How to Get a Master's Degree in Higher Education

For anyone who envisions themselves enjoying life on a college campus for just shy of a decade, obtaining a master's degree in higher education forges a path that can take you there. One benefit of undertaking a broad course of study like a master's in higher education is that your program prepares you for an array of responsibilities and opportunities.

Whether your goal is to become a community college president, a university development director, dean of academic affairs, a college registrar, or a financial aid director, the possibilities after completing a graduate degree in higher education are as varied as the management positions you can find at a college or online campus.

Most traditional master's programs in education focus on curriculum development and instruction for specific age groups and learning styles, or supervision of K through 12 schools. In general, a higher education master's degree teaches a broader skills' set, which allows the graduate to oversee numerous functions at a college or university, such as:

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How to Get a Master's Degree in Higher Education

For anyone who envisions themselves enjoying life on a college campus for just shy of a decade, obtaining a master's degree in higher education forges a path that can take you there. One benefit of undertaking a broad course of study like a master's in higher education is that your program prepares you for an array of responsibilities and opportunities.

Whether your goal is to become a community college president, a university development director, dean of academic affairs, a college registrar, or a financial aid director, the possibilities after completing a graduate degree in higher education are as varied as the management positions you can find at a college or online campus.

Most traditional master's programs in education focus on curriculum development and instruction for specific age groups and learning styles, or supervision of K through 12 schools. In general, a higher education master's degree teaches a broader skills' set, which allows the graduate to oversee numerous functions at a college or university, such as:

• Analysis of American higher education law, policies, and issues
• Budget creation and enforcement
• Curriculum development and implementation
• Execution of policies and procedures across the spectra of departments
• Faculty, staff, and labor relations
• Research regarding higher education in America and abroad

Thus, there are substantial distinctions to be made between a master's degree in higher education and other master's degree programs in education. Graduate degrees in higher education are generally conferred as master of science (MS) or master of art (MA) degrees. They provide an excellent foundation for graduates who may want to return for a doctoral degree in the future.

How to Research Master's Programs in Higher Education

Because higher education is such a broad field, before applying to master's programs, you need to decide what kind of graduate degree program you are interested in. The answer to that question depends on your career goals, your lifestyle, and your areas of interest.

For example, a master's in higher education from an Ivy League school might look great on your resume, but if you want to run community colleges on Native American reservations, or oversee programs that help inner city students succeed at the college level, you want to chose a graduate degree program that provides opportunities to focus on these types of issues.

Earning an MS or MA in higher education can increase your opportunities for advancement into administration, planning and policy, or curriculum development. With the increasing popularity of online graduate degree programs, more choices are available to working adults returning to graduate school than ever before. Indeed, U.S. News & World Report ranks a total of 283 graduate programs in education, 20 master's programs in higher education, and 21 graduate degrees in education policy, a closely related field of study.

Although it may sound tedious, spending a significant amount of time researching the right master's degree program is an important first step that helps you find the campus-based or online master's degree program that is the best fit for you.

Step 1: Examine a Breadth of Online and Campus-Based Higher Education Master's Programs

The Goal: Create a thorough list of campus-based and distance graduate education programs in higher education that meet a set of basic criteria. How you rank the different criteria depends on your lifestyle, budget, location, and career goals.

Major Factors to Consider When Choosing a Graduate Higher Education Program

• Accreditation: Accreditation serves as an important benchmark in higher education. Accrediting agencies can be regional, national, or international in scope. They assess and authenticate an academic program's rigor. Accreditation can affect your ability to receive federal financial aid or transfer credits to and from institutions. You can learn more about accreditation of online master's degree programs and accrediting agencies at WorldWideLearn.com.
• Educational format: online, campus, or hybrid? Depending on how comfortable you are with technology and innovation, some of the most intriguing avenues for pursuing your MS in higher education are distance education and hybrid formats. Many top public and private universities now feature online campuses that provide the same academic rigor and professional advancement opportunities as their land-based counterparts. When you earn a master's degree online, you gain valuable first-hand experience with one of the fastest-growing trends in post-secondary education.
• Location: Would you like to run a community college in the hills of Appalachia? Does directing the financial aid department of a large public university sound interesting to you? Maybe, you would prefer to start with an entry- or mid-level management position at an up-and-coming online university. Outlining your goals in advance can help you choose the best location to pursue a graduate degree in higher education.
• Work-life balance: For working adults, online graduate degree programs offer the flexibility to maintain your professional and family responsibilities, while you earn a master's degree online. You can explore hybrid and short-term residency programs, or consider opting for an online master's in higher education. If you do not have to worry about moving a family or maintaining a full-time work schedule, you might enjoy the benefits of a campus-based graduate program in higher education.

Resources where you can begin gathering information about master's degree programs:

• Learn about accredited programs at the U.S. Department of Education's accredited graduate degree programs database. You can also find out more about accredited graduate degree programs at WorldWideLearn.com.
• Internet research: With an extensive directory of campus-based and online master's degree programs in higher education--as well as hundreds of other subjects--WorldWideLearn.com lets you browse online master's degree programs by level, subject, and location.
• Books, Articles, and Resource Guides: Online and print resources like U.S. News & World Report compile rankings of top master's degree programs and best education schools to guide your research. Such statistics consider important factors like selectivity, faculty-student ratio, and job placement rates.

Step 2: Understand the Career Paths and Organizations Dedicated to Higher Education

The Goal: Learn what opportunities exist for graduates of MS in higher education programs by exploring customary job descriptions and non-profit organizations dedicated to the field.

