The College of Professional Studies and Community Outreach offers a broad range of credit, non-credit, special interest, professional development, management, leadership, and leisure-learning courses. The College is responsive to the needs of the area and strives to offer programs and services which support a diverse target audience including business and industry, educational and government agencies, professional groups and associations, and the general community.
The mission of the College of Professional Studies and Community Outreach is to provide participating students with a theoretical and practical educational foundation to enhance their current professional capabilities as well as prepare them for new career opportunities in highly specialized technical and service industry positions.
The Department of Professional Studies offers programs of study leading to baccalaureate and associate degrees as listed below:
Professional Studies
(Areas of Concentration)
Agriculture Business
Criminal Justice
Early Childhood Education
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Information Technology
Interdisciplinary Studies
Public Relations
The Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) is an online Accelerated Degree Program (ADP) which offers a flexible degree completion path addressing the unique needs of particular target groups. The accelerated delivery format is designed to ease the financial, time, and geographic constraints adults face in completing a baccalaureate program. Students complete the necessary hours for the degree within a convenient yet directed scheduling format under the guidance of advisors who understand the unique needs of the adult learner. The primary target groups include:
The degree’s focus is to successfully prepare graduates for entry or advancement in government, nonprofit, corporate, or industrial careers. The curriculum is designed to enhance workplace skills such as planning, organizational behavior, ethics, needs assessment, problem solving, communications, human resources, and technology applications.
Students may select one of the following concentration areas: agriculture business, early childhood education, information technology, industrial/organizational psychology, criminal justice, interdisciplinary studies, or public relations. The degree will follow the same guidelines as all other bachelor’s degrees in requiring 35 hours of general education coursework and a minimum of 40 hours of upper division courses.
General Education coursework or enrollment in courses as needed:35 hours
Required Professional Core: 24 hours
BUAD 2003 Business Information Systems (OR)
COMS 1003 Introduction to Computer Based Systems
ENGL 2053 Technical Writing
SPH 2173 Business and Professional Speaking (dual credit in General Education)
PS 3023 Professional Communications
PS 3133 Applied Principles of Personnel Management
PS 3143 Applied Professional Research
PS 3003 Special Problems
PS 4003 Capstone Project
Courses recommended in the Individual Plan of Study: 18 hours
Agriculture Business
Criminal Justice
Early Childhood Education
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Information Technology
Interdisciplinary Studies
Public Relations
PS 3001 Prior Learning Assessment: Up to 12 hours
Balance of electives: Varies
Hours needed to meet 40-hour upper division requirement
or balance of 120 hours
Total : 120 hours
A Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) process is available which will award up to 12 hours of upper-division credit for relevant work experience, professional development, or military training through a portfolio course which provides the required documentation for determining the number of hours of credit which can be awarded.
Learning Objectives for Professional Studies Degree
Curriculum in Professional Studies |
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| Degree Completion Plan Beginning in Fall Semester | |||||||
| Freshman | Sophomore | ||||||
| Fall | Spring | Fall | Spring | ||||
| ENGL 10131,T | 3 | ENGL 10231,T | 3 | ENGL 2053T | 3 | U.S. History/Government1,T | 3 |
| Science with Lab1,T | 4 | Science with Lab1,T | 4 | Fine Arts & Humanities1,T | 3 | Fine Arts & Humanities1,T | 3 |
| Social Sciences1,T | 3 | Social Sciences1,T | 3 | SPH 2173T | 3 | Technical Course2, T | 3 |
| Specialty Course | 2 | Specialty Course | 3 | Specialty Course | 3 | Specialty Course | 3 |
| COMS 1003 or BUAD 2003T | 3 | Mathematics1,T | 3 | Elective | 3 | Elective (3000-4000 Level) | 3 |
| TECH 1001 | 1 | ||||||
| Total Hours | 16 | Total Hours | 16 | Total Hours | 15 | Total Hours | 15 |
| Junior | Senior | ||||||
| Fall | Spring | Fall | Spring | ||||
| PS 3133 | 3 | PS 3023 | 3 | PS 3003 | 3 | PS 4003 | 3 |
| Specialty Course | 3 | PS 3143 | 3 | Specialty Course | 3 | Technical Courses2 | 9 |
| Technical Courses2, T | 6 | Technical Courses2, T | 6 | Technical Courses2 | 6 | Elective (3000-4000 Level) | 1 |
