Three new majors were presented to and approved by the OU Board of Trustees (BOT) on Friday, with enrollment available to students in Fall 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pending approval from The Higher Learning Commission, these new programs in the School of Engineering and Computer Science, the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education and Human Services, will likely launch in Fall 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reduced-credit engineering major: B.S. in Engineering Technology<\/p>\n
Housed in the School of Engineering and Computer Science, the three-year engineering program \u2014 excluding general education \u2014 was created to expand access to high-quality engineering education, reducing both time and cost. This 93-credit program is expected to become the first reduced-credit bachelor\u2019s degree approved at a public university in Michigan, positioning the university as a national leader in the discipline. The curriculum will position students for careers in advanced manufacturing, engineering operations, automation and other technical fields.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything we do is about our students getting jobs after they graduate,\u201d Louay Chamra, Ph.D., dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science, said. \u201cIn Southeast Michigan\u2026there are approximately 8700 jobs every year in engineering technology\u2026our technology companies and industry in Southeast Michigan demand [the major].\u201d<\/p>\n
Chamra and professor of engineering Asaad Makki, Ph.D., designed the program together and are currently working on articulating agreements with community colleges, including Macomb Community College, Oakland Community College, Henry Ford Community College and Wayne County Community College \u2014 helping streamline the transfer of credits.<\/p>\n
Fully online communication major: B.A. in Strategic Communication<\/p>\n
Created in response to local needs, the fully online strategic communication program was designed with adult learners, transfer students and stop-out students in mind. Aiming to prepare students for a contemporarily complex communication environment, graduates will be prepared for careers in public relations, corporate communication, social media management and related fields.<\/p>\n
\u201cAcross Southeast Michigan, employers are seeking graduates who can analyze audiences, communicate ethically and effectively and develop strategic messages across multiple platforms and modalities,\u201d Kathleen Battles, Ph.D., professor and chairperson of the Department of Communication, Journalism and Public Relations, said. \u201cThese skills are increasingly essential to\u2026healthcare, nonprofit, automotive, technology, corporate communication \u2014 industries that are so important to this area.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The program is 40 credits within the 120 credit bachelor of arts degree. Students will be able to tailor their degree to fit both personal and professional goals through elective coursework, learning how to use AI in the process to become a competitive candidate in the job market. Additionally, students will analyze audiences, learn media strategy and engage with stakeholders and related communication competencies.<\/p>\n
Leadership-focused doctoral program: Ed.D. in Applied Early Childhood Practice and Policy<\/p>\n
An advanced 56-credit degree designed for working professionals, the Ed.D. in Applied Early Childhood Practice and Policy meets the market demand for cultivating change in the early childhood education space. Centered around leadership, this major is for individuals in the education field looking to advance themselves. It shares all but two courses with the Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis innovative program will prepare experienced practitioners to address complex challenges in early childhood systems through leadership, applied research, and policy engagement,\u201d Provost Amy Thompson said. \u201cGraduates will be equipped to lead organizational change, inform public policy and strengthen early childhood programs at the local, state and national levels.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jon Margerum-Leys, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education and Human Services, and Tomoko Wakabayashi, Ed.D., associate professor of human development and child studies, said the program was developed to be both affordable and successful while building on Oakland University\u2019s R1 research designation. Designed for working professionals, the program can be completed in three years by taking two courses per term.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Three new majors were presented to and approved by the OU Board of Trustees (BOT) on Friday, with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":385224,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144],"class_list":["post-385223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=385223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/385224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=385223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=385223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=385223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}