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Undergraduate Course Electives

Undergraduate course electives course descriptions

The following undergraduate course electives are available to Ashworth College students who are working toward an Associate of Science, Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or Bachelor of Arts. Click the arrow next to a course name to see a preview course description.

General Education Electives (100-200 Level)

Behavioral/Social Science

C04 - Introduction to Psychology  

This course covers the psychology of biology and behavior, consciousness, memory, thought and language, intelligence, personality and gender, stress, and community influences.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Demonstrate a high level of inquiry, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the liberal arts, natural sciences, and social sciences.
  • Describe the science of psychology and the basic structures and functions of the human nervous and sensory systems.
  • Explain various states of consciousness, learning theories, and thought processes and development.
  • Summarize the nature of human motivation and development, the human development cycle, and approaches to understanding and assessing personality.
  • Prepare an essay on the topic of conditioning, memory, or motivation and emotion.
  • Recognize psychological disorders and available treatments.
  • Explain social psychology as it relates to attitudes, influences, behaviors, and stress.
  • Use critical thinking skills to determine the likely causes of behaviors of individuals and groups discussed in case studies.

Credit Hours: 3

C08 - American Government  

In this course, you'll explore how the founders formed the government, how it's structured, and how it operates. You'll consider how civil liberties and civil rights are affected by federalism. You'll examine the three branches of government that comprise the system of checks and balances—legislative, executive, and judicial. You'll also learn about the political system of parties and interest groups and how they influence public opinion and participate in the government. You'll find that although the Constitution, in principle, grants certain rights and liberties to the people, many groups still need to be allowed those rights in practice and have had to fight for them. The nature of the US government means that the people have a voice and that the Constitution is a living document because it can be adapted and amended to change with the times.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Analyze how political thinking in America and the historical basis for such thought contributed to the process required to form the foundations of the government
  • Summarize the debate, factors, principles, and events that led to the creation of the US Constitution
  • Explain how our civil rights and civil liberties are affected by federalism
  • Describe the roles and responsibilities of the executive branch of government and how it functions through the federal bureaucracy
  • Describe the roles and responsibilities of the legislative branch of government
  • Describe the roles and responsibilities of the judicial branch of government
  • Explain how political parties and interest groups influence governmental policy and their role in campaigns and elections
  • Identify the ways that public opinion and public participation influence governmental policy

Credit Hours: 3

C11 - Macroeconomics  

This course will cover the topic of macroeconomics, which is the study of the economy as a whole. It analyzes economy-wide phenomena, including inflation, unemployment, and trade deficits.

Macroeconomic information shows up daily in news articles and broadcasts because its implications are important to the quality of our lives. For instance, why is income high in some countries and very low in others? Why do production and employment expand in some years and contract in others?

These questions and many others can be addressed by macroeconomic analysis. Studying macroeconomics can help you better understand how the condition of the overall economy affects us all. You often hear about things like average prices rising at a particular rate (inflation) and the imbalance of trade between the United States and the rest of the world (the trade deficit). This information and several other statistics are compiled and monitored by the economists who study the macro economy.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain economic systems and the economic perspective
  • Identify the key factors in macroeconomics and how economists use them to study the economy as a whole
  • Explain the macroeconomic models and fiscal policies
  • Explain money, banking, and financial policy
  • Explain the extending analysis of aggregate supply, current issues in theory and policy, and international economics
  • Analyze foreign exchange and investment and the effects each nation's economy has on another nation's economy

Credit Hours: 3

C13 - Microeconomics  

This course will provide a survey of the economic behavior on an individual human and business level. You'll learn the basic concepts of the economic perspective needed to work with the principles of economics. In addition to the basic concepts of supply and demand, market structures, consumer behavior, government regulation, resource markets and modern issues in microeconomics will be explored in this course.

