Master's to PhD Program
Explore a pathway that combines both a master’s and PhD in one program.
The master’s to Ph.D. pathway in the graduate program is designed to prepare students who are interested in earning both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in one integrated program. By aligning essential coursework, students will connect research, theory, and application developing effective practitioners in the classroom and community. We offer flexible courses for traditional students and working professionals wanting to pursue their graduate studies. Our students come from a variety of professional and educational backgrounds aspiring to achieve advanced degrees for personal, career, and community growth.
Earn a Master of Arts and PhD in Education in one of the following concentrations
See descriptions for each master's to Ph.D. pathway:
The student services and higher education administration concentration provides students with a clear grounding in higher education and student services principles, practices, and methods. This prepares students to draw from and apply critical theory, transformative learning, experiential learning, self-directed learning and andragogy in their research. This complements and provides a strong basis for student services and higher education’s focus on action research and methodological innovation. With an emphasis on collaborative learning, this concentration incorporates collegiality among and between students and faculty. Opportunities are available for learning through teaching, a practicum, and directed consultation and research.
The adult education, social innovation, and entrepreneurship concentration draws from entrepreneurial ideas, values, worldviews, and practices and applies them in education, business, and other fields. It does so by providing students with a clear grounding in action research and adult education principles, practices, and methods, which underpin social innovation and entrepreneurial strategies. This will better prepare students to draw from and apply critical theory, transformative learning, experiential learning, self-directed learning, and andragogy in their applied and/or participatory action-oriented research.
The organizational leadership and program evaluation concentration offers students a clear grounding in program evaluation and organizational leadership theories, practices and methods. It does so by preparing students to apply program evaluation and leadership theories in their research, and practice. This concentration expands beyond traditional research and evaluation practices to include developmental and action-oriented forms of evaluation and assessment, learning about effective leadership in organizations, measuring the efficacy of existing and new programs, and expanding methodological competencies for innovative evaluation and leadership practices.
Master’s to PhD Degree Plan
Requirements for a Master's degree and Ph.D. degree with specialized concentrations:
Admission Criteria
Find out more about requirements, standards and processes to begin your journey as a Dreeben School of Education student.