HESA Curriculum
Curriculum Overview
Total Hours: 39 credit hours:
鈥� Core Courses: 27 hours
鈥� Internship: 6 hours
鈥� Electives: 6 hours
As a learning community, knowledge acquisition and the co-creation of meaning heavily relies on each person鈥檚 attendance and engagement in the course work and discussion. Faculty members take on the role of a facilitator, a 鈥済uide on the side鈥� (as opposed to a 鈥渟age on a stage鈥�), who encourage students to pull from their own and others鈥� lived experience to interpret course materials and co-create meaning.
The curriculum is organized on a WHAT-WHO-HOW-WHY model:
鈥� What (beginning or semester 1): What is higher education, its history, and what is student
affairs within it?
鈥� Who (middle or semester 2): Who do we serve in higher education and who do we not serve?
Who am I in relation to higher education and the students who attend?
鈥� How (middle or semester 3): How do the practical systems and applications of higher education
work? How are we organized, funded, assessed, and managed?
鈥� Why (ending or semester 4): Why does higher education matter today? Why do you want to
be a part of this work when the work can be challenging?
Starting with a broad foundation and narrowing the focus as the students progress through the program fosters a contextually educative experience rooted in a deep understanding of the field, which allows research and theory to then guide their practice.
HESA Competencies & Dispositions
Transfer Credit: Up to 6 hours with advisor approval (grade B or higher)
