The Hanover Research (2022) report cited Health and Allied Health fields as two that were performing extremely well both in SRSU’s service region and across the State of Texas. This aligns with current and future labor market needs in healthcare and social assistance, which currently account for more than 14% of the West Texas employment share and are projected to continue to grow (Hanover Research, 2022). Health Care Administration and Public/Community Health are each cited as “high growth” fields within Texas over the next decade. This is currently a significant gap in SRSU’s postbaccalaureate program offerings.
To address this need, meet this potential, and provide students with tremendous opportunity to advance existing careers or begin new careers in these prominent, high growth fields, SRSU will develop and implement a new Master of Science in Health Science that will include three concentrations: Community Health – aligned with the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) certification exam; Health Informatics—aligned with the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA)’s Certified Health Informatics Professionals certification exam; and Health Care Administration.
Further, to help increase access and address barriers that students cited throughout the planning process, the M.S. in Health Science degree will be a 30-hour fast-track program broken down into accelerated 8-week sessions. This fully online, asynchronous program will allow students to complete a degree in one year (with eligibility) from one of the most affordable institutions in the State of Texas. Additionally, students can earn the associated certificates in just 16-weeks (two blocks of two eight-week courses) providing additional incentive and appeal for students looking to break into or advance within the high-growth healthcare sector.
Currently, SRSU offers two separate tracks toward earning a master’s degree in Animal Science: a Master of Science in Animal Science with thesis (in-residence) and a Master of Agriculture in Animal Science non-thesis (online). Currently, the two separate degrees compete for a limited share of potential graduate students. While the M.S. with thesis degree is an excellent option for students who wish to pursue their degree in-residence and potentially seek eventual doctoral study, the online Master of Agriculture degree has been identified for revision. This is based on the Hanover Research (2022) report and on direct student feedback solicited through interviews with faculty and administrators in addition to enrollment and market trends. As a solution, some of the underlying structure of the current online Master of Agriculture degree will be used to form a foundation for new and redesigned courses that will become a new online Master of Science degree in Environmental Studies. New courses and redesigned courses will create differentiation between graduate degrees within the College of Agriculture, Life & Physical Sciences, with the new M.S. in Environmental Studies offering three distinct concentrations: Biology, Geology, and Natural Resource Management. These concentrations build in efficiencies to the program as they will share a common core that will be paired with specific bundles or modules of courses that lead to the specific concentration.
Similar to the M.S. in Health Science, the M.S. in Environmental Studies will be designed in direct response to student feedback and will offer an accelerated 30-credit hour degree broken into 8-week terms.
In response to student feedback and the needs of local school districts throughout the service region, SRSU will develop two new specializations to be offered within its M.Ed. in Educational Leadership degree. First, a new online specialization will be developed to include Educational Diagnostician certification. Students within this specialization will be required to complete their Action Research in a special education classroom. Second, a new online specialization will be developed in Instructional Coaching which will include Principal as Instructional Leader certification. This is a direct response to the needs of local educational agencies. Finally, a standalone certificate in Instructional Coaching (which may also be used as a lead-in to the M.Ed. degree) will be offered to existing teachers or principals who are seeking to help their districts or advance their careers on an accelerated timeline. The certificate could be earned within one year. Workshops and monthly seminars will be offered by the Education department to help ensure students stay on track and gain the knowledge necessary to complete either specialization.
SRSU already has an established Master of Business Administration (MBA) program but proposes the addition of a new concentration in International Trade to further appeal to students, particularly those along the U.S. – Mexico border where SRSU is located. To the extent possible, newly developed courses to support this concentration will be cross listed with courses offered in the Department of Industrial Technology to work toward an interdisciplinary credential in Supply Chain Management. These are again direct responses to the Hannover Research (2022) report wherein Business Administration and Management was cited as one of SRSU’s best performing programs and a high growth offering.
To meet the needs of future teachers – including high school teachers who wish to teach dual credit courses, community college instructors, or university professors who wish to improve their ability to teach the skill of composition – SRSU will develop and implement a graduate certificate in Composition Studies and Writing Center Pedagogy. The certificate will be offered both as a standalone block of courses to postbaccalaureate students, or as a building block toward a Master of Arts in English. The certificate will consist of 18-hours of coursework to fulfill hiring requirements and ensure student placement or advancement in careers. This certificate will help fill the need in the high growth field of Curriculum and Instruction cited in the Hanover Research (2022) report and will be a viable addition to the College of Literature, Arts, and Social Sciences.
Leveraging its unique geographic location along the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as ongoing partnerships with the U.S. Border Patrol, National and State Parks Service, and other industry partners, the Department of Public Administration and the Department of Criminal Justice and Homeland Security will work together to create a 12-hour interdisciplinary online certificate in Border Security and Management. The certificate would be useful as a standalone for workers within the agencies or as a lead-in to either the Master of Public Administration, the Master of Science in Criminal Justice, or the Master of Science in Homeland Security. All of the courses required for the certificate would transfer into any of the three M.S. degrees, increasing efficiency and providing students with additional options.