TEACHx 2026

Presenters will discuss an assessment of students’ research skills and professional development competencies, tied to National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) career-readiness, when completing the master’s research project (MRP) sequence. The MRP is the culminating work product of Northwestern’s Master of Science in Higher Education Administration and Policy degree and represents student success as well as success after graduation.


The 3-course MRP sequence begins with students developing their own research questions based on their interests and career aspirations in higher education. Faculty guide students in making sense of uncertain, emerging phenomena within the practice of higher education. Students write a literature review; develop a plan for data collection; collect data; and summarize, interpret, and make recommendations through a written and oral presentation. We capture how master’s level academic pursuits are closely tied to career-readiness—for the past 15 years, job placement has been 90+% within 90 days of graduation.