Making the Most of Their College Experience
Help Students Make the Most of Their College Experience
Suffolk University’s Administration of Higher
Education program will give you the theoretical background – and the hands-on
training– you need to make a difference. Whether you’re a current higher
education professional or new to the field, you’ll prepare for a rewarding
career helping students succeed. You will tap into Suffolk’s rich alumni and
professional networks, and begin charting your path to a career in the
profession.
We prepare students for careers in diverse areas of
higher education, such as:
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Athletic administration
- Academic advising
- Admissions
- Alumni relations, institutional
advancement, and development
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Career planning and placement
- Financial aid, student accounts, and
student records
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First-year experience
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Residence life
- Student affairs
- Student activities, orientation, and
leadership
Our program also provides a solid foundation for
students who wish to pursue doctoral studies.
Degree Requirements
A minimum of 36 credits is required for completion of the MEd in Higher Education Administration. Candidates may enroll in the program on either a full-time or part-time basis, and they should plan their program of study in consultation with their faculty advisor accordingly.
Practicum
Students enrolled in the administration of higher education program are required to complete a practicum experience, which is designed to link theoretical issues in practice and in the classroom to problems and concerns encountered by students in a field setting. Students will select a field setting and gain practical hands-on work experience under the guidance of a master’s-level or higher site supervisor. The practicum experience consists of two consecutive 3-credit courses – Practicum I and Practicum II – taken over an academic year (one course per semester) combined with 300 total work hours in the field (150 per semester). Students typically spend 10 hours per week working at a local college or university in an academic or student affairs setting. Students formally apply for the practicum experience and consult with their advisor regarding field placement.
Required Core Courses (4 courses, 12 credits)
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EHS-625 Organization & Administration of Higher Education
Credits:
3.00
Description:
This course provides a broad overview of the American higher education landscape and serves as the primary vehicle for introducing students to the complex nature of college and university administration. The interplay between organizational characteristics, structures, and modes of governance will be explored as a means of elucidating the practical application of administrative theories in higher education.
Term:
Offered Fall Term
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EHS-626 Legal Aspects Higher Education
Credits:
3.00
Description:
This course provides students with a practical, working understanding of the legal foundations that govern institutions of higher educations. Using the case study method, it examines legal problems facing college and university administrators including tort liability, rights of teachers and students, free speech issues, contracts, tenure, confidentiality of records, and legal aspects of hiring and discrimination. Students will learn the current state of the law and acquire appropriate skills and resources necessary to make sound decisions in their professional practice, utilizing their knowledge of student development theories and the practical application of law and policy in higher education. Some emphasis will be placed on those areas of significance to the student affairs professional.
Term:
Offered Fall Term
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EHS-628 Financial Aspects Higher Education
Credits:
3.00
Description:
This course examines financial management and fiduciary practices internal to institutions of higher education. It provides an introduction to the sources of higher education funding, budgeting and disbursement, control mechanisms, and the role of finance in strategic planning. It also provides students with information they need to better understand and participate more effectively in the funding, budgeting, and revenue/expenditure processes in higher education. Students examine the role of strategic planning and resource allocation in public and private colleges/universities. Various topics, issues, and trends in the financial arena of higher education are also explored.
Term:
Offered Spring Term
-
EHS-648 Research in Higher Education
Credits:
3.00
Description:
This course provides the knowledge and skills necessary for locating sources of information and doing effective descriptive research in higher education. Students will design and execute field research on structures and problems of specific post-secondary institutions.
Term:
Offered Spring Term
Concentration Requirements (3 courses, 9 credits)
Choose three of the following courses:
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EHS-632 Diversity Issues in Higher Education
Credits:
3.00
Description:
This course provides students with the opportunity to examine theoretical scholarship and empirical research on race, class, and gender in American higher education. The overall goal of this course is to assist future practitioners in the field in developing an ability to critically evaluate institutional and departmental approaches to diversity in higher education. Students will explore such issues as affirmative action, sexual harassment, access and financial aid practices, and the relationship of diversity to learning outcomes.
Term:
Offered Fall Term
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EHS-634 Student Development: Theory and Practice
Credits:
3.00
Description:
This course will explore theories, rationales, and methods of student development in higher education, as well as the organization and administration of student personnel services. Students will explore the history of student affairs and develop an understanding of the various functional areas and competencies associated with student affairs work. In addition, students will become familiar with a variety of theorists who have shaped the profession and incorporate relevant theories into program planning and assessment.
