The Masters in Higher Education (HIED) is a two (2) year hybrid graduate program that equips current and future college and university leaders with relevant knowledge and practitioner-based skill to problem solve through an equity and social justice lens. The HIED program in the Department of Educational Leadership focuses on administration and leadership broadly and not solely on student services. The program also emphasizes an organizational and social science level approach, and is organized around administrative and programmatic issues and interventions.
The HIED faculty are committed to building on students’ prior knowledge of higher education; provide a solid background of higher education theories and practices to expand their knowledge; and teach students how to apply theories to their practice. By applying theory to practice, higher education and student affairs professionals (HESA) may contribute to the needs of postsecondary institutions and advancement of society. The HIED program is intended for students wishing to engage in a curriculum that will provide them with the knowledge, skills, and experiences needed to take on leadership and administrative positions within higher education organizations, including four year colleges and universities, community colleges, and technical schools.
The content of the program is based on professional competencies and program standards and guidelines developed by the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), American College Personnel Association (ACPA), and National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). As such, issues of racial equity, justice, and organizational transformation are explicitly built into the curriculum. Additionally, our faculty recognize the importance of providing attention to issues of higher education globally to provide graduates with a background that will prepare them to enter institutions of higher education internationally. Utilizing recommendations from these professional organizations, the MA in HIED program commits to the following student outcomes:
- Graduates will enact administrative knowledge, skills and dispositions with explicit consideration of social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion in their practice.
- Graduates will gather and use data to support programmatic and individual goals with explicit consideration of social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion in their practice.
- Graduates will demonstrate foundational knowledge of the field of Higher Education with explicit consideration of issues of social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of higher education administrators is projected to grow 4 percent from 2022 to 2033. About 15,300 openings for higher education administrators are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
Montclair State University has memberships with the organizations listed below. Students that enrolled in our MA Higher Education program are able to join these professional organizations either free of charge or at highly discounted rates.
- ACUI – Association of College Unions International
- IACLEA – International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators
- MSCHE – Middle States Commision on Higher Education
- NACADA – National Academic Advising Association
- NASPA National – National Association of Student Personnel Administrators
- Student membership rates are $30.00 for undergraduate students and $40.00 for graduate students. Staff can join for $80.00 per person. Please note that NASPA bylaws state that professional status takes precedence over student status. So if you are a student, but also a full time higher education employee, then you must join as a professional instead of as a student member.
- NASPA Graduate Associate Program – an initiative to increase leadership opportunities of graduate students within NASPA. One of our recent alumni participated in this program and spoke very highly of the experience, “Each month we met on Zoom to talk about hot topics in higher education from finances, to job search, to DEI work. Networking was really important and we had a group chat so I got to connect with many students from all over the country. Joining the GAP Program helped me ease into NASPA and learn more about what they do and who they support. Most professionals in student affairs will have a ‘professional home’ and this program helped me learn which associations I consider my ‘home’”.
- NASPA Region II – National Association of Student Personnel Administrators that encompasses Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C. and West Virginia
- NODA – Association for Orientation, Transition and Retention in Higher Education
- Graduate students can receive a membership free of charge