Counseling and Human Development Services - College Student Affairs PhD

APA Writing Style
Computers
Email
Ethical Standards
SAA Steering Committee
Guidelines for Publishable Paper
Written Preliminary Examination
Oral Preliminary Examination
Admission to Candidacy
Library
Mailboxes
Internship Experiences
Professional Liability Insurance
Professional Organizations
Research Policy

APA Writing Style
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th Edition) is the required resource manual for preparing papers for the CSAA Programs. It is recommended that students purchase a manual at campus bookstores prior to beginning their program of study.
Back to Top

Computers
Computer labs are provided throughout campus in various locations, such as residence halls, libraries, and academic buildings. New students can participate in an orientation program that provides instruction for using the computers in the College of Education labs (OIT) on the second floor of Aderhold.
Back to Top

E-Mail
All students must have a UGA e-mail account. Students will receive important information via their UGA e-mail account only.The faculty assumes that students check their e-mail regularly, that is, at least daily.
Back to Top

Ethical Standards
Students are expected to adhere to the Ethical Principles and Standards published by ACPA (www.myacpa.org/au/ethicsstatement.html) and the NASPA Standards of Professional Practice (http://www.naspa.org/about/standards.cfm ). Serious breaches of ethical standards can lead to termination of enrollment. Students are also expected to abide by the University Academic Integrity guidelines which are summarized and provided in this handbook. All students must also complete the on-line Academic
Honesty tutorial (http://www.coe.uga.edu/chds/students/honesty/index.html) and give the certificate of completion to their advisor. Finally, you should also be familiar with and stay in compliance with the UGA Student Code of Conduct (http://www.uga.edu/judicialprograms/code.htm).
Back to Top

CSAA-D Steering Committee
The Student Affairs Administration Steering Committee is composed of 6 persons: Richard Mullendore (Chair), Diane Cooper, Pat Daugherty, Merrily Dunn, Tom Burke, and Laura Dean. The Steering Committee serves as the principal policy-making body for the program. All curricular changes and Program policies and procedures are approved by the Steering Committee. In addition, the Committee screens applicants to the Program and decides who is to be recommended to the Graduate Coordinator for admission.
Annual Program Review

Each year the academic progress of all students enrolled in the program for two or more semesters is evaluated. The CSAA-D Steering Committee will communicate the results of the evaluation to each student.
Back to Top

Guidelines for Submission and Approval of Ph.D. Publishable Paper
Students are expected to conduct a data-based research project (following either a qualitative or quantitative paradigm) worthy of publication in a professional journal, prior to taking preliminary exams. This requirement may add additional financial expense (copying, interview tapes, questionnaires, postage, etc.); however, sponsorship may be obtained by students from the programs or services sponsoring their research. Prior to beginning the project and after approval by the publishable paper committee, the proposal also must be approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB--often referred to as "Human Subjects") at The University of Georgia. No exceptions. You must complete the following on-line test in order to submit your IRB application.

The student will develop a research prospectus (generally 10-15 pages including references) in consultation with his/her program advisor. The rationale and theoretical foundation must be clearly specified; the hypotheses or research questions must be explicitly stated, and the procedures for data collection must be replicable and clearly explained. Strict adherence to style and format as specified in the American Psychological Association Publication Manual (5th ed.) is required. (As a general rule, full-time students should plan to submit their proposals not later than the end of the first year of study; part-time students should plan to complete their proposals by the end of fall semester of the second year of study.)
The prospectus should include the following:

Statement of the problem
Concise literature review
Statement of hypothesis or hypotheses to be tested (or research questions)
Operational definitions
Description of intervention to be used (if appropriate)
Description of target population, sampling procedures, and data collection plan
Description of research design (if appropriate)
Description of instruments or techniques to be used to collect data
Identification of data analysis techniques to be used

