Master of Social Work

at Concordia University Wisconsin USA

When you take the opportunity to enhance your writing, you are setting yourself apart in the business world. There’s a lot that goes into the making of a good writer, and an MBA in Communications and Public Relations hits all the major topics: group dynamics, effective business writing, public relations, and public speaking. Additionally, you gain the benefit of having worldwide practitioners as your instructors, with a diverse student body and flexible courses that start at your convenience. You’ll sharpen your skills and become a confident, effective communicator that will stand out in the workforce.

At the end of this program, you’ll not only hone your communication skills and increase your understanding of the field, but you’ll also come out with experience applying today’s critical innovative business skills. You’ll be able to identify messages worth sharing, think strategically about your decisions, increase your financial competence, and be a leader among your colleagues. Whether you’re pitching a story to the media, presenting a new slogan, or reporting on analytics, you’ll know what to say and how to say it.

The special education program has a strong liberal arts foundation with a Christian emphasis. Education coursework and fieldwork experiences begin freshman year. It offers a public education track, a Lutheran teacher diploma track for students wishing to pursue education as an LCMS church work professional, and a Christian teacher certification track for students wishing to pursue education in another Christian school setting. This program may be pursued as a special education major only, leading to K-12 certification in cross categorical special education or as a dual major combining special education and general education. Dual majors are available at the early childhood and elementary/middle school levels. The special education program is accredited and approved by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.  Job openings in this field are plentiful, as this is a high-need certification area nationally.

In addition to coursework, you’ll experience firsthand the blessing and challenge of working with special needs children in an actual, real-world setting. You’ll be grounded in a deep understanding of child and adolescent development in mind, body, and spirit, as well as the range of exceptionalities. You’ll work to master content knowledge in addition to a wide range of instructional strategies and learner accommodations. You’ll develop skills in classroom management, curricular design and assessment, and engagement and collaboration with other educators and school stakeholders.

The purpose of this program, offered as a major or minor, is to assist you as you discover the gifts and talents God has given you for service. Although you will not train as a missionary, you will be studying how mission work is accomplished around the globe. A key element of this program is recognizing and deliberating on the challenges that arise in the mission field. Along the way, you’ll have opportunities to participate in spring break mission trips, Missions Club, and global trips that will provide you with hands-on experience.

Neither the missions major or minor is a training program. Mission groups (such as LCMS World Mission) train their own missionaries to prepare for the specific areas where they’ll be sent. The goal of our program at Concordia is to help you decide if God is truly calling you to serve as a missionary.

Several of our theology faculty have a great deal of experience in mission work and will mentor you as you explore the possibilities. By the end of the program, you’ll be well-acquainted with the urgent need for missionaries and be prepared to decide if and how you want to serve. You’ll also leave with a better understanding of how to work in cross-cultural settings, how to navigate other religions, and how to handle the challenges that come with missionary work.

The food and beverage track of the MPD, explores the business of food and beverage development; from the development process in the marketplace, to package design, to marketing and management. You’ll partner with industry leaders on projects, and perform work in state-of-the-art food science and sensory labs.

Of course, a program like this wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t teach you the entrepreneurial skills you’ll need to start your own company. But you’ll also learn to build critical-thinking and teamwork skills through case-based teaching and labs, blending technical skills with business, legal, regulatory, and compliance knowledge. You’ll learn how to use analytics and demand projections to make management decisions, while using concepts—like Lean Six Sigma and sensitivity analysis—to solve operations and process-optimization challenges.

Program Highlights

• Developed with input from industry experts such as Sargento, Sendik’s, Palermos, Kwik Trip, and the Food and Beverage Trade Organization for Wisconsin (FaB)
• This unique program provides focus on new product development and launch, blending business, science, marketing, and the culinary arts
• Includes seminar series with industry leaders
• Thesis project with a corporate partner project or a product launch
• Central course requirement for all students is a two-semester “Food and Beverage Product
• Development and Launch” course, which walks students through the entire development process from ideation to launch
• A newly constructed building on campus includes an innovative space with a dedicated food science and sensory lab to conduct product research

It’s one of the most important roles within any organization: human resource management. Why? Because interpersonal communication can make or break a business. The way we relate to one another within an organizational structure, the culture we build – it’s the backbone of business. And this program will equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary for management of the human resource function within an organization. You’ll develop interpersonal and technical skills – in areas such as employment practices, staffing, compensation and benefits, training, and change management – that will help your business thrive.

