College Student Personnel, M.A.

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

The Master of Arts in College Student Personnel, offered by the School of Counseling, Higher Education, Leadership, and Foundations, is designed to prepare individuals for employment within the general area of student affairs and student development services in postsecondary education. Candidates are prepared as generalists and are qualified for positions in such areas as academic advising, admissions, multicultural affairs, orientation, residence life, student activities and organizations, career services, and alumni affairs. This program offers both rigorous academic preparation and extensive experiential learning opportunities. All students are required to successfully complete a two-year internship, which they may complement with additional practicum experiences. Full-time employment in student affairs may serve as the internship.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Master’s degree, student in the College Student Personnel program are expected to be able to:

Evaluate history, role, and purpose of student affairs functions in higher education institutions.
Assess and analyze models of student learning and development and campus environments, theories to promote student success, diversity, equity, and social justice.
Analyze influence of institutional type on campus mission, programs and services.
Assess values, knowledge, and skills in relation to professional competencies.

Admission Requirements

Priority deadline for assistantships is December 1.

Documents required:

Submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The GRE will be waived if the undergraduate GPA is 3.0 or higher. Enter your GPA and GPA Scale with your academic institution under the Academic History tab.
Three Letters of Recommendation - At least one of your references must be from a faculty member. You are encouraged to include a reference from a student affairs professional. Submit recommender names/emails in this application, the recommenders will then be emailed automatically to submit their letter through this application system.
Professional Resume - Include your previous work experience and undergraduate student involvement (if applicable).
Statement of Purpose - Your statement should be 3 pages double spaced; include your name on this document. Address the following points:
- What are your career goals pertaining to student affairs?
- What qualities, characteristics, and skills do you possess that make you a strong candidate for the higher education and student affairs program and profession?
- Describe one issue or challenge facing higher education and student affairs that you hope to address as a professional.

Application Requirements

Admissions Categories and Grade Point Average Requirements

International Application Information

Degree Requirements

Curriculum Requirements

Required Courses (21 credits)

Electives (12 credits)

Select from CSP or HIED. At least 6 of the 12 elective credits must be in a letter-graded course.

Other Requirements (6 credits)

Student must earn a 3.0 grade point average in the CSP core courses plus an A or B in at least five of the six CSP core courses. The CSP core courses are CSP 6010, CSP 6020, CSP 6030, CSP 6035, CSP 6040, CSP 6050.

CSP 6890 - Supervised Field Experience in College Student Personnel
(3 classes, 2 credits each)

Culminating Experience (3 credits)

CSP 6050 - Capstone Seminar in College Student Personnel

Minimum Total Credits (42 credits)

Additional Requirements

Minimum of 3 credits of 6990 required for Plan I master’s students. Maximum of 6 credits may be applied toward degree requirements.
Minimum 3.0 graduate cumulative grade point average
Minimum of 18 credits must be at the 6000-level or higher
Minimum of 24 credits must be earned at BGSU
All requirements must be completed within six years from the end of the earliest course used to fulfill degree requirements.