The proposed study must: (a) be of a quality and scope that would be worthy of publication in a scholarly/professional journal, and (b) be data-based. The study may be primarily qualitative, quantitative, or a mixed design. Selection of research methodology should be determined by the nature of the research question(s). Replication of previous studies and/or utilization of existing data bases are permissible for the Publishable Paper with approval of the advisor.
Your program advisor will assist you in selecting two additional faculty members to serve as a committee to consider and approve the prospectus and ultimately to evaluate the final manuscript.
Students have the option of approaching this requirement as either a collaboration with the program advisor or as an individual product. As a collaborative project, your program advisor will work closely with you through the entire Publishable Paper process (reviewing literature, assisting with data analysis, discussing results, editing, etc.) in return for 2nd authorship on the final product as it is submitted for publication. As an individual product, the program advisor will take a much less active role, and you will submit your paper as a single author.
The student submits the prospectus to the program advisor and the other committee members and will schedule a meeting of the committee to consider the proposed study.
The committee may: (a) approve the research plan, (b) approve the plan with required changes, (c) approve the plan with recommended changes, or (d) disapprove the plan and require a new prospectus be submitted. After receiving approval of the research proposal (and before collecting data), the student will submit and receive approval of the plan by the Institutional Review Board.
The student will then do the data collection and write the results, discussion, implications for practice, and suggestions for further research.
The final manuscript of the research should conform to APA guidelines for journal articles, typically average 25-30 pages inclusive of tables and references. Students should submit their Publishable Papers to the committee at least 10 week days prior to the date that the committee convenes with the student for his/her defense.
The committee will consider the manuscript and take one of the following actions: (a) approve, (b) require changes and resubmission, or (c) reject with the requirement to conduct a new study. (As a general rule, students should expect to make revisions before receiving final approval of the manuscript.)
Final approval of the manuscript must be obtained at least three weeks before sitting for the Preliminary Examination and being admitted to candidacy.

Back to Top

Written Preliminary Examination
“A student must pass formal, comprehensive written and oral examinations before being admitted to candidacy for the degree. These examinations are administered by the student’s advisory [doctoral] committee and the program faculty. The doctoral committee must be comprised of at least three faculty members who hold graduate faculty status. No more than two program faculty will serve on the doctoral committee. A signed program of study must be on file and a final copy of the Publishable Paper must be turned in at least three weeks before preliminary exams. The written comprehensive examination, although administered by the advisory [doctoral] committee, may be prepared, and/or graded according to the procedures and policies in effect in the student’s department” (Graduate School Bulletin). CSAA-D students are expected to pass a comprehensive exam which is administered after completion of all or most of the course work and after successful completion the Publishable Paper.

In accordance with the policies established by the Graduate School of the University of Georgia, each student’s program faculty will conduct comprehensive examinations for students at least once a year. Successful completion of comprehensive examinations (both written and oral) is a preliminary step required before the student is permitted to submit an application for degree candidacy. While each student’s committee is responsible for the development and evaluation of the written and oral examinations, general policies and guidelines have been set by the program faculty.

Listed below are the four areas in which Student Affairs Administration Specialty students are examined on written prelims. Representative topics in each of the four areas are provided; the examination, however, is not limited to these specific topics. Effort will be made to devise questions that allow the student to demonstrate his or her breadth and depth of learning.

Student Development & Person-Environment Interaction Theories

Specialty

The student’s specialty area is approved by the advisory committee. Unless a compelling reason can be given related to career plans, students will declare a specialty in (a) administration and management, (b) teaching and pedagogy, or (c) research and evaluation (outcomes assessment, program evaluation, and student needs assessment). The case study is given to you when you turn in your written response to the Day 3 exam. The case study response is due by noon on Day 4. Specific information regarding how this is turned in will be provided to you when the case is distributed.
The comprehensive exam is designed to give students an opportunity to organize and synthesize their learning while in the program. Students are expected to cite sources or authorities to support their answers. Evaluation is based on three criteria: (a) evidence of knowledge of the literature and ability to bring it into focus, (b) organization and clarity of written response, and (c) integration of theory and practice, and (d) documentation of information included in the responses. A student who fails more than a single area will be required to retake the entire examination. Each student’s advisory committee, along with the program faculty, is responsible for constructing the questions and for evaluating the responses.