It’s not something people think about very often, but the way you relate to the people you work with on a day-to-day basis really can affect your ability to perform well professionally. This program will set you up for success in the field of HR. But more importantly, it will give you what you need to help your co-workers succeed in their own roles. You’ll learn how to demonstrate effective writing, public speaking, and interpersonal communication skills. You’ll also learn how to apply business management skills that will create a diverse workforce – the kind that’s capable of achieving organizational goals.

This program will teach you about important federal and state legislation, case law decisions, and executive orders that affect employment relationships. You’ll learn to analyze a compensation plan that identifies and describes plan objectives, salary structure. and fringe benefits. You’ll also learn how to identify organizational needs for safety plans in multiple areas governed by OSHA related to employee health, safety, and security. You’ll engage management techniques that integrate employee and organizational development with leadership, and learn organizational strategies for recruitment, selection, training, retention, and development of employees.

What about strategic planning? Yep, you’ll gain an understanding of how it relates to the workforce and human resource development. And finally, it’s important for us to mold servant leaders at CUW. Through this program, you’ll identify and describe the elements of servant leadership that apply to the work of the human resource professional.

Develop a greater understanding of people and learn effective strategies to help them achieve their potential.

More and more, actuaries use data analytics to help assess risk and inform policy. Concordia's new Actuarial & Data Sciences major meets the market's demands by preparing students with current, relevant knowledge and skills in both actuarial science and data analytics.

Actuarial science is an intense field, and will require a sharp, analytical mind, coupled with hard work and dedication to pass the certification exams and practice as an actuary. But it is a rewarding field, and in high demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay is over $110K, and the demand for actuaries is expected to increase 24% by 2030.

Actuaries assess risk to help make wise decisions for their organizations. Most actuaries work in insurance, but they can also work in finance, healthcare administration, wealth management, and any other industry where predictions and decisions must be made to mitigate risk.

Like all industries, the actuarial science profession is constantly changing to adapt to new technologies. With the computing capabilities that we now have, actuaries are increasingly dependent on data science and analytics. In 2021, the Society of Actuaries announced a change in their Associate of the SOA (ASA) education requirements, including an updated curriculum designed to meet employer and market demands for increased coverage of data analytics.

Concordia's new actuarial and data sciences major couples proven actuarial science methodologies with cutting edge data science technologies to thoroughly prepare tomorrow's actuaries with the skills needed to assess risk in the modern world.

If you are ready to have a positive impact in your community and the world—perhaps a degree in public service is the right fit. You emerge with analytical skills, critical thinking skills, and go on to practice in organizations fostering service and commitment to serve local, national and international organizations.
This concentration emphasizes skills needed to inform your interests and expertise needed to lead justice-related organizations, namely corrections, courts, justice administration, law enforcement, and probation/parole.

• Criminal Justice Research Methods
• Forensic Investigation
• Management of Public Service Agencies
• Criminal Justice Liability Law

If you’re going to be a defender of the law, it’s probably a good idea you study up on ethics. You’ll get plenty of that in this program, taking a look at ethical decision-making by criminal justice workers. You’ll also gain an introduction to a wide variety of other topics, like criminal psychology, as well as public policy and its effect on the American court and criminal justice system. You’ll have an opportunity to understand criminal investigation processes like interviewing, crime scene analysis, and collection of evidence. (Hint: CSI: Miami had it all wrong. Now, COPS, on the other hand …) You’ll study the law as it relates to arrests, searches, and seizures by law enforcement, probation and parole officers, and corrections officials. You’ll even study the rules of evidence and courtroom procedures.
There may not be a bat signal at the end of this program, but you’ll be thoroughly prepared for a career in court administration, security management, custodial and community-based corrections, intelligence operations, or investigations. Or maybe you’ll be more interested in municipal, state, or federal law enforcement. Or maybe state or federal probation and parole. Who knows? You could even use this degree as a good launching point for a bid at law school! Point is, you can expect this program to help you explore the incredibly exciting study of the courts, crime causation, criminal law, public policy, and the justice system.

