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Online Masters in Higher Education Administration at Mississippi College Achieves Top Spot


Jim Miller, Mississippi College assistant director of career services, and Jonathan Nutt, director of student development, are pictured at Lowrey Hall, headquarters of the School of Education.

Balancing a full-time job with raising a family and graduate school is never easy.

Mississippi College’s online master’s in higher education administration gives Jim Miller greater flexibility to juggle all three challenges.

“Work-school-life balance is high on my list of priorities, and this program allows me more control in that management,” Miller says. “The online format allows me to tackle my schoolwork after my (three-year-old) son goes to bed and before he wakes up in the morning.”

Miller is among the Mississippi College students enrolled in America’s No. 1-ranked online master’s in higher education administration. The 2016 ranking comes in December from OnlineColleges.net that evaluated academics, financial aid, enrollment, costs and the student experience.

Ranking one notch below Mississippi College is Stony Brook University of New York, followed by Colorado State University, Andrews University, Dallas Baptist University and Iowa State University. The University of Mississippi ranks 11th and Penn State is rated in 13th place.

Miller, 29, assistant director of Career Services at Mississippi College, believes the online program equips him with valuable management tools to advance in higher education.

“I love the idea of investing in students and their ultimate well-being, rather than simply a bottom line, says the 2009 Ole Miss graduate. The Madison resident began his career with a major health insurance provider a few years ago.

The MC program offers students fresh insights in courses focused on community college administration, organizational behavior, higher education law, finances and personnel management.

Jonathan Nutt, 27, received his master’s in higher education administration in 2014 via the online format at MC.

“With my busy schedule, it offered the most convenience in being able to do my classwork at my own pace,” says Nutt, a Clinton resident.

Getting an education on computers without worrying about lengthy commutes and the hunt for parking spaces is booming for millions of students.

The MC director of student development, Nutt and his wife, Anna, stay on the go as owners of James & Leigh, a women’s clothing and accessories boutique in Olde Towne Clinton. “That made for a very busy semester during the Fall of 2013, but the convenience of an online degree made it possible.” The couple is also raising a six-month-old daughter.

MC’s online program featured excellent team of professors at the Christian university – from Graduate Dean Debbie Norris to Steve Stanford, vice president for administration and government relations. Other instructors include Bill Townsend, vice president for advancement to Jim Turcotte, vice president for enrollment services and dean of students.

Joseph Odenwald, an assistant dean of academic affairs at LSU’s College of Engineering, is another member of this all-star lineup. “I love teaching in this program and having students from the Northeast to the Deep South.”

A former Mississippi College administrator, Odenwald took the traditional classroom format when he earned his master's from MC in higher education administration. He received his doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi. 

Nutt, who earned his bachelor’s in marketing at MC in 2010, says the online program supplied the knowledge he uses at his job on the Clinton campus. He learned from seasoned professionals.

“What I enjoyed the most about the professors was they are real life practitioners,” Nutt said. “They are able to teach based off their real world experience.”

Norris credits an outstanding group of professors for helping students excel in higher education circles. “We’ve had great success with our graduates of this program.”

For more information, contact Debbie Norris at dnorris@mc.edu or 601-925-3260.