By KELLY URBAN
CRESSON — It has been a prominent fixture in the community for 156 years, and there’s no sign of it slowing down.
Mount Aloysius College announced last month the addition of three new graduate level programs – master of science in business administration, master of science in community counseling and master of science in education – that will be launched in the fall 2010 semester.
School officials believe including these programs shows how far Mount Aloysius has come in terms of offering a quality education.
“The college has been growing for the past 10 years and we want to better serve our community and continue to evolve into a more comprehensive college,” said Ronald Cromwell, senior vice president for academic affairs.
“If you come to campus you’ll see an increase of new buildings and technology in the classrooms, so this is all about attracting students who are coming to this college to improve their lives.”
Mount Aloysius now offers graduate degrees in criminal justice management in correctional administration, general psychology and health and human services administration.
Before the programs can be offered, a series of steps must be completed, a process the college began in the fall of 2008.
Paul Farcus, associate academic dean/professor of social sciences/division chairperson, health studies and sciences, said the addition of the programs came out of the strategic plan. Surveys went out to students, faculty and staff asking what programs they thought would be beneficial. At the same time, external consultants were brought in to conduct a similar study.
“We did not share our findings with the consultants and they came up with the same three programs and believed we could build on the programs we already have in place,” Farcus said.
From there proposals were drawn that went through the chain of command within the college, finally going to the state Department of Education for approval.
“We had visits from the state to review our services and then we were formally approved,” Farcus said.
The MBA consists of 36 credits and is designed as a fifth-year program.
Students can select one of three concentrations: Accounting, program management and health and human service administration.
Graduates from the accounting concentration also will meet the 150-hour requirement for certified public accountant licensure.
“A change in state law goes into effect 2012 that all CPAs must have 150 college credits, which usually means a master’s degree, so this is a seamless way for students who are already in business programs to continue with courses,” Cromwell said.
The master of science in community counseling is a 48-credit program that allows students to take
12 additional credits in order to meet the 60-credit state regulation for licensure as a professional counselor in the state.
The master of education is a 33-credit program. Students choose one of the three specializations for graduate work that include early childhood, special education and secondary education.
It is available to certified teachers and all course work will be offered in the evening to accommodate schedules.
Frank Crouse, vice president for enrollment management/dean of admissions, said prospective students can begin to apply during the spring 2010 semester.
“We really are becoming a key player in higher education,” he said.
“We have about 2,000 students and enrollment numbers are up by 3 percent from last year, so across the board we’ve seen solid advancements.”
For more information on the graduate programs, contact the Office of Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions at (888) 823-2220 or www.mtaloy.edu/admissions.
