School of Professional Studies

The School of Professional Studies program seeks to serve the University by providing educational services to the traditional, non-traditional and adult learner matriculating student. The program provides the means by which the University enriches, expands, and extends its primary missions of teaching, research and community service.

Our school purposely seeks adult and non-traditional learners at specific areas throughout the State of Florida to provide career oriented degree and non-degree programs. Outreach programs have been designed to meet the educational, social and cultural needs of adult learners.

School of Professional Studies Mission

The Professional Studies program at Bethune-Cookman University seeks to educate and prepare nontraditional, professionals and educators to investigate and solve domestic and global issues and provide continuous higher learning opportunities for adults who want to begin or advance in careers, enhance lifelong learning, and keep pace with the growing complexities of today’s world.

School of Professional Studies Vision

The vision of the School of Professional Studies is based on the premises that all persons throughout their lifetime, should be provided with the opportunity to gain knowledge, develop their creative potential, and become a more productive citizens that seek to serve the total University by providing educational services to the nontraditional matriculating student. The purpose of the school is to extend the resources of the University to a wide range of individuals, special interest groups, and targeted audiences not otherwise served by on-going programs, certification and training. Programs within the school are specifically directed toward those individuals who are working adults who need a nontraditional course schedule at off campus locations and/or in weekend/evening courses on-campus.

School of Professional Studies Goals

Goal 1: To meet the educational needs of learners through creative and nontraditional systems, the School of Professional Studies commits to intentionally define, explain, and predict excellence in higher education for traditional and non-traditional students by offering certificates, training, evening and weekend courses.

Goal 2: Seeks further to develop learners through high levels of involvement with content, faculty, and immediate application while focusing on Christian values and ethics to provide direction, purpose, and evaluation of personal and professional life action.

Goal 3: Be responsive to the needs of the area and strives to offer programs and services which support a diverse target audience including business and industry, educational and government agencies, professional groups and associations, and the general community.

Goal 4: Provide strong academic programs at Deltona and Miller campuses for students and maintain continuous programmatic review in order to better meet the educational needs of the students.

Goal 5: Improve academic and career advising to enhance the educational choices of the adult learner. Maintain a student service orientation through “one stop shop” administrative processes.

Goal 6: Maintain partnerships with other educational providers to enhance educational opportunities for students while practicing economies of scale. Explore ways to support community requests for non-credit programming (certificates, GED prep, online training) as feasible when related to the mission.

Goal 7: Establish a model outcomes assessment plan to include assessment of students, courses, programs, advisement, and the department and provide direction, encouragement, support, and recognition for the scholarly growth of faculty.

School of Professional Studies Objectives

The School of Professional Studies focuses on programs and classes taught by professionals committed to quality education and a depth of learning who work full-time within their individual fields of expertise. The courses, programs, activities and events within the School of Professional Studies provide opportunities for students to:

Value learning as a life-long process and advance the acquisition of knowledge and abilities that enhance a successful personal and professional future and impart a sense of ethics, social responsibility, and community service.
Establish a foundation in professional or liberal studies by creating a student oriented learning environment with opportunities for student faculty interaction.
Analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and present information cogently; and to make informed, intelligent decisions that enhance interpersonal relationships and communication skills.
Acknowledge the importance of technology and how technology impacts opportunities for employment, leadership and management roles.
Work closely with administrative and/or faculty through the advisement process to select or position courses in the development of their major.

Program Student Learning Outcomes (PSLO)

Following the completion of a major in the School of Professional Studies students will:

PSLO 1. Apply critical thinking skills to reflect, analyze, and evaluate information and experiences using discipline-specific theories, terminology, and paradigms as measured in discipline-specific exit exams, senior papers, projects, and/or portfolios at an acceptable level on a rubric.

PSLO 2. Demonstrate practical knowledge and competency in professional studies or liberal studies as measured through discipline-specific exit exams, senior papers, projects and/or portfolios at an acceptable level on a rubric.

PSLO 3. Communicate clearly, concisely and correctly in written and spoken English in order to write and orally present an academic paper or project using appropriate electronic and non-electronic research strategies.

PSLO 4. Demonstrate civic engagement, productive teamwork, and personal responsibility as measured through discipline-related experiences at an acceptable level on a rubric (LS 499 ).

Professional Studies Program

The Professional Studies program at Bethune-Cookman University is based on the premise that all persons throughout their lifetime should have access to and be provided with the opportunity to gain knowledge, develop skills and enhance their creative potential in order to become more productive citizens. With campuses in Deltona, Florida and Hastings, Florida the Professional Studies program continues to provide educational opportunities to special interest groups and targeted audiences not otherwise served by the on-campus programs. The Professional Studies program is designed to serve the educational needs of the nontraditional adult learner. The program provides outreach services throughout the State of Florida based on the belief that all careers demand organized training and development to support local community needs while minimizing the disruption of the learner’s life.

Over the past 30 years, the Professional Studies Program has helped hundreds of people in the Northeast Florida area become successful. Designed for busy adults, this program delivers undergraduate degree programs that prepare you to succeed in life - wherever it takes you.

Academic programs leading to a Bachelor’s degree include: Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Elementary Education, Liberal Studies, Psychology and Sociology.

Professional Studies Program admission requirements

High school diploma or score of 223 on the GED examination
SAT or ACT scores
Letter of recommendation
Admission application and a $25.00 non-refundable fee
Applicants must submit official copies of transcript(s) of all college work attempted.