The University of Maryland offers two programs for those who are interested in receiving their Masters degree in College Student Personnel. Learning outcomes of the Master's program, general curriculum requirements, along with a more detailed description of each program are provided below.

 

Learning Outcomes

Graduates from the Master of Arts (M.A.) or Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree program will have professional entry-level competencies in each of the following areas:

  • defining the role and functions of student affairs work in higher education
  • interpreting research significant to the profession and conducting related research at an elementary level
  • identifying factors affecting human and organizational behavior
  • translating theoretical knowledge about the development of organizations and individuals into meaningful practices of the profession: counseling, instruction, supervision, program design, administration,research
  • developing multicultural competence to engage with diverse students with effectiveness and confidence
  • performing the functions of program assessment, design, implementation, and evaluation as appropriate for individuals, student services offices, and organizations.

 

General Degree Requirements

Students wishing to graduate with either a Master of Arts or Master of Education degree must have completed the following course requirements:

  • EDCP 610U Professional Orientation: College Student Personnel - 3 credits
  • EDCP 771 The College Student: Student Development Theories - 3 credits
  • EDCP 888A Apprenticeship in Student Personnel Services - 3 credits
  • EDCP 789Z Seminar in Multicultural Development - 2 credits
  • EDCP 655 Organizational Leadership in Student Affairs (Capstone) - 3 credits
  • EDCP 615 Counseling I: Appraisal & Assessment - 3 credits
  • EDCP 616 Counseling II: Theory and Practice - 3 credits
  • EDCP 618 Pre practicum lab - 2 credits
  • EDCP 619B Practicum in College Counseling - 3 credits
  • EDMS 645 Quantitative Methods I - 3 credits
  • EDCP 799/798 Research Design & Proposal Writing Seminar - 2 credits
    (M.A. students register for 2 credits of EDCP 799)
    (M. Ed. students register for 2 credits of EDCP 798)
  • Elective: One course of your choice to enrich your program - 3 credits

 

Master of Arts degree (M.A.)

In addition to the the learning outcomes of the program, the Master of Arts programs is designed to provide research experience for its graduates. As a result, students seeking to graduate with this degree must have completed the following requirements:

  • successful completion of a Master's Thesis
  • successful completion of one additional statistics course and four additional research thesis credits

 

Master of Education (M.Ed.)

In addition to the learning outcomes of the program, the Master of Education program is designed to provide opportunities for students seeking to concentrate on specified areas within the College Student Personnel Program. As a result, students seeking to graduate with this degree must have completed the following requirements:

  • successful completion of a seminar paper
  • successful completion of two courses of a professional concentration to explore topics to their professional practice or research

 

Additional Elective Courses Available

In addition to degree requirements, students may choose to take other courses for personal interest. Common course offerings are listed below:

  • EDCP 611 Career Counseling
  • EDCP 617 Group Counseling
  • EDCP 775 Facilitating Student Learning in Higher Education
  • EDCP 789D Student Leadership Development
  • EDMS 647 Introduction to Program Evaluation
  • EDPL 651 Higher Education Law
  • EDPL 660/661 Retention Theories/Retention of College Students
  • EDPL 662 Research on Ethnic Minorities



Additional Information & Requirements

Prerequisites:
Prior to enrolling in the College Student Personnel program, applicants must have previously earned 15 semester hours of behavioral science courses (e.g. psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc.) as awareness of the nature of inquiry in this area.

Duration:
Each student is an individual with different talents, family and work responsibilities. Program requirements are designed so that full-time students can complete their program in four semesters. Students may also enroll part time during some or all of their program to extend program completion to three years. All programs must be completed within 5 years. The program will total 40 credit hours.

Comprehensive Examinations:
All candidates for either the Master of Arts (M.A.) or Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree are required to successfully complete and pass a comprehensive examination.  For both degree options, the masters comprehensive examination consists of the successful completion of a research proposal.  The research proposal is a body of work that proposes an empirical study that is conceived of by the student and developed in conjunction with the course: EDCP 798/799, Masters Research Seminar.  The proposal includes three chapters: I) introduction; II) review of literature and theory; and III) study methods. Full-time students generally enroll in EDCP 798/799 during the fall semester of their second year, and complete their comprehensive examination at the end of the same semester. For more information about the masters comprehensive examination, please consult the Masters Comprehensive Examination Guidelines or contact the Comprehensive Examination Chair.