Disability Administration in Higher Education, Post-Baccalaureate Certificate

Saint Louis University's graduate certificate program in disability administration in higher education provides a 15-credit-hour certificate for student affairs professionals and community organization workers. The SLU program allows students to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to administer programs required by law and serve the needs of individuals with disabilities.

Curriculum Overview

The 15-credit-hour, five-course program is based on essential topics and includes an overview of disability in higher education, administrative strategies for working with the disabled college student population, disability social justice, media and disability, and universal design in higher education and society.

The courses are offered in person.

Social Justice Framework

Our programs are grounded in our social justice framework. Social justice has been a “significant lens” for Jesuits since 1965 and is also vital for higher education and student affairs professionals, educators and community stakeholders. While the definitions of social justice are numerous, David Hollenbach, S.J., wrote that “social justice concerns institutionalized patterns of mutual action and interdependence that are necessary to bring about the realization of distributive justice.” 

In an education setting, distributive justice is the claim that everyone should have access to the public good of education. Toward that end, we strive to find ways to address experiences of systemic injustice, displacing oppressive structures with those that provide for all.

As educators, we understand our particular obligation is to prepare leaders for higher education who will dismantle systems of oppression and help shape colleges and universities that create vital educational spaces for all, with an intentional focus on those who have been targets of bias and injustice. With these goals in mind, our program is informed by the Jesuit, Catholic perspective on social justice and is guided by the Universal Apostolic Preferences adopted by the Society of Jesus in 2019 for the decade ahead.

The Jesuits encourage specific approaches to bring about reconciliation and justice. Our program’s framework is specifically guided by two approaches: “Walking with the Excluded” and “Journeying with Youth” (The Society of Jesus, 2019).

The approach “Walking with the Excluded” guides our program’s framework. Our students are personally and professionally challenged to address both higher education and society’s systemic inequities through an understanding of reconciliation and justice.

The approach “Journeying with Youth” encourages the Jesuit community, including our work in the University and the School of Education, to be open to formation by those who are new to our community or those who are younger, including students, faculty and staff. 

As scholars and educators, we aim to co-create a learning environment where students are holistically prepared to:

1. Identify and analyze processes that dehumanize any persons and assist all in collectively and proactively dismantling oppression.
2. Reflect on the socialization that shapes each student and faculty member.
3. Give voice to particular groups’ experiences.
4. Contextualize the history and context that each person brings to our work by incorporating sociopolitical perspectives into dialogue.
5. Reflect upon and ask critical questions regarding the systems, structures and impact of higher education.

Fieldwork and Research Opportunities

The certificate courses provide fieldwork and research opportunities in existing institutional disability services and practices that incorporate universal design.

Careers

The certificate program prepares students for two broad career areas:

• Postsecondary education administrators, who plan, direct or coordinate research, instructional, student administration and services, and other educational activities at postsecondary institutions, including universities, colleges and junior and community colleges.
• Community and social service specialists who plan for and serve individuals with disabilities.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in education or a related field.

Application Requirements

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• Transcript(s)
• One letter of recommendation
• Résumé
• Interview
• Professional goal statement

Requirements for International Students 

All admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students. International students must also meet the following additional requirements:

• Demonstrate English Language Proficiency
• Academic records, in English translation, of students who have undertaken postsecondary studies outside the United States must include:
  • Courses taken and/or lectures attended
  • Practical laboratory work
  • The maximum and minimum grades attainable
  • The grades earned or the results of all end-of-term examinations
  • Any honors or degrees received.
• WES and ECE transcripts are accepted.
• In order to be issued an I-20 for your F-1 visa application, students must submit financial documents. Proof of financial support that must include:
  • A letter of financial support from the person(s) or sponsoring agency funding the student's time at Saint Louis University
  • A letter from the sponsor's bank verifying that the funds are available and will be so for the duration of the student's study at the University

Admission Deadlines 

Domestic students should apply for the fall semester by June 15, for the spring semester by Nov. 1 and for the summer semester by April 1. International students should apply by May 1 for the fall semester, Oct. 1 for the spring semester and Feb. 1 for the summer semester.

Tuition

Additional charges may apply. Other resources are listed below:

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Information on Tuition and Fees

Miscellaneous Fees

Information on Summer Tuition

Scholarships and Financial Aid

For more information about Saint Louis University scholarships and financial aid, please visit the Office of Student Financial Services.

1. Graduates will be able to evaluate an institutional disability services program.
2. Graduates will be able to analyze institutional universal design practices.
3. Graduates will be able to advocate for people with diverse abilities in higher education and related settings. 

Certificate completion requirements include successful completion of each of the five courses with a grade of B or higher.

Continuation Standards

Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 in all graduate/professional courses.

Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.  

Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.

This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester. Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.