Page 10 - 2019 President's Annual Report

Learning

New academic programs expand
MGA students’ opportunities for learning

New programs in Health Science, Business, and Arts &
Letters open new career pathways

During 2018-19, the number and diversity of academic programs
offered at Middle Georgia State increased, with new degrees at both
the undergraduate- and graduate-levels. By creating and
implementing unique, career-oriented programs and degrees, MGA
will continue to help meet the workforce needs for the region and
the state and fulfill the goal of building communities through
education.
In the area of rehabilitative care, MGA is launching two new degrees –
a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Science and a Master of Science
in Occupational Therapy. Striving to meet a growing demand for professionals who can work to
improve the quality of life for people with physical and/or cognitive disabilities in the community, the
Rehabilitation Science degree will lead to careers in a wide array of fields, including physical therapy, speech
language pathology, clinical exercise, and rehabilitation counseling. The Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy
– a bridge program currently pending approval by regional and professional accrediting bodies – is designed to
let OT professionals practicing with an associate’s degree complete a graduate program in only two years.
MGA’s School of Business is home to the new Bachelor of Science in Sport Management. Sport management
programs prepare individuals to apply management principles to the organization, administration, or
management of athletic programs and teams, sport recreation services, and related sectors – areas that are
among the largest new drivers of job creation of the current decade, growing more than 12.6 percent since 2010.
Finally, a new graduate program in the School of Arts & Letters, the Master of Arts in Technical and Professional
Writing will feature coursework focusing on rhetorical theory, the craft of technical and professional writing, and
digital literacy. The degree is designed to prepare students for or advance them in careers in technical and
professional writing, editing, research, web-content management, marketing, business, government, non-profits,
and more.