Mar 28, 2024  
2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog (As of 10-03-17) 
    
2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog (As of 10-03-17) [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

School of Professional Studies


Phone: 843.953.6684
Godfrey Gibbison, Dean

About the Program

The Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) is a degree completion program. This program is designed to meet the needs of working adults from a wide variety of academic backgrounds, by offering classes in convenient formats, including hybrid and online classes. The BPS offers concentrations in Applied Communication, Organizational Leadership and Management, Healthcare and Medical Services Management, and Project Management.

Organizational Leadership and Management Concentration

The concentration in Organizational Leadership and Management is designed for leaders and managers. The ability to lead and harness talent within one’s team is essential in for-profit and non-profit organizations as well as in civic oriented organizations. Learn to recognize the diverse talents and perspectives of members of your team and leverage those talents and ideas to help the team, the organization and each individual excel and prosper. Leadership development is a critical skill in today’s workforce, and those skills are transferable to multiple organizational settings.

Applied Communication Concentration

The concentration in Applied Communication emphasizes communication techniques that can be applied in a wide variety of work, personal, and social situations.

Communication is about how people use messages to generate meanings across various contexts in an ethical, clear, concise, and comprehensive way and often involves persuading and motivating an audience to take action. Communication can also be used to elicit crucial hidden information, a useful skill in job interviewing or law enforcement. Businesses use communication of information as part of an overall business strategy. On a smaller scale, communication occurs in small groups and is affected by power relationships between various individuals. In these situations it is important to observe and properly interpret non-verbal cues in order to minimize miscommunication and conflict.

Healthcare and Medical Services Management Concentration

This concentration is a good fit for individuals who work in the healthcare industry in clinical professions, but are interested in expanding into managerial aspects of the industry. It is also an excellent fit for anyone working in managerial aspects of any healthcare organization of any size who seek formal credentials and/or documentation of their expertise. Students in this concentration will gain an understanding of healthcare industry structure, health care finance, operations management, the laws and regulations that govern healthcare operations, and leadership.

Project Management Concentration

As global organizations grow in complexity, team and project-based methods have become an increasingly vital component of the workplace. Although the business services and manufacturing industries have traditionally supported the majority of project management positions, the demand for project management practitioners is expanding across industry: 70% of the organizations surveyed in a 2011 Project Management Institute (PMI) study, reported hiring individuals engaged in project or program management. Twenty percent of all jobs that require a bachelor’s degree also require applicants to have certification or licensure in a given skill-area; with project management certification being particularly desirable.

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Student Learning Outcomes