ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA - Winthrop University’s Bachelor of Professional Studies degree program has been given final approval by the Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), which follows the previous approval
by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education earlier this year.
The professional studies degree will provide a challenging curriculum for a range of adult learners, including military veterans, who have associate degrees or 60 transferrable credit hours and who desire to complete a bachelor’s degree.
“Enriching our academic program mix with new and innovative programs to address the needs of our community is a goal of the Winthrop Plan, so we are excited to make our first adult degree completion program a reality,” said President Dan Mahony. “We know that this program will provide many in our local communities with the opportunity to complete the college degree that they previously started. Now that the program has received official approval by the Commission on Higher Education and SACSCOC, we will immediately begin recruiting students into the program.”
Jack DeRochi, dean of the Graduate School, said that recent census figures indicate that approximately 130,000 people in York, Chester, Chesterfield, Fairfield and Lancaster counties have some college credit but no bachelor’s degree.
“Increasing the educational attainment of South Carolina residents is an important goal for Winthrop and the state overall. Based on this census data, there is great need for a professional studies degree-completion program. We know that the 21st-century economy increasingly requires people who have attained bachelor’s degrees and advanced professional competencies. With the Bachelor of Professional Studies, the university will offer adult learners the opportunity to complete their degree in an efficient and flexible manner so that adult learners can capitalize on the credit hours they already have earned,” DeRochi said.
The program will offer two program concentrations: organizational operations and general health studies.
The core curriculum of the program includes courses in applied critical thinking, diversity and collaboration in the workplace, professional identity and leadership development, and global environments and economics.
For more information on the Bachelor of Professional Studies, please contact the Graduate School at 803/323-2204, e-mail gradschool@winthrop.edu or visit www.winthrop.edu/graduateschool.
