Student Services

Student Services

Mission Statement and Student Learning Outcomes

GSEP Student Services Mission Statement

The Pepperdine Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) Student Services Team is dedicated to providing courteous and timely service to GSEP students in the following areas: records and enrollment, financial aid, student accounts, student advisement, writing support, Institutional Review Board and dissertation support. We work collaboratively to assist students by disseminating information, connecting them with resources and addressing their concerns. In this way, we support the University's mission to strengthen lives for purpose, service and leadership.

GSEP Financial Aid Office

The Financial Aid Office seeks to provide comprehensive information to prospective and continuing students regarding sources of educational funding and to process financial aid funds in an accurate and timely manner in compliance with federal and state regulations.

Financial Aid Office: Objectives

Increase students' awareness of educational funding sources available for graduate education through Financial Aid information sessions, regular communications, advisement, and the maintenance of updated resource information on the GSEP website.
Provide advisement to prospective and continuing students regarding their funding options, the application process, and loan repayment.
Create a welcoming environment for students and serve as a resource by assisting them with all aspects of their financial aid.
Ensure the timely and accurate processing of students' financial aid funds so that students receive the maximum funding for which they are eligible and funds are received by the University each term.
Comply with federal and state regulations in the awarding and disbursement of financial aid funds.
Coordinate with faculty, staff, and students to monitor students' enrollment and to ensure their continued eligibility for financial aid.

Financial Aid: Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students will be able to:

Successfully navigate the aid application process in a timely manner.
Understand the aid application process, variety of sources of funding available to them, and eligibility requirements.
Learn their rights, responsibilities, and repayment options when borrowing student loans.
Receive the maximum amount of funding for which they are eligible based on their program costs and remaining need.

Academic Advisement and Records and Enrollment

The Academic Advisement and Records and Enrollment (R&E) Offices aims to foster student success by offering a welcoming environment, where advisors provide tools and resources that will empower students to make decisions that will provide them with the highest level of academic achievement.

Academic Advisement and R&E: Objectives

Create a welcoming environment for students by assisting them with all aspects of their academic programs and student services
Serve as a resource for students regarding all aspects of their academic program and student services available at the University
Provide information meetings, one on one sessions, resources, and informational communications so that students understand their academic pathways and degree requirements and may complete their graduate degrees in a timely manner
Assist students with web-based student services and the administrative details of their graduate programs, including financial aid, housing, tuition payment options, academic progress, enrollment, grades, degree audit, and more.
Provide student services support that accommodates students at all graduate campuses and in traditional and online format academic programs.

Academic Advisement and R&E: Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students understand where and how to access student services and resources throughout their academic careers at GSEP.
Students are able to navigate the dissertation process, practicum enrollment, and the comprehensive exam process effectively, as well as understand their individual academic program pathways and degree requirements
Students know whom to contact and have access to their advisors for information about student services, University resources, and assistance with academic issues.

Writing Support Services

Writing Support Services seeks to improve students' competence in academic writing through guidance, encouragement, instruction and feedback, providing students with the tools necessary to successfully complete their graduate programs and to empower them as writers in their chosen professions and in the larger world, thereby strengthening them to lead lives of purpose, service, and leadership.

Writing Support Services: Objectives

Increase students' awareness of writing support services and resources through e-mail, program orientations, class visits/workshops, campus workshops and virtual sessions.
Provide writing services to students in all academic programs of GSEP, including virtual workshops and individualized sessions for distance students.
Improve students' academic writing abilities in a wide range of areas, including the components of content, organization, style and mechanics.
Increase students' awareness of issues related to plagiarism and academic integrity.
Provide writing guidance and feedback on dissertations, comprehensive exams, research papers, and the personal statement for internships and doctoral programs.
Monitor outstanding writing needs of students in each program.
Coordinate with academic department chairs, faculty, and students to provide most relevant writing workshops for each program and in-class workshops and individualized assistance to students.
Review all dissertations for adherence to APA and GSEP formatting requirements.

Writing Support Services: Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students will be able to:

Clearly explain content in their writing with adequate paraphrasing.
Logically organize ideas throughout their papers.
Improve their writing style for increased clarity and succinctness.
Demonstrate adequate use of writing mechanics.

Dissertation Support Services

The Dissertation Support Office provides students and faculty with resources and assistance in meeting both methodological and style requirements and guides students through the steps for completing a dissertation.

Dissertation Support Services: Objectives

Increase students' awareness of the dissertation process and guide students through the steps for completing a dissertation.
Collaborate with faculty on an ongoing basis to provide the most up-to-date information regarding departmental dissertation policies and procedures.
Collaborate with faculty and staff to maintain up-to-date information related to APA style and format guidelines.
Maintain up-to-date information related to methodological requirements, research with human subjects, and submission to the Institutional Review Board.
Assist students through the final dissertation submission to ProQuest publishing and facilitate degree posting.
Distribute dissertation support policies and procedure resources and dissertation clearance guides at specific milestones in the dissertation process to meet students' needs.
Increase students' awareness of Dissertation Support services through e-mail, program orientations, and dissertation support guides and resources.

Dissertation Support Services: Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students will be able to:

Understand the dissertation process
Utilize dissertation support resources to efficiently navigate the steps for completing dissertation requirements
Satisfactorily complete their dissertation to meet graduation requirements

Graduate and Professional Schools Institutional Review Board (GPS IRB)

The Graduate and Professional Schools Institutional Review Board (GPS IRB) seeks to protect the rights and welfare of human subjects participating in research activities conducted under the auspices of Pepperdine University's graduate schools, which covers faculty members and students from the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, School of Public Policy, Graziadio School of Business and Management, and School of Law. Applications submitted to the GPS IRB generally encompass social, behavioral, and educational research and are usually considered medically non-invasive.

GPS IRB: Objectives

Protect the rights and welfare of human subjects participating in research activities conducted by student researchers.
Increase student researcher awareness on federal policy, issues and ethics related to human subjects' research.
Identify and provide educational resources for student researchers, and conduct workshops and training on research involving human subjects.
Improve student researchers' competence in human subjects' research through guidance, instruction, feedback, and provide students with the tools necessary to conduct ethical research with human subjects to pursue their research goals in their respective fields
Review all student researcher protocol submissions, make recommendations for approval, and identify problems.
Review student researchers' IRB protocols in an accurate and timely manner.
Provide consultative services for student researchers on submission of complete IRB applications.
Interpret, maintain up-to-date knowledge, and apply current local and federal regulations related to human subjects' research, and develop and implement university research policies and procedures.
Train students' faculty advisors on how to advise students in conducting ethical human subject's research and how to submit quality IRB applications.