Higher Education Master's
Complete in as Little as Two Years, Part-Time
Online Learning Options
Start the Program in Any Semester
There may be no better time or place to influence change than on the campuses of America’s colleges, universities, and related educational enterprises.
Our programs in higher education energize students to take higher education to new heights. We provide students interested in beginning or advancing a career in higher education with a foundation in institutional culture. We promote an understanding of the purposes and ideals of higher education. Most importantly, we provide the skills and foster the creativity to inspire and lead college students and, overall, institutions of higher learning to an even higher level of thinking and thoughtful change.
Graduates of our programs have become college admissions officers, facilities managers, financial aid officers, library administrators, and staff across a variety of academic, administrative, and student services offices. As advocates for innovative leadership, graduates understand how to motivate others, make decisions, manage people and processes, and enable individuals and institutions to reach their highest potential.
Key Program Features
- Minimum Credits: 36 graduate credits.
- Customizable: Includes a mix of rigorous core/specialization courses and elective courses to enable you to tailor the program to your career interests and needs. Opportunity to complete an Advanced Certificate in Program Evaluation or Online Teaching for a few additional required credits.
- Career-Related Experiences: Includes a supervised internship in a local higher education institution and opportunities to pursue assistantships.
- Culminating Experience: Choose to participate in either a master’s thesis or comprehensive exam, allowing you to choose how to exhibit your mastery of the coursework.
- Flexible: Program can be completed in as little as one calendar year full-time or two years part-time. You can also start during any semester and go at your own pace.
- Hybrid-Online Offerings: Option to take some required and elective courses fully online or hybrid-online.
- Supportive Environment: Engage with full-time faculty and peers at the master’s and doctoral levels, both inside and outside the classroom. Work with a dedicated faculty advisor to tailor the program to suit your academic and career goals.
Prerequisite
- A bachelor’s degree.
Scholarships, Tuition, & Financial Aid
University of Rochester Higher Education Fellowship Programs
Fellows receive up to 60% tuition scholarships, annual stipends, and other benefits. Choose between three fellowship programs.
Partnerships and Career Pathways
Questions?
Master's Program Options
All of the following options lead to a 36-credit MS in Educational Administration.
Higher Education Administration
For students interested in beginning or advancing their career in the administrative and operations side of higher education. Core coursework centers on leadership and management, critical issues facing higher education, and an understanding of how universities work. Coursework for the MS in Educational Administration: Higher Education
Higher Education
Student Affairs
For students interested in beginning or advancing their career in the student affairs side of higher education in areas with high student contact. Core coursework centers on the administration of student affairs and student services, critical issues facing higher education, and theories underlying college students’ development. Coursework for the MS in Educational Administration: Higher Education Student Affairs
Student Affairs Administration and Academic & Career Advising
For students interested in beginning or advancing their career in the student affairs side of higher education in the specific areas of academic and career advising. This program has a dual core comprised of administration of student affairs and student development coursework within the higher education program and academic and career counseling coursework within the counseling and human development program. Coursework for the MS in Educational Administration: Student Affairs and Academic and Career Advising.
Additional specialization options
Advanced Certificate in Program Evaluation
Advanced Certificate in Online Teaching
Add one of these for free as part of the Higher Education Emerging Leader Fellowship
Customize Your Degree
Our degrees are designed to meet your interests and career aspirations. Whether you want to add an advanced certificate or specialize in a distinct area of emphasis, we can help craft the best option for you.
Ready to Apply?
Career Opportunities
Our graduates are prepared to assume entry-level and middle-management positions in a variety of settings in higher education administration (i.e., academic departments, administrative and operations offices) and student affairs areas (i.e., admissions, residential life, academic advising, athletics).
There are a wide range of these types of positions, and the need for skills specific to supporting, managing, and leading the operations associated with the campus community is growing more quickly than for other sectors.
Some of our graduates have also transferred their knowledge and skills to positions in state and federal agencies, coordinating boards and system offices, as well as other higher education-related enterprises and nonprofit organizations in the United States and abroad.
International students have found many opportunities to apply what they have learned in this program to international settings.
Program Director
Andrea Barrett
Assistant Professor (Clinical), Co-Chair Educational Leadership
Take a Course Before You Apply
Take a course before you apply to one of our programs for a discounted price. Inquire with admissions to learn about credits that also apply toward degree requirements.
Related Advanced Certificates
Minimal additional credits required.