New masters approved for Spring

GCSU will add three new graduate programs in the next few semesters. The programs being added are a Master of Education degree in Literacy and Language, a Master of Art Therapy and a Doctor of Nursing Practice.The proposed programs

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program is proposed to begin accepting admissions in May 2012 or as soon as possible upon approval of the Board of Regents. The DNP program is considered the terminal degree for nurses who work in clinical practice according to Dr. Sandra Jordan, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at GCSU.

“The courses and clinical experiences focus on expanding the knowledge base of advanced practice nurses, improving the outcomes of nursing care and providing nurses with an additional skill set to sit at (the) decision-making table,” Jordan said. “Students in this program will have opportunities to work with residents in rural areas and with populations with unmet health care needs.”

The M.A. degree in Art Therapy is proposed to begin during the Fall 2012 semester and will offer individuals with artistic educational backgrounds the chance to engage in graduate work designed to prepare them as nationally registered and state licensed art therapists qualified to work with people with special physical, behavioral or developmental needs, using art as a therapeutic medium.

According to Jordan, this degree would be offered collaboratively by the College of Health Sciences as well as the College of Arts & Sciences. The proposal for the program was put forward after an in-depth needs assessment at the national level was completed. The degree would be the only one offered in Georgia and one of only two offered at public institutions in the Southeast.

“There is a demonstrated need for this degree program in Georgia and throughout the southeast,” Jordan said. “The long standing success of both the music therapy and arts programs at GCSU will certainly attract students interested in pursuing this highly specialized degree.”

According to the proposal, the M.Ed program in Literacy and Language, that will begin in Fall 2012 “focuses on literacy and language development and specialized training in reading and writing, which are critical needs in high poverty and low-achieving school districts.”

“This is reflective of a significant demographic of our service area, and the demand for educators with specific knowledge in reading, literacy and language is high,” Jordan said.

The costs of the programs

For the DNP, current resources within the School of Nursing will cover the costs of the program. Some current nursing master’s courses will be deactivated pending the Board of Regents approval of the proposal.

For the M.Ed in Reading, Literacy & Language, no additional costs to implement the program are currently projected according to Jordan.

“Existing literacy faculty will support program requirements,” she said. “Given planned growth in graduate enrollment, additional resources will be requested when warranted.”

As for the master’s degree in Art Therapy, current resources within the Department of Music Therapy and Department of Art will cover a significant portion of the instructional costs related to the program. Required instruction in core therapeutic, studio and supervision of field-based experiences are already offered within existing courses in those departments. The new courses associated with the proposed program must be taught by a registered art therapy faculty specialist to meet accreditation standards, and therefore new full-time faculty must be added in order to implement the program according to Jordan.

“All the space and facilities required for implementation of the program already exist and are maintained in the two collaborating colleges,” Jordan said. “So no additional (facility) costs will be incurred by adding the program.”

The process

Generally, discussions of new curricula begin among the faculty in the colleges. These discussions are mainly influenced by changes in the profession or the discipline, in response to a state need, or due to a regional or national shortage.

If an interest in the program exists, the departments research the feasibility of offering a higher degree. This would include a gap analysis of the resources needed, the location, size and scope of the existing programs in that field, the accreditation standards, the support materials needed and demands on space. In addition, the impact on existing resources, space and curricula, the demand for the program, and the potential for job placement after completion of the program would be examined.

“Once the research is completed, the deans and I discuss the program’s potential viability, and I notify the system of our interest in a new program,” Jordan said.

The program plan then goes through a curriculum approval structure at the college, which includes the collegiate curriculum committee, the university curriculum committee and then an official review by the provost, who discusses the program with GCSU President Dorothy Leland. If everything is satisfactory, Jordan submits a final proposal to the University System of Georgia, which then posts the proposal for all the other USG institutions to review and comment on. Once the comment period ends, the proposed curriculum is voted on by the statewide Academic Affairs Committee, and if it passes, it is sent to the Board of Regents, which holds the final vote on it.

“From start to finish, the process usually takes two years to complete,” Jordan said. “It’s appropriate because the addition of new programs must be carefully reviewed and vetted by constituents.”

Posted by Scotty Thompson on Dec 2 2010. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.