Master of Arts in Higher Education Leadership

Why Pursue a Master of Arts in Higher Education Leadership at North Central College?

You want to step to the higher education forefront and make an impact on the community. You have the drive to go beyond the basics and a desire to see and hear innovative practices that colleges are implementing to impact students' lives. The Master of Arts in Higher Education will not only provide you the space for self-exploration but also the practical experiences to dive deeper into a variety of areas. You will learn all the tools you need to utilize your gifts and advance your higher education career.

Understand the System + Lead the System

The education world is moving at a fast pace, so we are committed to delivering a unique curriculum that teaches you how to bring thoughtful change into future-thinking institutions. Our degree is designed to help you understand and lead within higher education.

• You will learn about campus culture, college students, and fiscal management while concurrently practicing the skills to teach, practice, and apply principles of creative problem-solving conflict resolution, and leadership and ethics.
• You will be coached by a range of expert higher education leaders in creating personal and professional development plans.

Degree Features

• Speaker Series Events - in-person or online series that focuses on your career and personal development. Faculty and higher education professionals provide training on emerging trends in higher education
• 100% Online Curriculum 
  • flexible courses designed to fit your busy schedule so you can keep your job while earning your degree
• Comprehensive Curriculum  - a strong curriculum that looks to the future by offering courses in trending higher education leadership topics.

Since 1861, North Central has been a place where new ideas lead to unlimited possibilities. We’re an independent college dedicated to the power of the liberal arts and sciences to transform students into leaders both in their careers and communities. Our nearly 3,000 students study across more than 65 undergraduate and graduate programs, with their education, made richer by supportive faculty and staff, world-class facilities, and countless opportunities to learn beyond the classroom.

A College on the move

Building on the foundation of more than 150 years of excellence, North Central continues to grow with numerous new facilities, programs, and initiatives in the works.

The College opened with 40 students in a single two-story building in Plainfield, Illinois. Since then we’ve changed names twice (to North-Western, then North Central), moved once (from Plainfield to Naperville), and grown steadily (to about 3,000 students).

Over the years, thousands of dedicated students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends have helped us thrive through the toughest challenges – wars, economic crises, social upheavals, and more – and build a future brilliant with hope and promise.

We’ve met the changing needs of students from Civil War veterans to millennial entrepreneurs. And we’ve always stayed true to our heritage of moral courage and forward-thinking.

Today we’re a top-ranked private comprehensive college of the liberal arts and sciences. U.S. News & World Report counts us among “America’s Best Colleges,” one of the top six schools in the Midwest for a “strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.” Students choose from more than 55 undergraduate majors and five graduate program areas.

Although the College originally discouraged organized athletics as a distraction from weightier matters, our 26 intercollegiate sports in NCAA Division III make our athletic department the largest in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW). North Central is proud of its 32 team national championships and 123 individual national champions.

Though affiliated with the United Methodist Church, we welcome and encourage students and staff of all faiths. We are thoughtfully expanding our academic programs to respond to the needs of our ever-changing world, recently adding Middle Eastern and North African Studies, along with Arabic. And we’re transforming our facilities – most dramatically with a new interdisciplinary Science Center located at the corner of Brainard Street and Van Buren Avenue.

It’s been an amazing 150+ years. But it’s clear that the best is yet to come!