UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA MASTER'S PROGRAM

GENERAL PROGRAM INFORMATION

PROGRAM STATEMENT

The CSAA Program is one of four master’s degree programs in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services of the College of Education and is designed to meet the Standards of the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) and the requirements of the University of Georgia Graduate School and College of Education.  The Program is designed to provide students with a balanced curriculum of administration, helping skills, and student development and learning.  

PROGRAM MISSION

The primary purpose of the College Student Affairs Administration preparation program is to aid graduate students in acquiring the skills and competencies necessary to apply human development, interpersonal facilitation, group leadership, assessment, and administrative principles to work with college students in higher education organizations. The specific focus of the program is on student development, which is concerned with students’ learning and personal growth while they are in college. Graduates work in such settings as college residence halls, student activities programs, career planning and placement centers, admissions offices, international student offices, minority student services, Greek life programs, community service programs, learning assistance centers, new student orientation, and academic advising centers.

PROGRAM UNIQUENESS

• The program has four full-time faculty members who devote all of their time to instruction in College Student Affairs Administration and Student Affairs Administration (doctoral program).  In addition, there are eight adjunct faculty members who have appointments as senior administrators in Student Affairs and who are actively involved in the program.
• Enrollment is limited to assure that there is approximately a 1:12 ratio of full-time faculty to students.  Ample opportunity is provided for one-to-one student-faculty interaction.
• Faculty and students are committed to enhancing each other’s learning.  All students are expected to be active participants in the learning community and to provide support to each other.
• Students will participate in a year long service learning project working with at-risk high school students in the area.
• There are over 30 different practicum and internship sites available to students on The University of Georgia campus or at neighboring universities.
• Students who so desire may take summer internships in student affairs at colleges and universities across the country.
• The program is firmly committed to a thorough theoretical grounding in theories of college student development combined with ample opportunity to apply what is learned in the classroom.
• Most students have graduate assistantships in student affairs that provide them with financial support and valuable practical experience.
• Students are given instruction and supervised practice in working with individual students who need assistance, student organizations, and administrative structures. 
• Students start the program as a cohort and take classes together during the first year of the program, enabling students to experience group methods and processes in practice as they are learning about them in the classroom.

APPLICATION AND ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

You are encouraged to apply early!  The program only accepts 15 students each year.  Top applicants will be invited to campus to interview for the CSAA program and assistantships in early February.

CSAA Application Process:

1.

1. Complete the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services Application Form. Enclose a vita or resume with the application as well as unofficial copies of transcripts and reports of admissions test scores. (Xerox copies are acceptable.) Do not send copies of research studies or papers. You should clearly describe all post-bachelor's degree work experience.
2. You should request three individuals to complete recommendation forms, sealed in an envelope signed across the seal, and returned to you. As a general rule, at least one recommendation should come from a faculty member who is able to evaluate the applicant's academic qualifications and accomplishments and at least one should come from someone who is able to write about the applicant as a potential helping professional, administrator, teacher, or researcher. Enclose sealed reference letters with the Departmental Application.
3. Submit in a single package the following to the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services:
   (a) completed Departmental Application,
   (b) unofficial copies of transcripts from all colleges and universities attended,
   (c) 3 letters of reference [each sealed in an envelope with the person making the reference's signature across the seal],
   (d) your resume or vita, and
   (e) if available, an unofficial copy of the report of your graduate admissions test scores.
   The unofficial documents that you submit to the Department are used to make initial screening decisions. Only when official copies of the transcripts and test scores are received from the Graduate Admissions Office, however, can final admissions decisions be made. (NOTE: From January through April it typically takes six weeks for the Graduate Admissions Office to process applicants' materials and forward them to the Department for action.) Please note that these instructions are slightly different from those published in the Graduate Admissions booklet. Please follow these instructions rather than those from Graduate Admissions.
4. Your material will be reviewed by the program faculty and you will be notified (usually by e-mail) of our interest in interviewing you for the program. This notification will come by early January. You will be invited to attend one of our interview weekends in early February. At that time, you can interview for both the program and graduate assistantships.

