The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Educations Board of Governors approved nine new degree programs

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Educations Board of Governors has approved nine new degree programs designed to respond to the Commonwealths changing workforce needs.

The programs cover a range of areas, including education, business administration, computer engineering and the emerging field of nanotechnology, with two programs to be offered at a disance. The new degrees and the universities at which they will be offered are:

• Master of Arts in Teaching at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania.

• Master of Education in early childhood education at Millersville University of Pennsylvania.

• Master of Business Administration at Millersville University.

• Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science in computer engineering technology at California University of Pennsylvania.

• Bachelors of Arts in broadcast journalism: radio/television and in print journalism: news and editorial at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

• Associate of science in nanofabrication technology at Cheyney University.

• Bachelor of Science in criminal justice at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania.

Master of Arts in Teaching

The need for additional qualified teachers in the district is acute – currently, nearly 2,000 teachers have emergency permits, and, each year, about 500 vacancies are not filled at the start of the school year.

The accelerated MAT program is designed to provide a pipeline of certified teachers to address the critical shortages in the School District of Philadelphia. The program will prepare non-credentialed elementary education teachers for certification to fill urban public school teaching positions. This will be a 12-month program, with courses to be offered by all four universities at school district sites and via distance education technology. Cheyney University will be the lead and degree granting institution for the program.

Bachelor of Science in criminal justice

The bachelor of science in criminal justice degree to be offered at Lock Haven University will prepare students for careers in law enforcement, corrections, law and government. The program will be available to students at Lock Haven’s Clearfield Campus via distance education. The program meets the standards for criminal justice undergraduate programs developed by the Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences and adopted by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. It is designed to conform to and build upon the associate degree in criminal justice, which was approved in October by the Board of Governors so that students may transfer seamlessly between the two programs.

With more than 96,000 students, the 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. More than 360,000 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 and the University Center for Southwest Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh. The regional centers are part of the Educational Resources Group, which is responsible for coordinating statewide programming.