Instructional Studies Program Paves the Path for a Variety of Careers, Great Fit for Students Seeking Degree Completion Friday, August 7, 2020
"The sheer flexibility students have to transfer in a large number of credits and earn a bachelor’s degree — in one to three years — is a major differentiator of this program. What makes our program distinctive is that students can transfer in up to 90 credits from a four-year college or university or 70 credits from a two-year institution, such as a community college."
Tell us about the B.A. instructional studies degree program at Point Park University.
Our Bachelor of Arts in instructional studies degree, offered both on campus and fully online, serves as a valuable program for several different audiences including:
Jenea Brooks '15
- Prospective students who have a strong interest to work in the field of education, but who do not want to pursue a formal K-12 state teaching certification at this time
- Transfer students seeking a bachelor’s degree completion program that honors the maximum credits they have earned at previous institutions
- Prospective or transfer students who want to earn a degree that allows them a variety of career options — from being a paraprofessional in a public school to opening up a daycare center to working in financial services — and more
- Prospective or transfer students who want to earn a bachelor’s degree focused in education with goals to pursue a master’s degree with teaching certification at Point Park, entering the graduate program with 12 credits
- Experienced, full-time working professionals who want to earn a bachelor’s degree by choosing coursework that best fulfills their career goals
What differentiates your 120-credit B.A. instructional studies program from similar programs offered at other universities and colleges?
The sheer flexibility students have to transfer in a large number of credits and earn a bachelor’s degree — in one to three years — is a major differentiator of this program.
What makes our program distinctive is that students can transfer in up to 90 credits from a four-year college or university or 70 credits from a two-year institution, such as a community college.
We understand life happens. Our instructional studies program enables students who have invested time, money and effort into their education to efficiently graduate with a bachelor’s degree.
Additionally, if our instructional studies students choose to pursue one of our School of Education teacher certification master’s degree programs (Pre-K through fourth grade, secondary education or special education), they can roll 12 credits into that graduate program.
Also, instructional studies students have the option to tailor this degree program to their interests through a variety of classes they can take through the University.
Courses options in the B.A. instructional studies program include:
Katelyn Reese '15
- Adolescent Development
- Assessment and Adaptation
- Building Family Partnerships
- Educational Psychology
- Electives of your choice
- Family and Community Diversit5
- History elective
- Intro to Teaching Profession
- Mathematics elective
- Political Science elective
- Positive Behavior Interventions and Support
- Special Education and Inclusive Practices
What career opportunities are available to students who graduate from the program?
The opportunities are vast and depend on the students’ career goals and personal interests. This degree program is really what you make of it.
Kenny Sickles '18
Below are some of our instructional studies graduates and their job titles, which show the variety of career paths an instructional studies degree can take you.
- Jenea Brooks ’15, owner/director, Creative Community, LLC, learning center
- Heidi Lemon ’19, educational assistant, Pittsburgh Public Schools
- Angel Mahnik ’13, teacher’s aide, Western PA School for the Deaf
- Katelyn Reese ’15, associate partner, New York Life Insurance Company
- Kenny Sickles ’18, co-founder, All Out Dance Competition
- Theopolis Washington III ’18, paraprofessional, Maple Heights High School
Why should a prospective student choose Point Park University to pursue their instructional studies degree?
We offer the best of both worlds. Students can pursue this degree fully online or take all of their classes at our Downtown Pittsburgh campus and be immersed in a world-class city with leading education, business and technology organizations surrounding them.
Also, our courses are taught by faculty who bring their real-world professional work experience into the classes they teach. Our School of Education faculty have an average of 30 years of classroom and administrative experience in a wide range of diverse educational environments.
What also makes Point Park University stand out is that we recognize our responsibility to create and maintain an educational environment that affirms the diversity of all people and ideas. We embrace, support and actively pursue policies of inclusiveness that recognize, value and reflect the diversity of the community we serve and the world in which we live.
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