Higher Education and Student Development, MA

The program prepares students for positions in higher education administration, student development, non-profit higher education associations, and government organizations. Today's higher education professionals are required to address both the needs of incoming traditionally aged students, as well as those of older students returning for a degree and special populations. The wide range of student backgrounds in the current complex context requires a holistic approach to college student development.

The Master of Arts degree in Higher Education and Student Development will prepare future higher education leaders who understand higher education in the digital age, student development, multicultural and diverse populations, program development, professionalism, and learning assessment. This multidisciplinary program offers both thesis and project capstone options and is full and part-time student friendly. Alumni hold positions in areas such as career development, academic advising, assessment, facilities management, admissions, and residence life.

Admissions

Applicants to all graduate programs at George Mason University must meet the admission standards and application requirements for graduate study as specified in Graduate Admissions. For specific information, see Application Requirements and Deadlines on the departmental website.

Policies

For policies governing all graduate degrees, see AP.6 Graduate Policies.

Banner Code: LA-MA-HESD

Degree Requirements

Total credits: 33

Core Courses

Electives

A student pursuing the thesis option must take 3 credits of a research methods course as one of their electives.

Capstone or Thesis Requirement

Students choose either the capstone course option or thesis option as described below. 

¹

Students pursuing the thesis option must take 3 credits of a research methods course as one of their electives.

²

A thesis is a rigorous scholarly inquiry that requires the collection of original data and is presented in a traditional, formal, written format. The guideline and deadlines for thesis submission are set by the University and administered by the University Dissertation and Thesis Service.  

Program Outcomes

• Understand and apply concepts of leadership, teaching, administration, and assessment through an interdisciplinary lens within the context of the complex higher education enterprise.
• Become socialized members of a community of higher education professionals to contribute to and lead scholarly conversations by consuming, critiquing, and creating scholarship.
• Understand and employ effective pedagogical approaches.
• Examine current issues related to existing and emerging technologies in theory and practice.
• Value assessment, understand its role, and be skilled in enacting analytical processes.
• Reflect on themselves as cultural beings and analyze how culture and history influence their work in higher education.
• Value diversity, equity, and inclusion and meet multicultural competencies.
• Use theory as a base from which to ground the practice of effective and ethical leadership, teaching, and administration.
• Be prepared to implement programs and services that support institutional mission while adhering to oversight and accountability requirements.

Bachelor's Degree (any)/Higher Education and Student Development, Accelerated MA

Overview

Highly qualified undergraduates may be admitted to the bachelor's/accelerated master's pathway program and obtain a bachelor's degree in a chosen major and an MA in Higher Education and Student Development in an accelerated time-frame after satisfactory completion of a minimum of 141 credits.

See AP.6.7 Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's Degrees for policies related to this program.

Students in an accelerated degree program must fulfill all university requirements for the master's degree. For policies governing all graduate degrees, see AP.6 Graduate Policies.

BAM Pathway Admission Requirements

Applicants to all graduate programs at George Mason University must meet the admission standards and application requirements for graduate study as specified in Graduate Admissions Policies and Bachelor's Accelerated Master's Degree policies. For information specific to this accelerated master's program, see Application Requirements and Process.

Students will be considered for admission into the BAM Pathway after completion of a minimum of 60 credits.

Students who are accepted into the BAM Pathway will be allowed to register for graduate level courses after successful completion of a minimum of 75 undergraduate credits.

Accelerated Master's Admission Requirements

Undergraduate students already admitted to the BAM Pathway will be admitted to the MA program, if they have met the following criteria that will be verified:

• Submission of BAM Transition Form by stated deadline.
• Minimum overall GPA of 3.00 for conferred undergraduate degree (which
  does not include any earned reserve graduate credits).
• Completion of approved advanced standing courses and any reserve graduate courses with the minimum grade requirement of B-.
• Successful completion of required minimum of 120 credits needed for undergraduate degree conferral (after exclusion of any satisfactory reserve graduate credits earned).
• Successfully meeting Mason's requirements for undergraduate degree conferral (graduation) and timely submission of the application for graduation.

Accelerated Pathway Requirements

To maintain the integrity and quality of both the undergraduate and graduate degree programs, undergraduate students interested in taking graduate courses must choose from the following:

Advanced Standing courses
Students must complete at least 3 credits from the following list of graduate-level courses, while in undergraduate status, up to a maximum of 12.

Reserve Graduate Credit courses

Students may complete up to 6 credits, while in undergraduate student status, of graduate-level coursework from the list below that will only count towards the graduate degree program. 

For more detailed information on coursework and timeline requirements, see AP.6.7 Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's Degrees and AP.1.4.4 Graduate Course Enrollment by Undergraduates.