WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

GENERAL PROGRAM INFORMATION

Program name: M.A. in Higher Education & Student Affairs (HESA) Leadership; Ph.D. in Educational Leadership-Higher Education (cognate in student affairs)

College: College of Education

Department: Department of Educational Leadership, Research & Technology (ELRT)

Degrees and Emphases:
M.A. – Higher Education & Student Affairs (HESA) Leadership
Ph.D. – Educational Leadership-Higher Education

Tuition and Fees:
http://www.wmich.edu/registrar/tuition/

Contact Person for HESA Leadership master’s:

Donna M. Talbot, Ph.D.
e-mail:  donna.talbot@wmich.edu
Phone:  (269) 387-5122
Fax:  (269) 387-3696

Contact Person for Ph.D. in Ed Leadership-Higher Education (cognates in student affairs):
Dr. Louann Bierlein-Palmer
e-mail: L.BierleinPalmer@wmich.edu
Phone: 269-387-3596
            or
Dr. Andrea Beach
e-mail: andrea.beach@wmich.edu
Phone: 269-387-1725

Department Address: ELRT Department, Sangren Hall, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5283

Web Page (URL) address:
http://www.wmich.edu/coe/elrt

Degree first offered: 1947 (master's); 1968 (Ed.D. in Counseling & Personnel Services); 2003 (Ph.D. in Ed Leadership-Higher Education)

Typical number of students admitted each year: 12-25 (master's) 10-20 (doctoral)

PROGRAM STATEMENT
Ph.D. in Educational Leadership with concentration in higher education (cognate in student affairs):  This Ph.D. concentration has been developed in a manner to support working professionals. Non-traditional course delivery formats including on-line and other distance learning techniques, weekend courses, and intensive summer classes are utilized. Applying theory to practice is an overall theme, with the case-study approach to learning utilized extensively. Besides being targeted toward working professionals, this program contains a very unique Professional Inquiry, Research, and Dissertation Core for all students. This approach essentially “flips the dissertation process on its head,” by having students focus on possible dissertation topics during the first year of their program (both through the initial doctoral studies seminar and their first professional field experience course). This will allow students, during their second and third years, to be working on their research ideas while taking core research and higher education courses.

MA in Higher Education & Student Affairs (HESA) Leadership: This master’s concentration is designed to prepare reflective scholar-practitioners to work in community colleges, and public or private colleges and universities. The curriculum is a blend of course work on student affairs, leadership, higher education, and diversity. In recognition that student affairs educators must be prepared to work effectively with diverse populations, all students are required to take a “Diversity & Equity in Higher Education” course, as well as an individually designed diversity cognate.

PROGRAM MISSION
The mission of the HESA Leadership masters concentration is to prepare scholar-practitioners who will bring a deep understanding and appreciation of leadership and multiculturalism to diverse higher education settings.

PROGRAM UNIQUENESS
Recognizing the complexities of higher education settings, our master’s concentration in Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) Leadership emphasizes the development of broad-based knowledge regarding educational systems, leadership principles, and multiculturalism. All students will take a required course in “Equity and Diversity in Higher Education,” as well as develop an individualized 6-credit diversity cognate with the help of their advisor.

NATIONAL STANDARDS
Meets ACPA Professional Preparation Commission Standards: YES
 Meets CAS Standards: YES
Other/Comments:

APPLICATION AND ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

Master's Application

  • Bachelor’s degree with 3.0 or better GPA
  • Phone Interview with Program Director strongly recommended before submitting materials
  • Graduate College application
  • Official transcripts from every higher education institution attended
  • Three completed Graduate Reference Forms for MA applicants
  • Resume
  • Completed Program Goals Form (Downloadable in Word format).
  • Work and/or volunteer experience preferred
  • Deadline - Rolling, with preference for those before March 15th (especially for students who are applying for Graduate Assistanships)
  • Doctorate Application

    Graduate Application Form
  • Official GRE scores (for the General GRE exam).
  • Official Transcripts from every higher education institution you have ever attended
  • Three completed Graduate Reference Forms
  • Resume of Leadership Form
  • Complete Vita or Resume.
  • Autobiographical Statement (note: this is a two or more page typed paper that shows a clear and complete statement of your professional goals, and how those goals relate to achieving a doctorate degree in Education Leadership. Please be aware that this paper is also viewed as a "writing sample").
  • Completed Program Goals Form (Downloadable in Word format).

