Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration (HESA) Program

With the beginning of the semester comes many events. What do all of these various events have in common? The many people working on these and many other projects across the campus are most likely graduate students in the Higher Education and Student Affairs program.

Nationally recognized as one of the top graduate programs in the nation, the Higher Education and Student Affairs program (HESA) prepares professionals to apply student development, organizational, foundational, multicultural and administrative principles to work with students. Working closely with faculty and in-place practitioners, graduate students in the program are challenged to experience an unparalleled learning experience.

UVM’s HESA program is recognized as the most diverse school on campus. With a small cohort (on average of 18 students), this provides an opportunity for students of diverse perspectives to enrich the educational environment and expand social awareness for everyone in class. Just take the opportunity to read The Vermont Connection. This student run scholarly journal, offers students an opportunity to write articles about critical issues of race, gender, socio-economic status and a host of current topics.

Graduates from the Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration program pursue careers as professionals in colleges and universities, as well as in fields related to higher education throughout the country. Many professionals in this field serve as policy makers, advisors, student service providers, researchers, programmers, consultants, and administrators. As one of the oldest programs in the nation, started in 1970, HESA alumni are represented in all corners of the nation and around the world; certainly a nice benefit for that graduating class.