DeSales University Launching New Graduate Program in Higher Education
Looking to pursue a career in higher education administration or student affairs? DeSales University is introducing a new graduate program in higher education that’s the first of its kind in the Lehigh Valley.
“We recognized the opportunity to offer a master’s degree that effectively prepares students for a career in a higher education setting,” says Dr. Judith Rance-Roney, director of the master of teacher education programs. “We were ready for an initiative but didn’t feel we had the expertise on our current faculty.”
That all changed when the University brought Dr. Kelley Kenney—a nationally recognized leader who’s been working in the higher ed field for 35 years—on board as a consultant. Kenney developed the program, which is informed by the guidelines and standards of the Counsel for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. It has two areas of concentration: higher education administration and student affairs administration.
“This program is very much focused on how we support the growth and development of college students,” says Kenney, who will serve as the founding director of the program. “We’re targeting individuals who have an interest in or who are currently working in the field without an advanced degree, or those with a master’s in another field.”
The concentration in higher ed administration deals with administration and leadership, with a focus on business, financing, and policy making. The student affairs administration concentration is centered on student and academic support services, career development, student engagement and leadership, and campus life.
The DeSales program will be one of the most affordable in the state and will also cater to both part-time and full-time students. Students in the part-time program will be able to take evening courses in a flex format, giving them the option to either come to campus or join in synchronously online.
Students will be able to enroll on a part-time basis starting this January, and the first full-time cohort will join next September. The program is DeSales’ latest push in expanding offerings in education. This fall, the ACCESS program relaunched its early childhood elementary education major for adult students.
“Our education programs have a very strong reputation in the region; this is an opportunity for us to leverage that strong reputation with the goal of further expanding our offerings in the future. We’re excited about what lies ahead.”
Learn more about DeSales' newest Graduate Program - Master of Education in Higher Education
