Wheaton College Announces New M.A. in Higher Education and Student Development

Wheaton College announces a new graduate program in the School of Mission, Ministry and Leadership: the M.A. in Higher Education and Student Development.

This new program will begin in the summer of 2019, and applications are now being accepted at wheaton.edu/highered. Designed to prepare individuals for professional positions in colleges and universities, the M.A. in Higher Education and Student Development is geared toward anyone who is interested in or currently working in a student affairs role in either a secular or Christian higher education setting.

At the core of the program are courses on discipleship and spiritual formation, conflict and mediation, emerging adult development, and leadership theory and practice. All are taught by world-class faculty who are leaders in the fields of student development and spiritual formation.

“We designed this program to challenge our graduate students to think critically about collegiate learning and discipleship, themes that are relevant for both Christian colleges and secular universities,” says Program Director Dr. David Setran. “The program will equip students as servant leaders in higher education by fostering personal spiritual formation, theological depth, cultural awareness, interpersonal skills, and abilities in counseling, teaching, and mentoring.”

Classes are offered residentially or in a distance learning format. Individuals enrolled residentially take classes while working as graduate assistants on campus in Wheaton, Illinois, either in the residence halls or through a campus organization. Those who enroll in the flexible learning format can take classes from a distance while staying in their current settings, with weeklong intensives on campus in July and January. The program is designed to be completed in two years.