Program Overview

Higher Education Program

The Higher Education program offers a comprehensive range of courses designed to provide students with a broad understanding of the field. The program covers various aspects of higher education, including assessment, evaluation, budgeting, finance, leadership, and governance.

Course Offerings

• HED 4201 Assessment in Higher Education (4 Credits) This course provides students with a broad understanding of assessment in higher education, including existing assessment instruments and the importance of maintaining high standards of ethics and integrity.
• HED 4202 Introduction to Evaluation Frameworks in Higher Education (4 Credits) This course introduces students to the craft of program evaluation, including the systematic assessment of program operations and outcomes.
• HED 4209 Introduction to Budgeting and Finance in Postsecondary Institutions (4 Credits) This course provides a survey of budgeting and finance within postsecondary institutions, covering fundamental concepts and practices essential for understanding financial management.
• HED 4210 Critical Higher Education (4 Credits) This course examines the social and political context of U.S. education, providing an analysis of schooling, cultural politics, and global influences that inform current practices and structures of the higher education system.
• HED 4211 Applied Contemporary Issues in Higher Education (4 Credits) This course studies contemporary higher education as a specialized field of inquiry and as a professional area in which to work, exploring institutional missions and current issues.
• HED 4212 Introduction to Public Policy and Higher Education (4 Credits) This course gives students an overview of federal and state public policy, current issues, research methods, and practical skills required for the policy formation process.
• HED 4213 Leadership and Supervision (4 Credits) This course focuses on general leadership theory and its implications for higher education, including leadership skills such as conflict resolution and problem-solving.
• HED 4214 History of American Higher Education (4 Credits) This course traces the history of higher education in the United States, from pre-colonial beginnings to the present day, examining the original purposes of higher education and the forces leading to system massification.
• HED 4215 Curriculum Development and Teaching Strategies in Higher Education (4 Credits) This course prepares students to design curriculum and pedagogical strategies that produce effective and equitable learning outcomes for all students in postsecondary settings.
• HED 4216 HED Research Processes (4 Credits) This course enables students to explore current research and theories associated with their scholarly interests and resources for doing research in postsecondary education.
• HED 4217 Student Affairs Administration (4 Credits) This course provides a review of student services, including programmatic content and its relationship to student development, organization of student service programs, and national trends.
• HED 4218 Organization and Governance in Higher Education (4 Credits) This course acquires a nuanced understanding of how colleges and universities are governed in the United States, examining the roles of various constituents and the impact of the larger social/political context.
• HED 4219 Introduction to Higher Education (4 Credits) This course provides an overview of higher education as a field of study and practice, covering topics such as structures, functions, challenges, concerns, and opportunities within higher education as a social institution.
• HED 4220 Organizational Theory in Higher Education (4 Credits) This course focuses on the study of theoretical perspectives and empirical research related to higher education organizations and governance, emphasizing the application of theory and practice.
• HED 4221 Theory and Research in Higher Education Finance and Budgeting (4 Credits) This doctoral-level course delves into the theoretical frameworks and research methodologies related to finance and budgeting in higher education, exploring complexities of financial management and policy analysis.
• HED 4222 Legal Issues in Higher Education (4 Credits) This course provides a review of administrative problems with legal dimensions, including the process for analyzing case law on issues of access, student rights, employment, and liability.
• HED 4226 The Community College (4 Credits) This course covers general issues related to community colleges, including history, mission, characteristics, students, curricula, teaching, and student services.
• HED 4229 Student Support in College (4 Credits) This course introduces students to basic interpersonal helping skills required in higher education settings, including relationship building, listening, and crisis intervention.
• HED 4230 Reflective ePortfolio (2 Credits) This course assists students in facilitating their transition into professional positions in higher education, requiring the creation of an electronic learning portfolio.
• HED 4231 Capstone: Professional Competencies in Higher Education (4 Credits) This course creates a portfolio that demonstrates academic learning and personal growth through critical reflection, applying theory to practice and highlighting praxis-centered curriculum.
• HED 4235 Organizational Change (4 Credits) This course focuses on designing, implementing, and evaluating effective change in higher education through an equity-minded lens, introducing "equity-minded change" and its importance in achieving equity.
• HED 4236 Access and Retention in Post Secondary Education (4 Credits) This course critically examines environments and systems that provide or prevent access to and allow for student retention or cause attrition in higher education, interrogating social, economic, political, and historical contexts.
• HED 4242 Educational Policy Analysis (4 Credits) This course develops critical policy analysis and praxis skills relevant to the implementation of public policy and finance strategies for higher education, employing critical thinking to analyze and evaluate public policy.
• HED 4260 Students and College Environments (4 Credits) This course serves as an introduction to college environments and the complexity of campus and culture, providing strategies to maximize learning and development for all students.
• HED 4261 College Student Development Theory (4 Credits) This course overview human development theories relevant to college students, enhancing the ability of students to maximize affective and cognitive development within the college setting.
• HED 4270 Internship in Student Affairs (0-6 Credits) This supervised experience in postsecondary institutions focuses on student affairs practice.
• HED 4281 Inclusive Excellence Programming and Development (4 Credits) This course provides an overview of the development and implementation of cultural programming and cultural centers, addressing challenges and competencies associated with inclusive excellence programming.
• HED 4284 Inclusive Excellence in Organizations (4 Credits) This course focuses on the changing demographics of society, emphasizing the implications for leadership and management in various organizational settings, framed through the concept of Inclusive Excellence.
• HED 4287 Critical Race Theory and Education (4 Credits) This course provides an in-depth exposure to Critical Race Theory as it pertains to education, working through the historical development and contemporary nuances of CRT.
• HED 4288 Gender & Sexuality in Higher Education (4 Credits) This course examines how gender, sexuality, and their inhabitants have been constructed, confined, and disciplined in U.S. higher education, engaging history, philosophy, policy, and practice.
• HED 4289 Race and Racism in Higher Education (4 Credits) This course explores connections between race, racialization, and racism in American higher education, drawing on historical, political, economic, and cultural explanations of racial inequity.
• HED 4293 Special Topics in Higher Education Studies (1-4 Credits) This flexible special topics course provides students with the opportunity to explore issues of current importance in the field, with varying topics and credit hours.
• HED 4294 Seminar in Higher Education (4 Credits) This advanced seminar examines timely topics, issues, and problems in higher education, with the course description developed each time the course is offered.
• HED 4295 Internship in College and University Administration (0-6 Credits) This supervised experience in administration at the college or university level provides practical experience in higher education administration.
• HED 4296 Internship in Public Policy (0-6 Credits) This supervised experience in postsecondary public policy analysis or research offers hands-on experience in policy analysis and research.
• HED 4297 Internship in College Teaching (0-2 Credits) This supervised experience in teaching at the college level provides practical experience in college teaching.
• HED 4991 MA Independent Study (1-10 Credits)
• HED 4995 Independent Research (1-10 Credits)
• HED 5991 PhD Independent Study (1-10 Credits)
• HED 5993 Doctoral Research - EdD (1-30 Credits) This doctoral research credit is for the Doctor of Education in Higher Education, requiring completion of at least 80% of coursework toward the degree before registration.
• HED 5995 Independent Research (1-30 Credits)