Cedar Crest College

Accounting

The mission of the Bachelor of Science in Accounting program at Cedar Crest College is to prepare students for careers in accounting. The curriculum builds professional accounting knowledge on a liberal arts foundation.

Art

The Art Department at Cedar Crest College demonstrates a dynamic commitment to the arts, both in the quality and breadth of its faculty, program, and facilities, and in galleries on campus. The art program is rooted in the studio tradition with a strong emphasis on introducing students to the history of art, studio techniques, contemporary art issues and applications for the major.

Art Therapy

Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that engages the client in image making. The Art Therapy Major at the undergraduate level introduces the student to theories in art therapy and develops the student's technical skills in multiple studio mediums, preparing students to pursue graduate studies in the field.

Biochemistry

Biochemistry is the study of the chemistry of life. The biochemistry major combines course work in chemistry and biology, with considerable emphasis on the laboratory experience, and is designed to prepare students for career options involving the chemistry of living systems, including medicine, pharmacology, pharmaceutical research, environmental chemistry, toxicology, and forensic science.

Biology

The Biology major is offered within a challenging, comprehensive liberal arts education, with state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities and a very active program of undergraduate research. All coursework and laboratories emphasize the development of skills in reading, questioning, analyzing, and evaluating assumptions along with development in technical writing and oral presentations.

Business Administration

The mission of the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration program at Cedar Crest College is to prepare students for careers in business. Students may pursue concentrations in areas such as data analytics, health care management, human resources, management, marketing, and project management.

Chemistry (B.A.)

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in chemistry provides students with a basic foundation in chemical principles with less emphasis on laboratory methods, allowing students the flexibility to combine chemistry with other areas of study such as pre-law, pre-health, business or secondary education.

Chemistry (B.S.)

The B.S. in chemistry provides more emphasis on the laboratory experience and prepares graduates for careers utilizing technical skills and scientific reasoning. The B.S. in chemistry is approved by the American Chemical Society, which means that graduates will be certified by the American Chemical Society.

Child Welfare

The Child Welfare Certificate is an interdisciplinary certificate offered through the Social Work Program that utilizes courses from social work, criminal justice, and psychology. It is designed to provide the knowledge and skills needed to work with children and adolescents and to educate students for specialized training in the child welfare system.

Communication

A major in Communication focuses on the analysis and criticism of media institutions and media texts, how people experience and understand media content, and the roles of media in producing and transforming culture. Beyond the critical component of the major, students are trained in creative production techniques using new technologies, equipment, methodologies, and facilities.

Computer Science

The Computer Science major is intended to prepare students for jobs as a Software Developer, Web Developer, Technical Project/Program Manager, and a variety of other technical roles. It heavily employs hands-on, project-based learning covering Web Development, Application Development, and more.

Crime and Community Mapping

The certificate in crime and community mapping is designed to offer students the opportunity to become proficient in a skill that is highly marketable in the criminal justice and social service professions. Students learn mapping technology that allows agencies to evaluate patterns of behavior geographically and develop responsive interventions.

Crime Science

Crime science is an outcome-centered approach grounded in effective prevention and detection of crime, and is more interdisciplinary than other criminal justice programs. The Crime Science program is a skill-based curriculum made up of mostly 1- and 2-credit learning modules, each designed to teach a skill that can be directly applied to a professional setting.

Criminal Justice

Criminal justice is the study of the social factors, social conditions and environmental influences that affect the development of human behavior contrary to commonly accepted norms. The curriculum places emphasis on understanding the social, biological, psychological, and environmental factors that influence behavior, along with research methods, evaluation, presentation, and a field experience.

Cybersecurity

Within this program, students assess modern cybersecurity challenges that threaten privacy, security, and safety, and gain both the knowledge and hands-on technical skills to protect digital assets from cyber criminals. Students who complete this curriculum will be prepared for a career as a cybersecurity professional and positioned to complete professional certifications within the field.

Dance

The Dance Program is grounded in the liberal arts and seeks interdisciplinary integration by pairing movement practices with theoretical investigation. The study of technique is paired with an understanding of dance history, anatomy and compositional theory, culminating in an individually designed Senior Capstone Project.

