Student Affairs Administration: Master of Arts (MA)

About

For nearly 50 years, the Master of Arts in Student Affairs Administration (SAA) at Appalachian State University has prepared reflective scholar-practitioners to work in various areas of student affairs to serve students and institutions of higher education through collaborative, equitable and inclusive practice. Through the in-person, 45-credit hour program, students:

Expand and challenge their thinking about themselves, others and student affairs through theory, research and reflection.
Experience multiple functional areas of student affairs practice through practice and reflection.
Develop their professional philosophies, values, pathways, and communities.
Cultivate their abilities to be change agents in higher education.

Features of the SAA program include:

Generalist student affairs/academic affairs preparation.
A theory-to-practice framework.
An applied learning emphasis with 3–5 practice-based experiences (graduate assistantship, practicum, internship).
Critical theory and social justice content across the program curriculum and experiences.

Recent graduates have secured employment in Academic Advising, Career Development, Diversity and Social Justice, First Year Student Programs, Fraternity and Sorority Life, Leadership Development, Orientation, Residence Life, Service Learning, Student Activities, Student Conduct, Student Learning Center, Study Abroad and many other areas. The program consistently receives positive feedback from employers about its graduates’ preparation for and success in their roles and the broader field.

More Information

Courses

Graduate Bulletin and Course Catalog
- Student Affairs Administration, MA

Application Essentials

Required Entrance Exam: GRE (score must be no more than 5 years old), unless waived for those with a GPA of 3.0 and higher AND one or more years of experience in student engagement/involvement, higher education or other related work.

Required number of references to specify in the online form: 3

Supplemental Information: Resume (required upload for application submission) and interview.

Basic Conditions for Consideration of Admission: Meeting or exceeding the conditions below does NOT guarantee admission. All applications for a given entry term will be weighed based upon the number of seats available and the quality of the complete application packages. With special permission from the Graduate School, a program may admit a limited number of students with exceptional circumstances who do not meet the graduate school minimums.

Graduate School: 3.0 GPA in the last earned degree and official scores from the appropriate admission test(s), OR 2.5 GPA in the last earned degree and official scores at the 25th percentile level from the appropriate admission test(s).

Admission to Student Affairs Administration: Both qualitative and quantitative aspects of applications are reviewed in comparison to the current applicant pool. Students must apply for and secure a graduate assistantship through App State’s Graduate Assistant Preview Program to be admitted to the Student Affairs Administration program.

Employers

Appalachian State University
Belmont Abbey College
Cleveland Community College
East Tennessee State University
Elon University
Florida Gulf Coast University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia State University
Marymount University
Meredith College
Midlands Technical College
Old Dominion University
Queens University of Charlotte
Radford University
Rochester Institute of Technology
San José State University
Savannah College of Art and Design-Atlanta
University of Alabama-Huntsville
University of Colorado-Boulder
University of Kansas
University of Lynchburg
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Dakota
University of North Georgia
University of North Florida
University of South Florida
William Peace University

About App State's Division of Student Affairs

The Division of Student Affairs at Appalachian State University is committed to the development of lifelong learners and leaders by engaging and challenging students within a culture of care and inclusion. The division consists of 16 units that offer activities and services to help students develop more fully by becoming global learners, fostering healthy relationships, appreciating diversity and different perspectives, understanding community responsibility, enhancing self-awareness, developing autonomy and living ethically. Learn more at https://studentaffairs.appstate.edu.

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Info

Degrees

Application Deadlines

July 1, academic priority deadline is Dec. 15

Graduate assistantship priority deadline is Jan. 31
(this requires a separate application)

Want to learn more?

Why Appalachian?

The 45-credit hour program can be completed in two years if enrolled full time. Part-time students are also admitted into the program.
The program complies with the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) Guidelines for Master’s Level Higher Education and Student Affairs Professional Preparation Programs (2019) and frames the curriculum around the ACPA/NASPA (2015, 2016) Competencies for Student Affairs Educators.
Students will benefit from the program’s applied learning emphasis, which requires at least three different practice-based experiences (graduate assistantship, practicum, internship), with the option to engage in two additional experiences (second practicum, summer experience); this allows students to graduate with more than 1,700 hours of experience working with students, colleagues and groups.
Students’ culminating project (called the Comprehensive Product of Learning, or CPL) provides them with an opportunity to take responsibility for their own learning by blending professional competency growth with their own interests to cultivate a holistic development experience within the master’s program. The cornerstones of the comprehensive product of learning include: Holistic Development; Experiential Learning; Critical Thinking; and Reflective Thinking.
Program faculty and educational partners (supervisors of GAs, practicums and internships) infuse critical theory and social justice content across the program curriculum and experiences.
All graduate programs at App State have small class sizes, providing intimate classroom interaction.

The School of Graduate Studies offers scholarships, fellowships and assistantships to support eligible, full-time, degree-seeking students.

Location

On campus

Careers

Academic Advisor
Alumni Association: Student Engagement Coordinator
Assistant Director of Leadership Development
Assistant Director of Orientation/New Student Programs
Assistant Director of Outdoor Programs
Coordinator of Student Organizations
Assistant Director of Student Engagement/Involvement
Career Advisor/Counselor
Community Service/Service Learning Coordinator
Coordinator for LGBTQIA+ Programs and Services
Coordinator for Inclusion and Engagement
Coordinator of Fraternity and Sorority Life
Coordinator of Student Involvement and Leadership
Program and Advising Coordinator for Second Year and Transfer Transitions
Residence Hall Director/Residence Life Coordinator
Student Activities Coordinator
Study Abroad Advisor

Contacts

Dr. Sonja Ardoin
Program Director
ardoins@appstate.edu
appstatesaa@appstate.edu
828-262-8375

Department of Human Development and Psychological Counseling

Reich College of Education

Division of Student Affairs

Department of Human Development and Psychological Counseling

The Department of Human Development and Psychological Counseling in Appalachian State University’s Reich College of Education is responsible for organizing and providing instructional programs in counseling and other human development functions for public schools, colleges and universities and various agencies. The department offers Master of Arts degrees in clinical mental health counseling, professional school counseling, student affairs administration and marriage and family therapy. Learn more at https://hpc.appstate.edu.

Reich College of Education
Approximately 2,400 students
- The Reich College of Education enrolls approximately 2,400 students in its bachelor’s, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degree programs. It houses five departments: Curriculum and Instruction, Family and Child Studies, Human Development and Psychological Counseling, Leadership and Educational Studies, and Reading Education and Special Education.
Teacher preparation
- Appalachian has been training quality educators for more than 100 years and is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
- Appalachian offers the largest undergraduate teacher preparation program in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. There is at least one RCOE graduate working in every county in North Carolina.
- The Reich College of Education is recognized consistently in the annual Institution of Higher Education Performance Report by the State Board of Education.
Close ties to public schools
- The Appalachian State University Public School Partnership – which includes 125 schools in nine surrounding districts – provides sites for student teachers and interns as well as professional development opportunities for teachers.
- The Appalachian State University Academy at Middle Fork, located in Walkertown, North Carolina, serves over 300 K-5 students. The Academy provides a balanced education through the implementation of research-based practices, state-of-the-art literacy instruction, and exemplary classroom instruction and administration.
Graduate programs
- The School of Graduate Studies’ Accelerated Admission program, in which select undergraduate students can fulfill both undergraduate and graduate course requirements in their senior year toward the completion of a graduate degree program, is offered in: higher education, reading education and special education.
- Other education-related master’s degrees, graduate certificates and specialist degrees are listed on Appalachian’s School of Graduate Studies website.