Transform college access, workforce preparation and higher education student services with a Master of Education, emphasis in Higher Education.
Educational practitioners and community stakeholders seek opportunities to establish partnerships with college and career readiness professionals to address the academic and personal challenges of elementary and secondary youth who may be underprepared to fully contribute to the economic vibrancy of our region. You can contribute as a transition planning advocate to the development of academic and career pathways that will inspire renewed hope for vulnerable youth populations and positively impact their future aspirations.
This innovative program also aims to provide foundational tools for student services practitioners who will pursue entry to mid-level staff or leadership roles in higher education institutions to effectively serve students who transition to college to earn a postsecondary degree and require various forms of academic and personal support in order to experience academic success and persist to graduation.
Program type:
Graduate, MEd
Format:
100% Online
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Master of Education, Higher Education
The UMSL Higher Education MEd program has been redesigned to promote student services collaboration across both educational sectors, K-12 and higher education. Student services emphases in both higher education and college and career readiness provide an opportunity for practitioners to serve as transition advocacy specialists for students in K-12 educational settings, or they can provide student support services in a postsecondary setting after students have transitioned to college.
The enhanced, comprehensive curriculum addresses the needs of student services staff and leaders in higher education, K-12 teacher leaders, and college and career readiness professionals in our schools and communities.
Student support professionals will be provided the necessary tools to empower students at all educational levels to succeed. A renewed emphasis will be placed on students who are culturally connected to marginalized communities or underrepresented populations to promote achievement and success among these groups.
Outcomes and Career Outlook
Students who graduate from this program pursue careers in a variety of higher education settings, including the College Advising Corps; Multicultural Student Services; Student Conduct; Disability Access Services; TRIO, Talent Search, Upward Bound, and other pre-collegiate transition programs; and more. They also pursue careers with state agencies such as MDHEWD and federal agencies such as the Office of Postsecondary Education.
The employment of Postsecondary and Pre-Collegiate Student Services professionals is projected to increase to 7% through 2030, with a median annual salary of $94,410 according to wage and employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET.
94,410
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Career Opportunities
- Academic and Career Advising
- Academic Affairs Professional
- Career Readiness Professional
- Child Advocacy, Victimization, and Trauma Support Professional
- College Access Policy Development Professional
- College Readiness Advocate
- K-12 College and Career Coach
- Student Services Staff and Administration
- Precollegiate Programming Staff
Admissions requirements include an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher, a completed UMSL Graduate School Application and official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.
Application Deadlines
Fall - July 1, Spring - December 1, Summer - May 1
Download Program RequirementsPlan of study
Review Full Degree RequirementsNon-Missouri Residents: Prospective students are responsible for reviewing the UMSL state authorizations page to see if this program is offered in their state throughout their program and to review the licensure or certification requirements for the state in which they reside.
Student Organizations - Make new friends and learn new skills by joining one of our Recognized Student Organizations.
Career Services – Students have access to professional career counselors who can assist in everything from resume development and interview preparation to lining up an internship or connecting you with your next fulltime career. UMSL alumni also enjoy high quality, lifelong career management programming, services, events and resources to assist in all phases of career development.
Networking – with the largest alumni network in the region, UMSL graduate students have access to leading professionals engaged in business, research, entrepreneurship, non-profit, government, community organizations. Our academic units engage this network in curriculum development to ensure our graduate students gain the skills needed to advance along their choose career path.
Research – There are many opportunities for graduate students to showcase their research including our annual Graduate Research Fair, which is open to students from all graduate programs. Doctoral and thesis master’s students can also compete in the Three Minute Thesis challenge to be evaluated by a panel of judges for a chance to win cash prizes.