Consistently ranked in the top 10 among similar specialty programs by U.S.News & World Report, the Higher Education concentration at USC Rossier School of Education is one of the most widely recognized and respected in the nation. Its prestige can be attributed to the esteemed faculty whose work falls within this concentration. The research, scholarship and publications of higher education faculty members and major research centers under this concentration, are world-renowned.
Faculty in the Higher Education Concentration have held leadership positions in the Association for the Study of Higher Education, American Educational Research Association, American Association for Higher Education, and Association of American Colleges and Universities. They have served on the editorial boards of the Review of Higher Education, Journal of Higher Education, Journal of College Student Development, Change, and The ERIC Review, and served as reviewers for the Institute for Educational Sciences and the National Science Foundation.
Their body of work and expertise includes the areas of organizational change and academic leadership, equity in educational outcomes, women and minority faculty, faculty evaluation and compensation, political-economic issues of public college finance equity, organizational effectiveness, sexual harassment in the academy, intercollegiate athletics, student development, remediation and college-readiness, access to college, and governance in higher education, among many other specialties.
Within the PhD program, students with interest in higher education policy explore research in the areas of college access and equity, organizational productivity and leadership, fiscal management, ethical and legal issues, college student development, and enrollment and retention at four-year institutions and community colleges.
The EdD program includes a Higher Education Administration focus designed for individuals pursuing careers in senior administrative and academic leadership positions at two- and four-year colleges and universities.
The Master of Education in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs (PASA) program gives students the opportunity to develop proficiency in Student Affairs, Academic Advising, or Athletic Administration.