Frequently Asked Questions About Admission to the PhD Program

Students who are admitted to the Ph.D. program are eligible to participate in our annual graduate assistantship placement process, known as GA Days, which takes place once per year in early spring. If you are admitted to the program, we will contact you about participating in GA Days. During GA Days, you will have the opportunity to interview with our assistantship employers. (International applicants may participate in interviews with graduate assistantship employers virtually.) Note that participation in GA Days is not a guarantee you will be placed in an assistantship; placements are competitive, and not all admitted students receive a placement. If you wish to be considered for a graduate assistantship, you must submit your application by December 1, each year for admission the following fall semester, to ensure we have sufficient time to review your application prior to GA Days.

The graduate assistantship is a 20 hour/week practicum that gives you additional paraprofessional experience working within a higher education unit. Assistantships come with a stipend, some provide tuition remission or other benefits, and they are available at a variety of higher education institutions across Northeast Ohio with whom we have partnerships (international students are required to have their assistantship placement at Kent State). Note that assistantship placements are aligned with Kent State’s academic calendar, beginning in late August and ending in mid-May.

No, we no longer require any applicants to the PhD program to submit GRE scores. More information about requirements for admission to our PhD program is available in the Kent State catalog.

No, we do not offer an online Ph.D. program. Although some courses may be offered in online or hybrid (i.e., partially online and partially in-person) formats, most courses are offered in-person only. If you are admitted to the program, you must be able to attend in-person classes to complete the degree.

The Higher Education Administration program offers five certificate options for Ph.D. students: Career and Academic Advising, College Teaching, Community College Leadership, Institutional Research & Assessment, and Internationalization of Higher Education. Many students in the program choose to complete at least one of these certificates as a way to document their interest and expertise in a specific area of higher education, and the courses you take for the Ph.D. and our certificates can be double-counted, making them easy to complete without much, if any, additional coursework. More information about these certificate programs is available on our Higher Education Administration program website as well as in the Kent State catalog. Additionally, Ph.D. student can complete certificate programs offered by other programs in the College of Education, Health and Human Services; a popular one is the Qualitative Research certificate.

Ph.D. students are eligible for general Kent State scholarships based on merit and financial need as well as awards and fellowships specific to graduate students. In addition, the Higher Education Administration program offers several scholarships specifically for current and admitted students; eligibility and application requirements for these vary, with some based on interests and some based on financial need. If you are placed in a graduate assistantship, it may come with full tuition remission or a partial tuition stipend (benefits vary by placement).

Yes, many of our Ph.D. students are working full-time in the field of higher education and attend courses part-time. Our plan of study provides details about course requirements for the program. If you are working full-time, we recommend taking no more than two courses per semester. Note that Kent State University allows a maximum of 10 years to complete a Ph.D. degree (including coursework, comprehensive examination, and dissertation).

No, all applications to our Ph.D. program are reviewed by our full program faculty, and we place admitted students with a faculty advisor at the time of admission based on faculty member availability and interest. We do not have research groups or require a faculty member’s prior commitment for admission. Sending your admission materials to individual members of our faculty will not improve your chances of admission to the program, and we can only consider you for admission if you have submitted a complete application through Kent State University’s Admissions portal.

No, because all applications to our Ph.D. program are reviewed by our full program faculty, the program coordinator cannot provide an assessment of your chances of admission prior to applying. We can only consider you for admission after your completed application has been submitted through Kent State University’s admissions portal. Information about program admission requirements is available on our Ph.D. program website as well as in the Kent State catalog.

No, applicants whose highest degree completed is a bachelor’s degree should apply to our master’s program. Applicants to the Ph.D. program must have completed, or be near completion of, a master's degree from an accredited college or university. More information about requirements for admission to our Ph.D. program is available in the Kent State catalog.

Information about Kent State University’s English proficiency requirements and exemptions is available at the Admissions' English Language Proficiency website.

Under certain conditions, international students may be able to submit unofficial transcripts—but there are specific parameters for this.  Please contact international admissions (intladm@kent.edu) to inquire about your specific situation.  The higher education administration program coordinator or faculty cannot make this determination.