Graduate Student Affairs Officer, School of Journalism (5156C) #88180

At the University of California, Berkeley, we foster a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom, and belonging supports students, faculty, and staff—among the most talented and accomplished anywhere, including Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and MacArthur Fellows. Since our founding in 1868, we have driven intellectual, economic, and social progress. We support professional development by providing all full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours of paid time per year and fostering supportive colleague communities through numerous employee resource groups.

About the Department

The UC Berkeley School of Journalism is a global leader in journalism education, preparing exceptional fact-finders and storytellers to report the stories of our times and hold power to account. As the only journalism master’s program in the University of California system, we champion press freedom, embrace innovation, and expand who gets to be a journalist. The school offers a two-year Master of Journalism degree to approximately 120 graduate students and a journalism minor to over 300 undergraduates.

The school is home to the California Local News Fellowship program, which provides jobs for early-career journalists in local newsrooms statewide, and the award-winning Investigative Reporting Program. Our faculty, students, and alumni have won or been finalists for prestigious awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, George Polk Award, Guggenheim Fellowship, and more. We invite you to join us in strengthening journalism and democracy by bringing new voices, leaders, and methods to the field.

About the Role

The Assistant Director of Student Services independently advises students, resolves student services-related issues, and advises faculty and management on a variety of student and operational matters. This position serves as the lead point of contact for students and faculty on academic issues, including curricular matters, progress toward degree, master’s thesis project completion, student employment, personal challenges, and grievances. The role works with school management to recommend policy changes and interfaces directly with campus offices such as the registrar, financial aid, graduate division, and student learning center.

Additional duties include managing the course schedule and room assignments, tracking and administering funds for student programs, coordinating Academic Student Employee (ASE) appointments, aiding in student outreach and recruitment events, and collaborating on key school events such as orientation, commencement, and career information sessions. This position also supervises undergraduate student assistants.

First review date: August 26, 2026. Applications received by this date will receive full consideration.

Responsibilities

• Student Advising
  • Advises faculty and students on school and university policies and procedures for the Master of Journalism degree; collaborates with the Head Graduate Adviser on special approvals and exceptions.
  • Reviews students’ progress and advises on degree and program completion requirements; identifies students with progression problems and recommends interventions.
  • Conducts graduation checks and verifies master’s project degree completion according to Graduate Division policies.
  • Provides advice and assistance on complex U.S. visa and immigration procedures, compliance issues, and employment eligibility/authorization for international students and scholars.
  • Interprets school and university policies on student conduct, grievances, disputes, and discrimination-related issues; escalates sensitive issues to the Sr. Director of Student Services and enters Students of Concern Reports.
• Department Scheduler/Enrollment Manager
  • Manages and maintains the official schedule of courses in SIS; oversees enrollment, waitlist management, and enrollment limits.
  • Schedules courses, works with faculty to determine times and room assignments, and facilitates new course approval and curriculum revisions through interaction with COCI and other campus offices.
  • Works directly with faculty on course development; participates in the school Curriculum Committee.
  • Distributes and collects student evaluations; resolves issues with the Registrar’s Office and advises faculty on the grading process.
  • Coordinates the application process for annual travel courses.
• Events
  • Plans and implements complex, high-visibility student events, including lead responsibility for non-technical logistics related to commencement and coordination of school-wide student-facing events (e.g., information sessions, spring visits, affinity group events).
  • Handles all business and procurement needs for student events.
  • Plans, designs, and provides workshops for students; coordinates the student leadership committee (TLC); collaborates with student affinity groups; and liaises with campus counseling and psychological services (CAPS).
  • Serves as a key collaborator on student orientation, handling all event logistics.
• Financial Aid
  • Processes student fellowships, grants, scholarships, and other awards; issues Academic Student Employee appointment letters.
  • Manages the travel grant and emergency fund application process; approves/prepares awards in SIS.
  • Manages summer minor grants; advises students on FAFSA completion; troubleshoots financial and billing problems; counsels students on obtaining residency.
• Recruitment and Admissions
  • Collaborates with the director of admissions to participate in outreach programs for graduate and undergraduate programs; advises prospective applicants on academic preparation and program fit.
• Alumni Relations
  • Collaborates with the Development team and alumni relations specialists to maintain strong relations with Journalism alumni and coordinate their engagement in school events and opportunities, including admissions application review.
• Supervision
  • May supervise up to two student employees.

Requirements

• Working knowledge of advising and counseling techniques.
• Knowledge of University-specific computer application programs and principles/procedures for risk assessment, or comparable institutional experience.
• Solid verbal and written communication skills; demonstrated interpersonal skills at various organizational levels.
• Multicultural competencies: ability to work with diverse populations.
• Knowledge of complex U.S. visa and immigration procedures, compliance issues, and employment eligibility/authorization for international students and scholars.
• Ability in problem identification, reasoning, and developing original solutions.
• Skills in judgment, decision-making, problem-solving, and identifying measures to improve system performance.
• Technical skills: experience with CampusSolutions or comparable course management systems, Canvas, Google Suite, etc.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in a related area and/or equivalent experience/training.

Pay

The budgeted annual salary range for this position is $75,000 - $90,000. The full pay scale for this classification is $64,260 - $110,460. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

Schedule

This is a full-time (40 hours/week) Career position eligible for UC benefits. The position is eligible for up to 2 days/week of remote work (within the United States), with exact arrangements determined in partnership with the supervisor.