Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration (HESA) M.Ed.

Program Overview

An Unparalleled Learning Experience

UVM HESA students share a commitment to advancing higher education and student affairs through collaboration and transformative leadership. With students from various backgrounds and professional experiences, each cohort enjoys strong and enduring relationships with fellow colleagues, award-winning faculty, and campus and community partnerships.

Flexibility to Meet Your Needs

We welcome full-time and part-time students with diverse backgrounds and professional experiences into an invigorating theory-to-practice community. All HESA courses are offered either in-person or online so you can complete your degree in a way that works best for you. 

Our Mission and Core Values

We develop practitioner scholars through academic and professional preparation whose commitment to reflection and justice will transform higher education and student affairs in the spirit of The Vermont Connection.

Academic and Professional Preparation:  Through partnerships between faculty and student affairs professionals, we promote excellence through academic and professional rigor. We cultivate the knowledge and skills necessary for success in the profession through the synergy between classroom and experiential learning as conceptualized by philosopher and UVM alumnus John Dewey.

Justice:  We are committed to pursuing justice as both a process and a goal. Grounded in the ethos of HESA, UVM, and the profession, we strive to transform student affairs for more inclusive opportunities in higher education.

Reflection:  We foster reflection of self, others, and contexts as a critical component of growth in professional practice. Through critical consciousness we strive to improve higher education and student affairs with an aim toward promoting individual, institutional, and societal change.

The Vermont Connection is a collegial network of former and current students, faculty, and student affairs professionals with the shared vision of uplifting community through relationships. The spirit of The Vermont Connection weaves together the history, present, and future of UVM HESA. 

Information Sessions

Meet our faculty and learn more about the program:

Attend an online information session

Building Community

An integral aspect of UVM HESA is the ongoing connection and relationships with our graduates. 

The Vermont Connection (TVC) is collegial network of former and current students, faculty, and student affairs professionals with the shared vision of uplifting community through relationships. 

The Vermont Connection is also the name of UVM HESA’s student-run, peer-reviewed journal and organizing body. The TVC Executive Board is responsible for overseeing journal production from start to finish. They also engage with our alumnx and strive to contribute to the professional development and community-building of UVM HESA. 

Visit The Vermont Connection website.

Staying Connected

To facilitate ongoing connection with TVC, we add all graduates to the HESA alumnx listserv. 

Graduates of are encouraged to engage with the UVM Alumni Association. 

To update your contact and employment information in the UVM Foundation alumni database, please use the HESA Information Update Form.

Contact Us

Reach out to our Office of Graduate Student and Program Services if you have questions or need assistance.

Follow UVM HESA on Social Media

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Curriculum

Inspired by the theory-to-practice philosophy of UVM alum John Dewey, the UVM HESA program utilizes an experiential learning model that includes both classroom learning and professional practice. 

HESA students gain knowledge and practical experience in the following areas:

• College student development
• Research and assessment
• Social justice and inclusion
• Historical foundations of higher education
• Teaching and learning in curricular and co-curricular contexts
• Administration and functions of higher education
• Law and policy
• Organizational theory and development

Curriculum Themes: 

• Foundations of the Profession

• Student Learning and Development

• Higher Education Administration

Program Duration

Full-time students complete the program in two years taking at least nine credits per semester (three courses). Time to degree for part-time students will vary depending on credits taken per semester, though standard time to completion is three years (six credits / two courses per semester). 

Please visit the UVM Graduate Catalogue to further explore the HESA course listing and degree requirements for the current academic year. 

Academic Advising

HESA program faculty are available and eager to aid students in reaching their career goals. The core HESA faculty members represent a diverse array of professional experience and scholarly interests. 

Faculty advisors are committed to enhancing the quality of each student’s educational experience, including the development of an educator identity grounded in equity and justice. HESA students are each assigned a faculty advisor upon starting the program. Advising meetings are required at least once per semester, though faculty advisors and students may meet more frequently as needed and desired. 

Professional Preparation

UVM HESA students work as graduate assistants and full- and part-time professionals in higher education while completing their degrees. HESA students also engage in at least one practicum internship that aligns with their educational and career interests. These positions, combined with prior professional and student leadership experience, enable HESA students to make important connections between classroom learning and their practice as educators. 

