Department of Educational Leadership and Policy StudiesTop 10 Questions |
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Top 10 Questions Asked About the Higher Education Program at Iowa State University
Q. Is there a deadline for applying to the Higher Education program? A. Students who intend to enroll on a full-time basis must submit their applications by January 1. The Admissions Committee will review applications during January and candidates will be notified of their status by February 1. Students who are admitted to the academic program will then be invited to apply and interview for assistantships. On-campus interviews are conducted in late February. Students may apply after the deadline and will be considered if there is space available in the program. Q. Do you accept students for admission in January or for the Summer term? A. Full-time students are rarely admitted in January because assistantships are typically not available at that time and coursework is sequenced to begin in the Fall semester. Part-time students may be admitted in January if there is space available in the program to which they are applying. Students may start their programs during the summer or fall semester. Q. What materials must I submit to be considered for the master's and doctoral programs in higher education? A. Master's degree: Graduate application, transcripts from all institutions attended, three letters of recommendation, a statement of professional goals, and a resume. Doctoral degree: Graduate application, transcripts from all institutions attended, three letters of recommendation, GRE scores, a statement of professional goals, and a resume. An interview with a member of the Admissions Committee (in person or by phone) is also required. Q. Is the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) required for admission? A. The GRE is not required for admission at the master's degree level, but is required at the doctoral level. Q. Do you have to have higher education or student affairs experience to be admitted to the program? A. There is no work experience requirement at the master's degree level. At the doctoral level, we require that students have full-time professional experience in higher education. We strongly recommend that an applicant have 3-5 years of experience working in some capacity of higher education. Q. Do I need to have a master's degree or can I enroll in the doctoral program with just a bachelor's degree? A. All doctoral applicants are required to hold a master's degree to apply for the doctoral program. We do not consider students for the doctoral degree who do not have a master's degree and professional experience in higher education. Q. Do you have to have majored in Education to be admitted to the Higher Education program? A. No. Students in the Higher Education program come from a variety of academic backgrounds and disciplines. There isn't one specific major required for admission. Q. Does your department offer assistantships? A. The ELPS department offers a number of graduate research assistantships to doctoral students. Some of these positions are funded by grants secured by departmental faculty and others are supported by the Graduate Minority Assistantship Program. In addition, research assistantships are offered through the Research Institute for Studies in Education and some doctoral students secure assistantships through the Division of Student Affairs or other administrative offices on campus. All full-time masters students are required to hold an assistantship in student affairs or a related area. Assistantships are available to students in a wide variety of offices around campus, including Admissions, the Margaret Sloss Women's Center, Recreation Services, Greek Life, Student Activities, Residence Life, Financial Aid, Multicultural Student Affairs, the Academic Success Center, the Dean of Students Office, and various academic advising centers. The Interview Days program run by the Higher Education Graduate Student Organization in collaboration with the Higher Education program and the Division of Student Affairs enables students to apply and interview for assistantships. Q. What happens if I am unable to secure an assistantship? A. Doctoral students may enroll in the program without an assistantship. However, full-time master's students are required to hold an assistantship to enroll. Q. Can I enroll in the program on a part-time basis? A. Students can enroll in the Higher Education program on a part-time basis. However, at the master's level, students must be working in higher education while they are enrolled in order to obtain the professional experience necessary to enhance their academic preparation. Doctoral students may also enroll in the program part-time while working. Q. Can I take Higher Education courses as a non-degree student and be admitted to the program if I successfully complete them? A. Students who are admitted to the Higher Education program are given first chance at course enrollment. Non-degree students may enroll in Higher Education courses if space is available and they obtain permission of the instructor. Non-degree students are not guaranteed admission to the Higher Education program on the basis of having successfully taken courses in the program. They must complete the same application procedures and meet the same requirements as any other student. Q. When are Higher Education courses offered? Do you offer courses in the summer? A. Courses are most often taught in the afternoon or evening in one 3-hour block a week. Most doctoral courses are taught during the evening, while most master's courses are taught in the afternoon or evening. We do offer a number of required courses during the summer in a 2-3 week timeframe. We also offer a number of elective 1-2 credit hour current issues classes during the summer. Q. How long does it take to complete the masters and doctoral programs in Higher Education after being admitted? A. The master's program generally takes two years to complete, if taking courses on a full-time basis (which would generally include taking courses one summer session). The doctoral program generally takes three and one-half years to complete, if enrolled on a full-time basis. If enrolled on a part-time basis, the doctoral program can take between five and seven years to complete. Q. Can I complete the program in Higher Education via distance education? A. While many of the Higher Education community college administration courses are offered off-campus or via the internet, not every course is available in a distance education format. The master's program in student affairs and the doctoral program in higher education administration are offered on-campus only. Q. What courses are required to obtain a certificate in community college teaching? A. Three Higher Education courses are required - Hg Ed 561 College Teaching, Hg Ed 562 Curriculum Development in Colleges, and Hg Ed 582 The Comprehensive Community College - as well as a human relations course. Hg Ed 570H Diversity in Higher Education meets this requirement. The Area Education Agencies in the State of Iowa also offer a human relations course that will meet this requirement. Q. How often are applications reviewed, and where can I get one? A. The Higher Education Admissions Committee will review applications for the master's and doctoral program after the January 1 deadline for admission and will notify candidates of their status by February 1. Applications MUST be complete to be reviewed. Late applications for the program will be reviewed as they are received if space is still available in the program to which the student is applying. Students are strongly encouraged to complete applications by January 1 to ensure full consideration. Applications can be obtained from the Admissions Office at Iowa State University or from the department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Q. How long do I have to make a decision as to whether I will accept an admissions offer? A. A National Council of Graduate Schools resolution specifies April 15 as an agreed-upon date for students to indicate their acceptance of graduate school offers for the subsequent Fall term. See the following link for specific information: http://www.cgsnet.org/PublicationsPolicyRes/resolutions.htm#resolution1. In accordance with this resolution, students admitted to the Higher Education program are encouraged to make their acceptance decisions as soon as possible but are not required to do so until April 15.
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