Higher Education Administration (MA)
The Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration program within the Department of Organization and School Leadership at UTRGV will prepare those who aspire to leadership positions in key college or university administrative areas with the required knowledge, skills, and competencies that higher education administrators need to enter such positions.
The preparation of students focuses on the comprehensive and social justice-oriented preparation of leaders for entry and advancement in higher education, student affairs, and school-to-university transition. The program will integrate classroom-based and field-based learning. Program graduates can be employed in various post-secondary institutions, including community and technical colleges, research universities, liberal arts colleges, and minority-serving colleges and universities.
The MA in Higher Education Administration comprises 30 credit hours of required coursework, including an approved practicum course that will expose students to the field and its various specializations. The program prepares students for a professional career in a broad range of higher education settings. Program graduates can assume positions or promotions in administrative areas like Student Affairs, Academic Affairs and Advising, Recruitment and Outreach, Admissions and Financial Aid, Housing and Residential Life, Career Services, Student Retention, and Success Programs, as well as Institutional Research, Policy, and Planning.
Visit the Graduate College for more information.
Admission Requirements
Step #1: Submit a UTRGV Graduate Application at www.utrgv.edu/gradapply. There is no application fee.
Step #2: Request your official transcripts to be sent electronically to gradapps@utrgv.edu or mailed to:
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
The Graduate College
Marialice Shary Shivers Bldg. 1.158
1201 W. University Drive
Edinburg, TX 78539-2999
Admission Requirements
To be admitted to the graduate program, prospective candidates must first meet all requirements for graduate admission to UT Rio Grande Valley, as well as the other requirements listed below:
- Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a recognized international equivalent in a similar or related field.
- Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 in the last 60 semester credit hours for clear admission.
- Official transcripts from each institution attended (must be submitted directly to UTRGV from the awarding institution).
- Statement detailing professional goals, campus leadership experience, and reasons for pursuing a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration.
- Resume including educational background and work experience.
The application for admission to the university must be submitted online and is available at www.utrgv.edu/gradapply.
Additional requirements for domestic applicants who attended foreign universities and international applicants::
- TOEFL or IELTS Language Proficiency Test with minimum scores: 550 on paper-based, 213 on computer based, or 79 on Internet-based for the TOEFL; 6.5 for the IELTS. TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid for 2 years. For additional information, visit the Additional Documents for Domestic Applicants who Attend Foreign Universities section of our website.
- Certified English translation of educational records.
*Students in fully online programs are not eligible for I-20 or student visas however international applicants can study from their home country.
Check Program Availability in Your State
Higher Education Act of 1965 include changes in regulation for State Authorization that may impact online, distance, and correspondence education providers. Please review Check Program Availability in Your State for more details.
Application Deadlines & Program Contact
Visit the Graduate College Calendar for the Master of Education in Educational Leadership Online to view module start and end dates, application, registration, and payment deadlines.
Program Contact
Federico Guerra, Ed.D.
(956) 665-5002
federico.guerra@utrgv.edu
EEDUC 3.102D
Course Requirements
EDHE 6301 Research Methods in Higher Education
The course focuses on the study of research processes using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches to formulate problem statements, research questions and hypotheses, and appropriate research designs.
Duration: 7 weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
EDHE 6302 Organizational Theory and Leadership in Higher Education
This course is designed to examine basic organizational theories and models of leadership and management. It emphasizes shared leadership in professional organizations, communication skills, systems thinking, and organizational change. Practical applications in higher educational settings will be made.
Duration: 7 weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
EDHE 6303 Critical Issues in Higher Education
This course focuses on current issues facing Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). Students will demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical basis for higher education's current issues. They will conduct research related to current problems and practices impacting college students in HSIs. Some areas of study may be student development, diversity and access, demographic trends, multiculturalism, leadership and governance, and community colleges.
Duration: 7 weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
EDHE 6304 College Student Development: Theory & Practice
This course is designed to prepare students to meet ethical challenges in modern educational institutions, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. This course will address moral issues at every organizational level--personal, interpersonal, group, and system-wide. This course covers a variety of topics such as identifying personal mission and values; developing character; faith in the workplace; ethical perspectives; moral reasoning and decision-making formats; ethical organizational communication and influence; ethical group behavior and leadership; creating an ethical organizational climate; and global corporate social responsibility.
Duration: 7 weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
EDHE 6305 Organizational Ethics
This course is designed to prepare students to meet ethical challenges in modern educational institutions, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. This course will address moral issues at every organizational level--personal, interpersonal, group, and system-wide. This course covers a variety of topics such as identifying personal mission and values; developing character; faith in the workplace; ethical perspectives; moral reasoning and decision-making formats; ethical organizational communication and influence; ethical group behavior and leadership; creating an ethical organizational climate; and global corporate social responsibility.
Duration: 7 weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
EDHE 6306 Student Affairs in Higher Education
This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the field of student affairs and its role within the context of higher education. Content covered in this course will help introduce students to the nature of student affairs as a field of study and a profession, major functional areas within student affairs, and help students become familiar with the professional competencies required for good student affairs practice. This course will examine organizational structures, leadership, and management processes associated with college and university student affairs administration.
Duration: 7 weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
EDHE 6307 Access and Equity in Higher Education
This course is designed for students to develop an understanding of the educational and public policy issues that promote and/or hinder access to higher education with a particular focus on Hispanic Serving Institutions. This course will attempt to develop a complex, comprehensive understanding of access and equity in higher education.
Duration: 7 weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
EDHE 6308 Strategic Talent Development in Higher Education
This course is designed to help leaders align talent development strategy with universities' missions, focusing on coaching practices, developing and managing talent, and developing talent systems at the system, department, and individual levels. This course will have an institutionally guided project sponsored by the students' sponsoring higher education institutions.
Duration: 7 weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
EDHE 6309 Budgeting and Finance in Higher Education
This course will introduce students to important concepts, theories, and fiscal practices of higher education budget and finance. This course will review the primary political, economic, and social issues influencing higher education finance, examine revenue streams and expenditure patterns, survey tuition and financial aid policies, help students develop the ability to examine and analyze financial information and assess the budget as an instrument of strategic planning, resource allocation, and control.
Duration: 7 weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
EDHE 6310 Practicum in Higher Education
This course is designed to provide exploratory experiences for students in different functional areas of higher education, such as student affairs, business affairs, academic affairs, or institutional development. This supervised field experience will provide exposure to different functional areas and will allow the student to gain perspective on the breadth and depth of the division.
Duration: 7 weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Career Outlook
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