Higher Education Leadership and Policy
Department of Educational Leadership and Policy
The Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Program in Higher Education Leadership and Policy (PHELP) is designed to advance the personal and intellectual development of individuals seeking careers as academic and student services educators and professionals in institutions of higher education, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. Students gain historical, political, philosophical, and social knowledge for creating equitable and just environments in an increasingly complex and constantly changing higher education context.
Program Philosophy
The M.Ed. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to coursework. Students can tailor the program of study to fit their interests while building sound theoretical foundations, self-reflection practices, and practical experiences. The PHELP’s curriculum aligns with the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education standards for professional preparation programs in student affairs.
The PHELP M.Ed. is designed to prepare transformative leaders through theory and practice to create conscious scholarly practitioners. Through coursework and assistantships/internships, students build the ability to navigate complex higher education organizational structures and relationships with stakeholders.
Our faculty welcomes and affirms all learners of diverse identities, cultures, backgrounds, personalities, talents and learning styles. As a faculty, we believe in the co-construction of knowledge through partnership with the knowledge and experiences students bring to the classroom to make meaning of higher education populations, phenomena, and issues. Students are prepared for a wide range of roles related to higher education that include student life (e.g. residential life, career center, advising, enrollment management, and student activities), academic affairs, financial aid, multicultural affairs, institutional research, P-16 transitions, in K-12 and postsecondary education, government agencies, and non-profit organizations.
Application Requirements
All graduate students are required to apply through the Graduate School website. We strongly encourage you to start this process well in advance of the deadline to allow us time to process your information. Applicants who miss the application deadline may be allowed to begin in the spring or summer. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis by emailing the director of this program an explanation of why the application was delayed.
Three (3) recommendation letters are required.
Any bachelor’s degree from a U.S. institution or equivalent from an international institution plus a statement of purpose that describes:
- why you are interested in a masters degree in the Program in Higher Education Leadership and Policy (PHELP) at UT Austin;
- what life experiences have contributed to your decision to apply to our program;
- what personal experiences, achievements, and accomplishments would compel the department to evaluate your contributions to the University’s diversity mission;
- what type of research and//or practice you would be interested in investigating and which faculty member(s) you would like to work with; and
- what your career aspirations are once you complete your degree.
Course Requirements
Coursework can be tailored to a student’s interests and needs, with the advice and approval of a faculty mentor. Students take 18 hours of required coursework and can customize the electives taken in both the Program in Higher Education Leadership and Policy (PHELP). Students will also have the opportunity to take courses outside the department.
Up to six hours of graduate work may be transferred from another institution and counted toward the master’s degree if approved by the student’s advisor and the graduate advisor and Graduate School.
Departmental Core (18 hours)
- ELP 385R Organization & Admin of Higher Ed
- ELP 385T Student Affairs in HE
- ELP 385E The College Student
- ELP 395H History of Higher Education
- ELP 395L Higher Education Law
- ELP 385C Contemporary Issues in HE Mgmt
PHEL Elective (9 hours)
- ELP 383P Individual Project (2nd Internship)
- ELP 395K Campus Cultures
- ELP 395K Legislative Issues in Higher Education
- ELP 395K Research on College Students
- ELP 395K Community Colleges
- ELP 395K LGBTQ+ Issues, Identities, and Contexts in Higher Education
- ELP 395K Educational Crises and Emergencies
- ELP 395K Leadership in Student Affairs
- ELP 395K Equity and Diversity in Higher Education
- ELP 395K Design Pedagogy and Instruction
- ELP 395K College Student Governance and Involvement
Graduate Internship (3 hours)
An internship of at least three semester credit hours (approximately 120 clock hours) is required.
- ELP 383N Graduate Internship
Out of Department Electives (6 hours)
Electives can be taken from different departments within the College of Education or other colleges within the University
Graduate Assistantships
Graduate assistantships provide both income and experience for students. Students can put into practice the skills they are learning in the CUSPA program.
Examples of current and past assistantships include Greek Life and Intercultural Education, Recreational Sports, New Student Services, International Student Office, Student Activities and Leadership Development, and the McCombs School of Business Office of Student Life.
Job descriptions, processes for hiring, and position availability are posted on the UT Employment Homepage.
Cohort Profiles
Core Faculty
Examines the effects of state and federal policies on college access and completion outcomes for low-income and underrepresented populations including immigrant and English Learner students.
Higher education finance and policy, with a focus on equity in policymaking processes and the effects of policies Current research topics include: the differential effects of free college (or Promise) programs on students and higher education in...
Expertise on the intersection of law and educational policies and practices focused on access and equity in higher education, including affirmative action, freedom of expression and inclusion, and the use and influence of research in law.
Accepting new students
Focuses on student governance and involvement in the areas of college student government, the student body presidency, sorority/fraternity life, equity and justice issues, queer students and issues in higher education, and educational crises and emer...
Bringing the experience of 28 years as dean of the College of Education, Justiz shares his expertise in topics of public policy, the politics of education, and providing equal access for minorities in education.
Interests include academic administration, faculty in higher education, and college student development with research on college teaching and minorities in higher education.
Leads the Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success Initiative focused on Latino males in education; seeks to advance research-informed policy solutions that enhance educational outcomes for students in secondary and post-seconda...
Studies how to ameliorate social inequities in the United States through higher education policy; focuses on college pathways at broad-access institutions, including community colleges.
Affiliated Faculty
Manages and coordinates multiple research and evaluation grants and contracts for the Educational Research Center.
Focuses research on student success and graduation initiatives, including innovative college readiness assignments, student success programs and understanding the completion agenda.
Oversees the Centers community college relations and serves as a point of contact for state leaders, funders and national higher education organizations.
Focuses on policies, practices, and interventions that promote social mobility and reduce socioeconomic stratification in K12 and higher education.
Interests include: student affairs administration, professional staff development, college student development, retention programs for students of color.
Teaches courses that examine the intersectionality of culture, organizations, and systems of privilege, power, and difference in higher education.
Focuses on identifying factors that hinder or promote the success of children and families from vulnerable and underserved populations.
Examines the experiences of faculty of color at predominantly White institutions; mentoring relationships between faculty and Black students; and work-life balance in academia.
Centers research on college student identity development, personal branding for student leaders, and work/life integration for student affairs administrators
Academic technology, technology-enhanced learning, learning technologies, online education, college teaching and learning, course evaluations, design thinking, design pedagogy, learning experience design, and developing expertise in generative AI too...
Focuses on university-wide campus climate initiatives such as developing inclusive classrooms, campus climate issues and support, and recruitment/retention of faculty of color at predominantly white institutions.
Serves as the Associate Director for Student Learning and Development and researches post-qualitative and post-structuralist methodologies, discourse analysis, and gender performance.
Contact the Program
For more information, please write, email or telephone:
The University of Texas at Austin
Department of Educational Leadership and Policy
Program in Higher Education Leadership and Policy
1912 Speedway D5400
Austin, Texas 78712-0374
Telephone: (512) 471-7551
Fax: (512) 471-5975
Additional Resources
Program Starts: Fall
Deadline to Apply: December 1
Credit Hours Required: 36
Schedule: Full time or part time permitted per discussion with program head
Program Location: On Campus
GRE Required? No
Program Co-coordinator
Liliana Garces
Program Co-coordinator
Lauren Schudde
Program Co-coordinator
Michael Anthony Goodman
Let us know what your academic interests are within the College of Education and we’ll be in touch.
