Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership
Program Coordinator: Matthew Birnbaum, Ph.D.
Location: McKee 418
Telephone: 970.351.2861
Email: HESAL@unco.edu
Faculty: Matthew Birnbaum, Ph.D.; Florence M. Guido, Ph.D.; Chayla Haynes, Ph.D.; Gabriel Serna, Ph.D.; Tamara Yakaboski, Ph.D.
The Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership (HESAL) program is distinguished for weaving social justice throughout the curriculum and helping students develop equity, diversity, and inclusion competencies. Our graduates are prepared to provide effective and ethical leadership in a variety of student affairs, academic, and policy arenas. The HESAL program emphasizes excellence in professional practice, research, and scholarly writing. Each of our fulltime faculty members is a former student services administrator and coursework blends theory and practice. We welcome students from diverse backgrounds and life experiences.
The program offers M.A. and Ph.D. degrees on the Greeley campus and a Ph.D. through Extended Campus at the Lowry campus. The program also offers coursework for students in other graduate programs, including a doctoral minor.
Commitment to Social Justice and Diversity The HESAL faculty is committed to social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our practice and scholarship. The curriculum is designed to raise critical consciousness, which we believe is fundamental to developing advanced professional leadership competencies. Students are expected to engage in coursework, practice, and research that explores inclusive perspectives in all areas of post-secondary education. The faculty believes in creating an atmosphere that supports multiple perspectives, both in the pursuit of individual research and as a community of scholars.
Program Approach to Graduate Study The HESAL program embraces a community-of-scholars model of interaction among students and faculty. The students are viewed as colleagues with progressively higher levels of responsibility and expertise. Cooperative research and other scholarly projects are encouraged among students and faculty.
Admission Process: There are two parts in the process of admission to the HESAL M.A. and Ph.D. Programs, including the Graduate School application process and the HESAL Program application process, which includes an interview.
To download the application packet from the HESAL Program, please visit our forms page. Visit the UNC Graduate School site for information about their part of the application process, http://www.unco.edu/grad/.
These two parts must be pursued simultaneously. It takes up to 20 working days for the Graduate School to set up a student record, evaluate eligibility for admission, and prepare a screening packet for our HESAL Selection Committee. Once the HESAL faculty has reviewed your full application, including the interview, they make a recommendation regarding your admission. If accepted to the program, students will be assigned an advisor and the recommendation will be forwarded on to the Graduate School. The Graduate Dean then communicates the official admission decision to you in writing, and the Graduate School staff record the decision on your student record.
The HESAL program has two deadlines for admissions. The first is usually in early spring and the second in May. Those individuals seeking a graduate assistantship should apply before the first deadline. Please see the HESAL webpage for current information.
Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership M.A.
The Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership (HESAL) Master of Arts (M.A.) degree is a 39 credit hour program that prepares effective student affairs professionals who value a social justice perspective. Students take a wide array of courses in consultation with an assigned advisor who assists you in preparing for a vocation in higher education and student affairs' diverse environments. Students are required to earn three (3) credit hours of field experience under the mentorship of experienced higher education and student affairs leaders. The HESAL M.A. program follows applicable C.A.S. standards.
For specific details on program requirements, curriculum, and course descriptions, please consult the University of Northern Colorado's Graduate Catalog.
Admission to M.A. program: Students must hold a bachelor’s degree in any major from an accredited institution.
For degree and program requirements, see:
Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership M.A.
Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership Ph.D.
The HESAL Ph.D. is a 64 credit hour program that integrates social justice and empirical research throughout the inquiry-based curriculum. The program offers students the opportunity to focus studies on leadership, college student development, higher education culture and diversity, and organizations and policy in both student affairs and broader higher education contexts. Opportunities are provided for practical experiences under the mentorship of experienced higher education leaders. Students are admitted as a cohort group, with expectations that they will engage in collaborative research and other scholarly endeavors early in the doctoral program.
Admission: Students must hold a masters degree in higher education, college student affairs, or a related field from an accredited institution and have two years of successful work experience in an institution of higher education. SRM 600 or an equivalent introduction to graduate research course, is required for admission. The program may waive this requirement for admission purposes, in which case the student must make up the deficiency. Coursework to make up the deficiency will not count toward the Ph.D. requirements. Additional details regarding admissions criteria and the application process may be seen on the program’s web site, at www.unco.edu/cebs/hesal. Financial assistance and additional professional experiences are available through an extensive network of graduate assistant opportunities, both within the program and in a number of UNC offices.
For degree and program requirements, see:
Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership Ph.D.