Objectives:

  • Explain the basic concepts of economic perspective
  • Analyze how price and efficiency affects consumer behavior
  • Distinguish between pure competition market, pure monopoly, monopolistic competition, and oligopoly market structure
  • Analyze the factors affecting allocation of resources and wages with the impact of government policies
  • Describe the modern issues related to resource pricing, trade, immigration, and poverty on the economy

Credit Hours: 3

SO115 - Essentials of Sociology  

Sociology is the study of society. That's the short definition. More specifically, sociology entails applying systematic, scientific principles to what can be observed in the social world around us. In this light, you should understand that sociology is an overarching discipline of the human sciences that draws on history, psychology, anthropology, and economics.

This course is aimed at introducing you to the essentials of sociology. The primary focus of your text is on American society. When, for example, you're learning about social groups, formal organizations, social stratification, deviance, racial prejudice and discrimination, and social inequalities related to gender issues, you'll mainly be looking at America. However, plenty of attention is given to global issues. For example, you'll get some insight into economic and social disparities among Western nations and developing or undeveloped states like those found in Southeast Asia and Africa. In that context, you'll discover that nearly all developing or underdeveloped states were formerly colonial possessions of Western powers, including Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, the Dutch Republic, and, above all, Great Britain.

In this course, you'll broaden your sociological perspective by way of separate boxed features that illuminate the material in the main text. For example, the "Cultural Diversity Around the World" features take you to cultures and customs that will surprise you. The "Sociology and the New Technology" feature will fascinate you. The "Thinking Critically" features will allow you to examine the pros and cons of controversial issues.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the sociological perspective and how that perspective applies to the concept of culture.
  • Explain how social structure and social interaction underlie the concept socialization.
  • Differentiate social groups and formal organizations, relating each of these to deviance and the need for social control.
  • Discuss stratification and its effects both globally and in the United States.
  • Describe social inequalities related to race, ethnicity, gender, and age.
  • Explain perspectives on politics and the economy.
  • Describe basic social institutions, including marriage and family, education, and religion.
  • Discuss vital concerns and concepts related to urbanization, social change, and the environment.

Credit Hours: 3

Humanities & Fine Arts

HS150 - World Civilizations I  

World Civilizations I describes world civilizations in-depth, tracing the development of human history from the earliest cuneiform writings through the development of philosophy, religion, politics, art, and science in Middle Eastern, Indian, Chinese, Greek, Roman, and European civilizations. You'll be expected to, at the successful conclusion of this course, describe the outstanding features of the civilizations discussed; compare various civilizations to one another; identify major artistic, legal, philosophical, and religious achievements of each civilization; and discuss how new civilizations in a geographic area emerged from previous civilizations.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Identify the major characteristics of the world's foundational civilizations.
  • Determine the influence of geographical factors on the development of major civilizations.
  • Broadly define patterns of and reasons for warfare among various civilizations.
  • Outline the rise and fall of major world empires.
  • Explain the development of the world's major religious and ethical traditions.
  • Specify the major forms of social and political organization found among the world's major civilizations through the 16th century.
  • Outline major cultural and economic developments among major civilizations and traditions.
  • Describe the major patterns of interaction among the major world civilizations through the 16th century.

Credit Hours: 3

HS250 - World Civilizations II  

World Civilizations II provides a basic, foundational background to world history, from the Age of Exploration to the present. The required readings, exams, and written assignments will enable you to increase your understanding of the historical events of the time period in question and, additionally, comprehend historical themes that run throughout the course. The design of the course establishes a baseline for the major themes of modernity and connects these themes to historical events through a framework of continuity and change. The design encourages you to think creatively and analytically, making connections throughout the course and incorporating and building on major themes from one week to the next.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Identify the principal characteristics of the major global civilizations since the 18th century and explain their historical evolution.
  • Broadly define patterns of and reasons for warfare among various civilizations.
  • Explain the influences of the major forces of political change that had emerged by the middle of the 19th century (for example, democracy, liberalism, nationalism, and industrialization).
  • Summarize the reasons behind the rise and decline of European global dominance in the 19th and 20th centuries.
  • Identify and explain the patterns of interaction among the world's major civilizations.
  • Outline major cultural and economic developments among major civilizations and traditions.
  • Explain the causes and consequences of the two world wars and the Cold War, and explain the relationship among them.
  • Examine responses to modernity among the world's major civilizations.