The written examination is designed to ensure that a student possesses the knowledge that the profession and the public expect from a person holding a doctorate in Student Affairs Administration. Each question will be marked as either Pass or Fail. A Pass is defined as a majority of readers (usually 3) rating a response as Pass. Students who do not pass three of the four questions will write comprehensives again at the next semester they are offered. Students who fail one question will have the content specifically and extensively examined during the orals. Students may take comprehensive examinations a maximum of three times. Failure to pass on the third attempt means automatic suspension from the program.
Back to Top

Oral Preliminary Examinations
The oral comprehensive examination will be an inclusive examination within the student’s field of study. The oral comprehensive examination is open to all members of the faculty and shall be announced by the Graduate School. Students must inform the Graduate Coordinator (Dr. Georgia Calhoun) and Academic Advisor 1 (Ms. Pam LaSalle) of the time/date/place of the oral exam at least two weeks before the exam. The Graduate Coordinator and Academic Advisor 1 must notify the Graduate School of the time and place of this examination at least two weeks before the date of the examination. This notice must be in writing. Following each examination, written and oral, each member of the advisory [doctoral] committee will cast a written vote of ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ on the examination. The results of both examinations will be reported to the Graduate School.

The oral comprehensive examination will be scheduled within four weeks of receiving the results from the written preliminary examinations. The oral examination will cover the totality of the student’s doctoral program coursework. The oral examination will consist of two parts: First, the committee will ask any follow-up questions pertaining to the student’s written exam. Secondly, the committee will ask the student additional questions covering the content of his/her program of study.
Back to Top

Admission to Candidacy
Student are considered to be doctoral candidates upon completion of written and oral preliminary examinations and acceptance by the Graduate School of the application for admission to candidacy.

“The student is responsible for initiating an application for admission to candidacy so that it is filed with the Dean of the Graduate School at least two semesters before the date of graduation” (Graduate School Bulletin). This application is a certification by the student’s department that the student has demonstrated ability to do acceptable graduate work in the field of study and that:

Back to Top

Library
The Counseling and Human Development Services Department maintains small libraries in both buildings. They are located in room 207-B Ramsey and 415 Aderhold. Material should not be removed from these rooms without permission of the faculty or a staff member. Most material can also be found in the UGA Main Library. Students are encouraged to tour the libraries and become familiar with their services.

Many resources in the UGA libraries can be accessed through two on-line programs. The first is GIL which allows you to search the library catalog for materials in libraries. And the second is GALILEO which incorporates a growing list of electronic databases, some of which have on-line abstracts or full text of articles. Other useful references available on the internet are indexed at the references library home page, www.libs.uga.edu. GIL and GALILEO can be accessed from the computer labs, computers in the libraries, or the internet (some of the GALILEO databases are restricted to on-campus use only).
Back to Top

Mail Boxes
All graduate students have mailboxes located in 408 Aderhold. Students are responsible for checking their mail on a regular basis, and information that is routed among students must be passed on promptly. An informational bulletin board is located near both locations.
Back to Top

Computer Access and Copying

Students do not have access to department resources such as the copy machine, microwave, refrigerator, or other office supplies unless directly related to teaching an assignment or if they are assisting faculty. Likewise, the staff offices are not to be entered or used without permission and staff computers cannot be used for student purposes.
Back to Top

The Office of Information Technology (OIT)
Provides computer facilities and other services for the College of Education. OIT maintains a computer lab in room 214 Ramsey that is open only to students in the College of Education. This lab has 20 Windows based computers; there is a per-page charge for printing on the laser jet printers. These computers access many different software programs including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, and Access), WordPerfect, SPSS, SAS, SYSTAT, Email, the internet, and many electronic library databases.

