Higher Education Student Affairs
Grounded in social justice principles, our Master’s program in Higher Education Student Affairs is designed for current or aspiring student affairs professionals with a special emphasis on issues of diversity, equity, and social justice.
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Higher Education Student Affairs
Available in a full-time, two-year, or part-time, three-year format, our Higher Education Student Affairs program focuses on the ways that learning and development occur in and outside the classroom, in all dimensions of life on a college campus. Specifically, our program is concerned with creating intentional, inclusive, democratic communities where diverse student voices are heard and all are empowered to succeed. Fostering understanding and respect for diversity, our graduates become outspoken advocates for the full and equal participation of all students in higher education.
Graduates of our program will be prepared to serve as coordinators, assistant directors, and directors in a wide range of areas related to student affairs, including residence life, judicial affairs, multicultural student affairs, student activities, career services, financial aid, academic advising, disability services, Greek life, and many others. In addition to being prepared for entry into mid-level professional positions in colleges and universities, graduates will be uniquely positioned to work in mission-driven units, programs, and institutions with a commitment to diversity, equity, and social justice.
Program Overview
Degree: Master of Arts
Total Credit Hours: 39
Program Length (Full-Time): Two Years
Program Length (Part-Time): Three Years
Program Start Date: September
Class Schedule: Evenings & Weekends
Program director: Brenda Sifuentez →
Faculty
Firmly Committed to Social Justice
At Lewis & Clark, our social justice mission is more than a talking point—it’s fully integrated into every aspect of our programs. From the courses we offer and the texts we assign to the faculty members we hire, we strive to facilitate meaningful conversations around social justice topics and teach you how to incorporate equity into your professional practice to better serve your future students, your institutions and organizations, and the larger community. You’ll be prepared to work in diverse settings and with all students, including those from different cultural, linguistic, and economic backgrounds. You’ll graduate with a clear sense of how to apply a social justice and equity lens to a variety of roles, empowering you to drive change in higher education and other mission-driven organizations, while enabling you to make a more lasting impact on the lives of those you serve.
Both Professor Sifuentez and Professor Valles make the SAA program a welcoming environment, but, from the moment you begin, they let you know that you’re going to be challenged to think and work differently in order to successfully build a skillset with social justice, equity, and access at the foundation.”
Both Professor Sifuentez and Professor Valles make the SAA program a welcoming environment, but, from the moment you begin, they let you know that you’re going to be challenged to think and work differently in order to successfully build a skillset with social justice, equity, and access at the foundation.”
Why Choose Lewis & Clark?
Reputation for Academic Excellence
Lewis & Clark’s programs are respected nationwide for their quality and academic rigor. Our Student Affairs Administration program allows you to advance your passion for educational equity and diversity, while building the unique skillset you’ll need to drive those goals forward as a scholar-practitioner. You’ll become a competent, social justice-minded, student affairs professional in just 2-3 years, with no GRE required.
Social Justice Focus
In every step of our program, equity is at the core. From the moment you arrive at new student orientation to the final steps you take at commencement, you will be challenged to consider: how can higher education, as a system, be made more equitable for marginalized students? Every class, text, theory, and discussion will center this question and prepare you to bring an equity-driven frame and commitment into your student affairs work.
Practical, Hands-On Experience
Our program offers a number of graduate assistantships that offer tangible training in student affairs, as well as hourly pay to help offset the cost of attendance or cover living expenses. Students are encouraged to apply for available graduate assistantships. In addition, the program also includes two practicum experiences (one on-campus and one off-campus) that are facilitated by the program to increase your practical training and job readiness.
Supportive Environment and Community
You’ll complete courses in rigorous, small-group settings, together with a small cohort of your peers. This intentionally small structure is designed to provide extensive support for students throughout the program, while creating lifetime systems of social support and helping you form strong professional networks. You’ll also receive personal attention and support from our very accessible faculty members, staff, peers, current practitioners, and mentors, who are all committed to your success in the program and in your future career.
Skilled, Sought-After Graduates
Our program’s reputation for producing exceptional student affairs professionals means that our graduates are highly sought-after by colleges and universities nationwide. In fact, we are proud to have a 100% job placement rate for graduates seeking careers in higher education and student affairs—with students typically receiving a job offer just before or shortly after completing their program.
Experienced & Diverse Program Faculty
Our program is led by all faculty of color on the tenure track line, who are highly regarded leaders in the field and accomplished researchers you’ll be able to collaborate with. They boast extensive field experience as student affairs professionals with a deep theoretical grounding in the history and foundations of higher education. In addition, our non-tenured faculty are local student affairs professionals who can provide you with real-world, on-the-job insights and become a valuable part of your networking community.
Relevant and Topical Curriculum
Our program challenges students to become scholar-practitioners that think critically and dig deeper, exploring their social location and biases, engaging in thoughtful dialogue, and studying how inequality is reproduced on college campuses so our graduates can better meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population. Following the latest research and best practices, we’re constantly updating our curriculum and texts to keep things current, while ensuring that diverse voices are reflected in our syllabi.
Career Preparation & Ongoing Professional Support
Our program prepares you to confidently enter the workforce through professional development activities like cover letter and resume writing support, mock interviews, job search simulations and strategies, and Q&A sessions with local professionals. You’ll also have access to lifetime career assistance and our committed faculty regularly checks in with our graduates for continued, personalized career support.
Practicum
Gain Extensive, Hands-On Experience
Through our two intensive practicums, you’ll have the opportunity to learn hands-on—applying your coursework to a real-world environment and gaining critical insights that can only be gleaned by working in the field. You will complete one practicum on-site at Lewis & Clark and the other off-site at a nearby college or university. We feel that this provides the best of both worlds, allowing you to further integrate in the Lewis & Clark community, while establishing local contacts and gaining relevant, on-the-job experience both on- and off-campus. As a result, you’ll be better prepared to launch your career in student affairs right when you graduate—with the experience and references needed to set you apart from other job candidates.
“My goal in taking this program was to really immerse myself in the topics of social justice and equity and to take everything that I learned in the program, even before I started, and be able to apply it to any aspect of my life, whether that was career related or personally. I wanted to be a part of an environment that these conversations were happening. The selling point was that I felt like, I would be able to learn the skills and tools to go anywhere afterward.”
Arielle Valdez, Student Affairs Administration ’21
Launching Successful Careers Nationwide
Higher Education Student Affairs program graduates are in high demand with colleges and universities across the country, with most students receiving a job offer shortly after graduating.
Below is a sampling of the institutions in which Higher Education Student Affairs graduates have served or are currently serving.
Estimated Tuition: $42,900
Total Number of Credits in Program: 39
Minimum total tuition costs based on 2024-2025 credit rate of $1,100 per credit
Note: Tuition increases each academic year.
Financial Aid
We use FAFSA to determine your eligibility for financial aid, along with the ORSAA for undocumented Oregon residents. In addition, you may be eligible for academic scholarships, external scholarships and grant programs, and graduate assistantships.
Other Resources
The program has been designed in accordance with the jointly developed by the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). Students who complete the Master of Arts in Student Affairs Administration will achieve competency in: Personal & Ethical Foundations; Values, Philosophy, and History; Assessment, Evaluation, and Research; Law, Policy, and Governance; Organizational and Human Resources; Leadership; Social Justice and Inclusion; Student Learning and Development; Technology; and Advising and Support.