Master of Science in Higher Education

Admission Requirements

The applicant must meet the School of Graduate Studies’ current minimum general admission requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

  1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

  2. A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.75 for all undergraduate work or a GPA of at least 3.0 for the junior and senior years of undergraduate work (based on A=4.00).
  3. Statement of goals: Submit a statement that outlines your professional goals and aspirations, including how your current skills along with advanced study of higher education will aid you in the attainment of these goals.
  4. Higher Education leadership essay (see below for essay prompts)
  5. Resume highlighting your educational and professional accomplishments. 
  6. Three letters of recommendation that address the academic and professional qualities that prepare you for graduate-level study.

  7. Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the Graduate Catalog.

Higher Education Leadership Essay: As part of the application process, submit an essay (no more than 800 words) for one of the following prompts:

  • Summarize the leadership activities in which you have been involved in recent years and explain how these experiences reflect your vision of and capacity for leadership in higher education.
  • Please identify a problem or challenge in a college or university, a postsecondary organization, or your professional life generally and write an analysis in which you assess the issue(s), describe effective strategies for addressing the issue(s), and make clear the implications for the exercise of effective leadership in the situation.
  • Please describe a problem of educational policy decision –making, policy content, or policy implementation pertaining to higher education, and explain how a deeper understanding of policy or the policy process could improve the situation.

Degree Requirements

  1. A minimum of 30 semester credit hours of course work beyond the bachelor’s degree.

  2. Maintain of at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA for all classes completed as a graduate student.

  3. Successful completion of a scholarly project.

  4. Successful completion of a portfolio that aligns with professional competencies in higher education administration. comprehensive examinations.

  5. Successful completion of a comprehensive examination. 

Required Courses:

Core Courses/Experiences:
HE 501Introduction to Higher Education3
HE 503Diversity Across Higher Education3
HE 505The College Student3
Foundations & Research:
EFR 509Introduction to Applied Educational Research3
or EFR 511 Program and Policy Evaluation
HE 541History of Higher Education in the United States3
Integrative Learning Experiences:
HE 529Professional Competencies in Higher Education Administration3
HE 592Internship in Higher Education3
HE 995Scholarly Project1-3
Electives (Sampling of Potential Electives):
EFR 500Introduction to the Foundations of Education3
HE 507Collegiate Environments3
HE 509Higher Education Management3
HE 513College Students and the Law3