Term:
Offered Fall Term
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EHS-635 The American College/University Student
Credits:
3.00
Description:
The course is an in-depth examination of post-secondary students at all levels utilizing available statistics and other resources to describe various campus cultures and explore student attitudes toward society in general and the post-secondary experience in particular. Focus is given to exploring trends and changes in the enrollment characteristics of college students and addressing the attitudes and values of campus sub groups and cultures. Consideration is given to methods of locating resources on students and to measuring the effect of post-secondary education.
Term:
Offered Spring Term
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EHS-643 Leadership
Credits:
3.00
Description:
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to leadership characteristics and theories in higher education. The course examines various leadership styles endemic to the college and university environment, focusing on those relevant to the president, vice presidents, department chairs, deans, faculty, and students. Trait-factor, group, transformational, situational, and other theories of leadership are explored in the context of team-building, participatory decision-making, staff development, resource allocation, and future planning.
Term:
Offered Spring Term
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EHS-647 Critical Issues in Higher Education
Credits:
3.00
Description:
In-depth research into and discussion of a range of pressing issues and problems such as affirmative action, executive compensation, international higher education and globalization, online/distance learning, for-profit higher education, and Internet issues. The goal of this course is to help students gain a general knowledge of some of the most salient higher education issues in the United States and develop skills to analyze and manage emerging issues they may encounter as professionals in the field.
Term:
Offered Spring Term
Electives (3 courses, 9 credits)
In addition to administration of higher education courses, students can select electives from a range of courses.
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EHS-627 Junior/Community College: Processes & Problems
Credits:
3.00
Description:
Examines the rationale, role, structure and function of public and private two-year institutions, with attention to the sociology of student populations, curricular and instructional trends, administrative problems, and future planning.
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EHS-640 Reading & Research
Credits:
3.00
Description:
This course provides an opportunity for students to research a topic of special interest in higher education and write a related comprehensive research paper that integrates scholarly resources on the topic. The course enables students to gain research competence in a selected area of interest relative to the field of higher education.
Term:
Occasional
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EHS-642 College and University Culture
Credits:
3.00
Description:
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an overview of college and university cultures in American higher education. Students will gain an understanding of the properties of campus culture, including norms of behavior, values, stories, physical artifacts, sagas, myths, symbols, and architecture, all of which guide and shape institutional behavior. In addition, students will examine the cultural norms of behavior of various institutional stakeholders - faculty, staff, students, and administrators - and develop an understanding of how campus culture affects each of these groups. In order to become more familiar with the ethos of institutional functioning and behavior, students will conduct a small-scale independent research project, employing qualitative research techniques, to investigate and analyze a particular campus subculture.
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COUNS-712 Life Span Development
Credits:
3.00
Description:
This course examines the process of human development across the lifespan. While it will focus primarily on psychological processes, the intersection with biological and social processes will be explored as well. The major psychological theories of cognitive, social and emotional development will be covered as will the foundations for individual differences. Special emphasis will be placed on topics of interest to people entering the counseling professions. Normally offered yearly.
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COUNS-713 Counseling: Theory & Practice
Credits:
3.00
Description:
Analysis of selected counseling theories representative of the field of counseling psychology. Theories will be selected from the following areas: Psychoanalytic, Psychosocial, Rational, Cognitive Behavioral/Learning Theory, Person-Centered, and Existential Theory. Treatment goals and techniques will be explored.
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COUNS-714 Psychology of Career Development
Credits:
3.00
Description:
A survey of various theories of vocational choice and development, and strategies for the implementation of vocational counseling in the school, agency, or business/industrial setting. Concepts of work, vocational concerns of women and minorities and other major issues also investigated.
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COUNS-727 Substance Abuse & Treatment
Credits:
3.00
Description:
A study of the origin, contributing factors, and implications of drug and alcohol misuse. Various stages and manifestations of abuse/ dependence will be considered and current treatment modalities will be explored.
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COUNS-729 Human Sexuality Seminar
Credits:
3.00
Description:
The anatomy, physiology and psychology of human sexual functioning are reviewed. Etiology, interpersonal dynamics, and treatment of sexual dysfunctions are reviewed.
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COUNS-733 Counsel Diverse Populations
Credits:
3.00
Description:
A survey of problems and issues confronting cultural diversity. The study of ethnicity and sexual orientation as they influence the development of identity. Implications for counseling strategies. Normally offered yearly.
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COUNS-735 Group Counseling
Credits:
3.00
Description:
A study of the practical and theoretical aspects of counseling small groups. There will be provision for a laboratory experience in which students participate in a group and study the dynamics of behavior as this group develops. Group stages of development and leadership skills will also be examined. Normally offered yearly.