As professionals who apply theory to their work, graduate assistantships and employment are living laboratories for HESA students to learn about and understand the field of higher education and student affairs. These experiences create vibrant classroom discussion as HESA students problem solve, work through ethical dilemmas, and share ways to create optimal educational environments for students.

As reflected our mission statement and core values, the four program learning outcomes embrace the ACPA/NASPA professional competencies expected of emerging professionals in higher education and student affairs administration.

• Understand, analyze, and apply the evolving body of scholarship and knowledge that guides student affairs practice.
• Develop, analyze, and apply professional skills and values that guide student affairs practice.
• Recognize, analyze, and act upon individual, institutional, and societal inequities in the pursuit of social justice and inclusion.
• Synthesize knowledge, practice, and social justice and inclusion of self, others, and context.

Admissions

HESA applications are accepted year-round, but are only reviewed twice per year, in December (due December 1) and April (due April 15). 

Those interested in completing the HESA program as a full-time student with a graduate assistantship are required to submit their completed application packet by December 1. 

The April review cycle is only for part-time applicants or those not seeking assistantships.  Admitted full-time students begin the HESA program in the fall. Admitted part-time students may begin in fall, spring, or summer.  

Admission is competitive and based on the candidate's academic accomplishments, potential for successful graduate work, knowledge of higher education and student learning and development, professional readiness, and commitment to the higher education and student affairs field. 

The HESA admissions committee assesses a candidate's potential for successful completion of the degree program and ability to function effectively as a professional.  

HESA graduate assistantship interviews are coordinated separately from the academic admissions process and take place early in the spring semester each year. Eligible admitted students will receive details about the assistantship interview process shortly after being notified of their admission to the HESA program. 

Applications to the HESA program are managed via the Graduate College. The admissions process includes submitting items requested in the application packet (detailed below) and a potential interview with HESA program faculty.   

Application Packet

Please review the detailed application instructions provided by the Graduate College. All materials must be submitted online via the Graduate College application system. A completed HESA program application includes the following: 

1. Application Form

2. Statement of Purpose (specific to the HESA Program) 

3. Resume/Curriculum Vitae 

4. Two Letters of Recommendation 

5. Transcript(s) for each higher education institution you have attended 

6. Residential Status Questionnaire (for in-state tuition consideration) 

7. Test scores for English proficiency for applicants whose native or first language is not English 

8. Application Fee of $65.00 paid at time of submission 

For further guidance on the statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and other application materials, applicants are strongly encouraged to review the HESA degree page in the UVM Graduate Catalogue. 

Note: The GRE is NOT required for academic admission to the UVM HESA nor for university funding through financial aid. 

Applicants are strongly advised to submit all materials (e.g., transcripts, recommendations, resume) by or before the deadline to receive a full and timely review. 

You can check whether your application is complete and all materials (e.g., recommendations, transcripts) have been submitted by logging into the application system provided by the Graduate College. 

Your application will not be reviewed by the HESA admissions committee until it is complete. 

Costs and Funding

Through partnerships with our campus partners, you can choose from a variety of professional experiences that provide funding as you gain valuable experience. 

Graduate Assistantships (GA)

Graduate Assistantships are designed specifically for HESA students and hosted by a variety of UVM campus departments and units. 

In these roles, you will apply theory to practice working part-time in areas directly related to the HESA curriculum. GA roles are carefully designed in partnership between the hosting campus unit and HESA program faculty to help meet both unit needs and student learning and development goals.

Visit our HESA Graduate Assistantships page to learn more and apply for a GA role. Students offered a graduate assistantship are enrolled as full-time HESA students and typically complete the program in two years.

Employment at UVM or other Higher Education Institutions

Those working full-time at a higher education institution or related organization are encouraged to enroll in UVM HESA coursework and apply to the academic program. Full-time employees can complete the HESA MEd program on a part-time basis that best fits with their employment schedule and responsibilities. HESA courses are offered in-person, online, and hybrid to accommodate various student needs. 

Scholarships

We encourage HESA applicants to research various scholarship opportunities while applying for graduate studies. Institutional scholarships are offered for prospective and current students. 

There are also many external scholarship resources and search tools for prospective graduate students as well.

• CESS Funding and Scholarships
• UVM Graduate Student Scholarships
• Scholarship Resources Outside of UVM