The MA in Education with a concentration in Student Affairs and Educational Justice (SAEJ) prepares emerging and current student affairs practitioners to successfully lead and transform higher educational environments to promote teaching and development in and outside of the classroom.

Student service professionals and the offices they run have the capacity to positively impact the educational experiences of college students, especially those from traditionally underrepresented groups. Through policy, practice, and research, student affairs practitioners foster environments that are inclusive, respect diversity, and promote learning and success.

Program Highlights
  • Designed for individuals and working professionals who want to make a difference in higher education student affairs.
  • Provides you with the knowledge and skills to create socially just higher education environments that have at their core the welfare and development of students.
  • You will participate in a clinical practicum that allows you to apply what you’ve learned in a real-world student affairs setting.

Program At a Glance

UNITS
32 units

ESTIMATED COMPLETION TIME
Full-time: 11 months
Part-time: Varies by number of units taken per term

*Actual completion times will vary and may be higher, depending on full- or part-time course registration, units transferred, and time to complete other degree requirements.

COURSES BEGIN
Fall | Spring | Summer

DEGREE AWARDED
MA in Education

Featured Courses

EDUC 459
Historical Foundations in Higher Education

Explores major trends in American higher education from colonial times to the present in political, social, and economic contexts within which American higher education has evolved.

EDUC 461
The College Student Experience

Explores literature, theory, and research on the increasing diversity of college students, identity issues in college, factors that influence success, and implications for practice in college and universities.

EDUC 464
Theory & Research in College Student Development

Provides an overview of college student development theory and learning in the U.S., including historical and emerging perspectives, relevant research, and critiques influential in understanding students in post-secondary institutions.

EDUC 460
Foundations in Student Affairs

Provides an overview of student affairs administration in post-secondary education, focusing on historical perspectives and foundational philosophies of student affairs and the functions and administrative relationships within the college setting particularly as they relate to theory, research, and practice.

EDUC 481
Organization, Administration & Governance in American Higher Education

Explores how institutions of higher education are organized and governed, including the contexts that shape different organizational structures within administrative units, as well as contemporary issues that higher education institutions must contend with.

EDUC 450
Practicum in Student Affairs

Provides an opportunity to apply what you have learned in your coursework in the authentic context of a student affairs office or related student affairs position.

Faculty & Research

  • Deborah Faye Carter profile image

    Deborah Faye Carter

    Associate Professor of Higher Education

    Research Interests

    Higher education; transition to college; college student outcomes; access to college; race in education; mentoring, equity, and diverse learning environments in STEM

  • DeLacy Ganley profile image

    DeLacy Ganley

    Dean, School of Educational Studies
    Professor of Education

    Research Interests

    Culturally relevant education; resiliency and achievement of marginalized populations; intersection of families, community, and school; language acquisition; social capital theory; systems theory

  • Gwen Garrison profile image

    Gwen Garrison

    Clinical Professor of Education
    Director of Educational Evaluation and Data Analysis

    Research Interests

    Organizational effectiveness; diversity & inclusion; research & evaluation process; data systems; data management; data visualization and storytelling

  • Dina C. Maramba profile image

    Dina C. Maramba

    Professor of Education

    Research Interests

    Equity and diversity issues in higher education; theory and practice in student affairs; college student development; access and retention; first-generation college students; Asian American and Pacific Islander populations; minority serving institutions

  • Linda Perkins profile image

    Linda Perkins

    University Professor
    Director, Applied Gender Studies

    Research Interests

    Women and African-American higher education, history and contemporary issues on women in higher education, especially Black women, global gender issues.

  • Guan K. Saw profile image

    Guan K. Saw

    Associate Professor of Education

    Research Interests

    Educational inequality; diversity and inclusion; STEM education and workforce; college access and success; sociology of education; educational psychology; educational evaluation and policy analysis; quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods; health disparities

  • Torie Weiston-Serdan profile image

    Torie Weiston-Serdan

    Clinical Assistant Professor
    Director, MA in Community Engaged Education & Social Change

    Research Interests

    Critical mentoring; critical youth work; non-profits and social enterprises; diversity and equity; non-profits and philanthropy; youth-serving non-profits; culturally sustaining pedagogy; abolitionist teaching; Black Feminism in education; learning and teaching

  • Eligio Martinez profile image

    Eligio Martinez

    Senior Research Fellow

    Research Interests

    P-20 education pipeline; college access and retention; community colleges; boys and men of color; middle school education; Chicana/o and Latina/o Students

  • Daryl G. Smith profile image

    Daryl G. Smith

    Senior Research Fellow
    Professor Emerita

    Research Interests

    Organizational implications of diversity, Assessment and evaluation, Leadership and change, Governance, Diversity in STEM fields, Faculty diversity

  • Jack H. Schuster profile image

    Jack H. Schuster

    Senior Research Fellow
    Professor Emeritus

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Gabriela Krupa

Associate Director of Admissions
T: 909-607-9101
E: gabriela.krupa@cgu.edu

Carina Navarro

Assistant Director of Admissions
T: 909-607-0201
E: carina.navarro@cgu.edu