The Marxe Higher Education Administration (HEA) program aspires not only to produce the talented leaders and managers who will effectively chart the futures of institutions of higher education, but also to produce leaders who will change public policy writ large; who will help develop educational systems and policies that promote equity in access to higher education and who will continue and enhance higher education’s demonstrable successes in student learning and inquiry. Values of access, equity, excellence, diversity, and transparency infuse programs and the work of graduates. The School finds special value in helping students gain a deeper understanding of the role of higher education both in society and in their own lives.

The HEA takes full advantage of its location within one of the largest schools of public and international affairs and the largest urban higher education system in the United States. Program offerings expose students not only to the more focused world of higher education administration, but also the much broader and more comprehensive worlds of public and international affairs, and to the richness and complexity of the City University of New York. Students are encouraged to study with faculty from throughout the Marxe School, throughout Baruch College, and throughout CUNY. The HEA program’s organizational location and its location in the heart of New York City make it an unparalleled opportunity for students interested in graduate study in higher education leadership.

The HEA focuses on the following distinct substantive areas within higher education:

The History and Structure of Higher Education

• The History of U.S. Higher Education
• Organizational Behavior in Colleges and Universities
• Community Colleges
• Global Higher Education (in development)

Fundamental Skills for Higher Education Leaders

• Oral and Written Communication
• Research for Educational Administrators
• Research and Analysis

Leadership in Higher Education

• Overview of Higher Education Leadership (in development)
• Administrative Services in Higher Education
• Public and Nonprofit Management
• Higher Education Finance
• Budgeting and Financial Analysis
• Legal Issues in Higher Education
• Collective Bargaining
• Fundraising
• Diversity in Higher Education
• Higher Education, Politics and Public Policy

Advancing the Academic Mission and Student Success

• Enrollment Management: Admissions and Retention
• Student Affairs in Higher Education
• Student Development
• Curriculum and Instruction in Higher Education

Planning and Assessment in Higher Education

• Planning, Accreditation, and Assessment in Higher Education (in development)

Looking Ahead

• The Capstone, and The Future of Higher Education

Within – or across – these areas, students are asked to develop a “Personal Program Plan” that is particularly suited to their interests in higher education and to their aspirations for their future careers in higher education. The program requires that students, early in their time at Baruch, prepare a formal statement of their personal goals for their program, and to specify the curricular path they plan to follow to achieve those goals. These statements can be revised as students progress through the HEA. Students can also be guided through the development of this personal program plan by consulting the formal set of “Expected Competencies and Learning Objectives” developed by the HEA Program (and described in more detail below).

Students are also required to develop and maintain a portfolio of their activities and accomplishments that demonstrates their progress toward – and ultimately, completion of – both their personal program plan and the formal competencies and learning objectives established by the program.  The HEA makes specific portfolio software available to students to assist them in organizing and preserving examples of their work in the programs. The completion of this portfolio is a critical element of the program’s required Capstone course.

The Higher Education Administration program at the Marxe School has established sets of competencies and learning goals that all graduates are expected to achieve. The HEA is dedicated to the overarching value of transparency in higher education. Toward that end, students are taught about accountability while accountability is woven into the fabric of the program, itself. The following sets of competencies and learning goals not only serve to guide students, they also serve as benchmarks against which the program judges the effectiveness of the School’s work.

(revised program learning goals pending approval from full faculty in Spring 2023)

Program Learning Goal 1: Identify and navigate the complex structures of higher education to inform effective change.

Program Learning Goal 2: Analyze, think critically, and make evidence-based recommendations that recognize historical context and/or incorporate organizational mission and/or strategic planning to advance higher education.

Program Learning Goal 3: Communicate and interact effectively with a highly diverse set of constituencies within the field of higher education.

Program Learning Goal 4: Articulate and apply a set of values for cultivating an equitable, inclusive, and just higher education environment.

Program Learning Goal 5: Use leadership and management theories to analyze the design, operation, and governance of higher education institutions.

Attend one of the School’s monthly information sessions and meet HEA faculty representatives.

For more information on applying visit the Admissions Requirements and Process page.

The best and most current information on the entire graduate admissions process can be found at Admissions Requirements and Process page. It provides information on the MSEd program in Higher Education Administration, as well as on Master of Public Administration and the Masters of International Affairs programs.

Please note that the program does not require applicants to submit GRE scores. Applicants do, however, have the option of submitting GRE scores with their application material.

If you have questions, please contact the Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs’ Office of Graduate Admissions and Enrollment Services at mspia.admissions@baruch.cuny.edu or call (646) 660-6750.