About HESA
HESA Director's Welcome
Thank you for your interest in Baylor University's Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) Program. The program is actively recruiting applicants for the fall. Please take a moment to read more below, look through our website, and share the link with others.
The Baylor program trains professionals to have a meaningful, lasting influence on people’s lives. Our program is uniquely balanced between professional experience and academic rigor from a Christian framework. Students can expect to be professionally challenged through their apprenticeships and academically challenged throughout the two-year course sequence. Our program is built on a cohort model that provides support, camaraderie, and debate as students come together from across the nation, representing a wide diversity of regional and cultural worldviews. Accepted students receive significant scholarships and a graduate apprentice position with a competitive stipend.
Higher education needs leaders who are thoughtful, reflective, and capable of creating meaningful change. We hope you will join us in that quest.
Sincerely,
Nathan Alleman
Associate Professor & Graduate Program Director
Higher Education & Student Affairs
Baylor Distinctives
Baylor’s MSEd program in Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) is set apart by several features:
Christian Environment
Baylor offers the only master's program in higher education and student affairs from a Research 1 university that incorporates student development, administrative theory, and faith into the curriculum. The HESA program is committed to pursuing academic excellence through a curriculum that integrates a faith perspective and focuses on Christian formation in all courses. Students learn what it means to think Christianly about the administration of higher education and how to handle career challenges as a person of faith in any setting. Graduates are prepared for careers at any higher-education institution—public, private, or faith-based.
Cohort Experience & Connections
Beginning each June, students progress through the program as a cohort—building strong peer connections while gaining real-world experience and academic training. As part of a full-time cohort moving through the 22-month program together, students share not only common classes, but also professional and social experiences as they connect both inside and outside the classroom. These powerful networks frequently endure long after graduation, and graduates continue to support each other’s development and growth as lifelong learners and student affairs professionals.
The small cohort of typically fewer than 10 students allows a high level of interaction with faculty, who often invite students to their homes and get to know them outside of class. Students also interact through the Graduate Student Association and honor society. Additionally, each first-year student connects with a mentor from the second-year cohort.
Scholar-Practitioner Approach
With its unique integration of theory and practice, Baylor's HESA program prepares future leaders to thrive in diverse higher education environments. Academic coursework is enhanced by hands-on learning. Accepted applicants are guaranteed generous scholarship support plus a 20-hour-per-week paid professional apprenticeship on the Baylor campus. Apprenticeships challenge students to apply the insights learned in the classroom to the business of the university through meaningful and engaged hands-on work, putting theory directly into practice.
Students are also funded to attend the annual conference of NASPA — the professional organization for student affairs administrators —during their second year. This exceptional career-search opportunity allows students to see themselves as professionals as they interact with professionals from other institutions.
If you’re passionate about working with college students, Baylor University’s Master of Science in Higher Education & Student Affairs (HESA) program can help launch your career.