How to get into higher education?

[dmb1785]

Hey all, 

 

I am a current biology undergraduate student. I have a long history that I have posted elsewhere on this forum, but my question is what have most of you majored in during undergrad while wanting to go to grad school in higher education administration, educational psychology etc. 

 

I am considering a possible grad school route in education, but I'm not sure if my current major is suited for that route. 

[HigherEd2013]

I think you can pretty much major in anything as long as you have a reason you can explain in your personal statement. It might help to get some work experience too.

 

I did a general liberal arts honors program and a psych honors program for my undergrad.

[hitomimay]

Hi there,

 

I was a biology pre-med major in undergrad, did a lot of research in the field...etc etc etc.

I'm currently in my first year PhD in Education with a focus on Higher Education access. If you would like, feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I'll be more than happy to answer them.

[hmtrow]

I am a double-major in Anthropology and French with a business minor, but I completely agree with HIgherEd2013.

[Loseric]

I majored in Human Biology and History. (My school doesn't offer an education major - most don't, actually.) For higher education, I think the most important thing is work experience (undergraduate or professional) and writing a compelling SOP explaining your interest in/plans for higher education work. People who work in higher ed have a variety of education and work backgrounds - it makes sense that those who attend graduate school for higher ed do as well.

[OhLaLaSam]

I double majored in English and French in undergrad and will be starting at Vandy this fall for Higher Ed. I think that since there is no real UG degree specifically in higher ed, you can really come at it from any variety of education background. You defintiely do not need an UG degree in education to pursue higher ed--I think they really like the diverse range of prior educational and professional experiences.

[m26]

I studied philosophy in college, then went into the navy for a couple months, then started a program to be a teacher and was in the middle of that when I applied. In my essay I basically talked about how I've been helping people with college/law school/commissioning essays for years and really am fascinated with the admissions process. No idea how that worked but it did.