M.Ed. in Higher Education

About

Mission

Consistent with the standards and beliefs stated by ACPA: College Student Educators International, NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, and the Council for the Advancement of Standards, the M.Ed. in Educational Administration with an emphasis in higher education program integrates theory with practice to prepare leaders to work in a wide variety of functional areas within higher education. The program provides leaders with the requisite knowledge, perspectives, and skills to serve students and foster their learning and development.

The location of The University of Texas at El Paso on an international border provides rich context to address the population of our community and the needs of our growing nation. Through the context of our bi-national location, we train higher education leaders for the contemporary challenges facing post-secondary education.

Objectives

Graduate students enrolled in the program are expected to complete coursework and gain experiences that meet the following program objectives:

• Gain knowledge of organization, culture, diversity, and history of higher education institutions
• Understand relevant research on student development theories and its impact on students
• Incorporate a professional expression of cultural competence
• Use literature to link higher education administration theory with practice
• Relate relevant professional experiences to classroom learning

Degree Program Requirements

The academic program requires the completion of 36 credit hours. Minimum credit hours are distributed in the following way:

FALL I
EDAD 5391	History of Higher Education
EDRS 5305	Educational Research
SPRING I
EDAD 5397	Student Development Theory
EDAD 5370	Organizational Change
SUMMER I
EDAD 5360	Higher Education Internship I
EDAD 5361	Higher Education Internship II
FALL II
EDAD 5370	Diversity in Higher Education
EDAD 5394	Higher Education Governance
EDAD 5396	Higher Education Finance
SPRING II
EDAD 5393	Higher Education Law
EDAD 5385	Ethics of Leadership in Education
EDAD 5346	Program Planning and Evaluation

How To Apply

Admissions Process

Prospective students can apply to the program at any time during the year. Applicants who qualify may enter the program on a full-time or a part-time basis. Application materials are appraised in a holistic review process where no single factor is used to select or eliminate an applicant.

• Written Letter of Intent
• • Students should demonstrate academic capability, interpersonal skills, demonstrated interest in the program, commitment to pursuing a career in student affairs, the potential to serve a wide range of students of varying developmental levels and backgrounds, and the capacity to be open to self-assessment and growth.
• Two letters of Recommendation
• • Applicants will furnish a minimum of two recommendation letters from individuals who can assess the applicant’s scholarly potential, past academic performance, professional experiences, and leadership skills.
• Transcripts
• • Attainment of an undergraduate cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0; or attainment of an undergraduate GPA of no less than 3.0 in all upper division undergraduate coursework.
• TOEFL
• • International applicants for whom English is not a primary language also must provide evidence of acceptable scores (minimum of 550) attained on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). With the department’s permission, students scoring lower than 550 may apply to the program providing they are attending formal English classes and attain a score of 550 within a year

Submit the materials to the Graduate School Admissions Application

For further program information, contact: 
Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations
Education Building, Room 501
Email: edlf@utep.edu
Phone: (915) 747-5300
Fax: (915) 747-5838

Advising

Students should arrange to meet with their assigned advisor as soon as they are admitted into the master’s program. The student and advisor will create a degree plan during the initial meeting. This plan will be filed and may be revised after additional advising sessions, as the student progresses through the program.

Students who want to discuss their progress in the program or ways to tailor their degree plan to their areas of interest may contact:

Eduardo Arellano, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Foundations
ecarellano@utep.edu 
(915) 747-7593