SAA M.A. students gain a broad perspective of higher education systems from social, historical, and global perspectives. Requirements of the program include:
For more details on each of these requirements, please see the information below.
Required Core Courses (24 credits)
Visit the Office of the Registrar’s Academic Programs website for more information about course requirements.
Course descriptions can be reviewed on the Office of the Registrar’s Course Description website.
Elective Courses (12 credits)
Elective courses contribute to a student’s professional goals such as academic advisement, training and development, communications, or counseling, and are approved by the student’s academic advisor. At least two (2) of these courses should be from EAD course offerings taught by HALE faculty.
Examples of EAD courses include:
Notes
With the approval of their faculty advisor, students may take:
*Students may take no more than nine (9) credits of Pass/No Grade coursework. EAD 893 accounts for three (3) Pass/No Grade credits.
The practicum component of the master’s degree in Student Affairs Administration is designed to give students the opportunity to apply theory to practice and to engage in professional behavior in a work setting. Students gain insight into the nature of postsecondary organizations, explore applications of student learning and development theory, observe different administrative styles, and further enhance their praxis of student affairs and higher education administration. Every student must complete one practicum, while registered for EAD 893: Professional Development Seminar, gaining a broad view of the student affairs profession.
Practicum Information
For more information about the practicum component of the SAA M.A. degree program, download the SAA M.A. Guide to Practica.
The purpose of the SAA M.A. Certifying Exam is for students in the Student Affairs Administration M.A. program to independently demonstrate their ability to connect theory and research about information and issues in the field of student affairs and higher education to practice. Students are challenged to integrate information from core courses and other sources and apply this information to situations that relate to student affairs. The exam consists of two essays. To be eligible for graduation, students must have their final essays evaluated and accepted by the SAA faculty.