PROGRAM STATEMENT
The Higher Education Program at Syracuse University has the distinction of being one of the oldest in the country serving the needs of practitioners, scholars and researchers. Founded in 1931 as the Student Dean Program with the mission of training women to be deans of women or college counselors and placement officers, the program eventually became coeducational and expanded to include higher education administration and other fields of study. Graduates from both the Master’s and Doctoral programs continue to be leaders throughout higher education including serving in professional positions within colleges and universities, federal and private agencies, foundations, state boards, and educational consortia. A significant strength of the Higher Education Program at Syracuse is its exceptionally strong and collaborative relationships with programs within the University and among colleagues and institutions in the region. Its program niche lies in preparing students to become highly competent scholars, practitioners, and leaders in their field and innovators in the creation of more effective educational environments that promote student learning.

PROGRAM MISSION
Learning better together…
We are a community of scholars and practitioners engaged in cutting-edge inquiry and institutional, national, and international efforts to improve higher educational practice. To that end, we seek to build a collaborative learning community that bridges the borders that divide academic and student affairs, faculty and students, and theory, research and practice.

PROGRAM UNIQUENESS
Students in the Higher Education Program at Syracuse University benefit from our commitment to collaborative learning by becoming engaged in experiential learning, research, and professional development. We are the first higher education program to develop a graduate learning community, as students’ first semester experience is fully integrated and follows the clustered course model. Three individually taught courses are linked through a cohort of students and a graduate interest seminar. In addition, our Laboratory in Learning Communities course is the only one of its kind in the nation and, as such, marks our graduates as uniquely qualified to take on leadership positions in initiatives dedicated to blurring the lines between curricular and non-curricular activities to promote student learning.

NATIONAL STANDARDS
Meets ACPA Professional Preparation Commission Standards: YES
Meets CAS Standards:
Other/Comments:

APPLICATION AND ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

Master's Application Bachelors degree required Transcripts required from all previous institutions attended GPA requirements – 3.0 preferred 3 letters of recommendation (one from faculty member preferred) Current resume Personal statement of interest Deadline – rolling; review of applications begins in January and process typically closes by May 15

Doctorate Application Masters degree required Interview required GRE required Transcripts required from all previous institutions attended 3 letters of recommendation (at least one from faculty member required) Personal statement of interest Writing sample 3-5 years work experience Deadline – rolling; review of applications begins in January

CURRICULUM INFORMATION

Program Required Hours: Master's -  36 Credit hours (42 strongly recommended and typically acquired) Doctorate -  90 Credit hours

 

Master's Curriculum (Sample courses) Laboratory in Learning Communities Principles and Practices of Student Affairs Administration Understanding Educational Research The American College and University (History of Higher Ed) Legal Issues in Higher Education Graduate Interest Seminar Crisis Management in Higher Education Practicum and Seminar in Student Affairs Administrative Principles and Practices in Higher Education Is a thesis required? No.

Doctorate Curriculum  (Sample courses) Organization and Administration of Higher Education Seminar on College Teaching Advanced Student Development Theory Institutions and Processes of Education The Academic Program Seminar in Student Attainment Seminar in Student Retention Race, Gender & Class in Higher Education Cultural and Racial Diversity in Education For more information on our curriculum, please refer to the HED program website.

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION - Students in student affairs or higher education administration programs  (2003-2004):

	Total Number	# of Males	# of Females	# of Whites	# of Persons of Color
Master's	37	20	34		4 (1 international)
Doctoral	17
	% of part-time students	% of full-time students	% of students enrolled in the program who also hold some form of financial assistance (graduate assistantship, fellowship, tuition waiver, scholarship)
Master's	46	54	90
Doctoral

PROGRAM FACULTY - Faculty members with areas of specialization and percentage of time devoted to the program.

Joan Burstyn, Ph.D. – history of women in higher education, issues in teacher education, civic education, adult education; 25% Faculty Emeritus
Cathy McHugh Engstrom, Ph.D. – student development, learning communities, impact of gender and race on the college experience, organizational culture and climate, leadership; 100% Full-time faculty.
Stacey Riemer, M.S. – student development, learning communities, service learning, pedagogies of engagement; 100% Full-time instructor.
Vincent Tinto, Ph.D. –higher education, student retention, the impact of learning communities on student growth and attainment, college access and equity; 100% Full-time faculty, Department Chair.

Adjunct Faculty
Stacey Lane Tice, Ph.D. – graduate education, teaching and learning strategies
Stephen St. Onge, Ph.D. – student development, assessment in higher education
Julie Rawls White, Ph.D. – student affairs administration, learning communities
Cecil Abrahams, Ph.D. – comparative education, educational policy
Barbara Yonai, Ph.D. – assessment, research
Andrea Godfread-Brown, Esq. – legal issues, international student issues
Juanita Perez-Williams, Esq. – legal issues, student rights and responsibilities

Last modified 06/03/2005
Information submitted by: C.McHugh Engstrom

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