Postsecondary Educational Leadership and Student Affairs (PELSA)
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Program Overview
The M.A. in Postsecondary Educational Leadership and Student Affairs program is designed for student affairs practitioners—those who want to commit to supporting students through their college experiences from compassionate, culturally competent, and holistic perspectives. The program emphasizes integration of curricular and co-curricular learning, responsible practice of leadership in a justice-centered and global environment, and student learning centeredness.
The program utilizes leadership theories to educate students to become savvy consumers of policy, practice, and research to apply ethical, evidence-based decision-making to promote access, equity, inclusion, justice and quality student development and learning.
Program Focus
Student learning and development
Format
Face-to-face, on-campus
Program Length
2 ½-3 years (part-time)
Professional Development
Faculty to Student Ratio
Average Cohort Size
20 Students
How the Program Supports Your Goals
The Postsecondary Educational Leadership and Student Affairs Program will support and prepare you in the following areas:
- Career readiness: Enter and advance in entry-level careers.
- Theoretical foundations: Become grounded in the theoretical foundations of student learning, development, and success.
- Theory to pratice: Apply theory to practice to positively influence student success.
- Equity and leadership: Embody equity-mindedness, social justice, and mindful, compassionate leadership to transform educational contexts.
Coursework and Learning Objectives
The 36 units of coursework in the PELSA program are designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and ethical foundations to support student development, foster equitable practices, and lead with purpose in higher education settings. Through theory-driven, equity-minded, and assessment-informed learning, students are prepared to take on entry-level leadership roles that make a lasting impact on postsecondary student success. The culminating experience for PELSA students is the creation of a Reflective Learning Portfolio, which they construct across their time in the program to assess their learning and development.
Learn more:
Fall 2026 Admissions
SDSU will begin accepting applications for fall 2026 on October 1, 2025. Deadlines differ by program. Learn more about application deadlines and requirements:
Contact Us
- General program questions: [email protected]
- Application deadlines, requirements and materials: [email protected]
Faculty Director
Gregory Wilson, Ed.D.
Interim Director and Graduate Advisor