designed to provide students an overview of higher education as a field of study and practice. The topics covered attempt to equip students with working knowledge of the structures, functions, challenges, concerns, and opportunities within higher education as a social institution. Grounded in values and principles of inclusive excellence, the course take equity and diversity as departure points from which any and all productive understandings of higher education must engage.
HED 4220 Organizational Theory in Higher Education (4 Credits)
This course is focused on the study of theoretical perspectives and empirical research drawn from the social sciences related to higher education organizations and governance with an emphasis on the application of theory and practice.
HED 4221 Financing Higher Education (4 Credits)
This course focuses on the financing of public and private institutions of higher learning. Specifically, students will consider sources of income, budgeting procedures, funding and control, and use simulated exercises to illustrate principles.
HED 4222 Legal Issues in Higher Education (4 Credits)
This course provides a review of a broad range of administrative problems with legal dimensions; the process for analyzing case law on issues of access, student rights, employment, collective bargaining, church-state relations, private sector, and liability. Students will gain practical experience in analyzing and applying legal concepts to higher education subjects.
HED 4226 The Community College (4 Credits)
This course covers general issues related to community colleges, such as their history, mission, characteristics, students, curricula, teaching, and student services.
HED 4229 Student Support in College (4 Credits)
This class will introduce students to basic interpersonal helping skills required in Higher Education settings, including relationship building, listening, giving feedback, problem-solving, and resolving conflicts. Students will become familiar with crisis intervention models and techniques; signs and symptoms of distress and mental illness; strategies for making appropriate referrals to mental health providers; and considerations about self and other when engaged in helping relationships, particularly those with cultural differences. Central to the course will be discussion of the appropriate role Higher Education professionals have in helping students while recognizing their limitations.
HED 4230 Reflective ePortfolio (2 Credits)
The purpose of this course is to assist students by facilitating their transition into professional positions in higher education. An electronic learning portfolio is a required component for completion of the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Higher Education through which students demonstrate significant learning about the field of higher education and themselves. Pre-requisite: Completion of a minimum of 32 credits (out of 50) of coursework toward completion of the Master of Arts in Higher Education. Registration requires Departmental Approval.
HED 4235 Organizational Change (4 Credits)
This course will focus on designing, implementing, and evaluating effective change in higher education through an equity-minded lens. The course is intended to assist students in developing a set of understandings in how to plan and implement change in higher education organizations, institutions, and as an industry. The course will introduce “equity-minded change” in higher education and will focus on how institutions can change to achieve equity, while addressing the importance of managing organizational development on a macro and micro level in higher education institutions and organizations. Students will acquire tools to manage and understand change through structural, political, human resource, and symbolic perspectives to understand the systemic interrelationships among these factors to effectively meet the changing socio/economic/political environments within higher education as they impact student success.
HED 4242 Educational Policy Analysis (4 Credits)
Students in this experiential course will develop critical policy analysis and praxis skills that have relevance for the implementation of public policy and finance strategies for higher education. Students will employ critical thinking skills to analyze, evaluate and interpret public policy and finance with the goal of advancing the field of higher education’s understanding of effective public policy and finance, as well as the unintended consequences that may arise with various policy solutions and funding strategies. Specifically, students will learn how to evaluate whether public policy and finance hinders or assists post-secondary institutions and their leaders in dismantling systemic oppression while promoting educational equity and opportunity and strengthening the public purposes of higher education. Students will interact directly with public policymakers, post-secondary administrators, policy researchers, and policy analysts while assisting with a quarter-long experiential policy analysis project with an intermediary public policy organization. Students will also develop a policy analysis paper.
HED 4246 Issues of Access & Opportunity (4 Credits)
This course addresses theories and research on a variety of issues related to college preparation, school structures, and inequalities in college access. The course will cover different levels of analyses: theoretical, individual levels (i.e., race, ethnicity, and social class), organizational levels (family, geography, high school context, and outreach), and field levels (i.e., policy, testing, rankings, media, and policy). Special attention will be paid to the sociocultural context influencing issues of college access and opportunity for students.
HED 4247 Retention, Persistence, and Student Success in Postsecondary Settings (4 Credits)
This course introduces students to relevant research, theory, and practice related to college student retention and persistence. Students explore cultural, institutional, and individual factors that may impact college student persistence and critically examine theories attempting to explain why students leave college. In addition, students also closely explore the dynamics of oppression at the individual, institutional, and socio-cultural levels and the resulting impact on student retention. Effective retention practices, programs, and assessment procedures are also identified and examined.
