Return to College Student Personnel Services and Administration | Instructional Technology | Courses Index
[1] Graduate Courses in College Student Personnel Administration (CSPA)
6V70 INTERNSHIP (Variable credit: 1 to 3 credit hours; total of 3 credit hours.) In this course, students will gain exposure to a comprehensive, pre-professional experience of supervised professional-level work in a student affairs department. In addition, students will participate in periodic seminars to process, discuss, and share internship experiences and integrate the experiences with student-development theory.
6V95 THESIS: STUDENT AFFAIRS (Variable credit: 1-3 credit hours.) The thesis affords the student an opportunity to draw upon and consolidate knowledge obtained from classroom lectures, research projects, teaching, and other experiences. It is viewed as the beginning of the student’s scholarly work, not its culmination. Thesis research provides the student with hands-on, directed experience in the primary research methods of the discipline of Student Affairs and prepares the student for research and scholarship that will be expected after receipt of the master’s degree. Prerequisite(s): Completion of 21 credit hours.
6310 HISTORY OF HIGHER EDUCATION Institutions have customs, traditions, values, and practices–many of which are from historical trends that affect students, faculty, staff, and trustees. Historical analysis helps us to understand the inception and strength of institutional norms, the encounters between actors, and opportunities and constraints encountered by institutions. This course will offer an overview of American Higher Education and attempt to help explain the genesis of modern practices and problems.
6311 LEADERSHIP AND SUPERVISION This course will provide foundational grounding in leadership theory and research. Specific attention will be paid to the evolution of leadership theory, interdisciplinary conceptualizations of the topic, administrative applications of theory, and making sound decisions when solving organizational problems. Application of course content to students’ roles as professionals in higher education will serve as an ongoing theme.
6318 FINANCIAL PRACTICES IN HIGHER EDUCATION This course offers a broad overview of the financial and budgetary considerations across all levels of the higher education enterprise. Students will be able to identify various revenue sources and expenses within higher education as well as identify, evaluate, and apply budget models to specific contexts. This course will also provide students with a general understanding of the process of securing grant funding sources, as well as matching needs with resources, from the public, private, and non-profit sectors.
6320 LAW OF HIGHER EDUCATION The purpose of this course is to provide students with an overview of the subject areas of law most relevant to higher education administration and student affairs. This course seeks to introduce students to methods of legal analysis and decision-making. It is designed to expose the student to the vast range of administrative issues at the college and university level that have potential legal implications.
6325 EVIDENCE-INFORMED PRACTICE: ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION This course provides an overview of assessment and evaluation processes as essential skills for evidence-informed practice in higher education. Students will learn to distinguish between assessment types, select appropriate methods and tools, and effectively communicate results in both formative and summative context.
6335 GRANT WRITING This course addresses the development of grants and contracts and presents an overview of identifying funding sources. One key to development is the availability of resources, human and non-human. Grant writing can provide those resources by matching local resources with resources available from the public, private, and non-profit sectors of society. This course will provide the student with a general understanding of the process, as well as detailed information about grants in the community development field.
6340 STUDENT SUCCESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION This course frames college student life-career development through a guiding question of, what is student success? Grounded in a variety of theoretical and practical perspectives, students will examine and apply knowledge and skills focused on how to attend to college students’ involvement, mindset, attitudes, and preparation for the world of work.
6342 HELPING SKILLS IN HIGHER EDUCATION Today’s higher education community members face new challenges and concerns regarding student wellness. In this course, students will develop their ability to identify, understand, and intentionally apply various helping skills and techniques. The intersection of identities, mental health, culture, and the college experience will frame students’ exploration and experience in the course.
6360 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES: ACCESS, ENVIRONMENT, AND BELONGING This course develops one’s historical awareness, individual acknowledgement, and practical action regarding a variety of topics in higher education. Topics connected to educational access, the evolution of educational environments, and ensuring community belonging afford practitioners the opportunity to refine their intellectual competence and abilities to transform policy and practice.
6365 PRACTICUM This course provides student with an on-site professional learning experience in a specific college or university office. The course combines weekly work responsibilities under the supervision of a site supervisor with assigned readings and scheduled discussion meetings with other practicum students and the professor.
