PROGRAM STATEMENT
The master’s and doctoral programs in Higher Education Administration prepare individuals for leadership roles in college and university settings. The programs consist of a set of integrated courses and experiences that provide an opportunity for participants to extend their knowledge of academic organizations, their history, clienteles, administrative functions; to develop an appreciation of the political, economic and social forces that influence the decisions of educational leaders; and to gain relevant experience in higher education administration.

PROGRAM MISSION
The goal of the master's program is to provide new higher education professionals with the knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in entry and mid-level positions within college and universities. The program provides its graduates with knowledge of theories, concepts, and facts integral to working with faculty, students, and other professionals within colleges and universities. The program emphasizes the importance of reflective practice. Moreover, we work with students to help them develop the writing and verbal skills they will need to clearly articulate their ideas to other staff members and groups on campus.

Objectives. Students who graduate with a M.S. Higher Education Administration will:
1. Be able to apply their knowledge of student development theories and research on college students to their interactions with students from diverse backgrounds.
2. Understand the historical and philosophical development of the U.S. higher education system and be able to place current trends and problems within an appropriate context.
3. Have the experience and skills necessary to plan, implement, and evaluate programs for college and university students and staff.
4. Understand the function of different postsecondary institutional types and their benefits for diverse groups of students.
5. Understand the professional and ethical roles of student and academic affairs professionals within the broader context of colleges and universities.
6. Understand and be critical consumers of research based on a number of different methodologies to inform their practice within the field of higher education.
7. Improve and hone their communication skills (both oral and written) so as to be able to communicate with a variety of constituents within the field of higher education, including faculty, students, administrators, policy makers, and the public.
8. Develop the specific administrative skills required of beginning and mid-level higher education leaders, including the ability to be reflective practitioners.

PROGRAM UNIQUENESS
We attract excellent students from around the country. Most of our students are from outside Kansas and are attracted to the program by its strong reputation. They have strong undergraduate grade point averages, come from good colleges and universities, and have a wide range of pre-graduate school leadership experiences on which to build. The excellence of our students combined with the quality of our program is demonstrated by the 100% job placement rate of our graduates in excellent colleges and universities nationwide.

The program enjoys a strong spirit of cooperation with both the Office of Student Success and the Provost's office at KU. Our students have an opportunity to hold assistantships and receive mentoring and support from professionals in the field. We believe that these assistantship experiences provide students with an in-depth view of the administrative processes in higher education and are crucial to meeting educational and career objectives. Students are encouraged to work with professionals and are provided professional development experiences throughout the program.

The program provides broad knowledge of higher education administration rather than solely emphasizing student affairs or counseling psychology. We believe that administrators in a higher education setting are better prepared when they understand the larger system of higher education institutions. Counseling psychology courses are available as electives if students wish to pursue them. The curriculum consists of a series of courses specifically designed for and taken by master's students with the goals and objectives of the program in mind.

The program allows master's students to take some of their courses with students with doctoral students. This is beneficial because our doctoral students are typically mid-career professionals with extensive professional experience. As a result, master's students find themselves interacting as colleagues with current deans of students, vice presidents, registrars, community college faculty, etc. In addition to learning from the more advanced students, master's students begin to form professional networks with administrators outside KU.

The program's full-time faculty members are nationally recognized for their activities in professional organizations and regularly publish in the most elite higher education journals.

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

APPLICATION AND ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

Master's Application GPA: 3.0 3 Letters of recommendation Personal Statement Transcripts Vita/resume Deadline – March 15th to begin in prior Fall

Doctorate Application GPA: 3.5 GRE (composite score of 1000) 3 letters of recommendation Personal Statement Transcripts Vita/Resume Writing Sample Deadline – March 1 to begin in Summer; July 1 to begin in Fall; October 1 to begin in Spring

CURRICULUM INFORMATION

Program Required Hours: Master's -  36 credit hours Specialist - 60 credit hours Doctorate -  72 credit hours

 

Master's Curriculum (required) College Student Development Research on College Students Introduction to Higher Education Introduction to Student Affairs Higher Education in the U.S. Program Evaluation Administrative Issues Introduction to Research in Education History or Philosophy of Education Capstone course (electives) Faculty Issues in Higher Education Higher Education Finance Higher Education Law Community College Diversity Issues in Higher Education Field Experience Other graduate level courses as approved (including available Counseling Psychology courses) Is a thesis required? No.

Doctorate Curriculum

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	47	16	31	39	7
Doctoral	56	29	27	45	11
	% 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	10	90	95
Doctoral	95	5	20

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

Full-time faculty
Dr. Lisa Wolf-Wendel, college students, campus environments that facilitate the success of students of color and women students; 100%
Dr. Susan Twombly, history of higher education, women administrators, community colleges and curricular issues; 100%
Dr. Christopher Morphew, higher education, state systems of higher education; 100%
Courtesy Faculty (each teach one course):
Dr. Charles Carlsen, President, Johnson County Community College
Dr. Diana Robertson, Associate Director of Housing, KU
Dr. Marlesa Rooney, Vice Provost for Student Success, KU
Dr. Ken Stoner, Director of Housing, KU
Dr. Kathryn Tuttle, Associate Vice Provost for Student Success, KU

Last modified 06/03/2005
Information submitted by: Lisa E. Wolf-Wendel

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