Credit Hours: 3

Math/Computer Science

C17 - College Mathematics  

College Mathematics focuses on the fundamental math concepts through the use of real-world scenarios and step-by-step instruction. You'll perform operations and problem-solving with whole numbers, fractions, percentages, and decimals. Units of time, weight, capacity, length, and mass are applied to mathematical calculations, and basic geometric shapes are categorized. Statistical values for mean, median, mode, and standard deviation are determined, and basic statistical graphs are created. Other topics include ratios, proportions, US standard and metric units of measure, algebraic expressions, and equations.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Solve problems with whole numbers.
  • Solve fractions.
  • Solve problems using decimals.
  • Solve problems using ratios, proportions, and percent.
  • Solve problems using measurement and geometry.
  • Solve problems using statistics and probability.
  • Solve problems with integers.
  • Solve linear equations.

Credit Hours: 3

MA140 - Business Analysis  

In Business Analysis, you will use mathematics to analyze, problem solve, and make business decisions. Electronic banking, simple and compound interest, credit, loans, taxes, insurance, depreciation schedules, planning and budgeting, statistics, and present and future value of money will be covered providing the basis for solving future business problems. Quantitative analysis using models will help you critically analyze business data and determine acceptable outcomes.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite for MA260

Science

SC140 - Elements of Chemistry  

Chemistry exists in all parts of our modern world. From the polymers in our technological devices to the pharmaceuticals that fight against diseases such as AIDS and cancer, chemical elements and processes are involved in all aspects of human life. This course explains how chemical principles are reflected in everyday living. It also offers a contextual framework of significant social, political, economic, and ethical issues. You should leave this course with a thorough understanding of chemistry fundamentals. Important emphasis is placed on the environment and human energy sources.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the chemical nature of the ozone layer.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the periodic table.
  • Explain the factors involved in global warming.
  • Explain the chemical bonding of elements.
  • Distinguish between heat and energy.
  • Describe properties of drinking water.
  • Demonstrate comprehension of acids and bases.
  • Describe the risks and benefits of the use of nuclear power.
  • Explain the nature of plastics and polymers.
  • Describe some of the benefits and risks of herbal medicine.
  • Discuss various methods of food preservation.
  • Explain DNA's role in cell division, fingerprinting, and cloning.

Credit Hours: 3

SC160 - Basic Biology  

Basic Biology introduces you to a world of exciting biological discoveries. Included in these discoveries are biological organization; prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and ecosystems; chemistry; Darwin's theory of natural selection; and fungi, plant, and animal phyla and kingdoms. In addition, you'll discover how biology impacts your life, its relationship with technology, and how it's differentiated from other disciplines. This course also covers the evolution of animals, vertebrates, and invertebrates.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the relationship of biological organization and the fields of biology and chemistry.
  • Explain the structure and functions of cells.
  • Describe Darwin's theory of natural selection views and differentiate the domains and kingdoms of eukaryotic life.
  • Discuss DNA and its relationship with inheritance.
  • Extend the DNA discussion to include technology and related fields and issues of concern.
  • Describe biological diversity, its evolution, and the discovery of microbial life.
  • Develop knowledge extension about parts of speech.
  • Describe colonization and diversification of plants and fungi.

