UNLV Department of Educational Leadership

Higher Education Leadership Master's Program

Higher Education Program : Introduction : Program Overview : Admission Information : Higher Education Core & Strands : Advising : Program of Study Forms : Professional Development Opportunities : Internship : Capstone Experience : Program Benchmarks : Career Opportunities : Prospective Students : Master Graduate Assistantships : Current Student Resources : Student Gallery/Honors : Contact Information

Introduction

The Master's of Education degree (M.Ed.) in Higher Education Leadership prepares students for entry-level and leadership level positions at public and private universities, community colleges, and proprietary institutions. It is distinguished by its emphasis on integrating practical managerial skills with a broad understanding of issues across the field of higher education. The degree program allows students to choose a sequence of courses emphasizing student personnel services or leadership.

Learning takes place in a vibrant, fast-growing, urban research university that serves both traditional and non-traditional students, who are part of both residential and commuter populations. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas is a minority serving institution committed to all aspects of diversity.

We are looking for hard working, dedicated, and engaged students. We welcome your interest in our master's programs, and if our programs meet your needs we invite you to apply.

Click Here to Download: Handbook of Policies and Procedures for the Master's Program in Higher Education Leadership

Program Overview

The M.Ed is a 37 credit non-thesis program. It consists of a 6 course core curriculum, 5 elective courses, an internship and a capstone experience.

The master's core is designed to provide students with the practical managerial skills necessary for successful careers in a variety of higher education settings. Leadership skills include strategic decision making, communication, leadership, management, legal issues in higher education law, and the ability to work in diverse environments.

The elective courses afford students the opportunity to specialize in one of two areas-higher education management or student personnel services. These electives broaden student understanding of how to integrate personal, organization, and policy dynamics in the workplace.

Through the internship, students gain practical, career related experience by working in an administrative or program setting, (i.e., event planning, working with undergraduate students).

All students participate in a capstone experience. Students, in consultation with their program advisor, will select an appropriate capstone experience, the purpose of which is to consolidate classroom learning prior to degree completion.

Admissions Information

Students must fulfill Graduate College and departmental requirements to complete the admissions process.

Step I. Graduate College Admissions Process

Applicants can apply to the Graduate College and the department all in one online application simultaneously. Please use the upload of documents feature in the ApplyYourself (AY) system to submit required application materials. Applicants are strongly encouraged to upload all required documents to expedite the application process. However, if difficulties are encountered, a mailing address for application materials is also provided below. If you have questions regarding your application materials, please contact Connie Dye, the administrative assistant for the Department of Educational Leadership, at 702-895-3491 or at connie.dye@unlv.edu.

For more information on application for admission visit the Graduate College Admissions website.

Admissions requirements to the Graduate College include:

Step II. Departmental Admission Requirements

Admissions requirements to the department include:

* You will be asked to self-report standardized test scores on the on-line application form. If accepted, you will be required to send official verification of test scores to the department. Admission will be considered contingent upon receipt of official scores.

Departmental requirements should be submitted to:
Master's Admission in Higher Education Leadership
College of Education
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
4505 Maryland Parkway, Box 453002
Las Vegas, Nevada 89154-3002
Telephone: 702-895-3491
Fax: 702-895-0984

The admission deadlines are

If you have questions about your application materials, contact the Department of Educational Leadership at 702-895-3491 or write to the department's administrative assistant, Connie Dye, at connie.dye@unlv.edu.

Master's Admissions contact: Dr. Sally Bomotti sally.bomotti@unlv.edu

Graduate Assistantship contact: Dr. Robert Ackerman bob.ackerman@unlv.edu

Higher Education Core & Strands

Higher Education Core (18 credits). Six courses specifically designed to complement each other provide students with a cohesive higher education managerial knowledge base. These courses are:

Specialization in Higher Education Management (15 credits). The following courses are recommendations only and not intended to limit student choice of electives.

Specialization in Student Personnel Services (15 credits). The following courses are recommendations only and not intended to limit student choice of electives.

For more information about the courses listed above please visit the UNLV Graduate Catalog.

Advising

New master's students are assigned to Dr. Sally Bomotti for initial advising upon acceptance. Following initial advising, students should identify a program advisor from among the higher education faculty before earning 12 hours toward their degree. Once this person is identified, he/she becomes the student's primary advisor. The functions of the program advisor are to review the proposed program of the student, guide the student through the process of course selection, serve as capstone project advisor, and provide counsel on post-graduation career opportunities.

NOTE: Students can take up to 9 credits as a non-degree seeking student at UNLV, which with the initial program advisor's consent can be applied to the student's master's program of study, once admitted into the program.

No more than 12 credits can be transferred into the program from another institution and these credits cannot have satisfied the requirements of another degree.

Program Study Forms

Students must complete a program of study before earning 12 hours toward their degree. The program of study is a two-part form.

Part I, can be downloaded from the Graduate College at Proposed Masters & Specialist Degree Program Part I.

Part II can be downloaded by clicking on the following link: Proposed Masters & Specialist Degree Program Part II.

Student Professional Development Opportunities

Higher Education students have access to the following professional development oppurtunities:

Internship (3 credits)

Master's students are required to complete an internship experience. Through the internship, students gain practical, career related experience by working in an administrative or program setting, (i.e., event planning, working with undergraduate students). The internship is usually taken after the student has been in the program for a year and can be repeated for up to six credits. It is designed to broaden and enhance an individual student's professional skill set. Students meet with the master's internship coordinator to select an appropriate experience and identify the campus setting for the internship. See Current Student Resources for greater detail.

