Job Summary

The Graduate Studies Associate is responsible for providing administrative support for SJSU’s Ph.D. programs, including collaborating with our GAPE and GEM staff and our institutional partners on managing admissions, advising students, and monitoring TA and GSA appointments; leads the CGS Dean’s office team in planning and coordinating all College of Graduate Studies events including Graduate Advisors meetings, graduate student orientations, specific graduate student events, and award ceremonies; provides support to CGS leadership through compiling, analyzing, and summarizing data related to enrollment, student climate, curriculum, and assessment to produce reports and documentation as needed by the College of Graduate Studies; is responsible for the overall planning, development, administration, and evaluation of graduate student professional development programs at SJSU; works with both the AD of Graduate Programs and GAPE as needed to assist on projects and tasks related to the Spartan Accelerated Graduate Education program (SAGE) as needed. The Graduate Studies Associate also provides support for CGS’s daily activities related to advising of graduate students; production of drafts of letters, memos, announcements, and other communications with the campus; handling confidential and sensitive student information including advising on graduate school practices and university policies and maintenance of CGS filing systems. This work will require a close working relationship with the CGS Office Coordinator. 

Key Responsibilities

• Provide support for Ph.D. students across their student career including: collaborating with GAPE and GEM staff and partner institutions on managing admissions and program progress; advising students on administrative processes; monitoring TA and GSA appointments, in collaboration with the Graduate Studies Analyst.
• Serve as a liaison between SJSU and UC partners in overseeing adherence to policies and norms.
• Help students navigate issues arising due to different processes at each institution.
• Lead the CGS Dean’s office team in planning and coordinating College of Graduate Studies events including graduate advisors’ meetings, graduate student orientations, and a graduate- and professional-programs fair.
• Create timelines and facilitate the defining of project scope, goals, and deliverables.
• Research best practices for projects, such as graduate fairs and student orientations.
• Support Associate Deans as needed in various assigned projects using platforms such as MS Office, Google suite, Qualtrics, and other possible statistical packages.
• Plan, develop, administer, and evaluate programs for the professional development of graduate students.
• Collaborate with a variety of partners, including the Career Center, the SJSU disciplinary colleges, the Division of Research and Innovation, and external vendors and service providers to organize a full array of professional development opportunities specifically for graduate students potentially including career management, professional ethics, communication skills, leadership and management, etc.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Thorough knowledge of the principles of individual and group behavior
• General knowledge of the principles, practices and trends of the Student Services field
• General knowledge of individual counseling techniques
• Ability to analyze complex situations accurately and adopt effective courses of action
• Ability to advise students individually and in groups on complex student‑related matters
• Ability to interpret and evaluate descriptions and explanations of problems brought forward by individuals or student organizations, analyze and define the problem, draw valid conclusions and project consequences of various alternative courses of action
• Ability to compose and appropriately format correspondence and reports
• Ability to work independently and handle multiple work priorities, organize, and plan work and projects
• Strong verbal communication and empathy skills; Must possess excellent customer-service and public–relations skills
• Thorough knowledge of or the ability to quickly learn graduate school policies and practices
• Ability to access, gather, and analyze information from a wide variety of electronic and print sources and identify and resolve complex administrative issues
• Technical knowledge to set up web-based video recording and delivery
• Ability to perform business math and elementary statistics, to analyze budgetary data, and to make accurate projections
• Knowledge of the use of office systems and ability to use a broader range of technology, systems, and packages, including Office Suite, PeopleSoft (CMS), OU Campus, and Adobe products
• Skill in event planning and project management
• Knowledge of survey design, administration, and analysis, including the use of statistical methods

Required Qualifications

• Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university in a related field, including or supplemented by upper division or graduate coursework in counseling techniques, interviewing, and conflict resolution where such are job-related
• Three years of progressively responsible professional student services work experience; A master’s degree in Counseling, Clinical Psychology, Social Work, or a directly related field may be substituted for one year of experience; A doctorate degree and the appropriate internship or clinical training in counseling or guidance may be substituted for the three years of experience for positions with a major responsibility for professional career or personal counseling

