Kansas State now offers MS in Academic Advising

Friday, Oct. 19, 2007

ACADEMIC ADVISING MASTER'S DEGREE AVAILABLE THROUGH K-STATE DISTANCE EDUCATION

MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University, in partnership with the National Academic Advising Association, will offer a master of science degree in academic advising through K-State distance education.

The 30-credit-hour master's degree program offers two areas of emphasis: administration of academic advising or intercollegiate athletics and the college student.

The program is designed for advisers and administrators who desire more formal education related to academic advising; faculty seeking advising knowledge beyond their discipline; graduate students anticipating academic advising roles in higher education; and people interested in working directly with student athletes.

Completion of the program involves nine required courses and one elective course. An e-portfolio demonstrating knowledge and application in the field of academic advising is also required as a capstone activity and learning experience.

The academic advising master's degree curriculum aligns with the core values for academic advising set forth by National Academic Advising Association and with the standards and guidelines for academic advising developed by the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Student Services.

K-State also offers a 15-credit-hour graduate certificate in academic advising in partnership with the National Academic Advising Association. The graduate certificate also is offered through distance education and prepares students for positions as academic advisers in college and university settings.

Students who have successfully completed the academic advising graduate certificate program qualify to use those credits toward the master's degree in academic advising.

For more information about K-State's academic advising distance education programs, visit the program Web site at http://www.dce.k-state.edu/education/advising or contact the K-State Division of Continuing Education at 1-800-622-2578 or [email protected].

[The tuition is $361 per credit hour.]

Source: http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/oct07/newdegree101907.html

 

I know someone that did the certificate program in the last year. Target market: People already doing advising for relatively low pay as a perk. As in "We can't give you a raise, but we'll pay for this program."

Also, this might work for someone that is looking to get free tuition for their kids at a local college. Or to qualify a faculty spouse for a position at a university.

 

Could you teach at a community college with this degree? Is this type of degree like an education degree?

 

I certainly wouldn't get this degree if I wanted to teach. The typical, upward path for academic advisors is in administration, not teaching.

 

Another benefit of working for a college/university is the pension plan. For example, at Florida universities run by the state:

Of course, there are lots of different campus jobs besides academic advising such as IT jobs, library positions, etc.