Overview
College Student Personnel Administration at SIUE
The College Student Personnel Administration (CSPA) program in SIUE's School of Education, Health and Human Behavior prepares its graduates for entry and mid-level professional positions in higher education administration in student affairs. At program completion, CSPA students are expected to have the knowledge, skills and perspectives to serve college students and to foster the learning and development of college students in a wide variety of student affairs areas. These areas include, but are not limited to, student life, residence life, career development, advising, financial aid, and social and recreational programs.
Successful completion leads to a Master of Science in Education (MSEd) in college student personnel administration. The program in the Department of Educational Leadership follows the standards set by the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, which ensures academic rigor and quality of learning.
The CSPA program curriculum consists of the following core components: Student development, social justice and inclusion, advising and support, and research and assessment with an emphasis on student development and social justice.
The program also has a strong focus on social justice and student development, grounded in the CPA/NASPA Professional Competencies. The CSPA program fosters a strong commitment to increasing awareness of the diversity of student populations and to social justice. Diversity and social justice concepts are specifically addressed across the curriculum and more intentionally within two specific courses: College Student Development and Diversity in Higher Education. The CSPA program is dedicated to addressing the intersectionality of identity, gender expression, gender preference, socioeconomic class, privilege and culture.
Students also develop an individualized capstone project to connect theory to practice under the supervision of faculty member. Students will also complete a comprehensive portfolio, which will drive their own professional development and progression toward meeting the professional competencies.
Degrees Available at SIUE
- Master of Science in Education in College Student Personnel Administration
Program Format
Evening classes are offered in fixed cohort for full-time and fluid cohort for part-time students. A mix of web-assisted and online courses are offered. However, the majority of classes are traditional, on-campus classes.
Program Learning Outcomes
The following specific program objectives are consistent with both the NASPA Professional Competency Areas (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education) and the SIUE Goals of Graduate Learning.
- Demonstrate Breadth and Depth of Knowledge in the Discipline
- Knowledge of history, philosophy and foundations of the student affairs profession
- Knowledge of foundational level assessment, evaluation and research methodologies in higher education
- Knowledge of legal, compliance and policy issues in higher education student affairs
- Knowledge of basic organizational management and structural administrative models
- Knowledge of leadership theory and models of organizational change
- Knowledge of social justice and issues of oppression, privilege and power
- Knowledge of concepts and principles of college student development and learning theory
- Knowledge of advising and support strategies
- Effectively Communicate Knowledge in the Discipline
- Ability to express knowledge and ideas in the field of student affairs in clear and precise written and oral English
- Demonstrate an Ability for Analytical Thinking in the Discipline
- Ability to analyze assessment and research data in higher education
- Ability to express and apply a critical lens to the student affairs profession
- Exhibit the Best Practices, Values, and Ethics of the Profession
- Awareness and understanding of professional codes of ethics
- Knowledge and application of values of the student affairs profession
- Ability to ethically conduct research and assessment in higher education
- Apply Knowledge of the Discipline
- Ability to use theory and knowledge to effectively and ethically practice the student affairs profession in the areas of advising and supporting students, management, legal issues and research
- Ability to apply knowledge and understanding of social justice issues in the student affairs profession
- Ability to facilitate student engagement and involvement programming to promote student learning and development that are based on current research on student learning and development theories
Career Opportunities
Jobs included in this category are entry-level professionals and other positions in multiple areas in colleges and universities, such as financial aid, housing, career services, social and recreational programs, advising, leadership programs, Greek life, service learning, international programs, and others. Recent graduates have found employment as academic advisors, residence hall directors, first-year experience coordinators and in student activities at both private and public postsecondary institutions.
Why Choose SIUE
- Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion: The CSPA program fosters a strong commitment to increasing awareness of the diversity of student populations and to social justice. The SIUE campus has been recognized regularly for its commitment to diversity. The University received the 2016 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. SIUE’s LBGT-Friendly Campus Climate index score is 4.5 out of 5 stars.
- Location and Affordability: SIUE is located 25 minutes from downtown St. Louis, allowing graduate students to benefit from the boundless opportunities St. Louis offers. In-state tuition is available for all U.S. graduate students.