| Elective (3000-4000 Level) | 3 | Elective (3000-4000 Level) | 3 | Elective (3000-4000 Level) | 3 | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | Total Hours | 15 | Total Hours | 15 | Total Hours | 13 |
| Degree Completion Plan Beginning in Spring Semester | |||||||
| Freshman | Sophomore | ||||||
| Spring | Fall | Spring | Fall | ||||
| ENGL 10131,T | 3 | ENGL 10231,T | 3 | ENGL 2053T | 3 | U.S. History/Government1,T | 3 |
| Science with Lab1,T | 4 | Science with Lab1,T | 4 | Fine Arts & Humanities1,T | 3 | Fine Arts & Humanities1,T | 3 |
| Social Sciences1,T | 3 | Social Sciences1,T | 3 | SPH 2173T | 3 | Technical Courses2, T | 3 |
| Specialty Course | 2 | Specialty Courses2 | 3 | Specialty Course | 3 | Specialty Course | 3 |
| COMS 1003 or BUAD 2003T | 3 | Mathematics1,T | 3 | Elective | 3 | Elective (3000-4000 Level) | 3 |
| TECH 1001 | 1 | ||||||
| Total Hours | 16 | Total Hours | 16 | Total Hours | 15 | Total Hours | 15 |
| Junior | Senior | ||||||
| Spring | Fall | Spring | Fall | ||||
| PS 3023 | 3 | PS 3143 | 3 | PS 3003 | 3 | PS 4003 | 3 |
| PS 3133 | 3 | Technical Courses2, T | 6 | Technical Courses2 | 6 | Technical Courses2 | 9 |
| Technical Courses2, T | 6 | Elective (3000-4000 Level) | 6 | Specialty Course | 3 | Elective (3000-4000 Level) | 1 |
| Specialty Course | 3 | Elective (3000-4000 Level) | 3 | ||||
| Total Hours | 15 | Total Hours | 15 | Total Hours | 15 | Total Hours | 13 |
|
1See appropriate alternatives or substitutions in "General Education Requirements". 2Technical courses taken as part of an associate degree or from a community college may be transferred into the BPS degree. 3At least 40 of the total hours required for graduation must be 3000-4000 level courses: no more than 30 hours of electives towards the degree may be taken from the College of Business. TDesignates a block of courses that would provide for a seamless transfer into this program if equivalent courses are taken at another college or university. |
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| Specialty/Concentration Areas: | |
| Early Childhood Education: 18 hours Take: ECED 2001 and ECED 2002 (concurrent enrollment); ECED 3023 and ECED 3033 (concurrent enrollment); EDMD 3013, MATH 2033, and BIOL 3213. |
Information Technology: 19 hours Take: COMS 1333, COMS 1403, COMS 1411, COMS 2003, COMS 2233, COMS 2700, COMS 2703, and 3 hours COMS elective credit. |
| Industrial/Organizational Psychology: 19 hours Take: PSY 2003, PSY 2053, PSY 2074 and 9 hours from the following: PSY 2023, PSY 3093, PSY 4033, PSY 4043, PSY 4234. |
Criminal Justice: 18 hours Take: CJ 2003, CJ 2043, CJ 3023, CJ 3103, CJ 3153 and 3 hours of CJ elective. |
| Public Relations: 18 hours Take: COMS 2003, SPH 3033, SPH 4153, JOUR 3173, JOUR 3273, and JOUR 4173. |
Agriculture Business: 18 hours Take: AGBU 2063, AGBU 2073, AGBU 3133, AGBU 4003,AGBU 4013, and AGBU 4023. |
| Interdisciplinary Studies: 18 hours (Courses selected with advisor approval) |
|
The Associate of Science in Early Childhood Education is an online degree structured to provide a seamless acquisition of academic requirements for various career levels in occupations related to child care and early childhood education in the public and private sectors. The early childhood education courses provide the academic requirements for meeting assessment guidelines for the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. The general education courses can be applied toward the Bachelor of Professional Studies degree in Early Childhood Education.
General Education coursework or enrollment in courses as needed: 35 hours
Required Coursework: 25 hours
TECH 1001Orientation to the University
ECE 2113 Basic Child Growth and Development
ECE 2313 Foundations and Theories in Early Childhood Education
ECE 2513 Curriculum for Early Childhood Education
ECE 2613 Methods and Materials Using Developmentally Appropriate Practices and Activities for Young Children
ECE 2991-2999 Practicum in Early Childhood Education
NUR 2303 Nutrition
Curriculum in Early Childhood Education |
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| Suggested Sequence of Courses | |||||||
| Freshman | Sophomore | ||||||
| Fall | Spring | Fall | Spring | ||||
| ENGL 1013 | 3 | ENGL 1023 | 3 | Fine Arts & Humanities1,T | 6 | U.S. History/Government1,T | 3 |
| Mathematics1,T | 3 | Speech1,T | 3 | ECE 2513 | 3 | ECE 2991-92 | 9 |
| Science with Lab1,T | 4 | Science with Lab1,T | 4 | ECE 2613 | 3 | NUR 23031 | 3 |
| Social Sciences1,T | 3 | Social Sciences1,T | 3 | ||||
| ECE 2113 | 3 | ECE 2313 | 3 | ||||
| TECH 1001 | 1 | ||||||
| Total Hours | 17 | Total Hours | 16 | Total Hours | 12 | Total Hours | 15 |
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1See appropriate alternatives or substitutions in "General Education Requirements". 2Enrollment must be approved by advisor. TDesignates a block of courses that would provide for a seamless transfer into this program if equivalent courses are taken at another college or university. |
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