Higher Education and Student Affairs

Overview

The higher education and student affairs (HESA) program prepares its graduates for entry and mid-level professional positions in higher education administration in student affairs.

At program completion, HESA students are expected to have the knowledge, skills and perspectives to serve college students and foster their learning and development in a wide variety of student affairs areas. These areas include, but are not limited to:

Student life
Financial aid
Housing
Career services
Intercollegiate athletics
Advising
Fraternity and sorority life
International programs

This program follows the standards set by the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. The program curriculum is centered around four core components adapted from ACPA/NASPA professional competencies:

Student development
Social justice and inclusion
Advising and support
Assessment, evaluation and research with an emphasis on critical social justice

The mission of the HESA program is to develop a strong academic community of critical scholar-practitioners to advance social justice in their practice of higher education and student affairs. We seek to develop socially just scholar-practitioners who are highly engaged in the field of higher education and student affairs. Diversity and critical social justice concepts are addressed across the curriculum, specifically in the college student development and diversity in higher education courses. We are dedicated to addressing issues of social injustice intersectionally and examining how race, gender, class, sexual orientation, religion and other forms of oppression overlap fortifying a matrix of domination.

Program Format

Evening classes are offered for both full-time and part-time students. A mix of traditional, hybrid and online courses are offered.

The athletics specialization and the post-baccalaureate certificate in athletic leadership are offered fully online.

Program Learning Outcomes/Faculty

Program Learning Outcomes

The HESA program features a distinctive graduate experience, which requires core coursework, a professional portfolio and a final capstone project.

Students develop an individualized final capstone project focused on contemporary or historical issues in higher education. The final capstone project is supervised by a faculty member.

Faculty

View current Department of Educational Leadership faculty

What can I do with a degree in higher education and student affairs?

The HESA program prepares graduates for entry and mid-level professional positions in higher education administration in student affairs:

Student life
Financial aid
Housing
Career services
Intercollegiate athletics
Advising
Fraternity and sorority life
International programs

Recent graduates have found employment as academic advisors; residence hall directors; first-year experience coordinators; and student activities coordinators at both private and public postsecondary institutions.

Why choose SIUE?

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion: The HESA program fosters a strong commitment to increasing awareness of the diversity of student populations and to social justice. The SIUE campus has been recognized regularly for its commitment to diversity. The University received the 2021 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. SIUE joins a select group of 11 institutions that have earned the distinction for at least eight consecutive years. The non-profit group Campus Pride ranked SIUE in the top 100 among the 2021 Most Affordable LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges and Universities. SIUE’s LGBTQ-Friendly Campus Climate index and Sexual Orientation scores are 4.5 out of 5 stars. SIUE's Gender Identity/Expression score is 4 out of 5 stars.
Location and Affordability: SIUE is located 25 minutes from downtown St. Louis, allowing graduate students to benefit from the boundless opportunities St. Louis offers. In-state tuition is available for all U.S. graduate students.

Hands-on Learning

Professional Experiences
Students complete six credit hours of HESA 554: Practicum and Professional Development. Full-time students fulfill field hours in the summer semester of their first year in the graduate program. During the last semester of the program, students will take a professional development capstone (3 credit hours). Only full-time students are required to complete the practicum field hour requirement. Part-time students with professional experience can substitute practicum coursework for elective coursework.

Graduate Assistantships
Students can apply for assistantships through the graduate school. Most assistantships provide a stipend and tuition waivers to subsidize the cost of higher education.

Additional assistantship information can be found on the graduate school website. Assistantships specific to student affairs are also available.