English is one of the most versatile degrees you can pursue because the skills you’ll learn are transferable. Critical thinking, reading comprehension, writing, and communication are essential in pretty much any career field—not to mention in your personal life.

You have two paths to choose from when pursuing a degree in English at CUW. This program can be a standalone liberal arts degree, or a complementary major for those of you seeking a degree in secondary education. Both routes will allow you to explore the language, literature, and expression of the Western canon. In order to demonstrate your understanding of texts and ideas, you’ll be regularly asked to write analytically and creatively. Professors will motivate you to think critically about texts and consider them within a Christian context, applying their lessons to your day to day life.

Courses center around comprehending, expressing, and analyzing ideas (both others’ and your own), so the content is going to get deep. Get ready to read a wide range of authors, and be prepared to speak up and engage in high-level academic discourse with faculty and fellow students. You will continually be learning to better express yourself by studying how others have communicated their thoughts.

Welcome to the world of technology, advancement, and innovation. You are going to be creating the future. Don’t believe us? Computer scientists are instrumental to anything and everything that involves computers. And let’s be honest, pretty much everything today involves computers. Robotics, virtual reality, and videogames are often cited as future job areas, but you could also be a part of many other fields—animation, music, automobiles, analytics…the list goes on.

What comes to mind when you think of computer science? In our modern world, there are decreasingly fewer things that don't rely on computers and technology in some shape or form, making computer science one of the most practical and versatile fields of study out there. At Concordia, we define computer science as solving problems using technology. If you can learn to create and manage technology solutions, you can apply your skills to just about any career path.

With five different concentrations available and substantial flexibility in electives, you have the power to customize this degree and make it your own. In this program, you'll receive a well-rounded education through the Concordia Core, as well as a firm foundation of computer science knowledge through our Technology Core. You'll learn the ins and outs of hardware, software, operating systems, databases, coding, and user interfaces. From there, you can branch out into one or more concentrations of computer science, specializing in the areas that are of most interest to you. You can use your electives to earn multiple concentrations, or to explore coursework in any other field at Concordia, broadening your knowledge base.

Why a Bachelor's Degree in Theological Studies? This program gives you options. If you simply want to study God’s Word for the sake of your personal growth, you’ll receive a solid foundation in doctrine. However, there is much more you will benefit from with a theology degree.

God reveals himself through his Word and, to a lesser degree, through his world. This program examines the Bible, God’s revealed Word, in broad introductory overviews of the Holy Scriptures (isagogics) as well as in close reading of a particular biblical book (exegetical studies). This program also studies God’s providence in history. In addition, students receive practical training in the application of their studies in ministry to others.

Through participation in, and upon completion of, the Bachelor of Arts in Theological Studies at Concordia University Wisconsin, students will:

• Have a greater understanding of God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures
• Appreciate the value of sound Christian doctrine based squarely on the Bible
• Develop a heightened awareness of God’s working throughout history
• Grow in their relationship with Christ and put his teachings into practice in their vocations
• Employ various methods of delivering and defending biblical truth in a relevant and practical way to diverse groups
• Demonstrate an understanding of research skills

You can expect to benefit from a well-rounded study of biblical and systematic theology, along with the application of theology in your life within the Christian Church. You’ll be delving into the Old and New Testaments, systematic doctrine, and practical theology (teaching and worship). We offer a lot (seriously, a LOT) of theology electives, so you can explore and grow in the particular areas that interest you.