College Counseling and Student Development

CCSD prepares graduates for careers in student affairs and higher education by developing critical praxis–critical thinking that combines reflection and action–in student development, social justice, and helping skills.

Core Values

Student Development: CCSD features critical examination of student learning and development theories and their application in student affairs.

Social Justice: Our program examines inherited systems of power and how they shape student affairs, emphasizing self-reflexivity and agency to advance social justice and inclusion.

Helping Skills: Our program foregrounds helping skills, advising, and supporting strategies to facilitate holistic wellness for our graduates and their students.

Application Process

The College Counseling and Student Development Master of Science program admits a new cohort each fall semester. The priority application deadlines are January 15 and March 15. After the priority deadline, applications will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis until the cohort is filled.

  1. Apply online for graduate admission to St. Cloud State University with the following:
    1. $40 application fee
    2. Personal statement as to why you'd like to pursue this degree
    3. Current resume
    4. Contact information for two people (1 professional, 1 academic, if possible) to upload letters of recommendation
    5. Unofficial transcripts
    6. Additional requirements for international applicants
      1. English proficiency requirements
  2. After an initial review of applications by CCSD faculty, select candidates will be invited to participate in CCSD Interview Days (scheduled after each priority deadline in January and March; rolling dates thereafter)
  3. Priority offers for admission will be made in February and March
  4. Candidate priority admission and funding commitment deadline: April 15
Once an applicant has been admitted to the CCSD program, they will be provided with information about Graduate Assistantships (GA). Most GA placement happens late in the spring semester or over the summer prior to the start of the fall term. More information about GA opportunities at St. Cloud State can be found on the Graduate Admissions Graduate Assistantship webpage.

Prospective students who miss the priority deadlines are encouraged to apply any time prior to August 1. Applications may be reviewed on a rolling basis until the cohort is filled.

Program Faculty

Dr. Aeriel A. Ashlee

Dr. Aeriel A. Ashlee

  • Associate Professor

(320) 308-4169


Prior to joining the CCSD faculty, Dr. Ashlee worked in student affairs and higher education for more than a decade in a variety of functional areas including service-learning, multicultural affairs, international education, and social justice education. Her research interests include critical autoethnography as healing and liberatory methodology, poststructural possibilities for student affairs praxis, and the racialized experiences of underrepresented Asian Americans in higher education (specifically transracial adoptees and Hmong Americans).

Dr. Ashlee earned a Ph.D. in Student Affairs and Higher Education from Miami University in Ohio; a M.S. in Counseling and College Student Personnel from the University of Maryland, College Park; and a B.A. in Strategic Communication from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She is the proud mama to Azaelea Grace and lives with her family and their cat Samma in Minneapolis.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Fall 2024 priority application deadlines are Jan.15 and March 15, 2024. Applications will be reviewed and accepted through Aug. 1, 2024 on a rolling basis until the cohort is filled.

No, the GRE is not required for admission to the CCSD M.S. program at St. Cloud State University.

The CCSD faculty require two letters of recommendation. Ideally one of your letters should be a professional reference and the other should be an academic reference. Letters that address both your in-class and out-of-class experiences are most helpful. Letters of recommendation should address your ability to succeed in the CCSD master’s program.

Recommenders will receive an emailed request to upload their letters to our systems.

Both the CCSD practicum and internship provide students with invaluable experiential learning. However, the practicum experience is coordinated by the CCSD program faculty and occurs in the spring semester of the first year of coursework, whereas the internship experience is individualized by each student and occurs throughout the second year of coursework.

Through the practicum experience, CCSD students gain hands-on experience applying helping skills with undergraduate students at St. Cloud State University. CCSD students intern in a functional area and institution of their choosing. Past internships experiences have included sexual assault advocacy work, career advising at the University of Minnesota, working with LGBTQ+ students at Augsburg College, regional admission counseling, among many others!

Yes! CCSD welcomes students from around the world. We have had CCSD students from Malaysia, Russia, Nigeria and the UAE, just to name a few.

Graduate assistantships are not mandatory for CCSD students. However, many of our students elect to have GA positions as they offer a living stipend, tuition remission, and invaluable student affairs professional experience. Although the CCSD program does not guarantee assistantships for admitted students, all current students in the program who want an assistantship have one. More information about graduate assistantships can be found on the Graduate Admissions Graduate Assistantship webpage.

We do not offer formal CCSD campus visits. However, if you would like to schedule a 30-minute Zoom call to learn more about our program curriculum and faculty, please contact us at ccsd@stcloudstate.edu.

You can also request a campus tour from the School of Graduate Studies team.