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The Higher Education concentration is part of the Higher Education, Student Affairs, and International Education (HESI) program at the University of Maryland. This nationally acclaimed graduate specialization equips students for leadership roles in academic institutions and policy organizations, while also fostering scholarly pursuits. Graduates from this program often secure positions as mid-to-senior-level college administrators, higher education policy experts, analysts, and university professors. Although housed within HESI, the Higher Education concentration operates as an independent program with unique admission standards. Course offerings span multiple disciplines including Policy and Finance, Diversity and Student Experiences, Leadership and Organization, and Academic Professions. Students also have the flexibility to create customized specializations with faculty guidance. Elective courses in business, public administration, and social sciences further enrich the curriculum. Each student develops a personalized academic plan in collaboration with their advisor, with most departmental classes scheduled for afternoons and evenings.
Minimum graduate grade point average of 3.5 is required for doctoral programs. Of the three scores on the Graduate Record Examination (verbal, quantitative, analytic), at least one should be at the 70th percentile or higher for PhD applicants.
iBT TOEFL Requirements
Total - 96 (Speaking - 22, Listening - 24, Reading - 26, Writing - 24)
IELTS Requirements
Overall - 7 (Listening - 7, Reading - 7, Writing - 7, Speaking - 6.5)
PTE Requirements
Total - 68
Writing - 68