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COUNS-747 College Admission Counseling Fundamentals
Credits:
3.00
Description:
This course will discuss issues surrounding admission testing and financial aid practices, admission policies and procedures, diverse students (e.g., first generation, students with learning disabilities, traditionally underrepresented populations in higher education), and the technology tools used to facilitate the college search and application process (e.g., Naviance, ConnectEDU, the Common Application). School-based programs to promote early college awareness will also be discussed, and the perspective of both the high school and undergraduate admissions counselor will be considered. Normally offered yearly
Field Experience (6 credits)
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EHS-645 Practicum in Administration
Credits:
3.00
Description:
The practicum experience provides for the practical application of administrative skills in an appropriate field placement under the guidance of a site supervisor at an institution of higher education. The experience helps students gain exposure to various fields of work, and it provides an opportunity for students to observe, experience, and understand employer/employee relationships within the higher education environment. Students will apply theories learned in the classroom to a wide array of professional projects. Students enrolled in the course will meet as a class to discuss practicum-related issues.
Term:
Offered Both Fall and Spring
Admission Requirements
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis for admission in the fall or spring. Most classes meet in the evenings, and you may study part- or full-time. Merit-based scholarships and other forms of financial aid are available.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
- GRE, GMAT, or MAT
- International applicants: TOEFL and statement of financial resources
For full details, please visit Graduate Admission.
Alumni Profile
Caitlin Tramel ‘06
Director of Alumni Affairs, The Cooper Union
After working in higher education for five years, Caitlin concluded that she needed a master’s degree to be competitive in the marketplace. “I wanted to reach that next level,” she says, “and I knew a graduate degree would help me get there.” She decided to enroll in the Administration of Higher Education program at Suffolk while keeping her full-time job in alumni relations at Harvard.
“My Suffolk experience was phenomenal,” explains Caitlin. While a student services class taught her the nuts and bolts of working in the field, classes in subjects such as finance and enrollment planning gave Caitlin the foundation needed to evaluate higher education issues from multiple perspectives.
That broad based approach continues to aid Caitlin in her current position as Director of Alumni Affairs at The Cooper Union in New York City.
“A lot of schools talk about change,” she says, “but this really is a period of huge transition for us. The skills I honed at Suffolk have enabled me to contribute to building the school’s future during this unique time of change. It’s incredibly rewarding.”
Financial Aid
Financial aid for graduate students in all disciplines is limited. However, you will be considered for any available aid when you complete your admission application and appropriate financial documentation (e.g., the FAFSA).
The most common form of financial aid for the Administration of Higher Education program comes in the form of Graduate Fellowship opportunities. A variety of fellowships are available to full-time Suffolk graduate students. In addition to providing partial tuition remission and a stipend, these fellowships offer students an excellent opportunity to gain hands-on experience relevant to their studies. Award and stipend amount, selection criteria, and employment responsibilities vary. Among the many offices offering fellowships are: Student Activities and Service Learning, Residential Life, Advising, Ballotti Learning Center, Admission, and Diversity Services. Please see the Financial Aid Office for more information, or contact Dr. Siegel.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Do I have to take the practicum course if I already have experience in higher education administration?
If a student has three or more continuous years of full-time higher education administration experience in the field, he/she may petition to have the practicum requirement waived. To be considered for a waiver, students must complete a Practicum Waiver Form at the point of entry into the Administration of Higher Education Program; waiver forms will be reviewed by program faculty. Students should discuss their work history with a faculty advisor prior to filling out the Practicum Waiver Form. Overall, the practicum experience is strongly encouraged to gain firsthand experience on the inner operations of an existing office, to experience the development and ownership of one or more projects, to test potential career interests, and to develop self-confidence as a future administrator.
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If the practicum experience is waived, do I have to substitute the credits with other courses?
Yes, if the practicum is waived with the consent
of the program director, two additional classes must be taken to fulfill
the six-credit requirement.
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Am I required to do the practicum at one site over both semesters, or can I work at a separate site each semester?
Students are allowed to choose whether they want
to stay at the same site for both semesters or intern at two separate sites.
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Can I use my current place of employment as a practicum experience?
Students may not use their current place of employment (office/department) in fulfillment of the practicum requirement. Based on approval from their practicum supervisor, they may, however, work at their current institution provided the practicum experience is an office/department in which they do not currently work (or have not worked in the past). In general, students are strongly encouraged to obtain a practicum placement both outside their current functional area and outside of the institution at which they work. Obtaining a practicum outside the current place of employment (a) ensures students have broad exposure to multiple functional areas outside of their own work; (b) eliminates the risk of role conflict and ambiguity, which can often be introduced into the work environment when there is an unclear distinction between practicum-related work and the work for which one is currently being evaluated and paid; and (c) provides the kind of objective supervision experience that comes with working in a new setting under a new supervisor.