Credit Hours: 3

SC260 - Introduction to Ecology  

Introduction to Ecology exposes you to the many interdependencies that exist within and among various ecosystems. You'll begin to understand how the climate, species, ecosystems, landscape, and sustainability factors all participate in diversity of plant and animal life. The goal of this course is to take the fundamental principles and biological concepts of the science of ecology and provide clear evidence of research approaches used in various areas of ecology.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Outline the principles of ecological science, explaining how those principles help to understand the nature of Earth's physical environment and including variations in climate and the characteristics of aquatic versus terrestrial environments.
  • Explain the processes by which organisms adapt to their environment and, in that context, the dynamics of natural selection in producing the great diversity of plant and animal adaptations.
  • Describe the properties of populations, including population density; sex ratios; and other aspects of population growth, such as birth and death rates, life history patterns, mode of reproduction (asexual or sexual), mate selection patterns, and the interaction of phenotypes and environments.
  • Describe the varying modes of species interaction, including population dynamics in respect to natural selection, interspecies competition, predation, parasitism, and mutualism.
  • Explain the nature of an ecological community with respect to the varieties of community structures, factors influencing the structure of any community, the nature of community dynamics, and the significance of landscape dynamics.
  • Define ecosystem ecology as it relates to ecosystem energy inputs and outputs in the context of decomposition and nutrient cycling and the various biogeochemical cycles, such as the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle, the phosphorus cycle, and other salient cycles.
  • Explain the nature of ecological biogeography with respect to terrestrial ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems, and coastal and wetland ecosystems.
  • Identify large-scale patterns of biological diversity, such as how biological diversity has changed over geologic time, and how patterns of species diversity vary geographically. With such ideas as background, describe numerous indices consistent with evidence of accelerating global warming and climate change resulting from human activity.

Credit Hours: 3

General Education Electives (300-400 Level)

Behavioral/Social Science

AN310 - Cultural Anthropology  

This is an introduction to the foundations of cultural anthropology, how people behave within the context of individual culture and social structures and how people forge solutions to issues such as resource distribution, ethics and morality, family structures, and politics. Interactions between culture, technology, and social organizations are also examined.
Credit Hours: 3

GE350 - World Geography  

This course is designed to acquaint students with the human and physical attributes that give uniqueness and diversity to world regional patterns on Earth',s surface and to take students around the world in a single semester. World Geography helps the student attain a global perspective from which one can see the world in its uniqueness as well as in its totality through focusing on the spatial interconnections between the human and physical systems of Earth.
Credit Hours: 3

Humanities & Fine Arts

AR300 - Art History  

This is an entry-level survey of art history that begins with primitive cave paintings from Lascoux, France, and progresses to 21st-century art from around the world. The course covers a variety of artistic movements ranging from Classic Greek, Baroque, and Rococo to Impressionism.
Credit Hours: 3

EN360 - Technical Communication  

This course examines the process of technical communication with an emphasis on preparing professional communications such as correspondence, proposals, reports, instructions, and manuals. Topics include audience and workplace analysis, the research and writing processes, ensuring usability, and visual forms.
Credit Hours: 3

PY360 - Ethics in Technology  

Using philosophical and professional ethics as its foundation, this course explores the diverse moral issues surrounding the use of computers and information technology today, with an emphasis on ethical issues that have emerged due to the Internet and growth of the computer software industry.
Credit Hours: 3

Electives (100-200 Level)

Listed by discipline. Students can choose any course from any discipline, unless the course is already part of the required curriculum.

Accounting

A01 - Introduction to Accounting  

 Introduction to Accounting introduces basic concepts of accounting using a balance of theory and practice. Topics covered include double entry bookkeeping, the accounting cycle for service and merchandising enterprises, notes and interest, bad debts, merchandise inventory, and accounting for fixed assets.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Apply accounting principles to the accounting equation and balance sheets.
  • Explain the expanded accounting equation and the financial documents involved.
  • Demonstrate the use of a T-Account in recording transactions.
  • Apply accounting principles to the trial balance and financial statements.
  • Apply accounting principles to the processes of journalizing and posting.
  • Apply accounting principles to the adjusting process.
  • Apply accounting principles to the completion of the accounting cycle.
  • Apply accounting principles to banking.

