The mission of the student development master's degree program is to prepare graduates to function effectively as student development specialists in rapidly changing institutions of higher education. The program requires 42 hours of study in counseling, student development and higher education including at least 6 credit hours of internship in one or two area colleges. The program has built on a counseling orientation and is designed to integrate counseling and problem solving skills into a developmental and educational orientation. Courses include Theories and Techniques of Counseling, Career Counseling, Multicultural Counseling, Developmental Guidance, Theories of College Student Development, Student Services, Group Dynamics and Applied Research as well as the internship and one or two electives. Admission to the Graduate School requires an undergraduate GPA of at least 2.7 with an upper division GPA of 3.0.
Admission occurs in two stages- first to the graduate school and then to the specific program.
The process is explained to prospective students at the time of application. Students must maintain at least a B average to remain in good standing. The university offers a number of assistantships in student affairs offices and other offices on campus. In addition, several residential assistantships are available at area colleges. Application for on campus assistantships may be made at the time of application for admission through the graduate admissions office.