Certificate in Higher Education Administration
Goal
This graduate certificate program in Higher Education Administration targets full-time college administrators who may not have studied higher education through any formal degree program but wish to develop a deeper understanding of the environment in which they work. Doctoral students engaged in other disciplines who plan to enter the academy as tenure track faculty members may also benefit from this experience. This certificate program responds to an existing demand by degree-seeking and non-degree seeking students, alike.
Admission Requirements
A qualified student who wishes to enter Virginia Tech to obtain a graduate certificate, without being enrolled in a degree program, may apply for graduate admission to Graduate Certificate Status. Such applicants should submit concurrently an Application for Admission and a Graduate Certificate Application. The Graduate School requires a GPA of 3.0 for admission to Certificate Status and official transcripts must be submitted. Note that students pursuing a degree and a certificate simultaneously are classified in their degree program. Credits used toward a certificate may be used in meeting degree requirements if they are appropriate for inclusion on the Plan of Study for the degree.
Enrollment may be limited bases on class size. Certificates will be awarded upon the student’s application for the certificate once they have successfully completed the course requirements.
Completion Requirements
The certificate requires successful completion of a total of 12 credit hours, of which 6 credits are required courses and 6 credits are elective. Students need to receive a grade of B or better in each course to receive the certificate. Students receiving a grade below a B would have to re-take the course before credit would be given. All courses are 3 credit hours and are generally offered once each year depending upon the availability of the faculty.
All students must complete:
ELPS 6064 – Higher Education in the United States (Fall)
ELPS 6074 – Higher Education Law (Fall)
In addition, students must complete 6 credit hours in one of the three options listed below:
Student Development and Learning Track
ELPS 5314 – Theories of Student Development (Fall)
ELPS 5334 – The College Student and the College Environment (Spring)
Governance and Policy Track
ELPS 6214 – The State Role in Education (Summer)
ELPS 6024 – Policy Studies in Education (Spring)
Organizations and Management Track
ELPS 6304 – Theories of Educational Organization (Fall)
ELPS 6094 – Educational Administration Processes and Skills (Summer)
Eligibility
Students enrolled as graduate degree, non-degree, or Commonwealth Campus students are eligible to receive a Certificate in Higher Education Administration.
Faculty
The following faculty members are affiliated with the Higher Education Administration certificate program.
Dr. Joan B. Hirt, Associate Professor
Dr. Patricia Hyer, Associate Provost
Dr. Steven M. Janosik, Associate Professor
Dr. Ellen Plummer, Assistant Provost and Director of the Women’s Center
Dr. Edward F. D. Spencer, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
For More Information For more information, contact the Higher Education Program Recruiter at hed@vt.edu, or call 540-231-5106.
Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of race, sex, disability, age, veteran status, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or political affiliation. Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Equal Employment Affirmative Action Office, 336 Burruss Hall, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061