Credit Hours: 3

A02 - Principles of Accounting I  

This course focuses on the basic principles of accounting for business enterprises. Students will be introduced to the accounting cycles, preparations of financial statements, merchandising operations, and payrolls. In addition, students will have the opportunity to understand the importance of internal controls to prevent fraud and financial statement misrepresentations.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Apply accounting principles to current liabilities and payroll.
  • Apply accounting principles to sales and cash receipts.
  • Apply accounting principles to purchase and cash payments.
  • Apply accounting principles to merchandising operations.
  • Apply the methods of accounting for bad debts.
  • Apply accounting principles to dealing with receivables.
  • Apply accounting principles to handling merchandise inventory.
  • Explain the methods and processes of accounting for plant assets and intangibles.

Credit Hours: 3

A03 - Principles of Accounting II  

This course is a continuation of the study of basic financial accounting principles as a foundation for more advanced study and vocational skill. Areas of emphasis include acquisition, depreciation, and disposal of long-term assets, receivables and payables, inventory, partnerships, corporations, long-term liabilities, the statement of cash flows, financial statement analysis, and manufacturing accounting.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Identify partnership characteristics, account for formation, admission, and withdraw of partners, and partnership liquidation.
  • Identify characteristics of corporations, understand and account for corporate stocks and dividends, and explain items reported in retained earnings.
  • Recognize and explain the types of bonds and notes and prepare entries.
  • Distinguish among operating, investing, and financing activities for a Statement of Cash Flows.
  • Recognize and apply the horizontal, vertical, and ratio analysis of financial statements.

Credit Hours: 3

A04 - Intermediate Accounting I  

This course represents one of the core courses in your accounting education. When you finish Intermediate Accounting I, you'll have gained an understanding of external financial reporting, with an emphasis placed on the balance sheet.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Demonstrate effective quantitative skills.
  • Demonstrate job-specific technical and professional skills.
  • Demonstrate a high level of inquiry, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
  • Point out the process of creating journal entries and balance sheets for disclosing financial information.
  • Analyze the fundamentals of income statement, cash flows, revenue recognition, and value of money concepts.
  • Compare the different ways to properly account for cash, receivables, and inventory.
  • Analyze value and account for changes to long-term assets as well as intangible assets.

Credit Hours: 3

A06 - Intermediate Accounting II  

This course will build upon the knowledge you gained in Intermediate Accounting I. You may find it the most challenging of your core accounting classes. This course explains accounting issues relating to revenues, expenses, assets, and liabilities. Your textbook follows the format of the cash flow statement.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Demonstrate a high level of inquiry, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
  • Demonstrate effective quantitative skills.
  • Demonstrate computer and information literacy.
  • Evaluate how companies deal with investments, current liabilities, and the contingencies they present.
  • Differentiate among leases, bonds, and long-term notes.
  • Analyze and account for other types of liabilities including income taxes, pensions, and post-retirement benefits.
  • Categorize the fundamentals of share-based compensation, accounting changes, and the statement of cash flows.

Credit Hours: 3

Business

C01 - Introduction to Business  

This course identifies concepts, principles, and operations of the private enterprise system. Here you'll compare and contrast sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations, learning the advantages and disadvantages of each. This course also discusses the functions of modern business management, marketing, and ethics and social responsibility. Human resource management and how employers can motivate their employees are also described. Finally, you'll learn about bookkeeping, accounting, financial management, and financial statements.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Discuss the fundamentals of business and economics
  • Explain the importance of social responsibility and business ethics, including ethical considerations that influence international trade
  • Describe options for organizing a business and the steps for starting a business
  • Discuss how management, organizational culture, communications, and operational management affect a business
  • Describe methods for managing, motivating, developing, and compensating a workforce
  • Explain the function and importance of marketing and marketing strategies within a business and the impact of digital marketing
  • Discuss accounting processes that businesses use and the role of money in the American financial system
  • Describe aspects of financial management, including assets, liabilities, and securities, and how to evaluate your personal finances