Preferred Qualifications

• Two years of higher education experience working with students.
• Experience with student data systems
• Experience with planning complex events
• Experience with software to manage data sets such as Excel

Compensation

Classification: Student Services Professional III
Anticipated Hiring Range: $5,838/month - $6,259/month
CSU Salary Range: $5,540/month - $7,893/month

San José State University offers employees a comprehensive benefits package typically worth 30-35% of your base salary. For more information on programs available, please see the Employee Benefits Summary.

Application Procedure

Click Apply Now to complete the SJSU Online Employment Application and attach the following documents:

• Resume
• Letter of Interest

All applicants must apply within the specified application period: January 29, 2026 through February 11, 2026. This position is open until filled; however, applications received after screening has begun will be considered at the discretion of the university.

Contact Information

University Personnel
jobs@sjsu.edu
408-924-2252

CSU Vaccination Policy

The CSU strongly recommends that all individuals who access any in-person program or activity (on- or off-campus) operated or controlled by the University follow COVID-19 vaccine recommendations adopted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) applicable to their age, medical condition, and other relevant indications and comply with other safety measures established by each campus. The system wide policy can be found at https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/9779821/latest/ and questions may be sent to jobs@sjsu.edu.

Additional Information

Satisfactory completion of a background check (including a criminal records check) is required for employment. SJSU will issue a contingent offer of employment to the selected candidate, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the continued employment of a current CSU employee who was offered the position on a contingent basis.

The standard background check includes: criminal check, employment and education verification. Depending on the position, a motor vehicle and/or credit check may be required. All background checks are conducted through the university's third party vendor, Accurate Background. Some positions may also require fingerprinting. SJSU will pay all costs associated with this procedure. Evidence of required degree(s) or certification(s) will be required at time of hire.

SJSU IS NOT A SPONSORING AGENCY FOR STAFF OR MANAGEMENT POSITIONS. (e.g. H1-B VISAS)

All San José State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment. Incumbent is also required to promptly report any knowledge of a possible Title IX related incident to the Title IX Office or report any discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation to the Office of Equal Opportunity.

Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act and Campus Housing Fire Safety Notification: 

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Annual Security Report (ASR) is also now available for viewing at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Security-Report.pdf. The ASR contains the current security and safety-related policy statements, emergency preparedness and evacuation information, crime prevention and Sexual Assault prevention information, and information about drug and alcohol prevention programming. The ASR also contains statistics of Clery crimes for San José State University locations for the three most recent calendar years. A paper copy of the ASR is available upon request by contacting the Office of the Clery Director by phone at 408-924-1501 or by email at clerycompliance@sjsu.edu.

Pursuant to the Higher Education Opportunity Act, the Annual Fire Safety Report (AFSR) is also available for viewing at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Fire-Safety-Report.pdf. The purpose of this report is to disclose statistics for fires that occurred within SJSU on-campus housing facilities for the three most recent calendar years, and to distribute fire safety policies and procedures intended to promote safety on Campus. A paper copy of the AFSR is available upon request by contacting the Housing Office by phone at 408-795-5600 or by email at uhs-frontdesk@sjsu.edu.

Campus Security Authority - In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) and CSU systemwide policy, this position is subject to ongoing review for designation as a Campus Security Authority. Individuals that are designated as Campus Security Authorities are required to immediately report Clery incidents to the institution and complete Clery Act training as determined by the university Clery Director.

Equal Employment Statement

San José State University is an equal opportunity employer. The university prohibits discrimination based on age, ancestry, caste, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military status, nationality, race, religion, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, sex stereotype, and veteran status. This policy applies to all San José State University students, faculty, and staff, as well as university programs and activities. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and certain other federal and state laws, prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in all education programs and activities operated by the university (both on and off campus). Reasonable accommodation is made for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose. San José State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

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