PROGRAM STATEMENT
The Boston College Program in Higher Education offers master's and doctoral degree study in the field of higher education. The Program has been preparing professionals in higher education for three decades, and features a rigorous social science based approach to the study of higher education. The Administrative Fellows initiative provides financial assistance as well as work experience in a variety of administrative settings. Specializations in higher education administration, student affairs, international higher education, and others, are offered. The Higher Education Program works closely with the Center for International Higher Education. Two important scholarly journals in the field of higher education have close connections with the Higher Education Program. Beginning in 1996, the Review of Higher Education, the quarterly publication of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, has had its editorial office at Boston College. Philip G. Altbach is editor of RHE, and Karen Arnold and Ted I. K. Youn serve as associate editors. RHE is recognized as one of the top journals in the field of higher education. In addition, Philip G. Altbach is one of the editors of Higher Education, which has its editorial office in The Netherlands. HE is the most widely read journal in the field with an international focus. These journals help provide national visibility to the Higher Education Program. Students have the opportunity to participate various aspects of these journals.

PROGRAM MISSION
The Boston College approach to the study of higher education and the preparation of professionals in the field includes three basic elements. The first is an understanding of the important issues relating to post-secondary institutions - including insights from history, sociology, psychology, economics, and political science. The second is exposure to the theoretical and empirical knowledge base of administration, and the managerial and policy - making issues facing higher education. The third focus is on an applied administrative experience that will expose professionals to a range of practical issues in higher education - for Master's students, this is in the form of a supervised internship. Our commitment is to link analysis with action, to combine understanding with the techniques needed to solve the complex problems of higher education. Underlying the curriculum is a concern for values - for understanding the basic nature of the academic enterprise and applying social and moral values to the management of higher education and ethical decision making. A hallmark of the BC Higher Education Program is a commitment to meeting the individual needs of students. In the context of a rigorous selection of courses, students are encouraged to pursue their own specific interests in higher education. The faculty make every effort to design a set of individualized academic experiences that satisfies the intellectual concerns of students and provides the appropriate training needed for specific careers in higher education.

PROGRAM UNIQUENESS
The Boston College faculty in Higher Education is distinguished by their strong disciplinary bases (sociology, psychology, philosophy, law, history) and are leading scholars in the field of higher education.   The program is also known for the Center for International Higher Education and accompanying opportunities to study comparative higher education with students from around the world.   Other distinguishing features of the program include close ties with the incomparable Boston higher education scene and a supportive, colleagial community among students, alumni, and faculty.

NATIONAL STANDARDS
Meets ACPA Professional Preparation Commission Standards: YES
Meets CAS Standards:
Other/Comments: One year, 30-credit M.A. program

APPLICATION AND ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

Master's Application Entrance Exams:   GRE or Miller Analogy Test for master's applications Letters of recommendation:   2 letters minimum Work experience: some higher education experience preferred Essay or writing sample:   Personal Statement  Deadline - January 1  Academic Transcripts of degree programs and relevant coursework outside of degree programs International Students must submit TOEFL

Doctorate Application Entrance Exams: GRE Letters of recommendation:   3 letters minimum Work experience: significant higher education experience preferred Essay or writing sample:   Personal Statement and Writing Sample   Previous degrees:   Applicants to Ph.D. program must hold a master's degree Deadline - January 1 Transcripts of all academic coursework International Students must submit TOEFL

CURRICULUM INFORMATION

Program Required Hours: Master's -  30 credit hours Doctorate -  54 credit hours

 

Master's Curriculum Level I--Core courses Higher Education in American Society Level II--Foundations courses (choose 3) Higher Education Law and Policy Philosophy of Education Organization and Administration of Higher Education Student Development Theory Comparative Higher Education History of Education Level III--Research course (choose 1) Interpretation and Evaluation of Research Educational Evaluation Statistics Level IV--Practicum and elective courses Internship in Higher Education 4 Electives Master's Comprehensive Examinations Is a thesis required? No (comprehensive exam required)

Doctorate Curriculum Level 1: Core Law and Public Policy (Pullin) Higher Education in American Society (Altbach) Organization and Administration in Higher Education (Youn) College Student Development (Arnold) Level 2: Methodological Requirements Statistics II (Intermediate) Research Design Qualitative Methods In addition, students with little or no background in quantitative methods: Statistics I Students with no background in statistics computer applications: statistics lab prior to taking Statistics II. Level 3: Specialized Electives in Higher Education and Related Studies Student Affairs Administration (Arnold) Community and Junior Colleges (London or Warner) Critical Issues in Continuing Education (Woods) Comparative and Global Perspectives on Higher Education (Altbach) Institutional Research (Delaney) Public Policy, Politics and Higher Education (Youn or Pullin) The Undergraduate Curriculum (Youn) Organizational Decision-Making in Higher Education (Youn) Financial Management in Higher Education (Campanella) Law and Higher Education (Pullin) Gender Issues in Higher Education (Arnold) The Academic Profession (Altbach) Electives may also be taken outside of the Higher Education Program Level 4: OPTIONAL Internship Level 5: Doctoral Research Seminar Level 6: Doctoral Dissertation Direction

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION - Students in student affairs or higher education administration programs  (2003-2004):

	Total Number	# of Males	# of Females	# of Whites	# of Persons of Color
Master's
Doctoral
	% of part-time students	% of full-time students	% of students enrolled in the program who also hold some form of financial assistance (graduate assistantship, fellowship, tuition waiver, scholarship)
Master's
Doctoral

PROGRAM FACULTY - Faculty members with areas of specialization and percentage of time devoted to the program.

Core Faculty
Ana Martinez-Aléman, Ed.D., Associate Professor, philosophy and theory of higher education; teaching and learning, particularly the impact of race, culture, and gender on college teaching and learning; feminist theory and pedagogy; cross cultural studies.
Philip G. Altbach, Ph.D., J. Donald Monan Professor of Education, Director, Boston College Center for International Higher Education, comparative and international higher education; the academic profession; student activism; publishing and knowledge distribution.
Karen Arnold, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Higher Education Program Coordinator, student development; academic talent development; women in higher education.
Diana Pullin, Ph.D., Professor, Director, Program of School Administration, law and higher education; public policy.
Ted I. K. Youn, Ph.D., Associate Professor, organizational analysis of higher education; politics and political institutions in American higher education; the academic profession.
Kevin Duffy, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor, student affairs administration; facilities management.

Adjunct
Frank Campanella, D.B.A., Professor, Carroll School of Management, Boston College, finance and economics of higher education.
Gordon Arnold, Ph.D., Academic Dean, Monserrat College, organizational theory of higher education.
Patrick Keating, Ph.D., Executive Vice-President, Boston College, organizational decision-making; technology and higher education.
Jack Warner, Ph.D., Commissioner of Education, Rhode Island, community colleges; higher education policy.

Last modified 06/02/2005
Information submitted by: Arline Riordan

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