Common college and university-based career paths for master's degree candidates pursuing careers in higher education include the following:

• Director of admissions: These college and university gatekeepers recruit, evaluate, and admit prospective and current students.
• Director of development: Besides deans and provosts, these institutional fundraisers are among the highest paid managerial staff at a college or university.
• Director of student affairs: Perhaps the most consistently involved with students, these higher education administrators oversee social and recreational programs for undergraduate and graduate level students. They also provide information on housing and residential life, foreign student services, health insurance, and counseling.
• Faculty and academic deans: These department heads generally possess a PhD in their respective fields and advance through the professorial ranks prior to assuming their posts. They coordinate class schedules and teaching assignments; propose budgets; recruit, interview and hire applicants for teaching positions; evaluate and encourage development of faculty; serve on committees; and provide other administrative oversight.
• Financial aid directors: Making post-secondary education available to as wide a range of students as possible, financial aid directors oversee the financial aid application process and disbursement of fellowships, scholarships, and loans.
• Provosts and chief academic officers: These upper level managers assist college and university presidents, make faculty appointments and tenure decisions, develop budgets, and establish policies and procedures.
• Registrars: Some of the busiest bees in the academic hive, a registrar's responsibilities include registering students, recording grades, preparing transcripts, collecting tuition and fees, overseeing preparation of class schedules, and analyzing enrollment and demographic statistics.

Important Note: The size of a college or university is of particular importance when tracking a campus-based career path. Small colleges may incorporate multiple functions described above into a single staff member's job description. Large universities may have a primary point person with several auxiliary staff to handle each of the positions described.

Resources: Organizations Dedicated to the Higher Education Administration and Policy

• NASPA--Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education: Dedicated to student affairs policy and implementation, this 11,000 member organization organizes professional development, research and publishing opportunities for administrators, faculty, and students involved with student affairs.
• National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education: This California-based think tank addresses issues of accessibility, affordability, and policy in higher education through conferences, white papers and its journal Crosstalk.
• National Council for Higher Education: This branch of the National Education Association publishes research and newsletters, addresses policy issues in higher education, assists faculty with collective bargaining and more.

Step 3: Develop a Shortlist of Master's Programs in Higher Education

The Goal: This stage requires that you hone in on the individual features of graduate degree programs in which you are most interested. The objective during this step should be to match your academic and professional interests with graduate programs in higher education offering related specializations and resources. While the primary focus of an MA or MS in higher education is administration and organizational management, sub specialties in this field include areas such as:

• Academic development
• Community college leadership
• Enrollment management
• Higher education policy
• Institutional research design and analysis
• Student development and affairs
• Technology and instruction

The amount of professional experience accrued prior to earning your master's degree in higher education can allow graduates to enter into entry-level, mid-level, or upper level management at a college, university, educational policy institute, non-profit or non-governmental organization. Depending on the size, prestige, and degrees conferred at a particular university, the highest level management positions may require a doctorate degree.

Resources
If you have decided to earn a master's degree online, WorldWideLearn.com's list of online master's degree programs in education is a quick way to gather information about a wide variety of programs and can help you efficiently narrow down possible programs.

Step 4: Apply to Your Top Campus-Based or Online Master's Programs

The Goal: Now that you are well versed in the careers, issues, organizations, and graduate schools providing opportunities in higher education administration, you just need to decide on a few schools at which you will apply.

This final set of criteria can help you determine which schools will make the cut for your application process:

• Facilities and Faculty: Libraries, technology, and teachers are a college or university's most valuable asset. Be sure that the graduate program you choose provides access to excellence in these areas.
• Funding: Talk to financial aid counselors, and peruse a school's websites and directories to ensure that grants, loans, scholarships, fellowships, and teaching assistantships are available to fund your graduate education.
• Graduation and Placement Rate: Look for a school with students dedicated enough to finish, and a career services department resolved to helping its graduates succeed after they obtain their degrees.
• Program and School Reputation: Consider a school's rankings, peer reviews, graduate satisfaction, and reputation among employers within a given community.

Resources
Once you've settled on your top programs, a campus visit or phone call with faculty members can help you get more specific questions answered. Talking with former and current students is another good way to gather information on potential programs.

How to Apply for a Master's Degree in Higher Education

There are just a few more hoops to jump through before your receive that notification of admissions in the mail. While each school's admissions requirements differ slightly, the basics for applying to any master's program in higher education include the following:

• Application for admission
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores
• Letters of recommendation (2 to 3)
• Personal essay
• ?Resume or curriculum vitae
• Transcripts of all undergraduate institutions attended

Application deadlines may vary, so start gathering your application materials early. Be sure to ask for recommendations and take the GRE well in advance of application deadlines.

You have come this far with your research and are committed to a better career through completion of your graduate degree. Earning a master's in higher education gives you the opportunity to influence the next generation of professionals. Entire campuses can be your office when you work in education administration. Doing the research to find the right graduate degree program can help ensure smooth sailing through your master's program.

Sources

• Appalachian State University, Reich College of Education, Higher Education Program
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010-2011: Education Administrators
• Drexel University Online, Master of Science in Higher Education
• Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Higher Education Program (HEP)
• NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Ed, Divisions & Centers
• National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, Preserving College Access and Affordability???
• National Council for Higher Education, Issues & Advocacy and Higher Education Websites
• U.S. News & World Report, Picking the Right School for an Education Grad Degree by Jessica Calefati
• U.S. News & World Report, Best Education Schools: A to Z Directory Index

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