MA in Higher Education

<p>Hey everyone,</p>

<p>I'm interested in going to grad school for Higher Education, be it College Student Personnel, Educational Leadership, or whatever it's called, and I'm just trying to find out what some good options would be for graduate school. I'm really hoping to get a job as a Residence Director or Graduate Assistant while I'm getting my degree, but I'm not even sure where to start doing research. I know I'd like to be a part of a big public school though.</p>

<p>Also, I'm getting my undergraduate degree in chemistry, and wondering what a good GPA would be to get into grad school in a seemingly unrelated discipline. By the time I get to grad school, I'll have three years of RA experience so I figure that would look good in terms of experience. I'm trying to get between a 2.7 - 3.0, but it's hard for me to stay focused and motivated on something that even though I find interesting, I doubt I'll be doing anything serious with.</p>

<p>I took a full length GRE through Kaplan without any practice and my score range was 1350 to 1480, so if that helps anyone with thinking of potential colleges, I'd really appreciate any ideas. I'll be taking that for real at the end of the spring semester.</p>

<p>Hope to get some insight from you CC.</p>

<p>The best Higher Education Administration programs (in no particular order) are UCLA, Maryland-College Park, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn, Indiana-Bloomington, USC, and Penn State. I would research those schools and figure out which programs fits your academic needs. They all vary (program length can be either 1, 1.5 or 2 years; graduate assistantship is optional or mandatory; some are better in research methods or job placement).</p>

<p>Awesome, I’ll start looking those schools up. I’m more interested in having job experience then doing research, but it’s whatever. I’m really excited at the idea of going anywhere in the country.</p>

<p>Anyone else have any information? You can PM me if you do. =)</p>

<p>get as much leadership/program development experience as possible in undergrad for this field. research doesnt really matter for a MA unless you are going for a PhD.</p>

<p>what jobs in higher ed had you had? tutor to college students? Residential advisor? campus leader? coordinator position with a university?</p>

<p>MA programs value work experience more than research. it’s a practitioner’s degree. Be careful about going into debt over a program like this. Most universities are scaling back big time and starting salaries for higher ed admin with an MA (yes, an MA) is 25-35k. </p>

<p>why higher ed admin? what attracts you to the field?</p>

<p>I just transferred to my current school, so I’ll actually have three years of both RA experience, tutoring experience, and lab TA experience by the time I graduate. I’ve also been on the executive board of a couple substantial clubs at both schools. I’m hopefully also going to the RD2B conference at Skidmore in the spring, and will definitely be attending the Residence Life Conference at SUNY Cortland in February.</p>

<p>I think higher education is the best way for me to combine all of my interests in one career path. I really enjoy working with others firsthand, whether it is in diverse groups of people or dealing with all of the different aspects of Residence Life. I really enjoy being a leader, I think that it’s something that comes really easy to me, and the work I’ve done in the lab, in my clubs, and in my dorm, has not only impacted those involved but myself as well. </p>

<p>In short. =)</p>

<p>Anyone else?</p>

<p>Is there anyone that has more information for me?</p>