Harrisburg – California University of Pennsylvania has been granted approval to develop a new graduate degree program in physical therapy, and to begin offering two new undergraduate programs in veterinary technology. Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, meanwhile, will introduce a doctoral program in educational leadership and administration, which will be delivered fully online beginning this fall.

The new Doctor of Physical Therapy degree being developed at Cal U will be offered as a three-year, professional graduate program that will prepare qualified physical therapists to work with the state’s aging population.

Cal U will offer separate associate and bachelor’s degree programs in veterinary technology. Students who earn the Associate of Science degree will be able to move directly into the Bachelor of Science program. Veterinary technicians work with veterinarians to assist in the care of pets and working animals. Both of the new undergraduate programs will be offered starting in the fall.

Slippery Rock’s Doctorate of Education in educational leadership and administration degree program will prepare working professionals for positions of leadership in higher education, including college and university presidencies.

Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education Chancellor Dan Greenstein approved the new programs, which were proposed and developed by the universities in response to workforce demand.

“These new programs are more examples of how our universities, as part of the System Redesign, are aligning their programs with workforce needs,” Greenstein said. “That alignment is key to helping to ensure student success, and to serving the needs of the Commonwealth.”

Cal U currently offers a physical therapy assistant program, which prepares individuals to work with physical therapists. Various labor studies indicate there is a growing demand for qualified physical therapists in the state.
The university will seek to develop articulation agreements with other State System universities, which would enable students who complete appropriate bachelor’s degrees to complete the doctoral program at Cal U.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has identified the veterinary field as one of the fastest growing employments areas in the country. Americans own more than 43 million dogs and 36 million cats, according to the U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook.

The new Cal U programs will provide skilled veterinary technicians to work in veterinary offices. Graduates will be prepared for the Veterinary Technician National Exam, allowing them to enter the job market upon completion of the associate degree.

The university is seeking to partner with area high schools and career and technical centers to help them develop appropriate curriculum that would enable their students to transfer into the Cal U program upon their graduation from the schools and centers.

The new Ed.D. degree program at Slippery Rock will address the development of knowledge, skills and dispositions required to effectively lead an institution by establishing an organizational vision, creating and implementing a strategic plan, exercising shared governance and engaging in effective decision making. It will focus on leading-edge approaches in such areas as data analytics, finance, budgeting, enrollment management, management, marketing, fundraising and the development of the inner strengths of leaders.

Courses will be offered online, year-round. The required dissertation seminar also will be made available face-to-face for students desiring such a format.

For more information on any of the new programs, please contact the appropriate university.
 
Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education oversees 14 four-year public universities educating more than 90,000 students across the Commonwealth. The State System offers more than 2,300 degrees and certificates in more than 530 academic areas.