Student Affairs Administration

The Student Affairs Administration Master of Arts program is a 45-credit hour graduate preparation program that aligns with the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) Guidelines for Master’s Level Higher Education and Student Affairs Professional Preparation Programs (2019) and frames the curriculum around the ACPA/NASPA (2015, 2016) Competencies for Student Affairs Educators. We emphasize applied learning through a theory-to-practice framework and partner with colleagues in Division of Student Affairs and Division of Academic Affairs to offer graduate assistantship, practium, and internship experiences.

Students learn in a cohort-based model, which means students take required classes together and offer support to one another throughout their two-year academic journey.

The degree prepares reflective scholar practitioners to work in various areas of student affairs to serve students and institutions of higher education through collaborative, equitable, and inclusive practice. People with this degree work in areas such as Academic Advising, Career Development, Diversity & Social Justice, First Year Student Programs, Fraternity & Sorority Life, Leadership Development, Orientation, Residence Life, Service Learning, Student Activities, Student Conduct, Student Learning Center, Study Abroad.

Each student is encouraged to pursue their own educational and professional goals to the extent possible within a wide range of curricular choices. In general, the curriculum is designed to provide students with theoretical framework necessary to guide current and future study, practical knowledge about the professional field, and career development in higher education. Students will develop their tenative program of study with their advisor during the fall semester of their first year.

The SAA program requires the completion of 45 credit hours completed over two years during the fall and spring semesters. Electives may be completed during the summer but are not required. The following courses are required: