• Cover Image of Professional Competency Areas

    This set of Professional Competency Areas is intended to define the broad professional knowledge, skills, and for some competencies, attitudes expected of student affairs professionals working in the U.S., regardless of their area of specialization or positional role within the field. All student affairs 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 level. Such examination allows individual practitioners to use this document to help guide their own choices about professional development opportunities afforded to them. The ACPA and NASPA Professional Competencies Rubrics Task Force has revised the rubric document to complement the update to the professional Competencies.  The revised rubric document is available for review here. 

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    • Resources from the first version of the Professional Competencies are still available: 

      Download the ACPA/NASPA Professional Competencies Rubrics (PDF)

      Download the Vision to Action. (PDF)

      Download the Professional Competencies Resources. (PDF)

      Download the Professional Competencies Rubrics form. (PDF)

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