Higher Education Leadership, M.S.

(36 Semester Hours)

Mission

The mission of this degree program is to prepare graduates who have the professional knowledge and skills to be effective leaders who are committed to service, excellence, and collaboration and who inspire and empower individuals within their realm of influence to be caring, socially responsible citizens. 

 Goals 

1. To provide leaders with the vital knowledge and skills to be effective leaders in today’s complex world; leaders who are committed to service, fairness, equity, and cross-disciplinary collaboration in diverse communities and the global venue.

2. To empower leaders to be change agents who creatively solve leadership challenges in a complex, interdependent world.

3. To prepare leaders who think critically, communicate clearly, analyze and apply research judiciously, collaborate ethically, and act decisively toward the best achievable outcomes.

4. To facilitate professional growth and commitment to life-long learning.

Program Admission Requirements:

STEP ONE:

Prior to first enrollment, the Candidate must:

• Hold an earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• Be formally admitted to the Graduate College.
• Meet with Advisor and sign a Statement of Understanding.
• Enroll in no more than six (6) credit hours.

STEP TWO:

The Candidate must meet the following Program requirements:

• Take and have a satisfactory score on either the MAT or GRE.
• Submit to Master of Science in Higher Education Leadership Admissions Committee 
  • Three (3) sealed letters of recommendation.
  • A Leadership Philosophy; long term career goals; and how a master’s degree will facilitate the stated goals. (Two pages, typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins.)
  • All college transcripts
  • Program Admission Form with personal information provided by the student.
• GPA requirement* of
  • 3.00 overall, undergraduate, or
  • 3.25 in the last 60 credit hours, undergraduate, or
  • Have an earned Master’s degree from an accredited university

*If the GPA requirements (see above) are not met, one of the following items must be satisfied prior to enrollment after 9 hours: 

                      •    MAT - scaled score of 383, or

                      •    GRE - combined math and verbal score of 288

                      •    Scores from MAT/GRE must be less than five (5) years old 

 

*If the GPA requirements (see above) are not met, one of the following items must be satis­fied prior to enrollment after 9 hours: All materials must be received by the Dept. of Educational Foundations and Leadership by 5:00 pm on October 1 for a Fall term, March 1 for a Spring term, or July 1 for a Summer term. (If these dates fall on a weekend or holiday, the deadline will be the last business day prior to the holiday or weekend.)  Send to:

                            Northeastern State University
                            College of Education
                            ATTN:  M.S. in Higher Education Leadership
                            Department of Educational Foundations and Leadership
                            717 North Grand, Tahlequah, OK 74464

Admissions Committee

• All materials must be submitted by the applicant.
• A formal interview and/or other materials may be requested by the committee at its discretion.
• The Admissions Committee will review all materials and will make a recommendation concerning admission to a program.

STEP THREE:

Upon formal admission into the program, it is the Candidate’s responsibility to meet with assigned Advisor and complete the following:

• Degree Plan,
• Any other required material.

STEP FOUR:

After the completion of twelve (12) hours but before eighteen (18) hours of coursework:

To meet candidacy requirements in the M.S. Higher Education Leadership program, the Candidates must complete the following:

• Have completed twelve (12) hours of course work.
• Have attained formal admission to the M.S. in Higher Education Leadership Program.
• Have a completed Degree Plan approved by the Advisor, Program Chair, and the Dean of the Graduate College on file.  Any changes made in the Candidate’s Degree Plan require prior written approval by the advisor and the Dean of the Graduate College.
• Have a completed Statement of Understanding signed by the Candidate, the Advisor, Program Chair, and the Dean of the Graduate College on file.
• Maintain a minimum graduate program GPA of 3.00
• Meet with Advisor to complete and file Admission to Candidacy Form.
• Regardless, fifteen (15) graduate credit hours must be earned after candidacy has been awarded.

CONDITIONAL PROGRAM ENROLLMENT

For those persons who wish to pursue a degree, but are not able to meet the require­ments for the undergraduate GPA and/or MAT/GRE, conditional enrollment may be allowed as follows:

• A graduate program GPA of 3.5 must be obtained for twelve (12) credit hours of course work taken at Northeastern State University, and all other admittance require­ments must be completed during the first semester of enrollment.
• Full admittance will be considered by the Admissions Committee at the comple­tion of twelve credit hours upon the written request of the Candidate within the semester deadlines for admissions.
• No more than six (6) credit hours will be allowed to be taken in any semester until fully admitted into the program.
• The second semester of enrollment will have to be authorized by the Candidate’s Advisor.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Candidates:

• Must submit a Thesis approved by the graduate faculty to the Graduate Dean at least thirty days prior to graduation.
• After formal admission into the program, may enroll in no more than nine (9) semester hours each summer or fifteen (15) semester hours each fall or spring semester.
• Must complete an approved degree program including a minimum of thirty-six (36) semester hours at the 5,000 level.
• May use no more than a maximum of three (3) semester hours credit in workshops and/or short term classes toward graduation.
• May transfer a maximum of nine (9) semester hours credit, providing all graduate transfer course work attempted carries an average grade of “B” or better; only courses with grades of “A” or “B” may be used.
• Must earn a minimum of twenty-four (24) hours in residence at Northeastern including the last nine (9) semester hours.
• Cannot earn credits by correspondence to count toward the Master of Science degree in Higher Education Leadership.
• Cannot use work older than six (6) calendar years for graduation, excluding time spent in the American Armed Forces.
• Must maintain a 3.0 grade point average.  Courses with a grade of “C” may not be used for graduation.
• Must abide by the state regulations governing the graduate program in the Graduate Catalog, and are expected to abide by the ethics and standards of the profession.
• Must submit an application for Master’s degree and a diploma fee prior to graduation.  The due dates for submission are:  May 1 for fall graduation; October 1 for spring graduation; and March 1 for summer graduation in the semester the student expects to complete degree.