PhD in Higher Education/Higher Education Administration (PhD)

Tuition is $25,000 per year; includes all course materials..

This programme is designed for working professionals with a master’s degree who hold leadership roles in human resources, organization development, or related fields. Students engage in research, theory, and practice to address real-world organizational challenges. The programme emphasizes global leadership, strategic change, and corporate sustainability through applied behavioral sciences. It prepares individuals to lead organizational transformation and advance their careers through original research.

Focus areas include global leadership, strategic change, corporate sustainability, organizational behavior, research design, applied behavioral sciences.

The programme requires 60 semester credit hours across 16 courses, including dissertation work. Students complete two years of coursework followed by one year dedicated to dissertation research and writing.

Graduates pursue careers as professors, consultants, executive directors, policy analysts, organizational development specialists, and leadership coaches in academic, nonprofit, government, and corporate settings.

Applicants must hold a master’s degree and have significant professional experience. Required documents include transcripts, a statement of purpose, and letters of recommendation. The programme accepts applications until the cohort is full.

The programme totals about 60 credit hours. Cohort-based, hybrid format with in-person sessions once a month during the first two years; independent work with dissertation committee in the third year. Full-time study over three years. For international students, tuition is below the median for US programmes. The institution admits about 77% of applicants.

On the Lisle campus, students can take part in clubs, organizations, intramurals, leadership opportunities, athletics, campus ministry, and community volunteer work. Lisle is one of Benedictine's campus locations, alongside Mesa, Arizona, with additional options in China, Vietnam, and online. Small classes and a low student-faculty ratio support a setting where professors and advisors can know students personally.

Benedictine began as St. Procopius College in 1887 and has grown within the Catholic intellectual tradition. Its educational approach combines personal and spiritual growth with preparation for lives of meaning and purpose, welcoming students of all cultures, racial and ethnic identities, genders, faiths, and no faith. Academic options span the Goodwin College of Business and Liberal Arts, College of Science and Health, and School of Education.

Programs include fields such as accounting, business analytics, computer science, biology, chemistry, engineering science, education, communication arts, criminology, and nursing, with study available in Lisle, Mesa, China, or online depending on the program. The university offers 42 undergraduate majors, 17 graduate degrees, three doctoral programs, and 17 certificate programs. International undergraduates are reviewed for scholarships upon admission and may be eligible for up to $20,000. Applicants with overseas credit need an official course-by-course evaluation, and English proficiency requirements apply. Short-term and exchange students work through formal agreements with their home institutions.