Master of Leadership in Higher Education

This course provides students with nuanced perspectives on higher education administration and governance. Through the course, students would learn about theories and models of organizational governance along with strategies for managing challenges in higher education. The skills and knowledge required to build, manage and strengthen professional team practices in different higher education units are explored in the course. Students would apply their knowledge of organizational theories to selected sectors of higher education of their choice.


An institution's ability to pre-empt, plan for, and manage change for sustainable organizational growth is an essential measure of its leaders' capacities and effectiveness. In this course, students will explore and learn theories of leadership along with best practices in organizational leadership and change management strategies with a focus on the higher education context.


This course introduces students to critical and contemporary issues in higher education policymaking. Through the course, students will learn about the processes involved in policy decision-making in higher education, including theoretical perspectives, approaches to policymaking, and policymaking instruments. Students will also learn and develop skills for research and craft higher education-related policies in their professional work settings.


In this course, students will explore institutional strategic planning approaches along with the need for institutional effectiveness. In the course, students will also be taken through the steps for linking strategic planning strategies with the best practices/principles that support the drive for ensuring institutional effectiveness.


This course introduces students to the principles and strategies for developing cultural competencies and promoting diversity and social justice in higher education. Students will be encouraged to critically reflect, explore and analyze the possible impacts of culture on their philosophical views and professional practices related to diversity and social justice issues. Through the course, students would develop the knowledge and skills to promote an enabling environment for individuals within their institutions to thrive irrespective of their culture, gender, and religious affiliation.


In this course, students will explore individual differences, human relations, and forces that influence the lives and behaviors of individuals and groups within higher education settings. Through the course, students would develop the skills for maintaining positive relationships with others within higher education settings. Emphasis will be laid on facilitative skills of decision making, collaborating, and motivating, problem-solving, communicating, and resolving conflicts.


This course is designed to familiarize students with the field of student affairs in higher education contexts. Through the course, students will learn about the purpose, services, and functions of student affairs, along with how the unit can be better managed for positive student experiences. Drawing on historical, theoretical, and ethical perspectives, students will examine institutional strategies for organizing, staffing, and funding a wide array of programs and services to support students in higher education. Students will also apply the knowledge gained from the course to improve selected units and services of student affairs units within a university context.


This course offers students the opportunity to strengthen their research knowledge and skills for conducting quality scholarly studies in higher education. Students will advance their understanding of research methodologies, including vocabularies, approaches, and ethical considerations. Students will also learn how to effectively plan and conduct quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research. Besides, students will develop the skills to lead a systematic literature review to determine gaps in the literature or strengthen research purposes. Further, they will practice their research skills using a suitable approach, considering the relevant ethical factors related to their research context.


Program planning and evaluation are essential practical skills for leaders in higher education. The process for planning and evaluating programs in higher education is complex and multi-faceted, involving different stakeholders and considerations. This course introduces students to the concepts, theories, and practices of program planning and evaluation in higher education contexts. In the course, students will engage in a critical approach to exploring theoretical approaches to program planning and evaluation, and the skills required would be employed. Students will develop the knowledge of program planning phases, including needs assessments, objectives, instructional design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Besides, students will be expected to apply appropriate theories and principles of program planning and evaluation to case studies and real-life workplace contexts.


Higher education leaders need to understand the trends, reforms, and policies in education and how they could transfer lessons to other contexts from a comparative and international lens. This course introduces students to the comparative and international education field, gaining more popularity in today's contemporary and globalized world. In the course, students will explore educational policies and practices around the globe, focusing on some contexts as case studies. For instance, students will learn about educational policies and procedures in conflict settings and some countries. Students will document lessons from comparative education and how they will transfer the knowledge gained to other contexts.


Leaders in higher education need to understand how e-learning can support teaching and learn for instructors and students. In this course, students will explore the concept and theoretical perspectives of e-learning in higher education. The course examines principles, technological tools, and media for developing, supporting, and facilitating e-learning in higher education contexts for either students' learning or staff professional development. Essentially, the course aims to prepare and enhance students' knowledge of strategies to use e-learning to improve teaching and learning for instructors and students in higher education.


The 'Master's Thesis' offers students the opportunity to undertake independent research on a specific issue of their interest in higher education. The thesis also provides students with the opportunity to have in-depth knowledge about a particular topic in higher education. Through the thesis, students will demonstrate the knowledge and skills developed during the Master's program