Offered through UIU's Online Program.
Detailed Graduate Program Table of Contents
Master of Higher Education Administration (MHEA)
- Teaching Strategies
- Program Objectives
- Learner Objectives
- MHEA Foundation Requirements
- Completion of Foundational Requirements
Requirements for a Master of Higher Education Administration
Learning Outcomes for the MHEA
Master of Higher Education Administration (MHEA)
The Master of Higher Education Administration program offers areas of emphases in Community and Technical College Administration and Leadership. 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 through 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 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.
Learner Objectives
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,
- prepare students to make substantive contributions to society through leadership positions in public, not-for-profit, and for-profit higher education institutions,
- provide an opportunity for professional advancement for in-service professionals currently working in higher education institutions.
MHEA 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 |
BA 210*
|
| Elementary Statistics or completion of an upper division computational mathematics course, or attainment of a satisfactory score in the quantitative portion of the GRE or GMAT |
MATH 220*
|
* UIU course equivalent
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.
Completion of Foundational Requirements
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.
Requirements for a Master of Higher Education Administration
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. At UIU, three semester credit courses are scheduled in six, eight week terms, each year. A fulltime course load is three semester credits per term. A learner must obtain permission to enroll in more than six semester credits by submitting a request in writing to your program office. Such permission will generally not be granted for more than two terms of a learner's degree program. A learner who has earned a grade of C or F in any UIU graduate course or currently has a grade of I will generally not be granted such permission.
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.
To receive the Master of Higher Education Administration degree, the learner must have successfully completed 39 semester credits of graduate work including a final report of research and presentation and a cumulative GPA of not less than 3.0 on a 4-point scale. If program requirements change, the learner can elect to complete the revised curriculum or to complete under the original curriculum.
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.
Degree Requirements
Master of Higher Education Administration
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.
Click here to see the Course Schedule
| Core requirements: | ||
| Credits | ||
| HEA 501 | Historical Foundations and Social Considerations of Adult Education | 3 |
| HEA 502 | Foundations of Educational Research | 3 |
| BA/PA 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 | Politics in Higher Education | 3 |
| HEA 522 | Legal Implications for the Administrator | 3 |
| Capstone | ||
| HEA 590 | Research Seminar | 3 |
| Total | 24 | |
Community and Technical College Administration Emphasis
| Credits | ||
| HEA 503 | Community Colleges and American Education | 3 |
| PA 515 | Grant Writing | 3 |
| HEA 531 | Teaching, Advising and Retaining Adult Learners | 3 |
| HEA 535 | Instructional Design and Delivery of Distance Education | 3 |
| HEA 557 | Planning and Assessing Two-year Programs | 3 |
| Total | 15 | |
Elective:
| HEA 538 | Curriculum Development and Design for Community and Technical Colleges | 3 |
| Credits | ||
| BA/PA 505 | Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| HEA 506 | Ethical Dilemmas of Higher Education | 3 |
| BA 555 | Organizational Culture | 3 |
| HEA 556 | Strategic Decision Making in Higher Education | 3 |
| HEA 558 | Quality Improvement and Accreditation | 3 |
| Total | 15 | |
Elective:
| HEA 538 | Curriculum Development and Design for Community and Technical Colleges | 3 |
Learning Outcomes for the MHEA
The program provides students with learning opportunities to prepare them for administrative and leadership roles in higher education. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates are expected to be able to:
- Evaluate the roles, functions, and interrelationships among an educational institution's major constituents.
- Analyze the economic, legal, political, and technological issues that affect higher education and plan for changes in these issues.
- Demonstrate skills including break-even analysis, management of operational budgets, financial planning and the basis for financial compliance in higher education.
- Evaluate the educational, fiscal, and political elements of administrative decision-making in organizations of higher education.
- Apply tested research designs and techniques to solve problems and discover opportunities in higher education.
- Integrate a holistic view of higher education administration that includes historical, social and political dimensions.
- Evaluate the role of leadership in higher education organizations.
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