PLYMOUTH, N.H. ? Plymouth State University?s is living up to its new name with increased efforts of adding new graduate programs to its curriculum. The Office of Graduate Studies and Community Outreach sheds light on how PSC evolved into Plymouth State Uni-versity. Over the past four years, graduate programs have experi-enced growth of 20% annually.
Plymouth State moves forward with plans to keep improving its current graduate programs, while making room for new graduate pro-grams in its curriculum portfolio. As of this year, the Office of Gradu-ate Studies and Community Out-reach has already made changes to some of the University?s programs, including plans to make more.
The Athletic Training program split into two options: Entry Level and Higher Education. The purpose of this divide was to allow students who got their bachelors in a field unrelated to athletic training to pursue a graduate degree in Ath-letic training. The purpose of the Higher Education option was just the opposite: it allows students who?ve earned their certifications in Physi-cal Training to continue elevating their knowledge by allowing them to delve beyond the rudimentary studies in physical training.
Plymouth State?s Master of Education program currently has 64 concentration options, includ-ing, the ones that are in place, and ones that are still pending approval. One program that is still awaiting approval is the Master of Education with an option in School Psychol-ogy. In order to get this program approved and into the Master of Education program, the University must get the approval of the its ac-credited bodies. Specifically, these bodies consist of the New Hamp-shire Department of Education, the National Council for the Accredita-tion of Teacher Education (NCATE), and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
The Master of Business Adminis-tration program is expected to add a new option called Hospital Adminis-tration. In order for it to add its new program, it has to be approved by its accrediting body the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).The body that approves new programs depends on what field that program serves. The Athletic Training program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Pro-grams of the American Medical Association. A new Library Media Specialist program is in the works as part of Plymouth State?s Master of Education program, accredited by the New Hampshire Education Media Organization (NHEMO).To offer new programs at Plym-outh State University, the Office of Graduate Studies and Community Outreach works in collaboration with the other members of the institutional community, outside businesses, and other colleges and universities to develop pro-grams that serve a purpose or fill some kind of societal need. These programs can serve the needs of business (e.g., MBA with an option in Hospital Administration), or serve its community (e.g., Master of Edu-cation with an option as a Library Media Specialist).
In order for the Master of Busi-ness Administration program to add a new option in Hospital Admin-istration, it needs to get approval by Plymouth State?s accrediting body the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). What this means is that in order for the University to add a new MBA option, it needs to have done market research that supplies facts and data showing there is a clear so-cietal need for the program. If there is sufficient evidence that shows the program is needed, it will be more likely to get approved.
To get a program into Plymouth State?s curriculum, the program must be put through an approval process. The Office of Graduate Studies and Community Outreach will send a program through its appropriate process, a process that could be longer or shorter depending on the certification or entitlement for the program. This means that a Master of Science degree program will take longer to approve than a program that is an option in a graduate program that PSU already offers. The difference between the two could be [approxi-mately] a year or longer.The average age of Plymouth State University?s graduate stu-dents is 38. There are approxi-mately 1,000 students who are de-gree-seeking students, and another 1,500 that are taking classes. Last year Plymouth State University had 250 people graduate from its graduate program; 160 of those people graduated with a Master of Education degree, 40 people graduated with their Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS), and 50 people graduated with their Master of Business Ad-ministration (MBA).