Master of Education in Early Childhood Education With specialization in Early Childhood Leadership - Advocacy, Curriculum and Policy

at Kent State University USA

The Bachelor of Science degree in Insurance Studies provides students with the academic background for career entry in the insurance industry. The insurance studies degree program offers a well-rounded core of business and social science courses including management technology, professional writing, and human communications.

Building on this core curriculum are courses that provide the opportunity to explore all lines of insurance, including personal lines, commercial lines, life and health insurance. Students also take on an internship during their third year to reinforce their insurance industry knowledge and gain real-world experience.

The knowledge gained in the insurance program permits students to join any organization within the insurance industry with a solid understanding of applicable products, regulations, operations and policy contracts. Students graduate with knowledge of several specific insurance industry facets, such as property and casualty insurance, life and health insurance, insurance company and agency operations, insurance regulation, insurance finance and risk management.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the insurance industry
• Possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills to identify and critically assess problems facing the insurance industry
• Identify and assess legal and ethical issues surrounding insurance industry decisions
• Work effectively in a team-based environment

The Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance provides students with an academic background appropriate for entry into a financial career, including financial management, investments, banking/financial institutions, risk/insurance and related areas. The courses are designed to provide students with an understanding of the relationship between business finance and the economic system in the context of managerial analysis and decision making.

The Bachelor of Science degree in American Sign Language/English Interpreting prepares students to work with deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in both educational and community settings, including schools and universities, businesses, medical and mental health agencies and social service offices, among others.

The coursework and nationally certified instructors guide students in developing interpreting expertise, sign language fluency and professional ethics. Coursework encompasses interpreting process models and their application; analytical approaches to professional and ethical decision-making; and interpreting comparative analyses of English and American Sign Language through the study of linguistics, discourse structures and features, pragmatics and sociolinguistics. Students learn self-assessment strategies for lifelong learning and gain 500 hours of practicum and experience with interpreter mentors.

Graduates may apply for licensure from the State of Ohio to interpret from pre-kindergarten to grade 12. They also have preparation toward the National Interpreter Certification (NIC) and the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA).

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate native or near-native fluency in spoken and written English (80% of the time as per the NCEIC), American Sign Language, Deaf and non-Deaf cultures
• Effectively interpret audio and video texts, as well as live presentations, across a variety of genres and be able to adapt interpretations to consumer modality preferences
• Demonstrate appropriate interpersonal skills and professionalism across all classroom/program-related settings, while interacting with others, with an awareness of linguistic, cultural, contextual and personality differences
• Make appropriate and effective ethical decisions, both in practical and authentic interpreting situations in alignment with RID's Code of Professional Conduct and Kent State University's Code of Student Conduct
• Demonstrate adaptability and teachability
• Articulate the impact of interpreting models, theories and best practices and how they inform one's work
• Recognize substantive linguistic and paralinguistic cues from others from a distance of 3-10 feet in a variety of environments

The Master of Education degree in School Counseling prepares students for employment as professional school counselors in K-12 schools. This program is designed to fulfill the educational requirements for licensure as a Licensed School Counselor in the state of Ohio. The program may be pursued on a part-time or full-time basis, although some full-time study is urged.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Educational Studies is a completer program designed for those who wish to work in education, health and human services settings. The program reflects a consideration for the nature of the setting in which individuals will work (e.g., youth center, social agency, museum, park, business), the particular skills and competencies required in such career (e.g., program planning, technology utilization, interpersonal and multicultural facilitation) and the nature of the particular function which characterizes the option (e.g., program design, instruction, service delivery).

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate a basic knowledge of education that meets the requirements of the College of Education, Health, and Human Services.
• Apply skills and competencies required in desired career paths.

The Master of Arts degree in Biology is for students wishing to gain additional knowledge in any area of the biological sciences. This is a non-thesis master's degree designed for secondary school science teachers, individuals looking for additional background or preparation for professional school (e.g. medicine, dentistry or Ph.D. programs) and those seeking employment in life science industries in a non-research capacity.

The Biology major includes the following optional concentrations:

• The Biological Data Analytics concentration combines required courses in data analytics and elective options in biology to provide students with the understanding of the type of data collected while conducting biological research and how to analyze it.
• The Cellular and Molecular Biology concentration provides a heavy focus on cell-to-cell interactions and signaling pathways to give students a deep understanding of the cellular and molecular processes that occur within cells and physiological systems.
• The Environmental Biology concentration provides students with a balance between better understanding the relationships between organisms and the environment and how this balance can be sustained through environmental management and conservation.
• The Medical Biology concentration provides students with a deep understanding of physiological systems and the mechanisms that underlie various disorders and disease pathologies.

