Higher Education and Student Affairs
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The MA in Higher Education & Student Affairs at the University of Louisville prepares students for virtually any career in higher education administration. Whether you're interested in academic affairs, athletics, student services, or institutional leadership, our program offers the flexibility and focus to match your goals.
We offer three distinct concentrations:
- Administration (30 credit hours)
- Sports Administration (30 credit hours)
- Student Affairs (36 credit hours)
Each pathway is designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences needed to thrive in colleges, universities, and related organizations. We recommend that students with less professional experience complete the Student Affairs track. The Administration and Sports Administration tracks can be entirely online.
The program has been ranked #2 by Best Online Master's Program in Higher Education and recognized as the Best for Vets. It also holds national distinction for being highly responsive to graduate student transfers. Most recently, our online program was ranked #7 in the nation by BestColleges.com!
View the general admission requirements, degree requirements, and concentration requirements for Higher Education and Student Affairs (MA)
Higher Education and Student Affairs Specializations In Depth
This program can be completed 100% online
Distance Learning
The MA in Higher Education & Student Affairs is one of two graduate level programs offered within the College of Education and Human Development that can be completed entirely online.
The online format of the MA in Higher Education & Student Affairs is designed for distance learners who need the flexibility that's not offered by the on campus program. Online classes are offered through Blackboard -- a course management system used by UofL to facilitate online learning. Among other things, students use Blackboard to...
- Read the course syllabus or handouts
- Submit papers and assignments
- Take tests
- View grades
- Send email to other students or the instructor
- Participate in an online chat
- Discuss case studies with classmates on a discussion board
MA HESA Online Info
Request Info
The biggest benefit of online learning is that you can work to earn your degree from your own home while raising your family, working full time, or experiencing particular life circumstances that make commuting to campus difficult or impossible. At U of L, you are taught by the same world class faculty as our on campus students. You read the same textbooks, do many of the same assignments and earn the same degrees. The biggest difference is that you are able to do it in a way that best fits your lifestyle.
Be prepared for online learning. Online learning is learning that is facilitated in an online environment. Rather than attend class in a traditional classroom setting, online learning allows you to "go to class" when it's convenient for you whether that's 5am or 11pm.
Online learning is not for everyone. Successful online students...
- Have a desire to learn online
- Are motivated
- Have strong time management and organizational skills
- Can work independently
- Have college level reading and writing skills
- Are not afraid to speak up when problems arise
Check availability of the online program in your state
For more information, view http://louisville.edu/online.
Program Features
MAHESA Program features (both online and in person)
- 30-36 credit hours
- Focus on policy, inclusion, and equity, regardless of religion, race, sex, color, or national origin
- Award winning faculty and program
- Accelerated courses:
- Regular 8-week spring/fall, 3-week May, 6 week summer courses
- Occasional 3-week December courses
- Student body with diverse backgrounds – from recent undergraduates to military officers, many working full or part time and going to school part time
- LEAD 690: Internship course helps students gain practical, hands-on skills in areas of interest
- LEAD 697: Capstone course helps students synthesize knowledge from courses and strategically learn to lead change in higher education
Online program
- Rolling admissions, start any time with 6 course start dates all year
- Virtual orientation 3 times per year (summer, spring, and fall)
- Mostly asynchronous courses, no required log-in time but regular optional times
- Students are enrolled from all over the world
Face-to-face program for Student Affairs
- Final admissions deadline in July for August course start
- August in-person orientation
- Take 1 course at a time and finish in 22 months (results in 2 courses per semester)
- Example schedule:
| Face-to-face Example Part-Time Student Pathway | ||
| Year | First term half | Second term half |
| Fall, Y1 | 682 (Tues) | 693 (Tues) |
| Spring, Y1 | 694 (Tues) | 666 (Tues)/600 (variable) |
| Summer, Y1 | 680 (May online) | Elective (June online) |
| Fall, Y2 | 690 (Full term; Wednesdays) | Elective |
| Spring Y2 | 684 (Tues) | 697 (Full term; Wednesdays) |
Career Opportunities
If you're seeking to advance your career or considering a career in higher education, the UofL MA in Higher Education & Student Affairs is the program of choice. Our graduates emerge as strong candidates for a variety of positions in universities and colleges across the country and are well-equipped to advance equity and inclusion efforts through the use of data-driven decisions and an in-depth understanding of policy. Check out the variety of roles and salary ranges at https://www.higheredjobs.com/salary
Hear from a current student:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhIebpJB4e4
Why Choose a Career in Higher Education?