HED 4260 Students and College Environments (4 Credits)
This course will serve as an introduction to college environments and the complexity of campus and culture. The purpose of this course is to familiarize you with today’s higher education settings and provide you with strategies to maximize learning and development, for all students. In line with inclusive excellence, attention will be paid to the impact of campus environments on diverse student populations. Theoretical concepts will help explain, describe, and examine the college environments as a system and its impact on students, faculty, and staff.
HED 4261 College Student Development Theory (4 Credits)
This course is an overview of human development theories relevant to college students, of traditional and non-traditional ages. The application of theories covered in this course will enhance the ability of students in their roles as student affairs professionals to maximize the affective and cognitive development of students within the college setting.
HED 4270 Internship in Student Affairs (0-6 Credits)
Supervised experience in postsecondary institutions with a focus on student affairs practice.
HED 4281 Inclusive Excellence Programming and Development (4 Credits)
This course provides an overview of the development and implementation of cultural programming and cultural centers over time. Specifically, it will focus attention on the role of student activism in creating change on college campuses in the form of cultural programming and centers, diversity curricula, and inclusive excellence initiatives. The course will also address the challenges and competencies associated with inclusive excellence programming and development.
HED 4284 Inclusive Excellence in Organizations (4 Credits)
In recent years, major demographic and economic changes in this country and worldwide have contributed to the diversification of the workplace. As a result, the need for understanding how to enhance cultural diversity in organizations has taken on a greater importance. Accordingly, framed through the concept of Inclusive Excellence, this course focuses on the changing demographics of our society, especially related to race and culture, gender, age, physical ability, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status, emphasizing the implications these factors have for leadership and management in a variety of organizational settings.
HED 4287 Critical Race Theory and Education (4 Credits)
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an in-depth exposure to Critical Race Theory (CRT) as it pertains to education. Critical Race Theory is an analytical framework that provides race-based epistemological, methodological, and pedagogical approaches to the study of everyday inequalities in P-20 education.
Together, we will work through the historical development continuing on to the contemporary nuances of CRT. In addition, we will work to expose the ideological construction of race and education in the U.S. As such, we will also work through the oppressive nature of education and boldly confront notions of colorblindness. Throughout this course, we will struggle with the challenges surrounding the inclusion of multiple voices and multiple perspectives in the complex intersections among race, ethnicity, gender, class, and sexual orientation. Specifically, we will critique the strengths and limitations of CRT as a framework for addressing educational inequalities.
HED 4288 Gender & Sexuality in Higher Education (4 Credits)
This course examines how gender, sexuality, and their inhabitants have been constructed, confined, and disciplined in U.S. higher education. Although neither a history nor philosophy course, we will engage both history and philosophy of sexuality and gender within and beyond higher education studies. Also, while neither a policy nor an administrative practices course, we will also engage issues of policy and practice in colleges and universities. The considerations, complications, and implications that course participants will engage will have direct import for postsecondary education, yet are transferable to other educational, community, and social contexts.
HED 4289 Race and Racism in Higher Education (4 Credits)
This course explores connections between race, racialization, and racism in American higher education. It draws on historical, political, economic, and cultural explanations of racial inequity in educational outcomes and processes. The course uses institutional and systemic levels of analysis to examine racial equity in higher education.
HED 4293 Special Topics in Higher Education Studies (1-4 Credits)
This flexible special topics course in higher education studies will provide students with the opportunity to explore issues of current importance in the field. Topics and credit hours will vary and will address subjects such as comparative higher education, intercollegiate athletics, student support, and other emergent issues of theory, policy, and/or practice.
HED 4294 Seminar in Higher Education (4 Credits)
Advanced seminar to examine timely topics, issues, and problems. The course description is developed each time the course is offered to describe the topics to be investigated.
HED 4295 Internship in College and University Administration (0-6 Credits)
Supervised experience in administration at college or university level.
HED 4296 Internship in Public Policy (0-6 Credits)
Supervised experience in postsecondary public policy analysis or research, usually at a state or national compact or agency in the Denver-Boulder area.
HED 4297 Internship in College Teaching (0-2 Credits)
Supervised experience in teaching at college level.
HED 4991 MA Independent Study (1-10 Credits)
HED 4995 Independent Research (1-10 Credits)
HED 5991 PhD Independent Study (1-10 Credits)
HED 5993 Doctoral Research - EdD (1-20 Credits)
Doctoral research credits for doctoral research project toward the EdD. Prerequisite: Must be an EdD student in HED; must have completed at least 80% of coursework; cannot complete more than five credit hours of HED 5993 prior to passing the comprehensive exam.
HED 5995 Independent Research (1-20 Credits)