Data Science

Data Scientists harness data to inform decision-making, improve operational efficiency, and foster innovation. This program targets jobs like Data Scientist, Technical Data Analyst, and Machine Learning Engineer, and is deliberately smaller than many other data science programs to allow students to pursue their interests in the liberal arts.

Early Childhood Education

The Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood with teaching certification prepares the student for teaching in the PreK-4 classroom. The program combines liberal arts and Pennsylvania Department of Education general education requirements with education coursework, field experiences, and student teaching.

Educational Studies

The Bachelor of Science in Educational Studies is an interdisciplinary program designed to provide students with fundamental knowledge in educational theory and effective practices that relate to teaching and learning in many different fields. Degree completion does not lead to teacher certification; the major prepares graduates to teach or serve as an instructional leader outside of the traditional school setting.

English

Students choosing to major in English pursue a literature-focused major offering a solid fundamental background in diverse literatures by American, British, and global writers. The major is designed to prepare students for graduate study in many areas and for careers in teaching, publishing, law, business, government, and journalism.

Environmental Conservation (B.A.)

The B.A. in Environmental Conservation provides a strong foundation in conservation biology but is more interdisciplinary and allows students to focus through the integration of environmental conservation with other disciplines. The major presents environmental conservation within global, sociopolitical, and cultural contexts.

Environmental Conservation (B.S.)

The Environmental Conservation major is for students who are concerned about the environment and are interested in helping to protect species, habitats, and ecosystems. The B.S. in Environmental Conservation is a field-based major that provides students with a strong foundation and advanced study in the concepts and principles of ecology and conservation biology.

Exercise Science

The Exercise Science program combines coursework in both the basic sciences and exercise sciences, providing preparation for graduate and professional training in a wide range of fitness and medical fields. The major prepares students to enter professional settings such as sport and wellness programs, community recreational agencies, hospitals and clinics, and private and corporate agencies.

Forensic Nursing

Forensic nursing is specialized care for patients experiencing acute and long-term health consequences associated with victimization or violence. This certificate prepares RNs who work in settings where there is no formal forensic nursing position to apply an enhanced skill set to inpatient, outpatient, community/home health, school, elder care, coroner's office, corrections, and mass disaster settings.

Forensic Science

The forensic science major is integrated, multi-disciplinary and highly applied, offering a foundation from which to launch a career in forensic science. Students in the program have opportunities to interact with forensic professionals, work on forensic research projects, and apply for internships; the program is accredited by the Forensic Science Educational Programs Accreditation Commission.

General Studies

The General Studies major allows students to choose one focus area and complete coursework within that area. Focus options include Humanities, Social Science, Arts, Science/Math, Global Studies, and Professional Studies, culminating in a capstone experience.

Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology

The Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology major is offered through the Department of Biological Sciences where state-of-the-art laboratories allow students to experience biotechnology first-hand. Students develop a basic understanding of molecular genetics as they explore the technology behind recent advances in the field and discover how molecular biology impacts fields such as oncology, gene therapy, immunology and medical genetics.

Genetics and Counseling Psychology

The Genetics and Counseling Psychology major is multidisciplinary, drawing on course work particularly from the Departments of Biological Sciences and Psychology. The consensus requirements for admission to genetic counseling programs would be met by successful completion of the major.

Global Studies

Global Studies is an interdisciplinary major designed to equip students to be leaders in an increasingly interconnected world. Grounded in a core set of courses introducing key elements of global affairs, the major also provides opportunities to expand knowledge in global humanities, international business and communication, global politics, and global social and environmental justice.

Health Care Management

The Health Care Management Certificate develops industry-specific skills in process analysis, management, marketing, and finance. Individuals working in the health services industry may use this knowledge to better understand their management role or to advance into supervisory or management positions.

Health Science

Completion of this major results in preparation across the basic sciences, giving students the skills to communicate, review and evaluate aspects of the healthcare process. The Health Science major allows students to pursue employment and/or graduate work in fields such as healthcare administration, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.

History

An education in history prepares students to participate knowledgeably in the world around them on a local, national, and global level. History majors get hands-on training and experience starting in their first year, learning from and collaborating with historians, archivists, librarians, and museum professionals.

