January 21, 2016

State System’s Board of Governors approves eight new degrees

Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu

Harrisburg – The Board of Governors of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education today approved eight new academic degree programs in a range of emerging and growing fields, including music therapy, health informatics and athletic training.
The new programs, which also include degrees in entrepreneurship and education, represent the State System universities’ continuing efforts to adapt their curricula to meet the changing needs of employers in their regions, the Commonwealth and beyond.
Over the last five years, the 14 State System universities combined have introduced nearly 300 new degree and certificate programs while updating more than 100 others as required skill sets have evolved. At the same time, the universities have either placed in moratorium or discontinued more than 400 programs no longer in demand.
“Our universities are constantly assessing their academic programs, and adapt them to meet both student demand and the needs of employers—regionally, nationally and globally,” said State System Chancellor Frank T. Brogan. “Proper program alignment is essential to the success of our students and the success of our universities.”
The new programs approved today by the Board of Governors are:
•Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in entrepreneurship at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
•Bachelor of Music in music therapy at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
•Master of Music Therapy in music therapy at Slippery Rock University Pennsylvania
•Master of Science in health informatics at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
•Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
•Master of Science in athletic training at Lock Haven, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania
“With nearly 90 percent of our students being Pennsylvania residents, and the vast majority remaining here after graduation to live and to work, our universities play a vital role in the economic vitality of the Commonwealth,” said Board of Governors Chairman Guido M. Pichini. “It is essential the universities work with employers in their regions to develop the kinds of programs that will lead to their success and to the success of our students and their communities.”
Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with about 107,000 degree-seeking students and thousands more who are enrolled in certificate and other career-development programs. Collectively, the 14 universities that comprise the State System offer more than 2,300 degree and certificate programs in more than 530 academic areas. Nearly 520,000 State System university alumni live in Pennsylvania.
The State System universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The universities also operate branch campuses in Oil City (Clarion), Freeport and Punxsutawney (IUP), and Clearfield (Lock Haven), and offer classes and programs at several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and in Center City in Philadelphia.
(Note: For more information on each of the new programs, please see below, or contact the respective university.)
Newly approved academic programs

The Bachelor of Music in music therapy program at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania will prepare students for a career in a field that utilizes therapeutic musical activities as a form of physical and mental healthcare. Music therapists address emotional, cognitive, social and physical needs of their clients. The new degree will complement the university’s programs in art therapy, speech pathology, counseling, social work and nursing. Graduates will be able to work in a variety of locations, including hospitals, medical schools, clinics, senior citizen centers and residential settings.
The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in entrepreneurship program at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania is designed to prepare students with the skills, experience and knowledge necessary to develop and succeed at their own businesses. “The goal is to help today’s students become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs by combining a small, supportive incubator environment and linking that to a high-quality liberal arts education.” The new program was designed to meet the accreditation standards of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International.
The Master of Music Therapy in music therapy program at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania will provide students with the skills to address client needs through a comprehensive synthesis of theories, research, treatment knowledge, musicianship, clinical skills and personal awareness. It will complement other related university programs focused on health and wellness, such as physical therapy, counseling, adapted physical activity, physician’s assistant and nursing. Students, who will be able to enroll full-time or part-time, will take a set of core requirements and will have opportunities to take further electives in music therapy or to take electives in counseling, special education or gerontology, depending on their preferred area of specialty.
The Master of Science in health informatics program at Slippery Rock University is a 10-month, cohort-based program with options for both full-time and part-time students. Health informatics includes positions involved with the collection, handling and processing of healthcare information for a variety of purposes, including billing and medical quality assurance. Accurate coding of patient records is fundamental to the healthcare system, both to providing treatment and to ensuring providers get paid by insurance companies.
The Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program at Slippery Rock University will provide a terminal degree for career teaching positions in English as a second, foreign or additional language. Employment opportunities for graduates will include teaching in a university-level intensive English program, teaching abroad in an English as a foreign language context, or teaching at a community college or urban literacy program in the United States or other English-speaking countries such as Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Beyond the traditional pathway of the profession, consultant or salaried coaching positions within multi-national companies also serve as potential career tracks.
The three new Master of Science in athletic training degree programs at Lock Haven, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania all were developed in response to a decision by the Strategic Alliance of the Board of Certification, the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and the NATA Research and Education Foundation’s to change the first professional degree in the field from a bachelor’s degree to a master’s degree.
Each of the universities currently offers a Bachelor of Science in athletic training degree program. The new master’s programs will replace those undergraduate programs.
The new master’s degree program at Lock Haven University will prepare graduates for a variety of career opportunities in the healthcare field, including with hospitals, sports medicine clinics, universities, interscholastic settings and professional sports. Additional employment opportunities also exist in the performing arts, industry and the military. The new degree was designed to provide students with the knowledge and clinical competency required to pass the national certification examination and gain employment in clinical, management, research and/or teaching positions.
Slippery Rock University will offer a 3+2 track that will allow students to enter as freshmen and earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in five years. The new master’s program will include blended online and classroom courses along with clinical experiences designed to be completed over two consecutive years, including summer classes.
West Chester University offered the first bachelor’s degree in athletic training in Pennsylvania and one of the first five in the nation. Its undergraduate program already meets graduate-level standards. The new program will require students to participate in practicums during each semester, where they will be mentored by a professional and apply their skills to patients on a daily basis.