<p>Hi there,</p>
<p>I am in the process of selecting graduate schools to apply for a Master's program in Higher Education/Student Affairs, and hoping I might get some input from folks here. I have a Master's in Counselor Education/Rehab Counseling - mostly with a focus on mental health, but only worked as a counselor for 2 years before staying home with my children for about 5 years. I decided at that point that what I really love is being in an academic environment and helping young people with their academic and career issues. I am currently working in a small liberal arts college library as an Interlibrary Loan specialist, which I enjoy, but came to this job after applying for about 20 academic affairs or advising jobs. After speaking with some academic affairs professionals and reading a lot, I've come to the conclusion that I really need a degree that is specific to an academic career, so I'd like to do an online degree in Higher Ed and/or Student Affairs. My 2 major criteria are accreditation and a program at a reputable brick and mortar school. </p>
<p>I live in Pennsylvania, so at this point I've mostly focused on the programs at Drexel and Messiah College. I am also interested in Stony Brook in New York, though I wonder if I will be better off with a Pennsylvania program since I live in the state? I wonder if folks can give any input on these schools, their reputation (especially Stony Brook, which I am not familiar with), and their online programs (if anyone has experience with that)? </p>
<p>I also have a weird concern about Messiah College that I hope someone could speak to. Messiah is a Christian college, and is known in my area as a good school, but I wonder if I will be somehow "shooting myself in the foot" if I want to be in a diverse college environment but am coming from a Christian school? From what I hear, their grad programs are not religiously focused at all, but would I scare off progressive schools who might be concerned that I would be anti-gay, anti-other religions, etc? Is this even a realistic concern? I don't know. I have some interest in their program because it is less expensive and less time-consuming than the program at Drexel.</p>
<p>Thank you in advance for any advice! I'm definitely open to hearing about other schools that meet my criteria as well.</p>