Credit Hours: 3

C05 - Business Communication  

Business Communication is a practical course that examines principles of communication in the workplace. It introduces you to common formats, such as the memo, letter, and report. It helps you review your writing skills to gain greater mastery of grammar, mechanics, and style. More importantly, it introduces you to the strategies successful business professionals employ for a variety of situations. You are exposed to techniques for writing informational, persuasive, sales, employment, good news, and bad news communications. You'll gain information on internal and external communication situations and practice audience analysis. You'll also gain information on the technological tools available to business communicators today. You'll be introduced to the exciting communication possibilities offered by personal computers, cell phones, videoconferencing, desktop publishing, and other technology. In essence, this course provides you with an introduction to the communication skills needed to enter and advance successfully in your business career.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the role of trust, competence, caring, and character in establishing credibility in business communication.
  • Describe the elements of the interpersonal communication process.
  • Explain the importance of emotional intelligence in interpersonal communication.
  • Describe how to effectively communicate in teams that involve collaboration active leadership, difficult conversations, and virtual meetings.
  • Describe the role of audience analysis, information gathering, and message development in effective business communication.
  • Improve readability of business communication using style and design techniques.
  • Describe how to strategically select channels of communication.
  • Develop messages for routine, persuasive, and bad-news communication.
  • Research, propose, plan, and deliver business presentations.

Credit Hours: 3

C07 - Personal Finance  

This course will equip you to understand, plan, and manage your personal financial affairs. The course focuses on the development of practical methods of organizing and interpreting your financial information, developing achievable and worthwhile goals, and implementing actionable plans and risk management techniques to meet those goals. Specific topics covered include money management, home and automobile purchasing, insurance, and investing.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Assess the personal financial planning process, the life cycle of financial plans, and methods of goal achievement.
  • Formulate a budget, record-keeping system, and tax planning strategy based on current financial goals.
  • Develop a cash management strategy and a plan to facilitate the home or automobile buying process.
  • Establish a plan to effectively avoid credit problems and protect yourself against credit card fraud.
  • Evaluate life, health, and property insurance policies to identify the best policies for your needs at the lowest cost.
  • Design a diversified investment portfolio that addresses several different investment objectives.
  • Differentiate between open- and closed-end mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and direct and indirect real estate investments.
  • Create a financial plan that covers your income needs in retirement and helps protect you and your estate.

Credit Hours: 3

C09 - Principles of Finance  

Principles of Finance offers a broad overview of corporate finance, including the goals of financial management. You'll examine how the information contained in financial statements is used in analysis and forecasting. The topic of valuation is introduced, with a focus on valuing stocks and bonds. You'll review the financial manager's role in estimating risk and return, computing cost of capital, evaluating capital structure policies, making investment decisions, and raising capital. Other topics include financial securities and derivatives, long-term and short-term planning, and innovations in corporate finance.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the financial markets and the roles played by their participants.
  • Analyze financial statements.
  • Apply time value of money tools.
  • Apply the principles of risk and return relationships.
  • Apply the tools and processes of capital budgeting.
  • Interpret the types of financing available to a company, their components, and issues associated with them.
  • Explain the models and tools that help manage the flow of funds.
  • Describe how capital structure, dividend policy, and international issues impact the firm.

Credit Hours: 3

C11 - Macroeconomics  

This course will cover the topic of macroeconomics, which is the study of the economy as a whole. It analyzes economy-wide phenomena, including inflation, unemployment, and trade deficits.

Macroeconomic information shows up daily in news articles and broadcasts because its implications are important to the quality of our lives. For instance, why is income high in some countries and very low in others? Why do production and employment expand in some years and contract in others?

