Auburn College of Education graduate degree sets Katie Cooper up for success

As an academic advisor, Katie Cooper aims to help students every day, and a master’s degree in adult education from Auburn’s College of Education has equipped her with the tools to accomplish those goals.

“The adult education courses taught me a lot about how I could supplement my advising practices for our college-aged learners that I work with on a daily basis,” Cooper said. “Dr. Maria Witte’s course on Learning Styles really expanded my knowledge on different personalities and learning types, which helped me approach coworkers and student advisees in a more comprehensive manner.”

Cooper has served as an academic advisor in the College of Sciences and Mathematics at Auburn for over 10 years, helping undergraduate students in various ways, from understanding curriculum and major requirements to referring them to resources across campus and more. She also supervises 20 peer advisor student employees and trains them to advise their fellow students.

She completed her master’s degree in adult education in May 2017 after taking classes for three years while working full-time and raising a small child. Since earning her degree, Cooper was honored with Auburn’s 2026 Outstanding Academic Advisor Award and led an instructional painting session at a National Art Educators conference.

She also had the opportunity to lead several study abroad programs in which she created the orientation and coursework materials from scratch.

“With my degree from the College of Education, I have been able to bolster my career with my advanced degree and earn promotions in my job category, better understand adult learners and higher education and create more tailored curriculum and orientation materials for a wide variety of applications.

“Ultimately, it has helped me understand and help people in a more meaningful way!”

That understanding has enabled Cooper to truly embody the College of Education’s motto—opening doors and improving lives—in her career.

“As advisors, we help educate our students about resources, have difficult conversations with them and support them when they are struggling,” Cooper said. “We oftentimes send our advisees tailored opportunities that we hear about based on their interests that help them advance in their academic and professional journeys.”

Associate Professor of Education Leslie Cordie said Cooper’s recent naming as an Outstanding Academic Advisor Award recipient by Auburn’s Provost Office is a testament to her commitment to making a lasting difference in her campus community.

“Katie Cooper perfectly illustrates why advising professionals make such exceptional graduate students within the M.Ed. in Adult Education program,” Cordie said. “By integrating the philosophy of lifelong learning into her daily practice, she has become a vital bridge between administrative policy and the individual learner's journey.”

Helping students find success is at the core of Cooper’s work, and she leaves students who are chasing career goals with two key pieces of advice.

“Shadow professionals in the field that you are interested in,” Cooper said.  “Ask them questions about how they got into their line of work and how they feel about what they do!”

Visit the College of Education website to learn more about its Adult Education programs.