Bridging the Pathway From the Masters to a Doctoral Program in Higher Education Through Portfolio Learning Assessment

Cardinal Stritch University (CSU) is private Franciscan institution of higher education located in Milwaukee, WI. The university has successfully offered Ph.D. and Ed.D. programs in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service for 20 years. Eight years ago, an additional program was added, namely the Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service in Higher Education. Today about 40% of students enrolled are electing this option. A pathway program to this degree will be offered starting in the fall of 2017 with a new Master of Science in Higher Education Student Affairs Leadership. It is proposed that graduates of this program will be able to opt out of up to three doctoral level courses totaling 11 credits if they decide to complete a portfolio learning that demonstrates the accomplishment of program objectives including students' own perceptions of their academic experiences and learning. This is an incentive to matriculate as many of the SAL graduates into the Doctoral Leadership program in higher education saving students resources.