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Shepherd the Next Generation of Students While Advancing Your Career
Gain the skills to make a greater impact in the field of higher education. ACU’s vibrant, virtual, Christ-centered community embraces your drive to support you in deepening your faith and uncovering your vocation.
Introducing
Locked-In Tuition.
Our Locked-In Tuition program guarantees you’ll pay the same price for your entire graduate degree.
About the Program
The online Master of Education in Higher Education (M.Ed.), with concentrations in Academic Advising, Student Affairs Leadership, and Enrollment Management, prepares you for a broad range of administrative, financial aid, student affairs, programming, policy, or academic support roles. You’ll acquire an understanding of higher education’s history and current trends while specializing your skill set to foster change from within an institution, collaborating with communities, and guiding a variety of students on this endeavor. Emphasizing research and data analysis, our online M.Ed. also paves the way toward a higher education-centric doctoral program.
Program Structure
All the Details on Your Degree
Gain a nuanced, multifaceted understanding of the higher education landscape. The online Master of Education in Higher Education program infuses faith-based principles and experiential learning into a curriculum focusing on resource management, legal and ethical considerations, diversity, student development, spiritual formation, and assessment and research.
Required Hours
33 hours
21 months
Cost: $650/Hour with $400 resource fee per semester
Example Coursework
Vocation and Career Formation
College Students and Student Developmental Theory
Spiritual Development in College Students
Legal and Ethical Issues in Higher Education
Upcoming Start Dates
January 14, 2025
March 11, 2025
COMMON JOB TITLES
Academic Advisor
Residence Life Director
Student Activities Coordinator
Study Abroad Director
Development Officer
Financial Aid Counselor
Intramurals Director
Career Services Advisor
Director of Multicultural Affairs
Admissions Counselor
Curriculum & Concentrations
The online M.Ed. in Higher Education is divided into two sections. All students complete a 24 credit-hour core sequence focusing on broad topics before selecting one of the three concentrations below to tailor their knowledge to a subset of higher education administration.
The core courses introduce you to the history, development, and structure of higher education in the United States, student development theory, current issues affecting the field, legal and ethical considerations, and the role of student affairs. You’ll then learn about analyzing programs and higher-education environments through research and data collection as well as the management of enrollment and retention efforts. Courses further welcome you to think about higher education in relation to your faith and how Christian principles can shape school environments and influence student success.
Academic Advising
Academic advising is a primary function for institutions of higher learning. This concentration prepares higher-education practitioners currently serving in academic advising roles to move up to a leadership role and industry professionals to enter the field. You’ll receive a general overview of the academic advisor’s role, as well as specific knowledge and skills essential for promoting student success.
Enrollment Management
Enrollment professionals are key personnel in the world of marketing, recruiting, and retention of students in higher education. Coursework in this concentration provides students with a depth of knowledge in the theory and practice of enrollment management, helping them develop a holistic view within a university setting.
Student Affairs Leadership
Student affairs practitioners can make a significant impact leading student services units and administrative areas of higher education institutions. Courses in this concentration focus on helping practitioners learn to lead and manage within a higher education context.
Meet the Program Director
Dr. Twyla Williams-Damond
Dr. Twyla Williams-Damond holds a doctorate in educational foundations & leadership, specializing in higher education law, from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She also holds two master’s degrees in business and health administration, along with a bachelor’s in applied and behavioral sciences. She belongs to the 1% of doctoral candidates who defended their dissertations in under 20 months, earning lifelong membership in the International Honor Society.
Dr. Williams-Damond serves as program director of the higher education program at Abilene Christian University and was instrumental in launching the educational leadership program. A former associate professor in organizational leadership and senior academic leader, she has led initiatives to improve educational access and outcomes, including co-founding several charter schools in the southern region of the United States. As a motivational speaker, researcher, author, and ordained minister, she has presented workshops nationwide, advocating for educational equity. Her work has also helped secure over $20 million in funding for minority students in K-12 and higher education.
She is a proud parent to eight children and a grandparent to eight grandchildren. Dr. Williams-Damond’s educational philosophy is succinctly encapsulated in her message: “At the end of every academic decision, there lies a student.”
Spotlight
Why Should You Get a Master of Education in High Education?
The future of higher education can seem uncertain, and universities and colleges need dedicated, confident, and compassionate leaders to guide and reshape them for the next generation of learners. Learn how ACU Online’s Master of Education in Higher Education is equipping these rising leaders.
Master of Education in Higher Education Overview with Dr. Jason Morris
Student Spotlight: Raymond Craft, Jr.
Not everybody is blessed with a clear path in life. Some of us struggle to find our way. Raymond Craft, Jr. can certainly relate; before he discovered Abilene Christian University, he faced considerable obstacles.
Higher-education practitioners greatly influence a college’s or university’s operations, programming, and outreach. As an advanced degree becomes even more crucial for entering and moving up in the workforce, the Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates eight percent growth in postsecondary administrator positions between 2020 and 2030.
Whether you’re making your mark in a traditional university, an adult-centric program, or the rising field of online learning, your degree gives you the knowledge to:
- help students connect with their calling and realize their ambitions;
- oversee programming and student services;
- nurture student engagement and enrollment;
- mentor faculty and staff;
- enhance educational quality;
- manage and strengthen ties with the local community; and
- cultivate a supportive campus environment that allows students to flourish and reach their full potential.
To be considered for admission, students must:
- Complete the online program application accompanied by a non-refundable processing fee.
- Submit official transcripts showing earned bachelor’s from a regionally accredited college or university or the equivalent.
- Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above, probationary status may be granted.
- Submit a current resume.
Abilene Christian University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Ga. 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of ACU.
Abilene Christian University enjoys a strong national reputation as one of the leading private Christian universities in the west and southwest, indicated by various ratings (such as U.S. News and World Report and other reports).