Master of Arts in Professional Studies

at Shorelight Group - Towson University USA

Students interested in teaching Middle School students (Grades 4-9) should contact the Department of Secondary & Middle School Education. Middle School Education majors must select two content areas from the following: English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies/History, which leads to Maryland State Teacher Certification in Middle School in both of the content areas selected. The Pass (PS) grading option may not be used for any of the courses listed below. 

The Master of Science in Accounting and Business Advisory Services at Towson University is a joint program with the University of Baltimore. This program is designed to meet two important educational objectives.

First, when combined with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, the program allows students to earn the additional units necessary to meet the 150-hour requirement to sit for the Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam in Maryland and many other states. The CPA exam includes four sections: Auditing & Attestation (AUD), Business Environment and Concepts (BEC), Financial Accounting & Reporting (FAR) and Regulation (REG). Students planning to take the CPA exam will be best served by a program of study, such as our BS in Accounting and this graduate program, that emphasizes the same subject matter as the exam.

Second, by incorporating courses in the related disciplines of financial management and information technology, the program complements and expands the technical skills acquired in an undergraduate accounting education.

Graduates of the M.S. in Accounting and Business Advisory Services program will have the flexibility needed to accelerate their public accounting careers or pursue careers in other areas such as management accounting, internal auditing, accounting for governmental or other nonprofit entities, and management consulting.

• Demonstrate an understanding of the physical, social, economic and political factors that shape the development of metropolitan areas.
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the array of current challenges facing metropolitan areas.
• Critically analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of policies designed to address the challenges facing metropolitan areas.
• Conduct and present sound research on metropolitan issues.

This highly flexible concentration is ideal for the working professional, as each student designs a curriculum that best fits their present career needs and future aspirations. The concentration is particularly well suited for students who wish to integrate specialized study with a broader understanding of related fields. It also permits individuals primarily interested in personal growth to design a program that corresponds with their interests.

Although the plan of study may be built around traditional academic disciplines, many students combine courses from such practical areas of study as:

• Digital media and communications
• Information technology and applied systems theory
• Management and administration
• Public policy and regional planning
• Health care
• Education
• Professional writing in specific areas
• Theater management
• Science journalism
• Global studies

Others might emphasize courses from the humanities, fine arts and social sciences.

An individualized plan of study places special responsibilities on the student. In consultation with the program director, the entering student must design and submit a plan of study. The M.A. in Professional Studies graduate program is committed to offering working professionals flexible and convenient ways to earn an advanced degree through collaborative learning and independent study.

Forensic Chemistry is a field in which many opportunities exist within law enforcement agencies and private companies. There is a critical shortage of qualified professionals in the field. Graduates of this program will be well prepared for employment in the forensic field with minimal on-the-job training or to pursue a graduate degree.

The major in Forensic Chemistry requires the completion of all the required and ancillary courses that are listed below, as well as satisfying the university’s Core Curriculum requirements.  A student may repeat no more than two courses, including multiple attempts at the same course, required for the Forensic Chemistry major. This includes all foundation courses, as well as required courses for the major.

The Mass Communication major consists of three tracks: Advertising, Journalism, and Strategic Public Relations. Students must complete one of the three tracks. Many students complete two of the three tracks and some complete all three.

Students who complete the Mass Communication major will have many career options, especially in the broadly defined fields of print, broadcast and online journalism, advertising, and strategic public relations. Majors are expected to learn how the various fields in mass communication are structured and function.

• Philosophically explain and discuss theories and concepts of the major thinkers of schools in Western philosophy.
• Philosophically explain and discuss culturally diverse philosophical traditions.
• Engage in a philosophical discussion of social and/or political and/or moral issues.
• Think philosophically, i.e., to analyze, articulate, synthesize, and/or creatively develop arguments, concepts and theories.
• Practice inductive and deductive reasoning, the composition of argument and demonstration, and the detection of formal and informal fallacies.

Foreign Languages majors in the French Education Concentration are eligible to apply for certification to teach French in Maryland upon graduation.  In addition to the Core Curriculum requirements and the requirements specified by the Department of Secondary and Middle School Education, students must complete 30 units. Students must contact the Department of Secondary and Middle School Education about admission to the Teacher Education Program.

Students who decide not to complete all education requirements must select and complete a different concentration/track in the major in order to graduate.

Majors who are in the Teacher Education Program are required to take Advanced Grammar and Method of Teaching a Foreign Language before internship. Students are also required to complete the Oral Proficiency Interview and the Writing Proficiency Test. They are required to achieve a level of “Advanced Low" in the Oral Proficiency Interview. 

The Master of Science degree in Supply Chain Management and the embedded Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Supply Chain Management are designed to develop professionals who can manage, analyze, and control activities across the entire supply chain, from upstream procurement to downstream distribution channels. The types of employers targeted by this program include companies, consulting firms, and government agencies that need to achieve competitive advantage and cost efficiencies by improving their supply chain performance. This program has been designed by benchmarking content and courses against industry credentialing offerings so that graduates of the program can proceed to professional certification based on the knowledge gained in the program.

Students have the opportunity to complete courses in a combination of face-to-face, online and blended formats. Statistics proficiency for the courses can be achieved by (1) completing a department approved online or in-person course in introductory statistics, (2) providing a transcript that shows exemplary performance in an introductory statistics course within the last five years or (3) successfully completing the department's Statistics Qualifier Exam.

Graduates with a supply chain management background can pursue careers as purchasing specialists, contract administrators, procurement officers and managers, supply chain management professionals, business analysts, demand managers and more. In fact, the majority of U.S. jobs fall somewhere in a supply chain, whether it is procurement, logistics and operations, marketing, or sales and service. International students may benefit from the program's STEM designation, which supports an optional practical training extension.