Board of Governors approves six new degree programs in April, 2004

Students who enroll in the program will be required to complete a minimum of 34 credits, including courses in management and leadership philosophy. The program will seek to enhance the management, leadership and decision-making skills of participants and to prepare them for careers in both the private and public sectors.

The Master of Science degree program in nursing at Mansfield University will be offered on-line, and will prepare experienced nurses to become nurse educators. It is predicted that the northern tier of Pennsylvania, as well as other areas in the Commonwealth, soon will be facing a shortage of nurse educators. This new program will offer practicing nurses the opportunity to obtain the necessary qualifications to help fill this shortage.

The program will consist of a required core of 30 credits and a three-credit elective. The National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission will regularly review the program. The university will seek program accreditation by 2006.

The Master of Education in early childhood education to be offered by West Chester University will provide an advanced degree and post-baccalaureate certification for teachers and childcare providers in the five-county region of southeastern Pennsylvania. Only two private institutions currently offer a similar program in the region.

The program will consist of 30 credit hours of core and foundation courses and six hours of electives. It will be regularly evaluated as part of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accreditation process. Student success will be measured by a number of methods, including student assignments, test scores and other work projects. It is predicted that a majority of students who enroll in the program will be women and students of color.

Shippensburg University’s Bachelor of Science degree program in exercise science will help meet the region’s growing need for healthcare workers, especially in the areas of cardiac rehabilitation and obesity. It will represent Shippensburg’s first program in this area, and will be the cornerstone on which the university will build other healthcare and health-related programs in the future.

The university will seek accreditation for the new program through the American Society of Exercise Physiologists, as well as endorsement from the American College of Sports Medicine.

The Associate of Science in criminal justice degree program will be offered at Clarion University’s Venango campus. It is designed to meet growing employment demands in the region. It will serve both students who seek immediate employment in the field, as well as those who intend to pursue a four-year degree.

The program was developed in accordance with the standards for criminal justice education as stated by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Students will be required to complete 21 credits in required courses, and nine credits of elective courses related to criminal justice from the disciplines of sociology, psychology and law.

The certificate and Associate of Science degree program in surgical technology will be offered at Lock Haven University’s Clearfield campus. It is designed to meet unmet educational needs in Clearfield, Centre, Clinton and Lycoming counties.

Students initially will be required to complete a core curriculum of 39 credit hours and a general education requirement of 30 hours. Upon the successful completion of the core curriculum, students will have the option of taking the certification exam to become a certified surgical technologist and/or continuing full- or part-time to complete the associate’s degree. Several hospitals and medical centers in the area have donated laboratory equipment for the program and have offered clinical sites for the students.

With more than 104,000 students, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Nearly 400,000 System alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.

The state-owned 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 System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg. The regional centers are part of the Educational Resources Group, which is responsible for coordinating statewide programming.