Graduate School

For application to degree programs, send the following material to the Office of Graduate Admissions:

• The Graduate School Application form (can be submitted through the web site: http://www.grad.uga.edu/)
• $50.00 application processing fee, non-refundable.
• Two official copies of transcripts from all institutions attended (International applicants: official academic records and proof of degrees)
• Official test scores sent by the testing agency.
• Application for Georgia residence status (if claiming legal residence in Georgia)

Completed materials should be mailed to:

Office of Graduate Admissions
The University of Georgia
The Graduate School
534 Graduate Studies Research Center
Athens, Georgia 30602-7402

Department

Items to be Submitted directly to The Department:

• Completed Departmental Application form.
• Statement of Purpose.
• Vita/Resume
• Three (3) letters of reference from professionals (in signed and sealed envelopes)
• No Application Fee

Completed materials should be mailed to:

The Department of Counseling and Human Development Services
The University of Georgia
402 Aderhold Hall
Athens, Georgia 30602-7142

If you are interested in applying for an assistantship, please follow the assistantship application process as outlined at:

http://www.uga.edu/studentaffairs/students/grad.htm

CURRICULUM INFORMATION

Program Curriculum:

The CSAA Program is designed to prepare professionals for work in institutions of higher education. Students are awarded the Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree upon completion of all the program requirements.  The primary purpose of the preparation program is to aid graduate students in acquiring the skills and competencies necessary to apply human development and administrative principles to work with college students in higher education organizations. 
The program is a generalist preparation program that is designed to provide students with opportunities to learn about student affairs philosophy and practices applicable to a wide range of settings. Graduates are expected to have acquired the theoretical knowledge and practical experience needed by entry-level professionals. Classroom instruction is enriched and expanded through practical, experiential activities such as practica, simulations, laboratories, and internship experiences. Approximately two-thirds of the curriculum is formal classroom-oriented, with the remaining one-third being field experiences.
The CSAA Curriculum is designed to provide academic and scholarly content in an environmental context, providing students a support system to aid in acquiring the knowledge, skills, and competencies essential for successful practice in the field of student affairs. Students share a common core of courses related to human development, helping skills, and student affairs administration. The first year of the program is relatively prescribed in that students take a foundational sequence of courses in both student affairs administration and helping skills. During the second year, students have options in selecting courses that fit their professional interests.
Program of Study
Minimum Program of Study for M.Ed. in College Student Affairs Administration:

Is a thesis required: No

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION - Students in student affairs or higher education administration programs  (2005-2006):

PROGRAM FACULTY (Name, title, typical number of coursed taught annully, interests)

Theodore K. Miller, Professor Emeritus [Ed.D., University of Florida]

Roger B. Winston, Jr., Professor Emeritus [Ph.D., The University of Georgia]

Adjunct Faculty
Student affairs staff members at The University of Georgia and other higher education related sites serve as adjunct faculty members for the program. Students will also work with various staff members throughout the University community to obtain practicum and internship placements.

Dr. Patricia Daugherty, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs

Dr. Thomas (Tom) Burke, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs

Dr. Ann Crowther, Associate Vice President for Instruction

Dr. Karen Kalivoda, Director, Disability Resource Center

Dr. Keener Scott, Associate Director, University Housing

Dr. Jan Davis Barhman, Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs

Dr. Gerald Kowalski, Executive Director, University Housing

Dr. Shay Davis Little, Director, University Housing Administration

Dr. Joe Moon, Dean for Campus Life and Community Affairs, Oxford College/ Emory University

Dr. Tom Walter, Vice President for Student Development, Gainesville State College

Dr. Andy Wilson, Assistant Dean for Campus Life, Emory University

Last modified October 14, 2008

Last modified November 28, 2006
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