These questions and many others can be addressed by macroeconomic analysis. Studying macroeconomics can help you better understand how the condition of the overall economy affects us all. You often hear about things like average prices rising at a particular rate (inflation) and the imbalance of trade between the United States and the rest of the world (the trade deficit). This information and several other statistics are compiled and monitored by the economists who study the macro economy.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain economic systems and the economic perspective
  • Identify the key factors in macroeconomics and how economists use them to study the economy as a whole
  • Explain the macroeconomic models and fiscal policies
  • Explain money, banking, and financial policy
  • Explain the extending analysis of aggregate supply, current issues in theory and policy, and international economics
  • Analyze foreign exchange and investment and the effects each nation's economy has on another nation's economy

Credit Hours: 3

C12 - Business Law  

Business Law is designed to familiarize you with various kinds of laws, key elements of the American Constitution, and the concepts of the various schools of jurisprudence. Ethics, values, morality, law, and the various ethical theories are compared and contrasted, and the need for promoting corporate social responsibility is discussed. The elements of tort law, the basic elements of a contract, the sources of laws governing contracts, and the conditions for an offer to be valid are examined. Topics include reality of consent, the capacity of minors, consequences of illegal agreements, assignment of rights, transfer of title, and the rights of third parties. Delivery of goods, right to inspection, acceptance and revocation of a contract, the remedies available to buyers and sellers, and the nature of property are also discussed.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain the legal environment within which United States businesses operate.
  • Describe tort, criminal, and intellectual property law as it applies to business.
  • Explain how contracts and negotiable instruments are used in business transactions.
  • Analyze the legal types and roles of employment relationships.
  • Discuss the organizational types and responsibilities of businesses in the United States.
  • Discuss the role of government in regulating business.
  • Explain how personal and real property law impacts business.
  • Explain the impact that international law has on global business.

Credit Hours: 3

C13 - Microeconomics  

This course will provide a survey of the economic behavior on an individual human and business level. You'll learn the basic concepts of the economic perspective needed to work with the principles of economics. In addition to the basic concepts of supply and demand, market structures, consumer behavior, government regulation, resource markets and modern issues in microeconomics will be explored in this course.

Objectives:

  • Explain the basic concepts of economic perspective
  • Analyze how price and efficiency affects consumer behavior
  • Distinguish between pure competition market, pure monopoly, monopolistic competition, and oligopoly market structure
  • Analyze the factors affecting allocation of resources and wages with the impact of government policies
  • Describe the modern issues related to resource pricing, trade, immigration, and poverty on the economy

Credit Hours: 3

C15 - Principles of Management  

Principles of Management is designed to help you understand the major functions of management (planning, organizing, leading, and controlling) and the significance of each function in relationship to the existence of the company. This course describes how companies use management to set and accomplish goals through individuals, groups, and other types of resources. It also analyzes communication and ethics in the organization. Other topics include decision making, change, employee development, organizational structures, management control, leadership, conflict resolution, information security, and globalization.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the management role and its importance within an organization.
  • Discuss the role that social responsibility and ethics has on managing.
  • Describe decision-making as it relates to management.
  • Describe the role of strategic management and project planning in managing an organization or team.
  • Examine the role that structure and human resources play in managing an organization.
  • Discuss how managers can impact individual and team behavior.
  • Explain theories of and approaches to leadership and motivation.
  • Explain how managers control operations and performance.

Credit Hours: 3

C16 - Principles of Marketing  

This course covers the principles of marketing. Topics covered include assessing, analyzing, understanding, and targeting the marketplace, as well as the creation, capture, delivery, and communication of value. Students will learn how to develop a marketing plan; use social and mobile marketing effectively; integrate ethics into marketing strategies; influence the consumer decision process; perform market research; perform SWOT and STP analyses; make decisions concerning branding, packaging, and developing new products; price products and services fairly; set advertising objectives; and more.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

  • Analyze the many components that are considered and used when making marketing plans and strategies
  • Analyze the foundation of the marketing model and its emergence
  • Point out the targeted strategies and plans in marketing and globalization
  • Formulate a plan of valuing production, innovation, and product marketing
  • Develop valuing strategies for products and services in marketing
  • Categorize the strategies for supply chain management and retailing
  • Distinguish between the various domains under IMC strategies
  • Design a marketing plan for an existing business

