January 26, 2017

Board of Governors approves new degree programs

Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu

Harrisburg – The Board of Governors of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education today approved four new graduate degree programs—in criminal justice, athletic training, education and urban and regional planning—and a bachelor’s degree program in professional studies.
The new programs, designed to address growing workforce demands and new professional certification requirements, will be offered beginning as early as this summer at various System universities.
The new degrees are:
•Doctor of Criminal Justice in criminal justice at California University of Pennsylvania
•Master of Science in athletic training at Indiana University of Pennsylvania
•Bachelor of Applied Science in professional studies at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania
•Master of Science in transformative education and social change at West Chester University of Pennsylvania
•Master of Urban and Regional Planning at West Chester University of Pennsylvania
“Our universities are continuing to redesign their curricula to address the emerging and future needs of students, their future employers and the Commonwealth,” said State System Chancellor Frank T. Brogan. “Each of these new programs was conceived and developed at the campus level. They are practical, career-oriented degrees that will help prepare a new generation of leaders in their fields.”
The Doctor of Criminal Justice program to be offered by Cal U. beginning this summer is designed for individuals who already are working as agency leaders, supervisors and investigators, and who are seeking an educational opportunity that will allow them to advance their careers. The cohort-based, 42-credit program will focus on analytical skills, leadership and policy implementation and evaluation.
The program will be delivered primarily through Cal U.’s nationally recognized Global Online division, with two five-day, on campus experiences. It is intended to be completed in two years with students taking courses part time. A professional doctorate, the degree will differ from a Ph.D. in either criminology or criminal justice, both of which focus primarily on preparing individuals for academic careers or as researchers, and will be the first such degree offered in the United States.
The Master of Science in athletic training degree program to be offered by IUP beginning in summer 2018 was developed in response to the recent decision by several national organizations to change the first professional degree in the field from a bachelor’s to a master’s. In the future, individuals will need the graduate degree in order to take the Board of Certification exam and to be hired as a certified athletic trainer. IUP will no longer accept new students into its existing undergraduate program in athletic training after this fall.
Students will be able to enroll in the new graduate program either through early graduate school admission as part of a 3+2 program or after first earning an undergraduate degree from IUP or another institution. The professional degree in athletic training will provide students both classroom education and clinical training, maintaining partnerships and affiliation agreements with a variety of local and regional healthcare facilities and local high schools and colleges.
The Board of Governors last year approved similar new master’s degrees in athletic training at three other State System universities—Lock Haven, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania—that previously offered only bachelor’s degrees. All three universities also are phasing out their bachelor’s degree programs.
The Master of Science in transformative education and social change was developed by West Chester University for current educators—both classroom teachers and others working in community education settings—who are seeking to examine their profession and improve the field of education. It was designed to provide those who enroll with an opportunity to identify concerns and to conduct research that will have a direct impact on their professional lives, communities and workplaces.
Students will develop a “thematic concern” based on their area of study, then conduct a “critical action research” project. They also will complete a thesis requiring them to articulate a serious understanding of educational theory, to conduct an in-depth literature review of their problem and to design a real-world solution to that problem.
The Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree to be offered by West Chester University
Is intended to help meet a growing demand for urban and regional planners in the region. Professional planners help influence future neighborhoods, as well as local, regional and metropolitan areas, providing guidance for sustainable development and addressing social, environmental, political and economic problems of communities.
The new degree program is designed to complement the university’s recently approved Bachelor of Science in urban and environmental planning. The undergraduate program emphasizes environmental conservation and land use planning, while the new graduate program will provide specialty areas in economic development and advanced geospatial applications. Students will learn advanced approaches to developing plans, policies and regulatory approaches to influence development and advise communities and clients regarding public and private development interests.

The Bachelor of Applied Science in professional studies to be offered at Lock Haven University
is a degree completion program designed especially for adult learners who have earned an associate or technical degree/certification from a regionally accredited community college or non-regionally accredited post-secondary technical school. It is intended to enable non-traditional, working adult students to gain the additional knowledge, skills and credentials they need to enhance their career and life success
Students will be able to complete the courses they need to fulfill the requirements for a bachelor’s degree while choosing a specialty from among entrepreneurship, management or Spanish. Additional areas of specialty, such as art and graphic design, might be added to the degree program depending on student and workforce demand. The new degree will be offered beginning this fall.
For more information on any of the new degree programs, please contact the appropriate university.
Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with more than 100,000 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.