Professional Studies Higher Education Administration (MPEA)
MPEA 5000 Ethics/Leadership in Higher Ed 3 Credits
The demand for ethical leadership is at an all-time high in today’s dynamic and challenging environment. Leaders face immense pressure to deliver results while navigating moral dilemmas with far-reaching consequences. Ethical intelligence is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity. This interdisciplinary course equips professionals with tools to navigate the ethical challenges of leadership across a range of fields — from higher education to human resources and beyond. You will explore ethical theories, frameworks, and models and how to align individual and organizational values to foster ethical decision making. Applying theory to practice, this course embraces Ignatian pedagogy and is rooted in social justice and engaged reflection. Through experiential exercises, real-world case studies, and scenario analyses, you will gain the knowledge and skills required to make ethical decisions, lead with integrity, and embed a culture of ethics and accountability within your organization.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Higher Ed Adminstration, Higher Ed Adminstration, Higher Ed Adminstration or Higher Ed Adminstration.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
MPEA 5100 American Higher Education 3 Credits
Taken at the beginning of the program, this course introduces students to the field of higher education. This course begins with an overview of the historical development of the American higher education system. It then introduces students to a variety of institution types, governance and administration structures, and key stakeholders in higher education (students, parents, faculty, administrators, governing/accrediting bodies, etc.) and their various roles.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Higher Ed Adminstration, Higher Ed Adminstration, Higher Ed Adminstration or Higher Ed Adminstration.
MPEA 5200 Global Higher Education 3 Credits
This course introduces students to a global approach to higher education, exploring how globalization has affected higher education and how institutions are adapting to the shifting landscape. Throughout the course, students explore current events and issues in higher education with a global perspective while examining the implications that globalization has on governance, operations, academic and student affairs, and enrollment. Topics such as the rise of global-format education programs outside of traditional study abroad programs, increasing international student enrollments, and the expansion of international branch campuses will also be covered.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Higher Ed Adminstration, Higher Ed Adminstration, Higher Ed Adminstration or Higher Ed Adminstration.
MPEA 5300 Org Admin in Higher Ed 3 Credits
This course will introduce students to the governance, structure, and management of higher education institutions. Different institution types (community colleges, colleges, universities, for-profit institutions) will be addressed so that students begin to understand how operating models differ among institutions. This course will prepare students for further course work in the Administration focus area and will provide an introduction to several elective courses, including Faculty Governance and Academic Administration, Budgeting and Financing in Higher Education, and Planning and Resource Management in Higher Education.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
MPEA 5400 StdtAffairs:Orient to Prfssion 3 Credits
This course will provide students with an overview of the profession of student affairs. Students will explore the role of student affairs professionals in relation to functional/programmatic areas and supporting the institutional mission. An emphasis will be placed on understanding the responsibilities that student affairs professionals have in promoting holistic student development including intellectual, social, moral, and emotional development. Emphasis will be placed on self-reflection and developing a professional philosophy towards student affairs practice.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
MPEA 6000 Higher Education Policy 3 Credits
This course is designed to survey the policy landscape that has helped shape higher education and considers the direction and implications of current and future policies. Students examine federal, state, and local policies that affect institutions, including policies governing assessment systems and the regulation and financing of schools. They also explore the ways in which policy influences various aspects of the university, including governance, research, and student affairs.
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
MPEA 6100 Finance in Higher Education 3 Credits
Designed to give students an understanding of the budgeting considerations and processes at various levels within an institution, this course pays special attention to the different roles and functions of budget officers and how budgeting and finance affect various aspects of an institution’s operations. Students engage with financial methods and practices through case studies and problem sets. This course examines whether different financial approaches are more suitable for public, private, nonprofit, or for-profit higher education. Finally, students will learn how macroeconomic factors affect higher education institutions’ revenue streams and cost structures and how to communicate effectively with others about financial challenges.
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
MPEA 6200 Plan. Resource Mgmt. in HEA 3 Credits
This course will introduce students to the concepts of institutional and strategic planning. Students will learn how to develop, implement, and modify a campus plan, and how to integrate planning with resource management. This course will examine the interplay between institutional and academic initiatives and facilities planning.
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
MPEA 6300 Enrollment Mgmt: Stu Lifecycle 3 Credits
In this elective, students gain an understanding of enrollment management processes as well as strategies for recruiting, retaining, admitting, and enrolling students. The course examines the different stakeholders and gives an overview of the different factors influencing enrollment: financial aid and scholarships, academic standards, demographics, legal precedent, and institutional goals. Students learn recruitment and enrollment strategies based on research, differentiation, marketing, and data analysis and reporting.
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
MPEA 6400 Innovation in Higher Education 3 Credits
This course examines innovation in higher education. You'll consider key innovation theories like disruptive innovation, diffusion of innovations, and design thinking, understanding their specific application to colleges and universities. We'll critically examine how innovation impacts higher education, covering ethical, structural, cultural, equity, and policy considerations. You'll learn to assess institutional readiness for innovation using strategic frameworks such as SWOT and PESTEL. A core focus is on designing strategies to foster a culture of innovation within diverse higher education settings. You'll also learn to evaluate innovation initiatives, including stakeholder analysis and implementation planning. Finally, we'll look at future trends in learning, technology, workforce demands, and credentialing, and you'll assess their implications for higher education. The course culminates in a Final Project Assignment. For this project, you'll act as a strategic consultant to a higher education institution, tasked with designing an innovation strategy to increase student degree completion rates.
