It's about all of you: supporting your personal, academic and professional success.
Our M.S.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs is designed to provide holistic support and a strong sense of connectedness as you build the foundation toward your career aspirations. Students move together, as a cohort, through the 36-credit hour program. This program provides theoretical groundwork, practical application, and contextual understanding of higher education and the diverse students it serves. You will emerge from the program fully prepared to move toward your professional career goals. Join us as we prepare the next generation of practitioners and leaders in higher education and student affairs.
To apply for the program, you'll need to submit the following application materials:
The following prompt questions will guide the writing of your goal statement. The essay should be single-spaced and one to two pages in length.
Applicant who is a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, DACA student, undocumented student, or has temporary protective status:
International applicant with an F-1 or J-1 visa:
We focus on preparing you for serving for a career as a student affairs professionals by incorporating real-world learning in various aspects of our program. For example, in your course work, over the span of two-sequential classes, you will not only learn the skills of program assessment, an integral component of any work in higher education, but will have the opportunity to apply that knowledge. This applied assessment project, a real-world collaboration with a campus partner, gives students the full experience of designing and conducting an assessment, complete with data analysis and the responsibility of providing deliverables to the campus partner. Real-life learning also happens via internships and graduate assistantships.
We have intentionally developed a curriculum that prepares our students not only as practitioners in the field of student affairs and higher education, but as advocates for inclusion, equity, belonging and social justice. Our students are equipped to meet the changing needs of an increasingly diverse student body and work in the complexities of today's college campuses – be that a brick-and-mortar or a virtual environment.
This preparation includes the study of student development, ethics, social justice, leadership and administration, community development, educational policy analysis, program assessment and evaluation, as well as adult learning theory. Your studies will culminate with a capstone experience and the development of a professional portfolio.
The professional portfolio allows you to showcase your learning and development throughout the program. The portfolio will include a scholarly reflection on your learning, your resume, and various artifacts that demonstrate your skills and competencies such as a recorded professional talk, a self-assessment of the ACPA/NASPA professional competencies, conference presentations, and projects from your coursework, internship, or graduate assistantship.
Electives can be approved by advisor (3) or select from the list below.
The required internship, which includes at least 120 hours of professional career experiences, allows you to develop an in-depth understanding and working knowledge of a specific functional area in higher education and student affairs. Since most internships for our students are in throughout Chicagoland, you'll have the opportunity to not only work with culturally diverse students but also take advantage of professional development experiences and networking throughout the metropolitan and surrounding areas. You are also free to take advantage of internships on the national and global levels.
Our faculty bring diverse experiences, backgrounds, scholarship and expertise from a variety of areas across higher education and student affairs.
Our program provides pathways tailored to the needs of working professionals who want to pursue their M.S.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs. Courses are offered in the late afternoon (3-5:40 p.m.) and evening (6-8:40 p.m.).
You can complete the 36-credit, in-person degree program in three years. You will be part of a cohort of part-time students moving through the program together. You, your cohort colleagues and full-time students will come together as a community of learners in the classroom.
Internship experiences provide our part-time students with valuable work experience that will help them diversify their skills and lead to career advancement opportunities. To support this, part-time students work with the academic counselor to create a flexible plan to complete the three credits of internship (120 hours) that meets their individual needs.
At our virtual information sessions, students will learn more about our program, the admissions process, and graduate assistantships.
Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) Preview Day invites prospective students to join us for a full-day on-campus event to learn more about our M.S.Ed. program, our campus, and graduate assistantship opportunities. Students participating in HESA Preview Day will receive a tuition waiver.
During this event, participants will have the opportunity to:
HESA Preview Day will be hosted on February 7, 2025.
HESA Preview Day registration opens on November 15. The registration link will be available under Upcoming Events on this page. If you are unable to attend that day, please connect with our Academic Counselor for other opportunities to learn about our program.
We value the contributions our international students make to the HESA community. To support our international students through the application and graduate assistantship interview process, we offer virtual information sessions geared toward international students and additional support for the graduate assistantship interview process. Information about these information sessions will be posted in the Upcoming Events section below.
International student admissions decisions are made in late January. This allows us to connect with each admitted international student in February to provide support through the graduate assistantship process. Graduate assistantships are vital to our program, not only to provide financial support for attending graduate school but also for real-life learning related to the field of higher education and student affairs.
A program representative will reach out to each admitted international student in February to provide assistance related to applying for graduate assistantships including:
Most full-time students in our program hold a graduate assistantship, which not only provides financial support for attending graduate school but also prepares students for a career in higher education and student affairs. We offer these assistantships in collaboration with our Division of Student Affairs, Academic Affairs and Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Compensation typically includes a tuition waiver and stipend. Graduate assistantships are provided in a wide variety of functional areas across the university.
To connect prospective students with graduate assistantship employers, we host a virtual interview day. Detailed information about the application process is shared with prospective students at information sessions and our in-person preview day.
Our virtual CAHE GA Interview Day will be on Thursday, March 6 from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Interviews will be held via Zoom.
Registration for interview day opens.
Prospective students (i.e., admitted students, students who started an application for our program, students who attended an info session and those who connected with our Academic Counselor) receive link to available GA job descriptions and the application.
Participants selected for interviews will receive their interview schedule and Zoom login information via email.
Participants complete form by 10 a.m. to rank their potential GA positions. Employers will take your preferences into consideration.
GA offers are extended. Participants will receive one offer. As candidates accept and decline offers, additional offers may be sent out to those still seeking a graduate assistantship over the following weeks.
"NIU was an excellent fit for my education because it provided the space necessary for me to develop my potential as a student. Being a student at Northern embeds you into an environment to be a modern professional while highlighting intersectionality. We convert from students to professionals and often become role models." by Josiel Marrufo, M.S.Ed., Higher Education and Student Affairs, '17
Director of Student Projects, City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College
"The opportunity to work as a graduate residence hall director provided me the experience to bring the student development theories to practice. The skills I gained, such as diligent organization, crisis management and leadership, have been applied time and again throughout my post-graduate career. I also would not be in my current professional role today without the opportunity to have interned abroad in Rome, Italy with CISabroad." by Nicole Stelter, M.S.Ed. Adult and Higher Education, '16
International Program Advisor, University of Central Florida
