Master's Degree in Higher Education Administration at KU
The master's degree in higher education administration at KU is primarily designed for individuals preparing for administrative careers in higher education. The program consists of 36 credit hours of integrated courses and hands-on experiences - all of which can be completed in two years.
The graduate program allows students to extend and apply their knowledge of colleges and universities, and to gain relevant experience in higher education administration. Graduate students will learn from expert scholars and practitioners, as well as fellow classmates, who bring diverse leadership experiences to the higher education administration program at KU.
Students admitted to the Master’s degree program are required to obtain a graduate assistantship at KU (or another local higher education institution). Students typically work between 20-30 hours per week, and receive in-state tuition, health insurance, and a stipend as a part of their assistantship at KU.
Benefits of the program include:
- No GRE Requirement – Emphasis for admission eligibility is based on prior academic record, your professional/personal recommendations and writing samples – rather than a standardized test score.
- True Cohort Experience – Newly admitted students in KU’s higher education administration program will join a small community or cohort of diverse and exciting fellow students each year.
- Engaged Faculty with Diverse Scholarly Interests - KU’s faculty members teaching in the higher education administration program are very active in national organizations, research and service in the field.
- Assistantships Partnership – KU’s higher education administration program allows students to participate in a campus-wide collaborative program that places graduate students in various assistantships positions.
- Internship Opportunities - As a course elective, students can choose to participate in self-designed for-credit internship experience that complements the learning process.
- Post-Graduation Success - For the last five years, 100% of our program graduates have taken higher education positions and/or been admitted to highly-regarded doctoral programs across the country.
- Peer-to-peer Learning Opportunities - Master’s students in the higher education administration program at KU will complete coursework alongside doctoral level students who bring a rich set of practical experiences to the classroom discussion.
- Graduate Student Organization & Networking - Students can participate in KU’s active Higher Education Student Association, a unique, student-led organization dedicated to professional development in higher education.
- Program Reputation - KU’s master’s degree in higher education administration is offered through the KU School of Education, which was recently ranked 8th in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Public Education Schools.
- Professional Network – Instructors and fellow graduate students will offer a broad-based knowledge of the field, lifelong friends and fellow colleagues from their cohorts. Builds a sense of connection for your higher education administration career.