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The Higher Education Program

The Higher Education Program at the University of British Columbia focuses on the study of institutions of higher education and their members, activities, and policies. The Program draws on such disciplines and fields as history, philosophy, sociology, economics, political science, psychology, sociology, law, and administrative studies. From this multifaceted interdisciplinary base, the Program addresses two themes that revolve around a central core:

Core

• the historical, philosophical, social, cultural, and economic foundations of higher education

• the social, cultural, political and economic contexts in which institutions and systems of higher education operate

• student success in higher education

• current issues in higher education

Theme One – Student Affairs and Institutional Policy

• transitions and access in relation to schooling, post-secondary education

• theoretical and policy perspectives on retention, attrition, and success in institutions of higher education

• critical perspectives on student development

• higher education environments

Theme Two – International and Comparative Higher Education Policy

• higher education systems from an international comparative perspective

• international perspectives on access, admissions, and student mobility

Degree Programs

The Program is committed to promoting comprehensive interdisciplinary approaches to the study of higher education. Generally, graduate students complete a combination of required and elective courses, comprehensive examinations, and dissertations, theses, or graduating papers. Part-time study is possible in the M.Ed. and M.A. programs; the Ed.D. and Ph.D. programs require various periods of full-time study.

Four graduate degrees are offered for those with an interest in higher education:

Master of Education (Higher Education). The M.Ed. is designed for professionals in education whose primary focus is understanding and improving educational practice.

Master of Arts (Higher Education) The M.A. program involves advanced academic study and the preparation of an original thesis.

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership and Policy) The Ed.D. program is a cohort-based program designed for working professional educators and focuses on advanced professional practice.

Doctor of Philosophy (Educational Studies) The Ph.D. program is an advanced research degree requiring completion of comprehensive academic studies and a research thesis.

Students and Faculty

Students in Higher Education enter the Program with a variety of backgrounds and interests. Many are instructors or administrators within higher education systems seeking to enhance their understanding of the field in relation to their expanding professional roles and responsibilities. Others work in the private or public service sectors, with interests in systems policy, the relationship between higher education and international education. The Program provides students with opportunities to engage with faculty in interactive collegial class discussions, supervised research, and relevant professional activities. Also, scholars from the Faculty of Education, from the University, and from other British Columbia agencies and institutions contribute to the Higher Education Program. Visiting scholars bring a distinctive international dimension to the program and provide opportunities for students to broaden their understanding of higher education within a global context.

The Intellectual Environment

The Higher Education Program is located within the Department of Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Department is concerned with the study of education in a broad sense and conceives of education as extending through the life span. Department specialists in history, sociology and anthropology, philosophy, educational administration, and adult education complement the Higher Education team.

The Centre for Policy Studies in Higher Education and Training (CHET) is a complementary resource for students and faculty. Established in 1984 as the Centre for Policy Studies in Education, CHET is an interdisciplinary unit in the Faculty of Education. Its mandate is to conduct policy-oriented research in education, disseminate current research to general and academic audiences, provide an interdisciplinary academic environment for graduate and post-doctoral students, and facilitate the exchange of ideas and information between policy makers and researchers.

Established in 1908, UBC is one of the largest English language universities in Canada, with a faculty and staff of almost 5,500 and an enrolment of approximately 35,000 undergraduate students. Its 8,100 graduate students come from over 120 countries, which creates an exciting intellectual milieu offering Program members multiple local and international perspectives. All students in the Higher Education Program have direct access to the academic resources available through the University, including Canada's second largest university research library, with over 5 million volumes and 50,000 serial subscriptions. Vancouver, the third largest city in Canada, is a cosmopolitan gateway to both Asia and Western North America. It affords ready access to an extensive array of cultural and recreational facilities and programs.

Program Requirements