CURRICULUM INFORMATION

Program Required Hours:
M.A. - 39 Credit hours
Ph.D. - 90 Credit hours minimum (includes most hours from MA)

 
 

Master's Curriculum

I.  Leadership Core

EDLD 6020: Educational Leadership
EMR 6400: Intro to Research
EDLD 6060: Systems Thinking
           
II.  Student Affairs & Higher Ed Core
EDLD 6510: Foundations of Student Affairs
EDLD 6530: The College Student 
EDLD 6540: Administration & Assessment of College Environments
EDLD 6550: Intervention Skills for Higher Education Professionals
EDLD 6570: Equity and Diversity in Higher Education
EDLD 6590: Higher Education Law  
EDLD 6790: Capstone Experience

III. Diversity Cognate [Select 2 with approval of advisor] This is not an exhaustive list of possibilities.
EDLD 6890: University and Community College Topical Seminar
CECP 6860: LGBT Issues in Counseling & Development
FCS 5680: Gender, Culture, and Families
COM 6700: Seminar in Interpersonal Communication
REL 6150: Survey of Religions of the World
SOC 5220: Social Psychology of Prejudice
             Section Total   6 credit hours

IV. Internships
EDLD 6580: Field Experience in Higher Education and Student Affairs (300 clock hours)

Is a thesis required? No

Doctorate Curriculum

I. Leadership Core (9 required credits):
EDLD 6020:  Introduction to Leadership
EDLD 6060:  Systems Thinking
EDLD 6090:  Theories of Leadership

II. Professional Inquiry, Research, and Dissertation Core  (33 total credits)

A) “Professional Inquiry” Component 

EDLD 6860:  Doctoral Studies Seminar
EDLD 7120:  Professional Field Experience Seminar
EDLD 7120: Professional Field Experience

B) “Research Methods” Component (Note: a 3-credit
Introduction to Research course  such as EMR 6400; ED
6010, or equivalent) is a prerequisite):

EMR 6450: Elementary Statistics (3 credits)
EMR 6480: Qualitative Methods (3 credits)
EMR 6550: Research Design (3 credits)
 
C) “Dissertation” Component 

 EDLD 6950: Dissertation Seminar (3 credits)
 EDLD 7300: Doctoral Dissertation (12 credits)

III. Higher Education Core (24 credits total)

A) Required Classes (12 credits, as follows:)
  
EDLD 6870: Governance and Financing in Universities and Community Colleges
EDLD  6880:  Higher Education & The New Technological Frontier (via an Internet course) 
EDLD 6890:   University and Community College Topical Seminar
EDLD 6590:  Legal Issues in Higher Education 

B) Elective Courses (12 credits from following list, or
equivalent):

EDLD 6630:  Personnel Administration 
EDLD 6730:  Supervision
ED 5050:       The Adult Learner  
ES 6330:       Human Nature and Diversity
EDLD 6530: The College Student 
EDLD 6540: Administration & Assessment of College Environments
EMR 6420:   Program Evaluation
GRAD 7110: Readings in Doctoral Specialization
     
IV. Special Interest Cognate & Electives (24 credits)

 In conjunction with their advisor, students will identify courses to help strengthen their primary area of interest and/or their research knowledge and tools. Many credits for this component may come from the student’s masters degree program. Other courses from the masters degree may, as appropriate, be used to fulfill some required or elective courses for the other components. 

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION - Students in student affairs or higher education administration programs  (2004-2005): This data is not available for the new HESA Leadership master's program that will be launched in Fall 2007.

 
Total Number
# of Males 
# of Females 
# of Whites 
# of Persons of Color
Master's          
Doctoral 76 32 44 59 17
 
% of part-time students
% of full-time students
% of students enrolled in the program who also hold some form of financial assistance (graduate assistantship, fellowship, tuition waiver, scholarship)
Master's
     
Doctoral
 95 5 not provided

PROGRAM FACULTY - Faculty members with areas of specialization and percentage of time devoted to both the HESA Leadership master's and Ph.D. in EDLD-Higher Education.

Faculty in Educational Leadership
Dr. Andrea Beach, Assistant Professor [100%]
Dr. Louann Bierlein Palmer , Associate Professor [50%]
Dr. Walter Burt, Assistant Professor [10%]
Dr. Joseph Kretovics, Director, GearUP
Dr. Sue Poppink, Assistant Professor [20%]
Dr. Patricia Reeves, Assistant Professor [20%]
Dr. Jianping Shen, Professor [20%]
Dr. Donna Talbot, Associate Professor [100%]
Dr. Charles Warfield, Associate Professor [10%]

Brad Winkler, J.D., Vice President for Student Affairs, Aquinas College [10%]

Faculty in Evaluation, Measurement & Research
Dr. Brooks Applegate, Professor [10%]
Dr. Warren Lacefield, Professor [10%]
Dr. Liliana Rodgriquez-Campos, Assistant Professor [10%]

Last modified 02/19/2007
Information submitted by: Donna M. Talbot

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