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Cutting-Edge Curriculum that Prepares Contemporary Higher Education Leaders
Our Student Affairs and Higher Education, M.S. program prepares professionals for leadership roles in contemporary, evolving postsecondary settings.
Built on three stackable graduate certificates: Student Affairs in Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; and Counseling and Crisis Management in Higher Education, students take coursework designed to develop scholar-practitioners who lead higher education contexts that foster student success for diverse student populations.
Curriculum and Courses
Our online curriculum carries forward Miami’s legacy of educating for just and equitable student affairs and higher education practices. Our students and faculty are learning partners who value how our experiences and identities shape our perspectives on the practice of student affairs and higher education administration. We are an online program that recognizes the value of learning together, while respecting the flexibility of online education.
With a focus on the most contemporary issues in higher education, the curriculum blends key competencies in administrative practices and policies, organizational leadership, student development, equity-centered practice, student success, counseling, and crisis management.
The degree consists of coursework from three graduate certificates and a final capstone course. Degree-seekers may elect to earn the certificate credentials in addition to their master’s degree.
- Student Affairs in Higher Education Certificate
- EDL 667 Diversity, Equity, and Dialogue in Higher Education
- EDL 675 Student Development Theory
- EDL 676 Foundations of Student Affairs
- Higher Education Administration Certificate
- EDL 697 Higher Education Administration
- EDL 698 Current Trends in Higher Education
- EDL 706 Educational Leadership and Organizational Development
- Counseling and Crisis Management in Higher Education Certificate
- EDP 672 Helping Skills in Mental Health Intervention
- EDL 671 Crisis Management and Trauma-Informed Leadership in Education
- EDL 673 College Student Identity, Mental Health, and Student Success
Upon completion of these nine courses, students will finish the program with a portfolio capstone, which allows them to integrate their learning and development, demonstrate contemporary professional knowledge, and showcase their expertise to employers.
- EDL 656 Capstone in Student Affairs in Higher Education
Online Information Sessions
Join program faculty for an upcoming information session to gather insights into the Student Affairs and Higher Education, M.S. degree program. Attendees will learn how this new online program offering will prepare dynamic leaders to adeptly navigate rapidly changing higher education settings.
Quick Facts
- 30 Credit Hours
- 12 months to degree completion
- Courses are a mix of online-synchronous and asynchronous classes.
- $700 per credit
Additional Opportunities
Practical Experience
Faculty will provide support for students interested in gaining practical student affairs and higher education experience through higher education and student affairs internships.
Meet Our Faculty:
Online Student Community
The Miami University Student Affairs Graduate Association (MUSAGA) is the student organization for graduate students in the Student Affairs and Higher Education master’s degree program. MUSAGA supports SAHE graduate students’ transition to graduate school and provides professional development opportunities as well as opportunities to build community in an online setting.
Resources:
Facts and Stats
A Degree That Holds Its Worth
College of Education, Health, and Society Alumni
Miami University Data
Post-Graduation Success Rate
Miami University Data
Best Ohio Colleges for Future Leaders
TIME 2026
Hear from our Alumni
SAHE has a large and active alumni network that supports current students with internship opportunities, connections for career exploration, and job search strategies. Faculty help connect current students with our alumni.
Our alumni work in multiple higher education settings, such as residence life, orientation, academic advising, career counseling, student activities, multicultural affairs, disability services, student success, admissions, and alumni relations. Career options will become more expansive with the revised focus of this program from student affairs and higher education to student affairs in higher education.
In my work in higher education, I remain grateful for my SAHE degree. The theories and the discussions with my classmates have had a lasting impact on me as a person and a professional. Not only was the class content rich, but my faculty also reflected the literature we discussed through their care for me as a student. Flexibility and understanding were values of the program, making my SAHE experience one that I implement into my professional career and personal life. Through challenging material and the space and time for reflection, this program will transform you for the better.
Whitney Johnson, SAHE 2023
The SAHE program helped me develop the tools and knowledge needed to be a student affairs scholar-practitioner. The transformative and expansive scholarship introduced in the classroom has been my guiding light as we navigate new and challenging times in the field. Each day I come into work confident that I have the theoretical and practical skills needed to help shift higher education towards a more just and equitable experience. The people I met through this program have continued to be sources of mentorship and have carved out professional development opportunities beyond my time as a master’s student because community is at the center of SAHE. I cannot express enough my gratitude to be a small part of this program’s legacy.
Colleen Floyd, SAHE 2021
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Our program espouses the following core values:
Inclusion and Accessibility: This program values multiple forms of diversity. We strive for an inclusive and accessible atmosphere that respects individual’s identities, experiences, and perspectives.
Scholar-Practitioner: We strive to help students develop as practitioners who value and continuously learn, apply, and generate the scholarship of higher education.
Self-Authorship: We strive to create contexts that help students develop and utilize their internal voice in both personal and professional settings, taking into account that the nature of self-authorship is nuanced and dependent on students’ identities and how they are situated within systems of power.
Challenge and Support: We strive to create an environment that balances challenge and support. We provide challenging coursework situated in the complexities of contemporary higher education, while creating a support network through mentoring and advising, faculty and student interaction, and a non-competitive academic environment.
Situating Learning in Students’ Experiences: We believe that students bring valuable knowledge and wisdom to the classroom rooted in their lived experiences. Personal and professional experiences and perspectives often set the stage for classroom discussion and learning.
Self-Reflection: We believe that learning and understanding ourselves better equips us to work with, learn from, and support others.
Constructive Collaboration: People learn differently and working together enriches education. Through collaboration, we strive to break the traditional roles of teacher/learner and rely on students and faculty to be both learners and teachers.
Creative Controversy: Some of the most effective learning occurs during a disagreement. Thus, we engage in respectful dialogue and exchange, active listening, and embrace learning from multiple perspectives, while recognizing that disagreement is a learning tool. Out of disagreement comes new information, another way to view a situation, and a more complex understanding.
Admission Overview
The Student Affairs and Higher Education, M.S. degree program offers admission in fall, spring, and summer semesters. Our priority application deadline for fall admission is June 1. Due to the online format of our degree program, admission is limited to domestic students.
Admission requires the online submission of our Graduate School application. The application requires the following materials:
- Resume
- Transcripts from all collegiate coursework
- Transcript indicating an awarded baccalaureate degree and a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or higher.
- Personal statement
- Please describe in 2-3 double-spaced pages: (1) your motivation for earning a master’s degree in Student Affairs and Higher Education (SAHE); (2) topics/issues that you are especially interested to learn more about as a SAHE student; (3) how your background and experiences will help to shape you as a successful SAHE student; and (4) what you hope for us to know about you that might not otherwise be evident from your resume.
Admission and Funding
Elevate your career as a Miami University graduate student — no matter where you are. Our online programs empower you to advance your education and your future with the flexibility you need. And we’ll be here to support you every step of the way as you navigate admission, enrollment, and long-term success.
Contact Us
Graduate Admission
513-529-GRAD (4723)
[email protected]
Department of Educational Leadership
Elisa Abes, Ph.D., Professor
304 McGuffey Hall
Oxford, OH 45056
513-529-0164
[email protected]