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Higher Ed Adminstration, Higher Ed Adminstration, Higher Ed Adminstration or Higher Ed Adminstration.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
MPEA 7000 Fond Clg Student LernDev 3 Credits
This course provides an overview of student development, counseling, and human development theories as they pertain to student learning and development, with a particular focus on catering to different types of students who attend different institutions (or different programs within institutions), such as how theories of growth and development are different for traditional student populations versus adult learners.
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
MPEA 7100 Multicultural Stu. Communities 3 Credits
This course will provide an overview of the historical context of multicultural education. It will also introduce best practices for student services professionals as they interact with multicultural student communities in a variety of capacities (such as offices that govern student housing, academic advising, financial aid, and student success).
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
MPEA 7200 Diversity SocialJ in Higher E 3 Credits
This course introduces students to issues of diversity and social justice in higher education. While evaluating questions of diversity regarding race and ethnicity, gender, and social class, students will examine social justice as an action and a process for creating change and transformation within higher education. This course will also reflect on Georgetown’s commitment to social justice and examine whether Jesuit institutions (or other religious or mission-driven educational institutions) have a special moral obligation to promote diversity and social justice in higher education.
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
MPEA 7300 Student Assessment/Evaluation 3 Credits
Understanding student outcomes assessment is critical for anyone working with faculty or academic departments or co-curricular student engagement, as this is the basis of evaluating student learning. This course will provide an introduction to student outcomes assessment for administrators during the first part of the course. The second part of the course will then focus on program evaluation, which will teach administrators how to work with faculty, department chairs, and other administrators to evaluate the health of academic and co-curricular programs in order to fine-tune, update, or sunset programs.
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
MPEA 7600 Intercollegiate Athl. Admin. 3 Credits
This course is intended to be an introduction to the history of collegiate athletics and its development as an economic enterprise, as well as a survey of the major functional areas that contribute to the daily operations of intercollegiate athletic departments. The class will be largely taught using a traditional case-study method and grading is heavily weighted on participation in class discussion. Students will be required to read and prepare for weekly in-class case presentations and discussions on relevant topics as well as one major, semester-long project. Classroom assignments and lectures will also include a focus on preparing students for careers in intercollegiate athletics administration.
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
MPEA 7940 Independent Study 3 Credits
Students may consider doing an independent study if they have a specific research need that cannot be fulfilled in a regularly scheduled course. This course provides the opportunity to synthesize theoretical and practical content taught during the program into one course experience. Each student works with a faculty advisor who serves as a guide through the detailed development and execution of the independent study project and related deliverables. Students may take up to two independent study courses as part of their course of study. This course requires special approval from the program.
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
MPEA 7950 Higher Education Practicum 3 Credits
The practicum allows students to apply classroom concepts in the field. Participants spend a semester in a department or functional area of an institution and gain experience as a higher education administrator. Students are expected to reflect on the practicum and synthesize the experience with their coursework. Students work with an advisor for this learning experience, and assignments evaluate their learning throughout the duration of the practicum. Students may take up to two elective practicums as part of their course of study. This opportunity gives students a better understanding of possible career paths through hands-on experience.
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
MPEA 7955 Higher Education Practicum II 3 Credits
This second course of the two-part practicum series allows students to build on the foundational experiences gained from the prior semester. Participants spend a semester in a department or functional area of an institution and gain further experience as a higher education administrator. Students are expected to reflect on the practicum and synthesize the experience with their coursework. Students work with an advisor for this learning experience, and assignments evaluate their learning throughout the duration of the practicum. Students may take up to two elective practicums as part of their course of study. This opportunity gives students a better understanding of possible career paths through hands-on experience.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
MPEA 7956 College Envs Stdnt Wellbeing 3 Credits
This hybrid course explores how campus environments—from residence halls and student life to DEI initiatives and policy—shape belonging, wellbeing, and student success. Grounded in the work of Lewin, Astin, Bronfenbrenner, and Strayhorn, as well as Jesuit values of cura personalis and social justice, students examine how people and place interact to influence learning and equity. The course combines asynchronous online modules with a three-day, in-person immersion in Washington, DC, where students visit colleges, universities, and nonprofits to engage directly with higher education leaders. Through case studies, reflection, and applied projects, students connect theory to practice as they learn to analyze and design learning environments that help all students thrive.
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Higher Ed Adminstration, Higher Ed Adminstration, Higher Ed Adminstration or Higher Ed Adminstration.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.
MPEA 7990 Capstone 3 Credits
All students are required to complete a three-credit capstone project as the culminating experience of the program. This course, taken during the student’s last semester, demonstrates the student’s advanced grasp of the discipline of higher education administration and provides the opportunity to synthesize all of the theoretical and practical content taught during the program into one course experience. Each student works with a faculty advisor who serves as a guide through the detailed development and execution of the project and related deliverables. The capstone project is also an opportunity for students to develop connections and gain mentors to help them progress in their career upon graduation. To successfully fulfill the capstone requirement, students must complete an applied research project or an in-depth research paper, and defend their work in front of a panel of faculty and experts.
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.