Higher Education Administration (M.S.)

The M.S. in HEA at UNF is unique in that it offers five concentration tracks to allow professionals to customize their degree to their career goals and the only program that allows students to choose more than one of these concentrations in their degree. 

• General Higher Education Administration
• Student Affairs
• International Higher Education
• Collegiate Athletics
• Non-Profit Management (offered in conjunction with Public Administration)
  
  Learn more about our concentrations

Our program is built around a number of important principles:

1. Practical, career-focused instruction
   • Class activities and assignments are designed whenever possible to teach skills that can be directly applied in professional practice.
2. Solutions-oriented approach
   • All courses and assignments, and even the grading system, emphasize finding solutions to challenges of practice in the field.
3. Career-centered preparation
   • Our focus is always on preparing each individual student for success in their chosen career path in Higher Education. We never forget that this program is about advancing your professional goals.
4. Leadership and administrative focus
   
   • While the program prepares graduates for entry-level roles such as coordinators or advisors, it also emphasizes long-term career development and advancement into supervisory and leadership positions.
5. Flexibility and customization
   • Few programs in the field offer the same level of flexibility as UNF’s M.S. in Higher Education Administration, which allows students to choose from multiple concentration tracks to tailor their degree to their career interests.

In addition to high quality career preparation in a wide variety of specialties, the M.S. in Higher Education Administration also features:

• Personal attention to individual student needs and goals
• Instruction by leading faculty in the field including experienced current practitioners
• The opportunity for added experience in field-based practicums
• Evening courses scheduled for working professionals
• A strong record of successful graduates working in Higher Education and related fields locally, throughout Florida, nationally, and even around the world
• The ability to specialize in more than one concentration track
• Successful applicants may apply separately for campus assistantships, which are not awarded directly by the HEA program

A baccalaureate degree from an accepted institutional accreditor, or its equivalent from a foreign institution, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher in all work attempted in the last 60 credit hours of undergraduate study.

Application and Fee

Prospective students are required to use our online system to create an account and submit an application. The application opens approximately one year in advance and is only good for the term and program in which it is submitted. Applicants who have submitted their application and wish to change their admission term or major/concentration may submit a new application and associated application fee. If you would like to cancel an open application, please contact us.

A $30 (USD) application fee is required regardless of previous enrollment. The application fee is non-refundable and cannot be waived. Undergraduate application fees cannot be used for a graduate application, and vise versa. The application fee must be submitted prior to the review of an application.

Current students who would like to add or change a major, concentration or certificate should submit the Change of Concentration or Major form.

College Transcripts

All applicants must provide transcripts from a U.S. institution accredited by an accepted institutional accreditor or its equivalent from a non-US institution that awarded the bachelor’s degree and master’s degree, if applicable, and transcripts from institutions where any post-baccalaureate and/or graduate credits were earned.

All admits must provide official transcripts.

All international transcripts will require a course-by-course evaluation by an approved third-party credential evaluation agency unless a graduate program has established an alternative credential evaluation procedure that is approved by the graduate school. To be accepted, the evaluation must be:

1. Translated to English and be the U.S. equivalent
2. Evaluated course-by-course
3. Include the overall academic GPA
4. Be from an approved third-party accredited evaluation service. Recommended evaluation agencies: 
   • SpanTran. They have created a custom application for UNF that will make sure you select the right kind of evaluation at a discounted rate. You can access their application through the SpanTran Application - UNF Graduate School portal.
   • Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.
   • World Education Services

• The UNF Graduate School cannot request transcripts on an applicants behalf.
• Unofficial transcript copies are accepted for admissions but must clearly state the institution name, student name, course information, terms, grades, and credits. Degree audits are not accepted. Admitted students will be prompted to provide official transcripts. 
• If currently enrolled in courses, an incomplete transcript must be submitted before the posted deadline. 
• Applicants who also have to apply through systems such as ATCAS or PTCAS, must submit separate transcripts to UNF. 
• Official transcripts must:
  • Must be less than one year old from the date of printing
  • Must be submitted in a sealed envelope from your institution, or emailed through official electronic means.
• When requesting college transcripts, please verify with your institution(s) whether or not they are able to submit electronic transcripts in the proper EDI format. Institutions can submit transcripts via e-mail to graduateschool@unf.edu from an approved vendor such as ScriptSafe, Credentials, or Parchment. 
• Former or current UNF students should not request UNF transcripts. After application submission, the UNF requirement will be updated to a "waived" status.

Where do I send transcripts?

UNF Graduate School
1 UNF Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32224

graduateschool@unf.edu

• Official transcripts from all attended institutions
• Written statement identifying:
  • professional and career goals
  • aspiration
• Current resume
• Three letters of recommendation (using UNF's online reference system)

Deadlines and Documents

The program application deadlines below are for international students who are seeking F1/J1 visas. While these deadlines are not mandatory, we encourage students to complete their applications and submit all immigration documents at least two months prior to the regular program deadlines to ensure timely visa processing. For most programs, the international deadlines are:

• Fall: June 1
• Spring: October 1

For programs with fall deadlines earlier than June 1 and spring deadlines earlier than October 1, the international deadlines are the same as the program deadlines. Please direct questions to the International Center.

According to U.S. immigration regulations, immigration documents can only be issued for students who are fully admitted to a full-time, on-campus, in-person, degree-seeking program. F-1/J-1 students cannot pursue online degree programs, part-time enrollment, or certificate programs; please see the list of F-1 Non-Qualifying Degree Programs and contact the International Center for more information. This list is subject to change. 

English Language Proficiency

All international applicants, except those from an English-speaking country, are required to demonstrate English Language Proficiency by meeting the indicators listed on the English Language Proficiency page.

Affidavit of Financial Support and Bank Certification

The Affidavit is a legal document which is signed by the sponsor (the person who will be providing the funds) stating the amount of funds that she/he will provide for the educational expenses of the student applicant and then certified by a bank official that the sponsor does have that amount of funds in their account. This form represents an obligation on the part of the sponsor to provide the required amount of funds as indicated on the form. Please review the Estimated Cost of Attendance for International Students to determine the amount of funds needed to be written on the Affidavit.

All documentation and immigration inquiries should be sent to the UNF International Center.

Immunization Documentation Form and Health Insurance

All international students are required to submit proof of required vaccinations and health insurance. Please refer to the Office of Medical Compliance with any questions.

*International students must be fully admitted to a full-time, on-campus, in-person, degree-seeking program at the University of North Florida. Please contact the International Center for more information.