Within the field of Student Affairs, there are three general types of graduate preparatory programs available: College Student Personnel, Higher Education Administration, and College Student Development. The DePaul College Student Development (CSD) program is offered through the Counseling program to fully prepare our graduates to enter the field. Grounded in human development, group dynamics, psychological theories, and crisis management, the counseling background helps the practitioner understand the nuance between counseling, guidance, and advising. The counseling program presents our work with college students, and our colleagues on campus, as the application of sound theory and development. The DePaul graduate student will develop an ability to apply and integrate information from textbooks, seminars, and their experimental learning process.
Career opportunities include working in a number of settings across campus including admissions, career centers, residential education, athletic advising, and advising student government leaders. The student affairs professional values the co-curricular aspects of student life and creates additional learning opportunities outside the classroom.
Why is DePaul’s program special?
The guiding principle of the student affairs profession is predicated upon the whole student and the value of the individual. Aligned with DePaul's Vincentian values the CSD program is holistic, creative, flexible, and person centered. A Vincentian education is person-oriented which is precisely what College Student Development believes. The notion of incorporating the diversity of Chicago as our classroom transcends an education at DePaul University. Learning is accomplished through incorporating a multicultural perspective to develop reflectiveness, ethical reasoning, and critical and creative thinking. This produces professionals better prepared for the diverse think-globally world of today. Our faculty members have practical experience in their fields, which models the training and development modality of the theory-to-practice approach presented in the coursework and classroom discussions. The CSD program maintains very close ties with the division of student affairs on campus to create internship and career opportunities for our students.
In the CSD program, faculty help students from a variety of professional disciplines to learn theory and practice related to personal identity and the human life cycle, to gain leadership skills, to be come effective communicators, and to understand how various counseling approaches can nurture an individual's potential.
Degree Requirements
Master of Arts degree (M.A.)
60 quarter hours of course work and 12 hours of practicum & internship
A thesis and oral exam are required for the M.A. degree.
Master of Education degree (M.Ed)
60 quarter hours of course work and 12 hours of practicum & internship
Printable PDF of the program requirements
Admission requirements
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