Selective cohort program for full-time students.

The Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration's on-campus cohort program is designed for students with little to no professional experience working in higher education.

The program is especially well-suited for recent graduates who desire to gain experience and a career direction by working and completing practica in a variety of campus offices.

Students progress through the program together, taking the same classes and forming close connections with their classmates, faculty and practicum supervisors.

This program admits students for the Fall term only.

TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP

Apply Now Attend an Info Session Request More Information

Program Requirements

All of these courses must be taken for a total of 18 credits.
- HEA 501: Foundations of Higher Education Administration
- HEA 502: Survey of College Student Development Theory
- HEA 503: Leadership in Higher Education
- HEA 504: Research and Assessment in Higher Education
- HEA 521: Diversity and Higher Education
- HEA 595: Project Seminar
Students choose four electives for a total of 12 credits.
- HEA 510: Technology in Higher Education
- HEA 520: Advising and Counseling in Higher Education
- HEA 522: Crisis Management and Prevention in Higher Education
- HEA 523: Student Affairs Administration
- HEA 524: Enrollment Management
- HEA 525: The Contemporary Undergraduate
- HEA 526: Career Counseling and the Psychology of Work
- HEA 527: Community College Administration
- HEA 530: Legal Issues in Higher Education
- HEA 531: Finance Issues in Higher Education
- HEA 532: Facilities Management in Higher Education
- HEA 533: Intercollegiate Athletics in Higher Education
- HEA 535: International Higher Education
- HEA 540: Critical Issues in Higher Education
- HEA 560: Comparative University Systems
Required for students with less than one year of professional work experience in higher education, these courses will satisfy six credits.
- HEA 586: Practicum in Higher Education
- HEA 587: Advanced Practicum in Higher Education Administration
All practicum experiences must be approved by the program director prior to enrollment in HEA 586 or 587.

Students seeking practicum opportunities at SBU should start with Handshake. In addition, we occasionally share opportunities via our Brightspace Community Page. Students who are looking outside of Stony Brook must find a department and supervisor who is willing to work with them. Supervisors are required to have an earned master's degree and at least 5 years of professional higher education experience.

If you have any questions about the practicum, please contact Brian Kerr.

View Course Descriptions

A group of graduate students gathered in front of a Student Affairs photo op backdrop

Graduate
Employment
Opportunities

To strengthen your resume with hands-on higher education experience and help support your education costs, upon admission to the HEA program, our team works closely with you to find a graduate employment opportunity on Stony Brook's campus.

We offer graduate employment opportunities in a variety of areas, including student affairs, academic affairs, enrollment management, and student services.

Student affairs employment opportunities are listed on the Division of Student Affairs website and Handshake.
Enrollment management and student services positions are posted on Handshake.

Upon admission to the HEA program, you can apply for the opportunities noted by submitting your resume to the specific department and setting up an interview. The Student Affairs team will help facilitate those connections with you.

raduate employment positions are typically paid at an hourly rate (usually $16-$20/hour) for 15-29 hours per week (29 is the maximum number of hours per week permitted for domestic students; 20 is the maximum number of hours per week for international students.)

Most graduate employment positions do not cover tuition costs, but students can earn between $15,000-$25,000 per year (for example, working as a graduate student for 25 hours per week at $17/hour = $22,100) to then support tuition and other expenses.

Most graduate employment positions in Campus Residences offer on-campus housing as part of the compensation. In most cases, you will work a certain number of hours per week to cover the housing costs and then receive payment for the remaining hours.

Outside of graduate employment in Campus Residences, if you work in a graduate position within the Division of Student Affairs and would like to live on-campus, we will apply the first 15 hours of work towards covering your year-round housing costs in graduate housing and pay an hourly rate for the balance of the hours that you work (maximum of 14 hours for domestic students and 5 hours for international students).

For more information on graduate employment opportunities, please contact Dr. Cheryl Chambers, Associate Dean of Student Affairs, at cheryl.chambers@stonybrook.edu.

On-campus and Off-campus Housing

Need housing? There are several options to consider.

West Apartments on the Stony Brook campus

Campus Residences

To learn more about graduate housing on campus, including options, costs, amenities, and deadlines, visit Campus Residences or email reside@stonybrook.edu. Note that some graduate employment opportunities include on-campus housing as part of the compensation.

Off-campus Housing

To learn more about off-campus housing, including rental advice and current listings, visit the Off-Campus Living or email commuter_services@stonybrook.edu.

Social Media

There are also several Facebook groups for off-campus housing (not affiliated with Stony Brook University) that you can join by searching for "Stony Brook Graduate Housing Group".

Before you start looking for off-campus housing, please read and follow the important What You Need to Know advice on our Off-Campus Living website.

Sample Course Schedule for the Full-Time Cohort Program

Finish in two years

YEAR ONE
FALL: HEA 501: Foundations of Higher Education Administration HEA 502: Survey of College Student Development Theory HEA 522: Crisis Management and Prevention in Higher Education
SPRING: HEA 503: Leadership in Higher Education HEA 504: Research and Assessment in Higher Education HEA 523: Student Affairs Administration

YEAR ONE

FALL:

HEA 501: Foundations of Higher Education Administration

HEA 502: Survey of College Student Development Theory

HEA 522: Crisis Management and Prevention in Higher Education

SPRING:

HEA 503: Leadership in Higher Education

HEA 504: Research and Assessment in Higher Education

HEA 523: Student Affairs Administration

YEAR TWO
FALL: HEA 521: Diversity and Higher Education HEA 525: The Contemporary Undergraduate HEA 586: Practicum in Higher Education
SPRING: HEA 595: Project Seminar HEA 540: Critical Issues in Higher Education HEA 587: Advanced Practicum in Higher Education Administration

YEAR TWO

FALL:

HEA 521: Diversity and Higher Education

HEA 525: The Contemporary Undergraduate

HEA 586: Practicum in Higher Education

SPRING:

HEA 595: Project Seminar

HEA 540: Critical Issues in Higher Education

HEA 587: Advanced Practicum in Higher Education Administration

Need more info?

We are happy to help! Connect with an admissions counselor.

Ask a question Attend an information session

Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration

On-campus, full-time cohort program