The Southern Illinois University School of Education will introduce a master’s in education in College Student Personnel Administration for fall 2014. The program will be housed in the Department of Educational Leadership’s existing Educational Administration program.
The new program will serve students holding a bachelor’s with a career interest in student personnel administration. The Illinois Board of Higher Education approved it Tuesday, April 1.
“The School of Education is extremely enthusiastic about the addition of this excellent program, which builds on the strengths of the faculty and addresses a very specific need in the region,” said Bette Bergeron, dean of the School. “By combining cutting-edge research and applied coursework with practicum experiences, students will have the opportunity to work directly in the field and with other professionals to develop critical leadership skills to enhance their careers in higher education.”
The program is designed to prepare students to succeed in entry- to mid-level student affairs or higher education administration positions in two-year or four-year public and private institutions. The program was developed in keeping with the standards and guidelines for master’s level Student Affairs Professional Preparation Programs, as set forth by the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education.
“This high quality program in student affairs administration will be an outstanding program, because we have tenured and tenure-track faculty teaching the first two semesters of courses and beyond,” said Laurie Puchner, professor and chair of the Department of Educational Leadership. “For example, one full-time member of the department, who will be teaching one of the Fall 2014 courses, holds a Juris Doctor in addition to a Ph.D. and specializes in higher education and the law, higher education administration and the history of higher education.”
The 36-hour program includes 27 hours of coursework in college student personnel administration, six hours of practicum and three hours of final research project. The program will be able to be completed with two years of part-time study.
Coursework will include the following areas:
- History, philosophy and organization of higher education
- Diversity in higher education
- College student learning and development
- Individual and group dynamics
- Research methods in higher education
- Assessment and evaluation in student affairs
- Leadership and administration in higher education
- Legal and ethical issues in student affairs
“In placing students in practicum assignments, the department will utilize resources in institutions of higher learning in southwestern Illinois and throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area,” Puchner said. “These students will also be in a unique position to access the resources of community colleges located within a short drive of the SIUE campus.”
The program will be delivered primarily in the evenings, so that students who work full-time will be able to attend the program. The goal is 25 enrolled students for the first cohort beginning in September.
For more information, contact Jeff Chitwood in the Office of Admissions at jchitwo@siue.edu or 618-650-2741.