Listen To Our Radio Commercials
Master of Higher Education Administration (MHEA)
Upper Iowa offers a Master of Higher Education Administration (MHEA) degree, which offers emphases in Community and Technical College Administration, Leadership, and Student Affairs. While complementary, the areas of emphasis are distinct. Skill and competence in specific educational administration areas are developed through individual and group assignments that combine theory with practical examples. Learners apply relevant theories to real-world higher education case study scenarios. The MHEA program is designed to strengthen the leadership skills for educational administrators.
Each course focuses on applying theory to practice. Courses incorporate learning activities like case studies, report writing, problem-based projects, field interviews, group projects, simulation exercises, career mapping, college visitations, catalog analyses, practitioner workshops and instruction, exams, and onsite and asynchronous online discussions. Students will learn how to apply tested and best-practice business techniques like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and break-even analysis to higher education. The MHEA will be offered in both classroom and online delivery modalities.
To fully synthesize their learning experiences, students will complete a capstone research seminar. For the seminar, students conduct independent studies of a topic in higher education administration of special professional value to them. Topic examples might be marketing, fundraising, or technology trends in higher education. Students will submit a written report of their findings. They also will give group presentations of their findings to an audience that may include student peers, faculty members, and outside experts. The group presentation may incorporate PowerPoint slides or similar contemporary briefing methods. The capstone research seminar permits students to tailor part of their program to explore in greater depth personal professional interests in higher education.
The MHEA degree is intended to provide learners with the opportunities to develop skill-sets and knowledge in areas specific to administration in higher education, leadership of staff, and management of funding, budgeting, and organizational process. Individual and group assignments combine textbook theory with real-world application. The program provides a balance of quantitative and qualitative studies.
The MHEA exposes learners to current theories, concepts and learning models necessary to assume leadership roles in higher education institutions. Upon successful completion of the MHEA, graduates will be positioned to make a significant contribution to their educational institutions.
What can I do with the MHEA?
The MHEA will prepare students to demonstrate specific knowledge in the field of higher education administration including the skills and techniques necessary to enable them to:
- Assume leadership positions in higher education
- Adopt best-practice skills and models in higher education finance, curriculum design, legal issues, and distance learning
- Think critically and ethically about the purposes, design, functions and character of higher education organizations and their service to society
- Develop effective decision-making, leadership, management, and analytical skills
- Examine the issues of governance in higher education and institutional adaptation to the changing environment
- Make substantive contributions to society through leadership positions in public, not-for-profit, and for-profit higher education institutions
Foundational Requirements
To be unconditionally admitted into the graduate program, learners must be able to demonstrate a basic level of knowledge and achievement in the areas of management principles and elementary statistics.
Such knowledge and achievement can be demonstrated through successful completion (grade C or higher) of undergraduate courses in these areas, and/or successful completion of CLEP/DSST/Excelsior College and/or ACT-PEP testing.
Foundational courses are available through UIU's Undergraduate Program. Transfer credit to fulfill foundational requirements will be accepted following the guidelines found here.
The foundational requirements set forth above must be met by all learners in the MHEA program. Learners without knowledge and achievement in one or more of these areas will be required, before enrollment in graduate level classes, to formulate and implement a plan working with the graduate advisor to rectify this.
Learners must complete all foundational requirements before taking more than six semester credits of graduate level courses. Learners who have not completed required foundational courses will not be allowed to enroll in additional graduate level courses beyond six semester credits until the foundational requirements have been satisfied.
Degree Requirements
The Upper Iowa University Master of Higher Education Administration degree requires 39 semester credits of graduate level course work with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for completion. Complete degree requirements are available in the catalog.
The learner chooses an area of emphasis and completes the required courses as outlined in this catalog. Any change in sequence must be approved by a learner's graduate advisor. The remaining credits of the program are electives selected from courses in the other areas of emphasis or from electives which are relevant to the learner's area of emphasis.
A graduate learner will have five years after initial enrollment in the first of either a foundational or graduate level course to complete the graduate program under the requirements in effect at the time of enrollment. If the learner does not complete the graduate degree program within the five-year period, the requirements in effect at the time of the next enrollment will be used to determine the learner's graduation requirements. Upper Iowa University reserves the right to make changes in its academic regulations and requirements when, in its judgment, the best interests of the institution are served.
Learners must complete the core requirements and the requirements for one area of emphasis, Leadership or Community and Technical College Administration for a total of 39 semester credits. Course descriptions are in the catalog.
MHEA degree requirements
| Core Courses (Required of all Learners) | Credits |
| HEA 501 Historical Foundations and Social Considerations of Higher Education | 3 |
| HEA 502 Foundations of Educational Research | 3 |
| BA 509 Theories of Leadership | 3 |
| HEA 511 Administration, Organization and Governance of Higher Education | 3 |
| HEA 512 Finance and Budgeting in Higher Education | 3 |
| HEA 521 Political Issue in Higher Education | 3 |
| HEA 522 Legal Implications for the Administrator | 3 |
| HEA 590 Research Seminar | 3 |
| Total | 24 |
MHEA Areas of Emphasis
| Community and Technical College Administration | Credits |
| HEA 503 Community Colleges and American Education | 3 |
| HEA 535 Instructional Design and Delivery of Distance Education | 3 |
| HEA 538 Curriculum Development and Design for Community and Technical Colleges | 3 |
| HEA 557 Planning and Assessing Two-year Programs | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| Leadership | Credits |
| BA 505 Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| HEA 506 Ethical Dilemmas of Higher Education | 3 |
| HEA 556 Strategic Decision Making in Higher Education | 3 |
| HEA 558 Quality Improvement and Accreditation | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| Student Affairs | Credits |
| HEA 504 Student Affairs Practice in Higher Education | 3 |
| HEA 507 Student Development Theory in Higher Education | 3 |
| HEA 531 Teaching, Advising and Retaining Adult Learners | 3 |
| HEA 542 Multicultural Issues in Higher Education | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
Schedule
MHEA CDE Schedule 2012-2013: This is the 2012-2013 MHEA Schedule for online courses.
MHEA CDE Schedule 2013-2014: This is the 2013-2014 MHEA Schedule for online courses.
MHEA Leadership Flowchart: Suggested MHEA program of study flowchart for Leadership emphasis.
MHEA Community and Technical College Flowchart: Suggested MHEA program of study flowchart for Community and Technical College emphasis.
MHEA Student Affairs Flowchart: Suggested MHEA program of study flowchart for the Student Affairs emphasis.