The Professional Studies major is everything you need in an academic program, packaged for convenience.

This bachelor degree completion option is available in online and on-ground formats that cover areas such as Management Studies, Organizational Communication, Organizational Leadership, Information Technology Management, and Behavioral Studies.  This transfer credit friendly major allow students to maximize use of  credits earned from previous colleges / universities,  ACE accredited professional certifications, and credit for certain life work experiences.  

 

How is the Professional Studies major different from the other majors?

It is no different in academic rigor or quality.  The admission requirements are the same, the faculty are the same, and students earn the same bachelor’s degree.  The only difference is the format in which the courses are delivered.

 

What is different about the format?

The courses in the Professional Studies major are a mix of the classes you would find in our “regular” classrooms, online courses, and accelerated versions of courses.  This allows students to mix and match according to their interest, schedule, and timeline to completion needs.

 

What is required to earn my degree?

For a bachelor’s degree, students must have completed 120 credits in the  Major (45 credits), Core (42 credits), and Electives (33 credits).

Major (45 credits)

Customize this major by choosing 2 or 3 subjects (the following subjects are some of the options available).

• Management Studies
• Organizational Leadership
• IT Management
• Behavioral Studies (Psychology)
• Organizational Communication
• Social Science (Social Work, Sociology)
• Communication Studies
• Public Management
• Professional Administration

Dual Degree Professional Studies + MPA 

The following graduate courses may be taken by students accepted into the dual degree Professional Studies + MPA program during their junior year.  Students are encouraged to speak with their academic advisor if they wish to pursue the dual degree.

• MPA 500 Introduction to Public Management 
• MPA 505 Human Resource Management in Public Organization
• MPA 506 Administrative Law
• MPA 508 Statistics for Public Managers  

Dual Program Professional Studies + Advanced Certificate in Business Analytics 

The following graduate courses may be taken by students accepted into the dual program Professional Studies + Advanced Certificate in Business Analytics during their junior year.  Students are encouraged to speak with their academic advisor if they wish to pursue the dual program.

• MSIS 537 Data Management I
• MSIS 545 Intro to Data Analysis & Comp Statistics
• MSIS 637 Decision Support Systems
• MSIS 645 Data Mining & Predictive Analytics

 

Core (42 credits)

A bachelor’s degree begins with a firm foundation in the liberal arts and sciences. The core introduces students to essential ideas and skills that give students the capacity to synthesize and integrate methods and insights from a variety of intellectual disciplines. Transfer credit friendly.

Electives (33 credits)

Whereas the core fulfills specific requirements, electives are different. Students elect to take them.  Electives are meant to be fun and interesting and can be used to benefit the student however they wish. Students can choose additional courses in their major fields or choose to study different fields of personal interest that complement their major.  

 

Can I use transfer credits?

Yes!  The multidisciplinary format of the Professional Studies major allows it to be more transfer credit friendly than most traditional majors at Marist.

 

Classroom and Calendar Formats:

• Online (4-week and 8-week): Online courses are asynchronous in design which provides more flexibility for students.  Courses are hosted on a software platform (Brightspace) that allows for ease of interaction with professors and classmates.

• On-ground (15-week): Courses offered on the Poughkeepsie campus at varying times in the Monday – Friday calendar. 

• Combination: Combine online and on-ground formats in the 4-, 8-, and 15-week calendars as needed for scheduling and access to specific courses.

 

The Professional Studies major is designed to provide bachelor’s degree-seeking adult students with the knowledge, critical thinking, and leadership skills needed to take on complex responsibilities in a wide range of professional fields.

 

Student Learning Outcomes