Student Personnel Administration in Higher Education

The Springfield College graduate preparation program in Student Personnel Administration in Higher Education is an established program that provides a unique opportunity for students to engage in graduate study in a friendly small college environment. With fieldwork and internship experiences offered at both large and small local institutions, and with a number of degree options, the program offers a great deal of choice to future professionals based upon their own career needs. After completing core requirements, students develop individualized programs that reflect their personal and career goals. Course work, fieldwork, and assistantships provide students with a broad background of knowledge and skills in student development and student affairs work in preparation for working with diverse college populations. Fieldwork is considered to be an essential component in the learning experience.

The student personnel administration program offers a broad curriculum of professional development in preparation for the following positions: orientation coordinators, academic support and advisement professionals, financial aid officers, admissions personnel, career development specialists, college counselors, students activities coordinators, student center directors, residence life staff, deans of students and other student affairs positions. The program is designed to meet CAS guidelines for graduate programs and emphasizes counseling and student development in its curriculum. Students may elect to complete a portfolio, a thesis, or a research project. A strong network of Springfield College alumn(ae) provides support to graduates of the program.

Undergraduate Prerequisites: None.

The candidate will be eligible for either a Master of Education or a Master of Science depending upon the selection made in consultation with the advisor.

A Certificate of Advanced study (32 semester hours) is available in all concentrations in the Psychology Department.

Contact Person:
Dr. Delight Champagne
Telephone: (413) 748-3329
E-Mail: Delight_Champagne@spfldcol.edu

Psychology and Counseling

The psychology and counseling programs in the Psychology Department fully encompass the College’s humanics philosophy, serving as a vital bridge to the understanding of the full range of human behavior-both in practical, real-life situations or in theoretical and scholarly study. Founded more than fifty years ago to address the stresses of a dynamic postwar culture, the College’s Psychology Department prepares graduate students to assume leadership roles in a variety of careers, including athletic counseling, college administration, clinical, school guidance counseling, industrial or organizational psychology, `and marriage and family therapy.

Many exciting new career opportunities are available for counselors and psychologists holding advanced degrees, particularly in the fields of educational counseling, community mental health care, counseling for the aging, and the growing areas of consulting, training, and marketing research.

Contact Person:
Dr. Ann Moriarty
Chair, Department of Psychology
Telephone: (413) 748- 3322
E-Mail: Anna_Moriarty@spfldcol.edu

The Programs and Curricula

The Springfield College graduate programs in psychology and counseling strive to meet ever-changing community and organizational needs by producing highly trained counselors, administrators, and human resource professionals with a keen sense of self-awareness, effective counseling skills, and knowledge of a wide range of helping strategies. The College’s emphasis on humanics is especially well-suited to preparing compassionate and insightful graduates who understand the interconnectedness of spirit, mind, and body.

The graduate programs combine content mastery and exceptional field training to produce scientist-practioners uniquely prepared to apply their knowledge of the human mind and the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of human behavior to real-life situations- helping people live better and more productively.

In each psychology program, the curriculum is characterized by two parallel themes: a practical understanding of people and why they behave the way they do, and a scholarly appreciation of the problems encountered in the discipline of psychology.

Students in the psychology and counseling programs must complete forty-eight to sixty semester hours of graduate course work, depending on the concentration. The programs are designed to allow flexibility for both full- and part-time students. Courses are often scheduled in evening and summer sessions, and individual work sites may be used for fieldwork/internship experience and credit. Working professional can often complete the requirements for a part-time master’s program in two years. Sample curriculum sequences for part-time study are available upon request.

The Psychology Department is housed in Locklin Hall, which includes a counseling laboratory with two-way mirrors, a new research and computer laboratory with biofeedback equipment, as well as classrooms and offices. The programs are enhanced by the on-campus presence of the Springfield College Counseling Center, the Center for Performance Enhancement and Applied Research, an Employee Assistance Program, a career center, and many college services and offices where graduate students can pursue supervised fieldwork in a convenient professional setting. Services at the Counseling Center include a wide range of remedial and preventative mental health services. The College’s athletic facilities provide training and study opportunities for athletic counseling students. In addition to campus resources, a wide array of schools, businesses, other institutions of higher learning, human services and counseling agencies provide for a wealth of mentoring, internship and professional opportunities.