Program Overview

A unique new degree, delivered with the latest multi-modal technologies, the Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Higher Education Business Administration (HEBA) combines the skills of a campus administrator with the tools of strategic positioning and financial management.

This degree program prepares a new generation of higher education professionals who will confront a changing and global marketplace where academic expertise extends beyond the challenge of creating the most appropriate teaching and learning environments.

The University of South Carolina's College of Education and Darla Moore School of Business are pleased to work together on this groundbreaking program. The interdisciplinary program consists of courses offered in the College of Education (Department of Educational Leadership and Policies) and the Moore School (Departments of Marketing, Accounting, Management, and Economics).

The degree is designed for mid-level working professionals in institutions of higher education and related organizations and agencies and includes lock-step courses and an action research/field problem component that serves as an integrative capstone experience. 

“The challenging environment of contemporary higher education requires leaders at every level who can apply both expertise in effective business practices and thorough knowledge of higher education functions.  This unique, multi-disciplinary degree program is aimed at developing those managers and leaders.” 

— Dr. Harris Pastides, president of the University of South Carolina

The dynamic nature of higher education and its institutions and systems in the 21st century has brought to this field ever-growing needs for innovation, market strategy, financial expertise, data-driven decision making and other approaches typically perceived as the purview of degrees in business administration.

The degree includes exploration of higher education governance, marketing, economics, ethics, administrative leadership, and financial and legal environments. Through the use of case studies and assignments in practical data development and decision/policy making, students will gain practice in applying administrative, political, economic, and cultural realities to a rich variety of issues and challenges consistent with the current and anticipated realities of higher education institutions, systems and related organizations.