- CHOICE AND FLEXIBILITY
Work in a variety of different positions on campus. - MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Assist students during very important and critical time in their lives. - INFINITE POSSIBILITIES
Gain valuable experience and insight into higher education. - EXCITING WORK ENVIRONMENT
A campus environment continually offers new challenges. - TERRIFIC BENEFITS
Competitive wages, benefits, discounted tuition. - A CAREER YOU ENJOY
A career that's always new and exciting with constant change!
Career Outlook
GA Opportunities
If you're seeking a Graduate Assistantship (GA), there are several opportunities within the CEHD and with other units on campus. GA positions are paid, allow you to gain work experience, and provide you the opportunity to apply your learning from your coursework. Read this entire page for details.
Check GA opportunities within the CEHD!
CARDS St.A.R.S.CARD St.A.R.S. (UofL’s Cardinal Student Affairs Recruitment and Selection program) welcomes admitted and prospective students to spend an informative time learning about our and Higher Education & Student Affairs (HESA) graduate programs and assistantships. Each February, the Master of Art in Higher Education & Student Affairs (MAHESA) program offers a session to review Graduate Assistantships. Visit this link for details https://louisville.edu/studentaffairs/vp-office/employment/stars
Graduate assistantships are designed as para-professional positions for career preparation. Students in assistantship positions desire to pursue a career in student affairs in higher education. This is the primary goal for the assistantships listed below.
- Disability Resource Center GA
- Financial Aid Graduate Peer Counselor (GPC)
- REACH GSA for GEN 105
- Student Involvement Intern Cardinal Cupboard
- Student Involvement Leadership and Service GA
- Student Involvement Programs and Events GA
- Advising and Student Success Speed School
- Athletics Intern
- University Career Center GA for Data and Operations
- University Career Center GA for Outreach
- Study Abroad and International Travel Marketing GA
GA positions are offered directly by other units including REACH and the Financial Aid Office. Check out these opportunities below.
Title: Various
Oversight: UofL REACH Center
The University of Louisville REACH Center is seeking GAs. The various job descriptions and application is located at https://reach.louisville.edu/employment/#gsa. If you're a current graduate student seeking a GA position, apply today! The GA position offers in-state tuition at the general student rate, a $15,000 stipend, and student health insurance.
Title: Graduate Peer Counselors
Oversight: UofL Financial Aid Office
Responsibilities:
Assist students and parents over the phone and in person with filling out the FAFSA, understanding university policies and procedures regarding financial aid, and/or with general financial aid questions.
Complete various forms to verify student’s information for financial aid processing. Assist office staff with organizing files, data imaging, correspondence with internal and external constituents, and completing queries regarding the aid process.
Assist Financial Aid staff with the various presentations at UofL, surrounding high school and community events. After 6-8 months opportunities potentially made available to work on special projects that include, but are not limited to working with the scholarship, loan, or satisfactory academic policy teams.
Benefits:
- Full-time, in-state tuition remission for fall, spring, and summer.
- Stipend based on $15.00 per hour.
- Student Insurance paid
Qualifications:
- Must have strong commitment to working with a diverse student population
- Must have an official current year FAFSA on file.
If you're interested, please send your resume to Toya Bailey toya.flanagan@louisville.edu
Occasionally, for exceptional circumstances (e.g., death in the family, pending deployment), students may need to walk early—that is, participate in the commencement ceremony before their degree is earned. You must ensure you have only one course left and that it will be taken in the semester following the ceremony. You must send a copy of your electronic transcript to the HESA Program Director, an explanation of the extraordinary circumstances, and your ID number. The Program Director will review and then, if appropriate, submit an Early Walker Request, which the Dean must approve, and then the Commencement Office.
Common and Specialized Courses by Concentration
- View Practice Core and Advanced Core degree requirements (Common Courses Across Concentrations)
- View Administration, Student Affairs, and Sport Administration concentration requirements (Specialized Courses by Concentration)
Click on a course name (ex. "LEAD 646 ") in the degree requirements or concentration requirements for further information about courses. Information includes class description, prerequisites (if any), terms offered, among other information.
Faculty and Staff Tuition Benefits
University employees enrolled in the HESA program and taking online classes are charged at non-bundled fee rates, which are $66 per class or $22 per credit hour.
Full-time employees are eligible to take up to two courses at UofL each semester tuition free. Full-time is defined as working 80% of full-time equivalency or greater. Part-time employees are eligible to take one course at UofL each semester tuition free. Part-time is defined as working 40-79% of full-time equivalency or greater.
Please Note:
- You must be employed on the first day of the semester to be eligible that semester.
