The Masters program in Student Affairs seeks to be congruent with the best practices in College Student Personnel Administration (CSPA) as embodied in the Council for Academic Standards (CAS) and the American College Student Personnel Association (ACPA) Graduate Programs preparation standards. CAS's guidelines require that students complete 300 hours of supervised practice in their degree programs. Student can meet this requirement through their graduate assistantships and practica. Specific provisions of the practicum policy include:

1. Graduate students are responsible for negotiating practicum placements with potential practicum supervisors. Developing a meaningful practicum experience will require that students begin networking with potential site supervisors before the semester that they actually hope to begin their practicum.

2. Graduate students and site supervisor's negotiated agreements should be formalized in a learning contract. Students and site supervisors should agree to a 5-7 hour weekly practicum schedule.

3. Graduate students are required to establish a weekly practicum schedule.

Graduate students that are employed full-time can meet the class requirement by developing a year-long practicum over two semesters or students can complete a special project related to their current employment. Students interested in the two-semester practicum and site supervisors agreeing to this option must send an email to Dr. Gilbert Brown, Program Director (See Contact Information), to verify this arrangement. Students should expect to spend a couple of hours per week at the practicum site. Students selecting the the special project option should see Dr. Brown about specific requirements.

  

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Students should seek to establish their practicums after their first semester in the program. Students should use their first semester on campus to become comfortable in their classes, establish a strong presence at their assistantships, or enhance their performance in their full-time employment positions.

It should also be understood that students must complete one practicum to satisfy the degree requirements for the program.

 

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Relevant Forms

Relevant forms for the practicum experience include:

Introductory Worksheet

Achievement Plan and Feedback Schedule

Student Learning Contract

 

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 Available Positions

 Some of the offices that offer practica positions are: