Certification for Student Affairs Educators

A voluntary credential, student affairs educator certification holds tremendous potential to the overall student affairs profession; as well as to individuals who have already earned a master’s degree, spent several years working in higher education, and who seek a formal means of demonstrating their ongoing learning, competencies, and knowledge.

While various professional associations offer strong certificate programs, there is not currently a credential available to student affairs educators--who have already earned a master’s degree--to officially demonstrate the ongoing competencies, knowledge, and skills that are earned through ongoing professional experience and development. Certification can benefit student affairs educators seeking a robust credential to assist with professional advancement, as well as educators seeking to transition to new functional areas (as well as leadership roles encompassing multiple functional areas).

Certification is a credential that will be available to student affairs educators who hold a master’s degree in a higher education-related field, or equivalent, and have at least five years of employment experience at a college or university. A pathway to certification will be available for student affairs educators (or those seeking to enter the field) who do not currently hold a master’s degree, and who have significant experience working at a college or university.

The certification development process regards a master’s degree as an established, foundational, and core credential for student affairs educators. Certification will be available as a voluntary “next step” for mid-level professionals, and above, who hold a master’s degree and/or have equivalent work experience, and are seeking a formal credential to demonstrate their ongoing knowledge and skills. Certification will complement a master’s degree without being an alternative to it.

Yes. Certification is entirely voluntary.

Certification will include both general and specialty (functional) areas. General certification will include the competencies, tasks, knowledge, skills, and abilities of student affairs educators (mid-level and above) regardless of functional area. In addition to general student affairs education, individuals will be able to seek specialty certification in the areas of campus activities, college unions, collegiate recreation, fraternity and sorority life, housing and residential life, and student conduct.

A task force of student affairs educators, graduate faculty, and professional association representatives and staff were appointed by participating associations (ACPA, ACUHO-I, ACUI, AFA, ASCA, NACA, NASPA, NIRSA, and NODA). The task force developed general student affairs educator certification content in the form of a practice profile-a draft of the tasks, competencies, knowledge, skills, and abilities of student affairs educators. 

Functional area groups were then convened for the areas of campus activities, college unions, collegiate recreation, fraternity and sorority life, housing and residential life, and student conduct. Group members were appointed by the respective functional area association. Each group identified and built additional content for their respective functional area upon the foundational practice profile for general student affairs educator certification.

A practice analysis is a survey to test the practice profile developed by the certification task force and functional area groups. One was conducted in 2021 to identify the essential tasks and competencies of student affairs educators--generally as well as within the six functional areas.

It is an expected practice of certification programs to include an ethics statement. A Code of Ethics Development Committee (CEDC) has been convened as part of the certification development process. Members include student affairs educators, graduate faculty, and professional association representatives. The code of ethics development process includes review of existing professional student affairs ethics statements. Once finalized, the code of ethics will focus on the student affairs profession and not any unique functional area or association. Certified individuals will agree to adhere to the code of ethics as a requirement for maintaining their certification.

A new organization has been established to manage general and specialty area certifications, the Higher Education Consortium for Student Affairs Certification. This organization has formal relationships with  the founding student affairs associations and will develop certification content, while also functioning as its own independent, 501(c)6 organization. This new organization will provide tools and resources for potential certificants. However, it will not provide professional development.

The certification organization has its own governance structure, leadership, staff, and processes.