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One of few in the nation, the online graduate certificate in higher education administration helps professionals working in higher education, or seeking to gain entry into the field, enhance their knowledge. This program provides students with knowledge of higher education administration and governance, finance, and additional content specific to students’ interests in areas such as college student cultures and environments; race, gender, and ethnicity; law, community colleges, student affairs administration, history, helping skills, etc. Students may also pursue internship credits as part of their certificate (e.g., finance, law, policy).
The graduate certificate is designed for early-career professionals seeking additional training and career advancement. More experienced professionals without graduate training would also benefit from this certificate.
Quick facts
Official name
Graduate certificate in higher education administrationCampus
Program type
Graduate certificateAcademic home
College of Education & Human Development | Department of Educational Leadership and Policy AnalysisDelivery mode
100% onlineAccreditation
Higher Learning Commission, Teacher Education Accreditation CouncilCredit hours
12Estimated cost
$6,741.60*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.
Career prospects
This certificate prepares graduates to take on roles in many areas of higher education, such as:
- Housing
- Student affairs
- Diversity programming
- International student affairs
- Study abroad
- Leadership
- Off-campus engagement
Students will learn more about how a university functions and how to effectively work with students.
Program structure
The online graduate certificate in higher education administration is 100% online: no campus visits required.
Courses are semester-based. Students typically take one to two classes per semester and finish the program in one year.
Course work includes
- Administration and governance of higher education
- Higher education finance
- Race, gender and ethnicity in higher education
- College student culture and environment
- International higher education
Delivery
100% onlineCalendar system
Semester-basedTypical program length
1 yearTypical course load
1 or 2 classes each semesterFurther your education
Students may apply the 12 credit hours earned for this graduate certificate to the master of education, master of arts or doctor of philosophy with emphases in higher education — programs offered on-campus in Columbia, Missouri.
Accreditation
The University of Missouri is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. The College of Education and Human Development is a member of the Teacher Education Accreditation Council.
Faculty spotlight
Casandra Harper studies the differential effect of college on students across a range of topics including: parent and family engagement in first-generation college students’ lives, racial identity, student success, and how students and families navigate the financial aid process. Dr. Harper is also a faculty affiliate in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies. She earned her doctorate in higher education and organizational change from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Bradley Curs joined the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis in 2005 after earning his doctorate from the Department of Economics at the University of Oregon. Dr. Curs' research uses tools from the discipline of economics to understand the effects of educational policy at both the student and institutional levels. Specifically, his research focuses on issues of education access, equity and success across three areas: the efficacy of financial aid programs, the behaviors of educational institutions, and pre-college readiness behaviors. Dr. Curs serves on the editorial boards for the Journal of Higher Education, Research in Higher Education, and the Review of Higher Education.