6375 SCHOLAR-PRACTITIONER CAPSTONE RESEARCH This capstone course guides students through the process of developing and conducting an original scholarly research project within the higher education context. The students will ground their research projects in the existing literature and deploy appropriate methodologies to investigate a significant issue relevant to the higher education enterprise. The course culminates with the production of a manuscript suitable for submission to a scholarly journal, demonstrating students’ ability to contribute meaningfully to the field’s body of knowledge. Prerequisite: SLMA 6335.
6391 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES IN HIGHER EDUCATION This course provides a comprehensive exploration of higher education administration within the American higher education enterprise. This exploration will focus on developing a strong professional identity, understanding organizational structures and dynamics, and leveraging technology in higher education practice. The course considers both the practical skills and theoretical perspectives at the foundation of a wide array of roles carried out by higher education professionals.
6392 STUDENT DEVELOPMENT THEORY The goal of this course is to provide students with an examination of the characteristics of today’s American college students, major development theories applicable to the higher education environment, and research on the wide variety of students attending higher education today. The areas of psychosocial and cognitive-structural development will be emphasized through multiple perspectives, including but not limited to moral development, intellectual development, gender identity development, multicultural identity development, spiritual development, and sexual identity development.
7300 CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN HIGHER EDUCATION Higher education remains in a constant state of change with shifts in social, economic, political, and technological domains. This course provides a survey of contemporary trends, issues, and concepts across the higher education landscape. Students will investigate a variety of contemporary topics such as diversity, teaching, learning, financial structures, technology, and workforce development.
7311 TALENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION The higher education leader of the future will be required to recruit, retain, and develop talent and other organizational resources. This course explores the skills and processes that support success from the organizational to individual levels. Specifically, students will learn about strategic planning, recruitment and retention of personnel, responding to conflict, and developing talent and resources across an organization.
7315 POWER, POLICY, & POLITICS IN HIGHER EDUCATION This course explores the complex intersection of power, policy, and politics within the realm of higher education. Students will analyze the various stakeholders, institutions, and factors that shape higher education policies and practices, as well as the broader societal and political contexts in which these decisions are made. Through critical examinations of case studies, research, and current events, students will gain a deep understanding of the dynamics that influence higher education policy, governance, and performance.
7319 FISCAL LEADERSHIP IN HIGHER EDUCATION This course supports the development of the knowledge and skills needed to engage in innovative and sustainable fiscal leadership at the unit, division, and organizational levels. This course will provide foundational knowledge of budgeting models, funding sources, and fiscal dynamics within higher education. Building from this foundational knowledge, the course will support the development of skills related to long-range fiscal planning including forecasting, identifying funding opportunities, and aligning resources with organizational needs.
7321 ETHICAL AND LEGAL PRACTICES IN HIGHER EDUCATION This course will explore the intersection of legal trends, ethical considerations, and an individual’s professional practice. The course will comprise key legal theories including but not limited to liability, speech, discrimination, and contract law. The course will explore these topics across the institution’s relationship with governing boards, personnel, faculty, and students. The course will also consider strategies for ethical and legal practice when facing ethical dilemmas.
7325 EVIDENCE-INFORMED PRACTICE IN HIGHER EDUCATION This course provides conceptual and technical skill development related to both summative and formative assessment and evaluation in higher education. Students will develop and implement assessment measures, deploy communication techniques for sharing results with various constituents, and identify strategies for developing a culture of evidence within organizations.
7350 INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE EDUCATION Higher education connects community members to new cultures through advances in study abroad, curriculum, programming, research, technology, and partnerships. As such, today’s high education workforce must understand and contribute to the internationalization of higher education. In this course, students will extend their perspective to reach an international and cross-cultural level, simultaneously deepening their understanding of the United States higher education system and exploring the systems of other nations and regions.
7392 THEORIES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING: IDENTITY, INTERVENTION & INNOVATION This course provides an overview of theories related to human development and learning across various populations. Considerations around foundational and contemporary frameworks will inform students’ exploration, application, and critique of theory to practice including but not limited to the intersection of identities, campus ecology, socializations, and academic achievement.