Frequently Asked Questions About Admission to the Master’s Program

All application materials must be submitted through Kent State University’s admissions website. Please do not send application materials by email to the program coordinator or program faculty; we can only consider you for admission if you have submitted a complete application through the admissions website.

KSU’s admissions website (be sure to choose “Graduate” as your application type) has many helpful resources including the opportunity to connect with a current KSU graduate student and resource guides and webinars on the application process.

If you are seeking a graduate assistantship, you must submit your completed application by December 1 for admission the following fall. (So for example, if you wish to begin your studies in fall 2024, you must submit your completed application by December 1, 2023.) If we receive your application after December 1, we cannot guarantee that we can review it in time for you to participate in our placement process if you are admitted. (And if you don’t participate in the placement process, you won’t be placed in an assistantship.)

If you are not seeking a graduate assistantship, we accept applications on a rolling basis as space is available in the program. However, at a minimum, you should submit your completed application at least two months before the start of the semester in which you wish to begin your studies to ensure we have sufficient time to review it.

Yes, all applicants to the MEd program are interviewed by members of our program faculty. Once you have submitted a completed application, the program coordinator will contact you to schedule an interview. All admissions interviews are conducted virtually.

We have a graduate assistantship placement process, known as GA Days, that takes place once per year. If you are admitted to the program, we will contact you about participating in GA Days. During GA Days, you will have the opportunity to interview with our assistantship employers. (International applicants may participate in interviews with graduate assistantship employers virtually.) Note that participation in GA Days is not a guarantee you will be placed in an assistantship; placements are competitive, and not all admitted students receive a placement. If you wish to be considered for a graduate assistantship, you must submit your application by December 1 each year for admission the following fall semester, to ensure we have sufficient time to review your application prior to GA Days.

Kent State University does not grant application fee waivers for applicants to graduate programs. However, the University usually offers a Free Application Week during the fall when application fees are waived for domestic applicants (unfortunately, international applicants are not eligible for Free Application Week). In fall 2023, the dates will be October 23-30, 2023. Be sure to check KSU’s Admissions website for more information.

No, we no longer require any applicants to the MEd program to submit GRE scores.

Yes, all applicants to the MEd program must submit official transcripts; Kent State University does not accept unofficial transcripts for admissions. More information about graduate admission requirements is available at the Admissions website.

Your goal statement should address why you’re interested in completing a master’s degree in higher education at Kent State University. Questions to consider as you’re writing your statement include: How does the degree align with your professional goals? What about our MEd program at Kent State, specifically, appeals to you? Why do you want to pursue a career in higher education administration and student affairs? What relevant experiences, as a student or as a professional, have you already had in higher education, and how have these shaped your desire to complete a master’s degree in the field? What do you hope to gain, personally and professionally, from completing our MEd program? Be sure to carefully proofread your goal statement before submitting it.

No, we do not offer an online master’s program. Currently, all of the required courses for the MEd program are offered in person at the Kent campus. Some elective courses may be offered in online or hybrid (i.e., partially online and partially in-person) formats. If you are admitted to the program, you must be able to attend in-person classes.

Our Master’s in Education (MEd) program in Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs is designed to be completed in two years if attending full time and requires the completion of nine core courses and at least six elective courses. A feature of Kent State’s program is that students complete at least two internships (and we encourage the completion of a third internship as an elective), which helps you develop the skills and expertise necessary to work in multiple areas of higher education as well as begin to build your professional network. Our plan of study provides details about course requirements for the program.

We offer four certificate options for MEd students: Career and Academic Advising, Community College Leadership, Institutional Research & Assessment, and Internationalization of Higher Education. Many students in the MEd program choose to complete at least one of these certificates as a way to document their interest and expertise in a specific area of higher education, and the courses you take for the MEd and our certificates can be double-counted, making them easy to complete without much, if any, additional coursework. More information about the certificate programs is available on our Higher Education Administration program website as well as in the Kent State catalog.

MEd students are eligible for general Kent State scholarships based on merit and financial need as well as awards and fellowships specific to graduate students. In addition, Higher Education Administration program offers several scholarships specifically for current and admitted students; eligibility and application requirements for these vary, with some based on interests and some based on financial need. If you are placed in a graduate assistantship, it may come with full tuition remission or a partial tuition stipend (benefits vary by placement).

Our program requires the completion of nine core courses and at least six elective courses (45 credit hours total). Our plan of study provides details about course requirements for the program. If attending part-time, the time to complete the degree will vary based upon how many courses you’re planning to take each semester. If you are working full-time, we recommend taking no more than two courses per semester; some part-time students choose to only take one per semester. Kent State University requires that all coursework for a master’s degree be completed within 6 years.

The Higher Education Administration program offers a limited selection of courses during the summer, many of which are electives. Our course projections will give you an idea of which courses we plan to offer in future summer sessions. In consultation with your advisor, you may be able to take courses in other academic programs at Kent State or other area institutions during the summer.

If your undergraduate GPA is below a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), you may still submit an application for admission, and we will consider it. However, be aware that the MEd admissions process is competitive, and we don’t often admit students with undergraduate GPAs below 3.00 unless they can provide very strong evidence of their qualifications via the other admissions requirements (i.e., goal statement, resume, recommendation letters, and interview).

Information about Kent State University’s English proficiency requirements and exemptions is available at the Admissions website.

No, the MEd program in Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs prepares graduates to assume a wide variety of administrative positions within colleges and universities in the U.S. and throughout the world. Applicants who are interested in becoming primary or secondary teachers or furthering their professional development as primary or secondary teachers should consider Kent State University’s many excellent graduate programs in the School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies. We do not expect applicants to the MEd program in Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs to have a teaching background; those who do should clearly address in their goal statement the connection between any prior teaching experience at the primary or secondary level and their desire to work in higher (or tertiary) education as an administrator or student affairs professional.