- Continued eligibility is dependent on a grade C or better from the previous semester.
- Fees may still apply
View the Tuition Remission Policy for full details on eligibility, tuition coverage, and requirement
Our faculty are nationally recognized with terminal degrees from among the highest-ranked research programs (i.e., University of Alabama, Columbia University, Indiana University-Bloomington, The Ohio State University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and University of Maryland). Our efforts in research, teaching, and service reflect our program priorities. Whether it be the study of former foster youth and their experiences in higher education, how complex tuition policies can hinder equity efforts, or learning how programs and policies may contribute to inequities in higher education, we are committed to learning and teaching about the intersections of policy, inclusion, and equity. Students often research with and present with faculty at academic conferences, including the Association for the Study of Higher Education, the American Educational Research Association, the Association for Education Finance & Policy, and NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Through the University of Louisville's Center for Economic Education, the program also houses and edits the Journal of Student Financial Aid, a peer-reviewed journal "featuring works of significance in all areas of postsecondary student financial assistance."
Dr. Jake Gross
Program Director
jpgros02@louisville.edu
502-852-8795
Program Faculty
- Jessica Buckley - Assistant Professor & Assistant Department Chair
- Casey George – Associate Professor
- Jacob Gross – Associate Professor & Program Director
- Kelli Peck Parrott - Clinical Professor
- Taylor Pratt - Clinical Assistant Professor
- Jeffrey Sun – Professor & Associate Dean for Innovation & Strategic Partnerships
- Joshua Wallace - Assistant Professor
FAQs: Higher Education and Student Affairs
| Preferred Application Deadline | Term | Start Date |
| December 10 | Spring I | January |
| February 10 | Spring II | March |
| May 1 | Summer | June |
| August 1 | Fall I | Late August |
| September 10 | Fall II | October |
We recommend students start with LEAD 682, continue with LEAD 693, continue then with LEAD 600 or 666. The last course students take is a capstone, LEAD 697. Students have options within the middle of their course work.
Once you are admitted to the program, you may request to transfer up to 6 credit hours if your UofL advisor approves the request. Transfer requests are then submitted to the School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies.
No. GRE scores are no longer required for admission.
Yes.
Not directly. This degree prepares people work in various capacities in university administration, typically leading and supporting all the aspects of the university that do not directly result in teaching (e.g., student success, orientation, advising, recruiting, financing, project leadership, and more). At the same time, many students with higher ed degrees support teaching in different ways or have occasional opportunities to teach. For example, higher ed professionals as a part of their work might teach courses on the orientation to college or college success skills (often aligned with work in student success centers or academic advising offices) or service learning courses (often aligned with work in work in volunteer, study abroad, or student life offices). The degree does not fulfill requirements for P-12 teaching certification requirements, but many other programs in the college do!
More FAQs about the program's Internship requirement
The internship (LEAD 690) provides you with the opportunity to work in a different setting related to higher education. You will complete, under the supervision of the course instructor and a site supervisor, a significant project or projects that allow you to apply what you learned from your program of study and potentially explore a career of interest. The internship activities typically cannot include projects within your current scope of responsibilities. We usually recommend the internship come in the middle to later half of a student's course plan. The class requires a minimum of 105 contact hours. You should contact your advisor one semester before you plan to take the internship course to discuss what you are considering.
Classes in the program are 8-weeks. Students seeking to complete the program full-time will enroll in 3 classes or 9 credit hours per semester and graduate in 3 or 4 semesters. Part-time students enroll in 2 classes per semester or 6 credit hours and graduate within 18 months - 2 years.
The classes are asynchronous providing students with the flexibility needed, however, faculty offer virtual sessions and are available for one-on-one meetings.
The University Career Center (UCC) assists all students plus provides our College with a designated Career Coach. Furthermore, we encourage our students to join the MA HESA Linked In and/or Facebook Groups to network and connect with one another and alumni. The field of higher education and the employment opportunities are robust and everchanging. Check out the Higher Ed Jobs site at
https://www.higheredjobs.com/?locale=en_US
University of Louisville employees enrolled in the UofL MAHESA program and taking online classes are charged at non-bundled fee rates, which are $66 per class or $22 per credit hour.
Full-time employees are eligible to take up to two courses at UofL each semester tuition free. Full-time is defined as working 80% of full-time equivalency or greater. Part-time employees are eligible to take one course at UofL each semester tuition free. Part-time is defined as working 40-79% of full-time equivalency or greater.
Please Note:
- You must be employed on the first day of the semester to be eligible that semester.
- Continued eligibility is dependent on a grade C or better from the previous semester.
- Fees may still apply