Students who declare the Biology major with no concentration will select their area of specialization in consultation with an academic faculty advisor.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Understand advanced biological concepts beyond the scope of the typical undergraduate degree and to increase the depth of their knowledge through coursework and hands-on experiences.
• Apply scientific principles and appreciate work outside of their particular field.
• Effectively communicate about science with colleagues as well as those outside of the student's area of expertise.
• Develop the necessary laboratory skills that will allow testing of hypotheses.

The Bachelor of Science in Education degree in Physical Science prepares students for teacher licensure in physics and chemistry, grades 7 to 12. Students take a broad range of science-content courses in biology and geology and specialize in physics and chemistry content. Students in the Physical Science major complete most of their content coursework during their first three years, and then begin their methods coursework during the spring of their third year. During the final year of the program, students complete remaining content courses, science teaching methods courses and a year-long placement in a local school district, which concludes with 13 weeks of student teaching in the spring. Physical Science students are encouraged to meet with their faculty advisor early in their program because many courses must be sequenced carefully.

Students are required to complete Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification (BCII) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background checks.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Plan multiple lessons using a variety of inquiry approaches that demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of how to engage all students in learning science.
• Plan a learning environment and learning experiences for all students that demonstrate chemical safety, safety procedures, and the ethical treatment of living organisms within their licensure area.
• Plan fair and equitable assessment strategies to analyze student learning and to evaluate if the science learning goals are met.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Biology is for students who are interested in pursuing an in-depth specialization as a biologist or wish to pursue a medical or health care career.

The Biology major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Molecular and Cellular Biology concentration is the study of biological processes within and between individual cells, allowing for a better understanding of biological principles in normal and diseased states. The focus of this program includes concepts related to the genetic basis of life, regulation of gene expression and cellular functions.
• The Organismal Biology concentration allows students to examine organisms in their natural environment and address fundamental principles of survival and adaptation in discrete micro-environments and entire ecosystems. While basic concepts of biological and chemical functions are covered, the focus of this concentration is comprehensive aspects of the whole organism.
• The Pre-Medicine/Pre-Podiatry/Pre-Dentistry concentration prepares students for careers in medicine and health care. The curriculum provides the courses necessary for admission to advanced degree programs in healthcare and biomedical science professions.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Understand the fundamental biological principles.
• Acquire the fundamental skills necessary for laboratory and field investigations.
• Conduct proper experimental design, analyze biological data and communicate research results.
• Know and appreciate the role that biology plays in societal issues, such as those related to the environment, biodiversity, ethics, human health and disease.

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Music gives music majors an opportunity to study music and liberal arts with an optional minor, available in most academic areas of the university, or as a dual degree program with a major in another field. Although not as music intensive as the Bachelor of Music degree, the B.A. degree includes study on a main instrument and ensemble participation throughout the program.

The Music major includes the following optional concentrations:

• The Contemporary Popular Music concentration provides students the opportunity to study contemporary instruments such as electric guitar, electric bass and voice, as well as participate in a variety of styles including rock, pop, Motown and other popular styles.
• The Jazz Studies concentration provides students the opportunity to study jazz improvisation, arranging and composing.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of music history and theory
• Demonstrate high-level skills in recitals, ensembles or music research

The Bachelor of Technical and Applied Studies degree in Technical and Applied Studies is designed both for students beginning their academic study and for students with an associate degree or college-level coursework. The program accommodates varied educational backgrounds, develops competencies needed for success in a variety of work settings and offers major courses in schedules attractive to traditional students and to time- and place-bound adults.

Students construct a meaningful plan for using the curriculum to explore and prepare for their preferred futures by completing a cornerstone course. A capstone course features a synthesizing of learning focused on foundational competencies and developing an electronic portfolio. This enables students to collect artifacts of their learning, which can be used to advance their careers.

The Technical and Applied Studies major includes the following optional concentrations:

• The Applied Business concentration is an option for associate degree graduates or students with a business background who choose not to pursue the B.B.A degree, or for students who would like to gain knowledge about financial management, customer service, strategic management, labor students and leadership. The concentration includes a practicum.
• The Nonprofit-Human Services concentration provides students with the knowledge and competencies in areas such as grant writing and fundraising, mission and vision, advocacy and lobbying, risk management, board committee development, program planning, leadership and ethics, human resource development, youth and adult development, marketing, financial management and nonprofit management.

Students may also declare the Technical and Applied Studies major with no concentration. The stand-alone major offers a flexible and robust core of skills/knowledge-based courses, which bridge multiple disciplines in multiple colleges. The skill sets that are provided by this program are civic engagement, computer literacy, critical thinking, diversity and internationalization, ethics, information literacy, leadership, self-management, oral and written communication and mathematics.