Higher Education/Student Affairs Master's Students' Preparation and Development as Leadership Educators

Student affairs practitioners’ work often includes expectations for leadership education and development of college students, aligning with the role of leadership educator. However, there exists no formal preparation process or curriculum for master’s students in higher education/student affairs graduate preparatory programs to access learning about becoming a leadership educator. This exploratory case study examines the experiences of a cohort of master’s students in a higher education/student affairs graduate preparatory program to understand more fully their access to leadership education communities of practice and their development of leadership educator professional identity. Through survey, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews, the qualitative inquiry explored the integration of a formal, required course for a cohort in their graduate preparatory program to understand the experiences of learning to be leadership educators.