Master of Science inHigher Education

This course is designed to introduce students in how the institution of higher education has been shaped by major trends in American society. It will look at the historic development, structure, roles, and diverse characteristics of both private and public sectors of higher education, how they have contributed to the development of our country, and what might be expected of higher education in the future.  Additional focus on how Christian heritage and how that has been a theme in the development of higher education. Three hours.

This course will be an intense study of theory and developmental patterns which are necessary in guiding the student affairs professional.  Content is designed to increase the understanding of how student services, activities, health and wellness, and all areas of student affairs are organized, administered, and assessed. Three hours.

This course will examine key administrative and financing structures used within higher educational institutions. This will include budgeting processes, sources of revenue, types of expenditures, and analyzing social, political, economic, and technological environments.  The focus will also be on factors influencing strategic level decision making, structure, governance model, human resources, change management and leadership culture. Three hours.

This course examines the patterns of college students from several different viewpoints. You will learn distinctives and differences in generational cohorts, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientation, as well as other characteristics of the American college student. Three hours.

This course focuses on persistent legal and ethical issues which confront today’s leaders in higher education. You will learn to recognize concerns while processing and analyzing law in areas such as student rights and privacy laws, sexual harassment, tort liability, federal, and judicial reputations, distinction between public and private sectors, all the while learning and understanding the need for clear judicial affairs policy. Three hours.

This course provides learners with the opportunity to further develop the capacity to properly and effectively use concepts from courses completed during the first year of the MSHE program in realistic problem solving settings. Students will demonstrate mastery of first year material by using that material to analyze and address an existing problem or question. Proper and effective use of these concepts includes: 1) use of individual concepts and 2) use of multiple concepts in an interdisciplinary manner. Properly addressing realistic problems includes: 1) specifying the problem, 2) analyzing the problem, and 3) formulating a solution to the problem. Three hours.

This course provides learners with the opportunity to further develop the capacity to properly and effectively use concepts from courses completed during the first year of the MSHE program in realistic problem solving settings. Students will demonstrate mastery of second year material by using that material to analyze and address an existing problem or question. Proper and effective use of these concepts includes: 1) use of individual concepts and 2) use of multiple concepts in an interdisciplinary manner. Properly addressing realistic problems includes: 1) specifying the problem, 2) analyzing the problem, and 3) formulating a solution to the problem. Three hours.

This course offers an introductory study of the principles and techniques of investigation and data collection in the field of higher education. The course will deal with techniques of organizing, conducting, analyzing, and presenting such data, with a focus on how such activities apply within the realm of a higher education professional. Three hours.

Students will engage a variety of leadership theories, models and organizational frameworks and then apply those theories, models, and structure to leading within the field of higher education. Because leadership in higher education is inherently organizational and undergoing tremendous change, a large portion of the course will be devoted to navigating change within organizational structures and utilizing the strengths of institutions. Three hours.

This course will focus on identifying private foundations and corporations whose philanthropic mission aligns with the vision a non-profit organization chosen by the student. Students will conduct research on foundations and corporations and craft letters of inquiry and grant proposals. Students will develop a basic knowledge of grant writing process and display understanding of the content through the development of a grant proposal.

Nonprofit management is becoming a recognized specialty, and there is a growing number of individuals and entities specializing in nonprofit financial management as well. With this growth in numbers comes a comparable growth in the demand for sophisticated management. No longer is it enough just for one’s financial records to be in order; one must be able to demonstrate good financial systems to meet all the other rising demands on today’s nonprofit.

This course provides an overview of the history and theories influencing philanthropy. Students will develop their own theoretical framework for fundraising. The culminating project will be the creation and presentation of a case statement for a non-profit organization of student’s choice.