MA Leadership, Higher Education Concentration

Self-Development Competencies

This cluster of competencies focuses on the self-awareness, intellectual growth, and the personal and professional identity required for inspiring and supporting the development of college students.

• Philosophical foundations—Higher Education functions within the context of multiple perspectives and a personal belief system and worldview that influence their practice.
• Ethics, values, and spirituality—Higher Education functions from a set of principles and personal values that guide their work, promote healthy behavior, and influence decision making and their relationships with others.
• Human development and career choice—Higher Education is committed to continuous learning and personal development, articulating career choices based on assessment of interests, values, skills and abilities resulting from formal education, work experience, community service and volunteer experiences.

Interpersonal Development Competencies

This cluster of competencies focuses on the interpersonal aspects of Higher Education that promote growth and development of others and challenge students to learn and develop in holistic ways.

• Effective communication and mentoring—Higher Education fosters effective communication in all internal and external interactions, to establish and maintain cooperative relationships that are trust-centered, providing empowerment that results in personal and performance improvement toward satisfying mutual objectives.
• Appreciating diversity—Higher Education values one’s own identity and culture and articulates the advantages and challenges of a diverse society, promoting multicultural awareness and positive regard for differences.
• Social responsibility—Higher Education is accountable to others and endeavors to see that family, community, and environmental needs are met in local and in global ways, as appropriate.

Leadership and Organizational Development Competencies

This cluster of competencies addresses the organizational aspects of Higher Education, focusing on the achievement of goals and programs that make colleges and universities an educational enterprise.

• Resource development; human and financial—Higher Education appropriately develops, allocates and manages human and financial resources for promoting change and fostering healthy and strategic outcomes.
• Legal and policy issues—Higher Education applies and understands the scope of a legal and policy structure appropriate for their field.
• Organizational behavior, change, and culture—Higher Education understands personal, group, and inter-group behaviors, and how they impact the organizational culture and shape the vision and strategy for facilitating the change
• process.

Research Development Competency

Research skills are necessary for engaging in organizational development, assessment and evaluation, and other Higher Education projects.

Conducting, evaluating and reporting research—Higher Education understands the logic and processes of scientific inquiry, explains major research methodologies, formulates empirically-driven research problems, selects appropriate research designs, conducts basic data collection and analysis and adequately communicates research findings and implements the findings in the workplace.

For further information, students may contact the coordinator of the Higher Education program.