Postsecondary Education: Student Affairs
Master of Arts
Did you enjoy your college experience — both in and out of the classroom? Are you a people person who enjoys helping others solve problems and accomplish their goals?
A career in student affairs provides a path to meaningful, important work with college students. Through the Department of Educational Psychology, Foundations & Leadership (EPFLS), a master’s degree in postsecondary education: student affairs prepares you to begin or further advance your career.
Through this program, you’ll:
- Enjoy small class sizes and personalized, individualized attention
- Build a professional network with community and institutional partners for support
- Enhance skills needed in careers in residence life, student activities, career services, admissions, financial aid, multicultural student affairs and other student affairs functional areas
Placement Rate
Graduates are finding positions where they do what they love: serving and impacting students.
Model
Builds relationships and connections for years to come.
Years of experience
Two full-time faculty bring 35+ years as experienced practitioners, complemented by working administrators as adjunct faculty.
Interested? Join us for Preview Days.
Preview days are September 29, 2023 (In-Person), October 19, 2023 (5pm, Zoom), or December 1, 2023 (1pm, Zoom). Please register. Also, request more information:
Tell us more and we'll send information on how you can succeed with a master's degree in postsecondary education: student affairs from the University of Northern Iowa College of Education.
Contact us directly at:
Postsecondary Education: Student Affairs
525 SEC
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0607
Phone: (319) 273-6519
Email: david.schmid@uni.edu
Courses and Careers
Courses
Through 37 credit hours in this master's program, your coursework will be as varied as the potential settings and services you will support in your career. Coursework and a combination of internships and electives (up to three) will give you both breadth and depth into your areas of interest. A sampling of coursework includes:
- Values, Philosophies and History of Student Affairs
- College Student Development
- Leading and Advising
- Organization and Personal Foundations of Student Affairs
- Research and Assessment in Student Affairs
- Social Justice and Inclusion
- Seminar: Current Issues in Student Affairs
- Higher Education Law
- Professional Helping in College Student Affairs
- Teaching in College (elective)
- Two-Year College (elective)
- College Effects (elective)
- Multicultural Counseling (elective)
- Organizational Psychology (elective)
Careers
Our program prepares you to serve as a student affairs professional in a number of functions, including, but not limited to:
- housing and residence life
- multicultural student services
- admissions
- academic advising
- financial aid
- registrar
- student support services orientation
- dean of students
- student outreach
- student health services
- TRIO services
- student activities
- university unions
- student accessibility services
- international student services
A love for education
As a student worker in financial aid, Taija Tucker loved helping fellow students understand it. Then she found out through the UNI course "Exploring Student Affairs" that this could be a career. She did her research and, as she says, "I knew this was my fate," adding, "Giving back to students, being there to solve problems and seeing that smile or light in their eyes makes me feel confident that I found my career path."
Supporting Your Studies
SAPA, research options & more
Grow your expertise through options beyond the classroom, including:
- Research opportunities if you choose to complete a thesis
- Internships: study at night, apply what you learn during the day
- Networking and learning via the Student Affairs Pre-Professional Association
- Attending, presenting, networking through professional associations and conferences
The extra edge in preparation
Building relationships, extra steps in preparation, celebration — all are part of the PSE:MA experience.
- Mentor Mixer for current students and campus partners
- Preview Days for prospective students every fall
- State of the Program for current students, alumni, and campus partners
- Mock interviews for current students with campus partners of interest
- Interview Day for admitted students (February)
- Hooding Ceremony for May graduation
Assistantships & I-Day
As an admitted full-time graduate student to the PSE:MA program, you are highly encouraged to hold a graduate assistantship while enrolled. Not only does the opportunity provide financial support, it offers valuable work experience in the student affairs field.
Working with the Student Life Division, we offer an application and interview process for newly-admitted PSE:SA graduate students who meet program criteria. You’ll receive full information as part of your acceptance letter.
Interview Day (I-Day) is on campus this year on February 20-21. An evening program on Sunday will be followed by interviews on Monday. Nearly 20 assistantships across campus are available for 2022-23.
SAPA, research options & more
Grow your expertise through options beyond the classroom, including:
- Research opportunities if you choose to complete a thesis
- Internships: study at night, apply what you learn during the day
- Networking and learning via the Student Affairs Pre-Professional Association
- Attending, presenting, networking through professional associations and conferences
The extra edge in preparation
Building relationships, extra steps in preparation, celebration — all are part of the PSE:MA experience.
- Mentor Mixer for current students and campus partners
- Preview Days for prospective students every fall
- State of the Program for current students, alumni, and campus partners
- Mock interviews for current students with campus partners of interest
- Interview Day for admitted students (February)
- Hooding Ceremony for May graduation
Assistantships & I-Day
As an admitted full-time graduate student to the PSE:MA program, you are highly encouraged to hold a graduate assistantship while enrolled. Not only does the opportunity provide financial support, it offers valuable work experience in the student affairs field.
Working with the Student Life Division, we offer an application and interview process for newly-admitted PSE:SA graduate students who meet program criteria. You’ll receive full information as part of your acceptance letter.
Interview Day (I-Day) is on campus this year on February 20-21. An evening program on Sunday will be followed by interviews on Monday. Nearly 20 assistantships across campus are available for 2022-23.