Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Practitioners

This set of Professional Competency Areas is intended to define the broad professional knowledge, skills, and, in some cases, attitudes expected of student a!airs professionals regardless of their area of specialization or positional role within the field. All student a!airs professionals should be able to demonstrate their ability to meet the basic list of outcomes under each competency area regardless of how they entered the profession. Thus, this document is intended to inform the design of professional development opportunities for student affairs professionals by providing outcomes that can be incorporated into the design of specific curriculum and training opportunities. Additionally, if student affairs professionals desire to grow in a particular competency area, they can examine expected learning and skills in the intermediate and advanced levels. Such examination allows individual practitioners to use this document to help guide their own choices about professional development opportunities afforded to them. In this document, the terms “practitioner” and “professional” are used interchangeably. We expect that the contents of this document will evolve in accordance with the needs of the profession and those whom the profession serves.

	Advising and Helping		Human and Organizational Resources
	Assessment, Evaluation, and Research		Law, Policy, and Governance
	Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion		Leadership
	Ethical Professional Practice		Personal Foundations
	History, Philosophy, and Values		Student Learning and Development