A schedule is posted outside the door to the computer lab indicating times when faculty have reserved the lab for classroom use; during these times the room will not be open to other students. Please check this schedule so you are not disturbed unexpectedly when a class requires full use of a lab. A lab attendant has an office inside the computer lab and, if available, can assist with computer problems. However, students are responsible for learning the software programs. The main office for OIT is room 232 Aderhold (706)542-8007. OIT also manages a Windows based computer lab and a Macintosh lab in Aderhold; these rooms are open evenings and weekends when the Ramsey lab is closed. There are other computer labs across campus operated by the University Computing Network Service.
Back to Top

Internship Experiences
The internship program provides an opportunity for students to gain first-hand experience under supervision and guidance of qualified and dedicated professionals in the field of higher education.

All students must complete at least 3-6 hours of internship. Students with 5 or more years of full-time post-masters professional work experience in student affairs at the time of admission to the program are only required to complete a 3 hour teaching or research internship. Students with less than 5 years of full-time post-masters professional work experience in student affairs at the time of admission must also complete a 3 hour Administrative internship.

The internship experience should be discussed and designed with your program advisor. In general, administrative internships cannot be completed as part of your current job responsibilities.
Back to Top

Professional Liability Insurance
All students must have professional liability insurance prior to participating in a practicum or internship. All students must have coverage by the mid-point of the first semester. Relatively low-cost coverage can be obtained through one of the professional associations that you are eligible to join at a reduced student rate. One must be a member of the professional association before he or she is eligible to obtain insurance. Students are encouraged to join one or both professional associations as soon as they enter the program. As members, students will receive copies of the journal and newsletters, as well as information about workshops and conferences. Membership applications can be obtained from your advisor. Information regarding liability will be sent to new members of ACPA and NASPA.

ACPA
One Dupont Circle, Suite 360A
Washington, DC 20036-1110
(202) 785-0453

NASPA
1875 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 418
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 265-7500
Back to Top

Professional Organizations
The purpose of this academic program is to prepare professionals for work in college or university student affairs or student services. Learning in this program is achieved not only through the classroom, but through actual practice in and exposure to the multitude of facets of the profession as well. One of the key elements of the profession is involvement in professional organizations. All doctoral students are expected to be actively involved in at least one professional organization during their course of study.

The following are several of the organizations that students may want to consider:

ACPA: College Student Educators International is a national professional organization. It fosters student development in higher education in areas of services, advocacy, and standards by offering professional programs for educators committed to the over-all development of post-secondary students. Annual dues for students are approximately $30.00. The ACPA conference is typically held annually in the spring.

NASPA: National Association of Student Personnel Administrators is a national professional organization which seeks to develop leadership and improve practices in student affairs administration. Annual dues for students are approximately $30.00. The NASPA conference is typically held annually in the spring.

Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA) is a regional organization that focuses on current practices and research that have implications and applicability for practitioners. Annual dues for students are approximately $15.00. The SACSA conference is typically held annually in the fall.

University of Georgia Student Personnel Association (UGASPA) is a student-led organization which serves as a social and educational group for students, staff, and faculty. Social and educational events (such as brown bag lunches with speakers from the student affairs professional staff) will be promoted, sponsored, and coordinated by UGASPA throughout the year. In addition, The Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs, a joint publication of GCPA and UGASPA provides an excellent opportunity for the possible publication of student papers.

Membership and active involvement in UGASPA carries with it the following benefits:

UGASPA provides a unique opportunity for doctoral students to assist in the education and professional development of master’s level students and to further their own education. Because doctoral students have the advantage of more experience in the field and are generally somewhat older, they can make valuable contributions to enhancing the quality and depth of the learning environment in the student affairs programs.

Georgia College Personnel Association (GCPA) provides leadership in student personnel work within the framework of the goals of higher education. Each spring, GCPA holds its annual conference on the Georgia coast. Students are encouraged to join this organization and submit program proposals for the annual conference to acquire an understanding of state-wide professional organizations and to gain experience in making professional presentations. Annual dues for students are approximately $10.00.
ACPA, NASPA, and GCPA offer members the opportunities to participate in local, state, and national workshops and to attend annual conventions. Publications, career information and various resources for professionals are also offered through these organizations.
Back to Top

College Student Affairs Administration PhD

Academic Information