College is a critical stage in anyone’s life journey. Beyond simply getting accepted, students need the proper resources and professionals to help them thrive through college and beyond. Be a part of helping college students succeed.
PLNU’s master’s in higher education is designed to prepare graduates to serve in a variety of roles in which they’ll help students from traditional, nontraditional, and special populations succeed at any two- or four-year college or university. Our fully online asynchronous program is offered to students throughout the state of California.
We offer two tracks: Master of Arts (M.A.) or Master of Science (M.S.) in Higher Education. Both programs consist of the same number of units, however, they differ in the trajectory they prepare you for, as well as completion time. The M.A. program is designed for those who want to continue working with students in higher education. Those in the M.A. program do not have to complete a thesis, but they do need to complete a research project. The M.S. program is designed for those seeking to pursue a doctoral degree. This track does require a thesis.
Completion time for this program varies. For the M.A. track, students take between 16-20 months. For the M.S. track, students take between 20-24 months due to the thesis project.
The master’s in higher education program at PLNU is fully online asynchronous and consists of 36 semester units of coursework, including 335 hours of required fieldwork in a higher education context. Fieldwork is tiered with some initial requirements completed through assignments, observations, informational interviews, workshops, or conferences leading to a field placement when 250 hours are completed over two semesters (125 hours per semester).
Some courses require hours aligned with an assignment and may be completed at the same time as fieldwork. Master’s in higher education students will also have access to departments and individuals who may help complete these course requirements, and students will complete a thesis project based on their specific research interests. PLNU Graduate and Professional Services and the master’s in higher education program provide ongoing support for students in the way of faculty advising, fieldwork placement, writing, career services, and thesis coaching.