CSP Curriculum

The College Student Personnel program at BGSU is committed to the preparation of practitioners for positions in student affairs administration at the post-secondary level.  The requirements of the 42-credit-hour degree program include a balance of classroom-based academic learning and field-based experiential learning.  Students are challenged by professional responsibilities in their internship, and they are exposed to several theoretical frameworks that provide a foundation for understanding many facets of the undergraduate learning experience.

Core Requirements

CSP 6010: Foundations and Functions of College Student Personnel (3)—History, philosophy, and goals of student affairs units in colleges and universities; emphasis on practitioner roles and responsibilities.

CSP 6020:Theory and Assessment of College Student Development (3)—Examination of theories describing patterns of growth and development during the college years; implications for the design of educational practice on the college campus. [sample syllabus]

CSP 6030: Theory and Assessment of Educational Environments (3)—Application of environmental theory to the assessment of human environments; special emphasis on the study of select campus environments and their influence on students. (sample syllabus)

CSP 6035: Multicultural Competence in Student Affairs (3)— Emphasizes development of awareness, knowledge, and skills necessary to be a multiculturally competent student affairs practitioner' emphasis on practitioner responsibilities, challenges, and opportunities for creating and sustaining multiculturally affirming campus communities. [sample syllabus]

CSP 6040: Educational Outcomes of American Colleges and Universities (3)—Examination of the impact of post-secondary educational institutions on students; exploration of barriers to student development and the role of student affairs in reducing these barriers and increasing the beneficial impacts. [sample syllabus] [sample implementation plans] 

CSP 6050: Capstone Seminar (3)—This seminar is designed to promote the integration of the core curriculum and practitioner experiences of the master’s degree program in CSP and to prepare students for their transitions to professional positions within student affairs upon graduation. [sample electronic portfolios]

CSP 6890: Supervised Field Experience in College Student Personnel (6)—Students must be engaged in supervised experience in appropriate areas of higher education and student affairs. Participation in regularly scheduled seminars dealing with analysis of issues in higher education is required.

EDFI 6410: Statistics in Education (3)—Statistics as a tool in education and research, descriptive statistics, transformation of scores, sampling and probability, linear correlation and regression, introduction to statistical inference, basic tests of significance, and effect size. This course can be taken face-to-face or online.

EDFI 6420: Research in Education (3)—Identification and evaluation of research problems, research designs, use of library resources, data gathering, and writing research reports. This course can be taken face-to-face or online.

Departmental Electives

Many of the following departmental courses may serve as electives in fulfilling the 12 semester hours of elective courses required for completion of the master’s degree.
Below is a list of offered electives in the past. These are taught at varied times depending on faculty availability:

CSP 6300: Issues in College Student Personnel
CSP 6500: Social Justice Training and Education
CSP 6600: Assessment in Higher Education and Student Affairs
CSP 6800: Colleges and Universities in Film and Fiction
CSP 6840: Readings in Application of College Student Personnel Concepts and Procedures
CSP 6900: Directed Research in College Student Personnel
CSP 6940: Workshop on Current Topics in College Student Personnel
CSP 6970: Practicum in College Student Personnel (past practicum list)
Students can take up to 6 semester hours through (a) practicum(s) with CSP 6970.

HIED 7110: Governance and Organization of Higher Education
HIED 7120: Administration of Higher Education
HIED 7210: Law and Higher Education
HIED 7340: College and University Teaching (sample syllabus)
HIED 7510: Qualitative Research Problems and Methods in Higher Education (sample syllabus)

Additional Electives

Courses from other graduate departments and programs may also serve to fulfill requirements in conjunction with the program requirements noted above.

The Graduate Catalog provides descriptions and more detailed information on each course offered.

CSP students have recently taken electives in these departments:

• Career and Technology Education
• Graduate Business Administration
• Guidance and Counseling
• Human Movement, Sport, and Leisure Studies
• Organizational Development
• Popular Culture
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Women’s Studies
  

Required Internship

Completion of a two-year internship is a required part of the CSP program at BGSU. Internships offer the opportunity to acquire valuable professional experience and skills and to apply what is being learned in the classroom. 

All internships provide an academic year salary (stipend) plus a tuition assistance covering 30/42 credits needed for the degree, provided the student remains in good academic standing and makes adequate progress toward the degree. During the first year, the 15-credit-hour scholarship includes the non-resident fee for out-of-state residents.  Students must cover 6 credit-hours during the first year in the program (including non-resident fees for these credits if applicable.)  The scholarship for the second year does not cover the non-resident fee.  Domestic students may be eligible to become an Ohio resident (http://www.bgsu.edu/registration-records/records-services/state-subsidy-tuition-surcharge-purposes.html ) for the second year or may pay the non-resident fee. International students may receive a scholarship for the non-resident fee for two years.  The general fee and other administrative fees are not covered by the scholarship.  Rates are set by the Board of Trustees and published at http://www.bgsu.edu/bursar.html.

For 2022-2023 stipends on the BGSU campus are $10,000.  BGSU Residence life positions begin in July and have a $11,473.68 stipend plus an apartment and meal plan. Internship stipends at partnership universities range from $8,750-$18,970.  Benefits are listed in each position description during the interview process.  Live-in positions provide room and board. Approximately 35 internships are available each year in a variety of functional areas and institutional settings.

Practicum Experiences

Many students in the CSP program choose an additional academic experience known as a practicum. A practicum experience typically lasts one semester and is an excellent opportunity for students to gain experience in another facet of student affairs, deepen experience within a functional area, and/or learn about practice in a different institutional setting.

Past practicums have been archived in an electronic Practicum Binder blog. In addition to providing a fully searchable database, practicums listed in the blog can be sorted by competency, credit hours, semester, and institution.

The Culminating Experience

The culminating experience for all students is completion of CSP 6050: Capstone Seminar.  The major assignments in that course are the (1) personal statement of mission, (2) knowledge evaluation and professional development plan, (3) professional competencies assessment, and (4) electronic portfolio.  

Creamer, Winston, and Miller  (2001) identified five important characteristics of student affairs professionals: (1) engages in theory-based practice, (2) adheres to ethical standards and principles, (3) maintains professional involvement, (4) advocates for students, (5) contributes to the educational mission of their institution.  Professionals must integrate roles as educators, leaders, and managers to meet the needs of students and institutions.

CSP 6050 and the electronic portfolio are designed to help the student document the skills, knowledge, and experiences that are the foundation of professionalism.  It provides the opportunity for the student to write a comprehensive evaluation of her or his professional skills based on her or his accumulated record of experiences.

Additional guidelines for completing the portfolio and related assignments will be provided in CSP 6890 and CSP 6050.