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.

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.

Construction Management Concentration

The construction management concentration provides students with the professional competencies required to provide applied operational and tactical level support for construction projects in the 21st century economy.

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 healthcare organization of any size who seek formal, academic credentials and/or documentation of contemporary knowledge of issues confronting management in the field. Students in this concentration will gain an understanding of healthcare industry structure, healthcare finance, operations management, the laws and regulations that govern healthcare operations, and leadership. The program is designed to ensure students acquire the top skills and competencies required of healthcare managers in the 21^st century, including quality management, customer service and patient satisfaction, people management, and budgeting. This program advances your ability to succeed in this complex, rapidly evolving industry.

Hospitality Operations Management

With close to seven million guests, Charleston is consistently rated one of the premier destinations within the United States. Students studying Hospitality Operations Management will be prepared for mid-level operational roles within the hospitality and tourism industry. Classes in this concentration focus on helping students become proficient in customer-service, management, sales and competitive analytics.

Organizational Management and Development Concentration

The concentration in Organizational Management and Development is designed for leaders, managers and organizational support specialists in the public, private and non-profit sectors. The ability to develop organizational strategy, design a supporting organization, secure and lead human resources, and support the ongoing development of an organization are core 21^st century competencies for organizational professionals. Learn the key concepts, models and best practices needed to promote organizational success under increasingly complex, rapidly changing and diverse conditions. The concentration advances the capacity of 21^st century organizational professionals across a wide range of roles including entrepreneurs, general managers, leaders of a particular function, providers of development services as an in-house or external consultant, and an employees.

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. Project Management is the application of processes, methods, skills and knowledge to plan, budget, control, monitor and conclude the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet agreed upon criteria for success. Project management is challenging because the project team must deliver the final product in a finite amount of time, and within a specified budget. The modern project manager must also be a skilled communicator, managing both the complexities of working with the project team, and the relationship with the client. Individuals who have project management training and experience are highly sought after and enjoy a high level of job satisfaction.

Project Management Minor (pending SACSCOC approval)

As today’s global organization continues to grow and face the difficulties related to complex, fast paced and challenging work, project management has emerged as one of the most sought after skill sets in the modern economy. Project management presents an understanding of the tools and processes used to manage projects so that projects are completely on-time, on-budget and to the appropriate specifications. The minor in project management prepares students to efficiently and effectively direct projects in a variety of industries.

Quality and Risk Management Concentration

The quality and risk management concentration provides students with the operational, tactical and strategic professional competencies that support the risk and quality management process within multiple sectors.

Project Management Certificate

As global organizations grow in complexity, team and project-based methods have become an increasingly vital component of the workplace. Project Management is the application of processes, methods, skills and knowledge to plan, budget, control, monitor and conclude the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet agreed upon criteria for success. Project management is challenging because the project team must deliver the final product in a finite amount of time, and within a specified budget. The modern project manager must also be a skilled communicator, managing both the complexities of working with the project team, and the relationship with the client. Individuals who have project management training and experience are highly sought after and enjoy a high level of job satisfaction.

A Certificate in Project Management can be a stand-alone credential for an individual who has applied experience in Project Management and need to develop their knowledge further. This Certificate also provides a highly favored complementary credential to the baccalaureate degree for students who are planning to transition to the workforce after graduation.

Sustainability and 21st Century Business Solutions Certificate

Sustainability professionals help organizations achieve their goals while ensuring they act in a socially, economically and environmentally responsible manner. They help companies and other organizations adopt financially sound strategies that have minimal environmental and social impact. For a growing number of companies, the sustainable management of environmental resources and positive social impact are fundamental to their long term strategy of financial sustainability. The Certificate in Sustainability and 21st Century Business Solutions prepare students for key roles in the emerging field of sustainability management.