New Mexico Highlands University

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Degree Programs Available at New Mexico Highlands University

New Mexico Highlands University appears in our ranking of the 50 Most Affordable Online Degree Programs For In-State Students. New Mexico Highlands University offers nearly 50 majors for undergrads, including writing and teaching. The natural resource management major includes a concentration in water resources. This program helps students look at the effects of water sources on the environment. It includes opportunities to do internships with government agencies. The department offers degrees in environmental geology and conservation management as well. The conservation management program includes up to 46 credits of anthropology and science courses. The environmental geology program features concentrations in geology and environmental science. Students in any of these programs must take some water resource courses. The university’s education programs include an Associate of Arts (AA) in Early Childhood Multicultural Education and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in the same subject. AA students must take 29 credits of courses related to their majors, including:
  • Guiding Young Children
  • Child Growth, Development and Learning
  • Introduction to Reading and Literacy Development
  • Curriculum Development and Implementation
Majors will also do a practicum and spend a semester working with kids up through four years of age. The BA program features 68 credits of education classes such as:
  • Teaching and Learning Social Studies
  • Introduction to Language
  • Literacy and Reading
  • Young Children with Diverse Abilities
Other majors include:
  • forestry
  • chemistry
  • social work
  • psychology
  • special education
Students can also study social work at the graduate level. This New Mexico Highlands University program offers concentrations in:
  • clinical practice
  • bilingual practice
  • substance abuse
  • leadership and administration
It also has a track that lets students earn a law degree before or after finishing a social work degree. The Master of Social Work program courses include:
  • Social Policy and Services
  • Law and Ethics in Social Work Practice
  • Human Behavior and the Social Environment
Students also need to do practicums to become licensed social workers. The university offers one of the only Master of Arts (MA) in Southwest Studies programs in the world. It includes both anthropology and sociology courses. It  asks students to look at the cultures who lived in the region up to 10,000 years ago. Students will take 36 credits of classes in the major. Students need to submit a proposal for either a thesis or a paper that they will publish later. Those who choose the thesis option need to present their work and attend an oral defense. Professionals in the field will ask them questions about their research and work. Some of the other graduate programs are:
  • Public affairs
  • geology
  • biology
  • computer science

About New Mexico Highlands University

New Mexico Highlands University is a public university. It offers a small number of associate degree programs and other programs for undergrads and graduate students. It opened in 1893 as the New Mexico Normal School. Fewer than 10 years later, it became the New Mexico Normal University. It began offering degrees in education and a few other fields. The New Mexico Highlands University came about in the early 1940s. It and led to some calling it NMHU. NMHU added a regional study center in Rio Rancho. It became so popular that the university later added similar centers in three other cities, including Santa Fe. The more than 3,600 students attending NMHU can also take most classes online.

New Mexico Highlands University Accreditation Details

NMHU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. NMHU can award financial aid to all of its students if they apply with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  NMHU now has a committee of professors and other professionals who watch over its policies to make sure that it keeps its accreditation in good standing.

New Mexico Highlands University Application Requirements

NMHU requires that all incoming freshmen submit a formal application and that they have either a GED or high school diploma. Those with a diploma need a grade point average of 2.0 or higher too. The application has a residency section that lets students prove that they qualify for in-state tuition. They can answer questions to determine if they live in any of the counties in the state and how long they lived there. Students will also need to send their transcripts to the New Mexico Highlands University Office of Admissions. The university has an application for graduate students who want to audit classes and another for those who want to earn credit and get their degrees. This application asks students to pick the term when they will start. They fill out sections to show what they want to study and what degree interests them. Each university program asks for official transcripts and an application. Programs may ask for other information from incoming students such as:
  • writing samples
  • letters of recommendation
  • test scores

Tuition and Financial Aid

NMHU students pay rates based on their residency status. New Mexico undergrads pay $257 per credit hour or $3,084 per semester. This rate that lets students take up to 18 credits. Undergrads who are from outside of New Mexico pay $435 per credit hour or $5,220 each semester. The university’s rates for graduate students start at $285 per credit hour for residents. It’s $461 for non-residents. Students in the social work program pay between $295 and $471 for each credit they take. Students in the fine arts programs pay $291 to $472 per credit hour. Any student who needs help paying for NMHU can get financial aid. NHMU processes the FAFSA in a few weeks or less. It will send students letters that show the total amount of their financial aid package and what they still need to pay. With scholarships and grants from the government and university, students do not need to worry about repaying the funds they get. They will need to pay back any money they get in the form of student loans. Work study is another form of financial aid available  New Mexico Highlands University students.

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