Purpose and Goals of Internship

Students are required to be involved in professional practice related to their career goals sometime during their course of study in higher education leadership. The internship is a 3-credit practical experience intended to provide meaningful, career-related work experience that extends student learning beyond the classroom. Internships are also intended to provide an environment in which students reflect upon their contemporary experiences and consider the implications for their field of practice as well as their own professional development and careers.

Procedures of Internship

Internship experiences are individually developed to meet the needs and interests of the students to the extent possible. The first step in locating an internship site is to determine what population you wish to work with and the type of work setting you wish to work in after graduation. Your internship experience should reflect your career goals. The higher education leadership faculty internship supervisor will be available to discuss this with you and help you identify appropriate potential sites . Students must meet with the faculty intern advisor, Dr. Sally Bomotti, prior to entering into an internship agreement and beginning internship work.

Once an internship site and a cooperating site supervisor have been identified, students need to make an appointment with the faculty internship supervisor prior to registration in the internship course (EDH 790) to complete the Internship Agreement. This agreement spells out what the internship will entail and must be signed by you, the site supervisor, and the faculty internship supervisor. It is your responsibility to make sure that the Internship Agreement is filled out, signed by all three parties to the agreement, and returned to the faculty internship supervisor. You must then be concurrently registered for EDH 790 while doing your internship.

It is recommended that you complete at least two semesters of course work in the higher education leadership program before embarking upon the internship.

Internship Agreement

The Internship Agreement is a critical component of the internship experience. It delineates areas for skill development and knowledge development associated with the field internship and identifies the means by which the internship will be evaluated. Site supervisor and student self-evaluation are the two essential components of assessing progress at the end of the semester. The site supervisor's assessment of the student's skill and knowledge development during the course of the internship experience will contribute to the final grade achieved by each student. The internship will be graded on a pass/fail basis.

Internship Agreement Form [Acrobat PDF]

Capstone Experience (1 credit)

All students participate in a capstone experience. Students, in consultation with their program advisor, will select an appropriate capstone experience, the purpose of which is to consolidate classroom learning prior to degree completion. Usually taken during the final semester of enrollment, this one credit course (EDH 798) will help prepare the new professional for entry into a career field. Depending on the interests of the student, EDH 798 will take one of two formats:

  1. A written competency-based examination, which takes into account the content covered in the program's core courses - EDH 702, 705, 728, 751, and 761. This examination is in two parts. The first part, which students have several weeks to complete, asks for a response to a question. The end product is a 12-15 page paper. The second part is timed and asks students to respond to one or more case studies. Students are given one or more case studies on a Friday morning and must return an analysis (or analyses) of the case(s) with recommendations for action to the department office by 4 p.m. the following Monday. The end product also is a 12-15 page paper.
  2. A literature review project or positional paper designed in consultation with your program chair. This project is tailored to meet the needs and interest of the student. In most instances, the end product is a 25-30 page paper. Students make a formal presentation of the project and its end results prior to graduation.

Program Benchmarks

The following benchmarks are listed in roughly the order in which they should be met.

Career Opportunities

Management Specialization:

Student Personnel Services:

Support program personnel management in non-profit organizations.

Prospective Students

Important Note for Graduate, Non-Degree Students Seeking Formal Admission:

Students can take up to nine (9) credits as a non-degree seeking student at UNLV, which with the initial program advisor's consent can be applied to the student's master's program of study, once admitted into the program. The 9 credits must carry grades of B or higher. Please be aware that this policy is more restrictive than the one stated by the Graduate College, which allows non-degree graduate students to transfer up to 15 UNLV credits with grades of B or higher into a degree program, with consent. The more restrictive 9-credit transfer policy was enacted by the faculty of the program in Higher Education Leadership to encourage students to not take too many credits under the non-degree status without the assurance of formal admission into the program.

No more than 12 credits can be transferred into the program from another institution and these credits cannot have satisfied the requirements of another degree. Transfer credits must be approved by the program adviser.

Master Graduate Assistantships

The department offers a variety of graduate assistantships at both the master's and doctoral levels for full time students. Graduate assistantships represent opportunities for students to gain valuable experience as faculty research assistants, academic advisors, program assistants, career counselors, analysts, institutional planners, student program advisors, development researchers, and other professional responsibilities. Assistantships on the UNLV campus are housed in Student Life, academic advising, the UNLV Foundation, the Department of Educational Leadership, as well as others. Efforts are made to match the developmental needs of the student with available opportunities.

Graduate assistantships require 20 hours per week during the 9-month academic year. Compensation includes a monthly stipend. For master's students that stipend will total approximately $10,000 per academic year. The assistantship also covers most of the per credit tuition/registration fee and contributes to the cost of student health and accident insurance.

To qualify for an assistantship, students must be admitted to the Graduate College and complete the Graduate Assistantship Application form available at http://graduatecollege.unlv.edu/ga/. The UNLV Graduate College Catalog contains general information on graduate assistantships. The deadline for applying for assistantships through the UNLV Division of Student Affairs is March 15th.

For information about the availability of specific graduate assistantships, contact the Graduate Coordinator at bob.ackerman@unlv.edu.

Current Student Resources

Resources that current Higher Education program students will find useful:

Contact Information

Dr. Sally Bomotti
Email: sally.bomotti@unlv.edu
Phone: 702-895-5217

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