PhD in Higher Education/Higher Education Administration (PhD)

Tuition is All admitted full-time students receive a multi-year funding package that includes tuition coverage, a graduate assistantship with a stipend, and health insurance..

The Ph.D. in Higher Education is a full-time, on-campus programme designed for students committed to advanced study in higher education policy, leadership, and research. It emphasizes original scholarly work through a dissertation and structured coursework over four to five years. Students engage in faculty-led research early in the programme and progress toward independent research. The programme is structured around a cohort model with regular academic and professional development support.

Focus areas include Higher Education Policy, Higher Education Leadership, Higher Education Research, Student Success and Equity, Higher Education Administration.

The programme requires 72 credits, including 48 credits of coursework and 24 credits dedicated to the dissertation. Students complete core courses, electives, and a qualifying examination before advancing to candidacy.

Graduates pursue academic careers as faculty members, researchers, or policy analysts in higher education institutions and governmental agencies.

Applicants must hold a master's degree with a minimum GPA of 3.5. Required materials include transcripts, a statement of purpose, writing sample, and three letters of recommendation. A GRE score is not required.

The programme totals about 72 credit hours. On-campus, full-time, four to five years. For international students, tuition is well above the median for US programmes. The institution admits about 16% of applicants.

Boston College’s academic work addresses practical problems with broader human consequences. Economists Tayfun Sönmez and Utku Ünver developed a donor exchange system that supported the largest liver transplant exchange in history at Turkey’s İnönü University. Chemistry research led by Dunwei Wang focuses on using the field to make the world better, while engineering students have worked with a Maine goat farm on a feeding solution. These examples sit within nine schools and colleges, including four undergraduate divisions covering arts and sciences, education and human development, management, and nursing.

Jesuit and Catholic identity remains central to the Boston College experience. Formative education extends beyond classroom performance to intellectual, social, and spiritual growth, with attention to contributions to the wider community. Community service is part of student life, with 71 percent of students participating in service or volunteer work during their time at BC. The institution’s mission also connects research with people and issues on a global scale.

The campus is in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, at 140 Commonwealth Avenue. Students encounter spaces including Gasson Hall, Bapst Library, John T. Hayden Hall, McElroy Commons Dining, and Stokes Lawn, alongside activities in arts, culture, music, theatre, and football. BC has 9,677 undergraduate students representing all 50 states and 81 countries. International students join a broad community while engaging with a university whose academic and campus life includes service, research, and religious formation.