Human Resources Management

This certificate is tailored to meet the needs of those who require an understanding of the expanding area of human resources management in public or private organizations. It is intended for those who wish to pursue professional opportunities within human resources management or to make a career change into the human resources profession.

Integrated Biology

The Integrated Biology major asks students to reflect on the interrelationship between the biological sciences and another discipline. Students study biological systems at all structural levels of the biological hierarchy while also completing course work in a second discipline.

Leadership

The Undergraduate Leadership Certificate is open to students of all majors. This program takes the student on a self-reflective journey where they learn about leadership, who they are as a leader, and ultimately how they can use their leadership skills in local, state, national, and global communities.

Mathematics

The mathematics program emphasizes an understanding of the nature and structure of mathematics, its processes and applications, and is designed to develop students' problem-solving, abstract reasoning, and logical thinking skills. The B.S. in Mathematics is a versatile degree enabling graduates to work in a wide variety of careers requiring strong analytical skills.

Neuroscience

The interdisciplinary field of neuroscience is concerned with basic brain function and its relationship to complex processes of behavior and cognition, as well as to the mechanisms of neurological and mental illness. Students complete courses offered by the Biological Sciences, Chemical and Physical Sciences, and Math Departments and can choose electives in Psychology.

Nuclear Medicine Technology

Nuclear medicine is the scientific and clinical discipline concerned with diagnostic, therapeutic, and investigative use of radionuclides. The program leading to the B.S. degree in Nuclear Medicine Technology prepares students for a professional career as a nuclear medicine technologist and spans four years (a 3+1 program), the first three of which are spent at Cedar Crest College.

Nursing

The undergraduate nursing program prepares graduates to function as professional nurse generalists committed to lifelong learning and to function as registered nurses in compliance with State Nurse Practice Acts. It provides the foundation for future graduate study in nursing and serves as the basis for a variety of careers in health care; the program is approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.

Nutrition

The Cedar Crest College Nutrition major and Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) is an undergraduate program fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). Graduates receive a bachelor of science in nutrition, and those meeting the DPD requirements also earn a verification statement demonstrating attainment of ACEND competencies.

Political Science

Majoring in political science exposes students to knowledge and skills applicable across a range of career opportunities in both the public and private sectors. The program provides a strong foundation of fundamental concepts and theories while allowing students to focus their course of study in American Politics, Global Politics, or Law and Society.

Project Management

Modern project management involves understanding the complex and evolving organizational environments in which projects operate. This program addresses in-demand knowledge such as agile and waterfall philosophies, team and personnel management, risk assessment, and critical systems-based thinking, and prepares students to take the PMI Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) exam.

Psychology

At Cedar Crest College, students approach psychology as both a science and a profession, pursuing knowledge of the field using theories and methods such as experiments, observations and surveys, and applying that knowledge to practical problems. Courses are offered in sub-fields including counseling and clinical psychology, social psychology, cognitive psychology, biopsychology, health psychology, forensic psychology, and industrial/organizational psychology.

Public Health

The Public Health program provides opportunities for students to explore different core public health disciplines, including epidemiology, global health, environmental health, health education and behavioral science. The curriculum draws from coursework in the Health Sciences, Biological Sciences, and Social Sciences to help students address community health education, preventive measures, and community engagement.

Secondary Education

The Secondary Education major prepares professional educators to meet the many challenges of teaching in the grade 7-12 classroom. Prospective secondary teachers major in Secondary Education while following a concentration in Biology, Chemistry, Social Studies, English, Mathematics, or Spanish.

Social Work

The Social Work Program is dedicated to the highest quality educational preparation of students for entry into beginning social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. The program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and provides students with a generalist approach to social work practice.

Special Education

The Special Education major prepares professional educators to meet the many challenges of the 21st century special education classroom. Prospective special education teachers will earn a teacher certification in special education Pre-K to 12 grades.

Theatre

The Theatre major combines coursework in acting and directing, stagecraft, design for the stage, theatre history, world drama, production, and stage management. Students complete a portfolio workshop sequence and a senior thesis project.

Writing

The Writing major allows students with an interest in writing to develop their abilities further and to acquire flexibility and fluency as creative and professional writers, as well as familiarity with a range of platforms for their published work. The major also offers students the opportunity to gain valuable practical experience through the internship option.