As part of its broad-based curriculum, the MS in Higher Education Administration and Policy (MSHE) program has all students complete Law and Ethics in Higher Education.  Through this core course, students gain real-world perspectives on legal and ethical issues faced by higher education administrators. Relevant topics such as the Family and Education Rights Privacy Act (FERPA), Title IX, and affirmative action policies underscore the importance of relating theory-to-practice.

Co-instructor Priya Harjani shared, “Often administrators are the ones on the front lines dealing with students, staff, and faculty on [legal and ethical] matters.  It often becomes their responsibility to handle the situation appropriately [. . .] By learning about these issues in class, the administrators can have some comfort level regarding the types of allegations that may arise and when they need to seek help before responding to them.”

Students also find the course applicable to their daily work.  MSHE student Marlee Stein, an intern with the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, remarked, “I enjoy how relevant the course is to my future work as a higher education practitioner.” MSHE student Lorato Anderson, an intern with Northwestern’s Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching added, “I know better how to handle legal and ethical situations that would come up on the job.”

In addition to teaching, Harjani serves as Deputy General Counsel at Northwestern and represents the University in federal and state court. Stephanie Graham, Associate Vice President & Deputy General Counsel at Northwestern, co-instructs the course, and her work includes litigation, employment discrimination, and research compliance.

For more information about MSHE’s broad-based curriculum, register for a Program Preview or contact us at ms-highered@northwestern.edu.