Why Choose College Student Affairs at UWG?
If you are looking for a meaningful career where you can make a difference in people’s lives, enjoy being a part of a college campus, and have good interpersonal and organizational skills, Student Affairs may be a good career for you. People who earn degrees in College Student Affairs build careers in a variety of offices, including admissions, orientation, financial aid, student activities, career services, housing, leadership development, community service, alumni affairs, services for students with disabilities, minority and multicultural student services, enrollment management, and student judicial affairs.
UWG is a comprehensive institution with a diverse student body, which will expose you to the full spectrum of student affairs functions. We are fully committed to your professional success. The Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Speech-Language Pathology has an excellent reputation for preparing well-qualified student affairs practitioners. Courses will be taught by both full-time faculty and full-time professionals. The excellent relationship between the departmental faculty and the Division of Student Affairs & Enrollment Management means that you will be encouraged to connect your academic experience with your assistantship and practicum experiences, so that you will complete the program ready to succeed in your first full-time professional job. This is an exciting time to be at UWG – we are a growing institution, with many visible signs of progress and new opportunities for students.
Approximately 12,700 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees enroll at UWG each year. Students enjoy a complete college life experience on the Carrollton campus, including residence hall living, intercollegiate athletic competitions, and opportunities to get involved in more than 150 student organizations. UWG is located approximately an hour from downtown Atlanta.
The College Student Affairs program at the University of West Georgia is unique due to the benefits we provide to students as well as the relationships you're able to gain attending our program. The University of West Georgia College Student Affairs program guarantees an assistantship upon full admission. Therefore, there is no additional application process and when you interview with faculty for admission, prospective students are also interviewing with prospective employers. Along with an assistantship, the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management provides $300 in travel funds that is matched by Graduate Students' home departments within the Division. This means students receive $600 in travel funds to attend professional conferences.
Students are also encouraged to visit with other professionals on our campus to help expand their network. We are a mid-size institution with a small school feel. We encourage students to meet the Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, or have coffee with the Associate Vice President and Dean of Students. The layers are minimal here at UWG. Our partnership with Student Affairs and Enrollment Management has become seamless in order to provide our students with the best experience possible.
Finally, from a curricular standpoint, our program is based on the competencies recommended by the ACPA/NASPA professional competencies. Our program includes courses on student development theory, higher education administration, and basic counseling skills to prepare students to be successful practitioners in student affairs.