Credit Hours: 3

Computer Information Systems

K01 - Windows Operating Systems  

In this course, you will learn how to navigate Windows 10, work with files and folders, and conduct Google searches in Microsoft Edge. You will discover Windows apps, including Windows Entertainment, Information, and Productivity apps. You will also learn about viruses and spyware, along with strategies to protect your computer. Lastly, you will be provided with the knowledge needed to practice advanced resource, performance, and task management.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Navigate Windows 10, create and save documents, and manage a Windows 10 system.
  • Work with files and folders, using File Explorer to display locations, folders, and files.
  • Use Windows 10 backup and recovery tools.
  • Discover Windows Entertainment, Information, and Productivity apps.
  • Practice advanced file management and use search tools in File Explorer.
  • Conduct Google searches in Microsoft Edge and use Windows 10 Utility and Accessibility apps.
  • Discuss viruses and spyware, along with strategies to protect your computer from both types of malware.
  • Understand factors that slow down computers.
  • Use Task Manager, resource and performance monitors, and the services console.

Credit Hours: 3

K02 - MS Office Applications I  

Microsoft Office 2019 allows people to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and databases. This course will teach you how to use three popular tools from the MS Office Suite— MS Word, MS Excel, and MS PowerPoint. In this course, you'll learn how to use MS Word to create and edit text documents, insert figures and tables, and format pages for a variety of uses. You'll then learn how to use MS Excel to organize and format data, including charts, formulas, and more complex tables. Next, you'll learn how to use MS PowerPoint to create and deliver slide shows. Finally, you'll complete a graded project, which will test the skills acquired in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Identify the uses of various tools and features in Microsoft Word.
  • Apply knowledge of Microsoft Word tools to create a set of documents in a prescribed format.
  • Identify the uses of various tools and features in Microsoft Excel.
  • Apply knowledge of Microsoft Excel tools to create a spreadsheet and chart in prescribed formats.
  • Identify the basic skills needed to use Microsoft PowerPoint.
  • Synthesize what you've learned by integrating Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Credit Hours: 3

K03 - MS Office Applications II  

This course will teach you how to use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, in conjunction. These three programs can be used together to create dynamic presentations, detailed spreadsheets, and informative documents. You'll complete a project combining all of the portions of the software suite, which will test the skills acquired in these three applications.

Microsoft Access is a relational database management system. Access is used to manage and analyze data. You'll learn about the features of Access and how they're used to produce databases that can be sorted, filtered, queried, and analyzed. You'll also learn about database design and how to organize data for the most effective analysis. Learning how to use Access will give you a greater range of professional skills and help you have a better understanding of databases in general.

In this course, you'll learn various features of programs and applications that help you collaborate with others. For Microsoft Outlook, you'll learn different settings that can be used for email, your calendar, contacts, tasks, notes, and folders. You'll learn the basics of using OneNote to take and organize Notes. You'll explore the details of storing information and collaborating on documents with OneDrive, SharePoint, and Microsoft 365.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Create integrated Office documents using Word and Excel.
  • Prepare a spreadsheet and a Word document for a prospective client.
  • Add to PowerPoint using Word, Excel, and other data.
  • Create a PowerPoint presentation including an outline, video file presentation, table of statistics, and spreadsheet.
  • Explain the components of Microsoft Access.
  • Construct an inventory database using Microsoft Access.
  • Identify the basic skills needed to collaborate using Microsoft Office, OneDrive, OneNote, and SharePoint.

Credit Hours: 3

K07 - Computer Programming I  

Computer Programming I is the first of two courses designed to familiarize students with computer programming and Visual C#. In this initial course, students will be exposed to fundamental programming concepts and will be introduced to object-oriented programming by way of the C# development language. Computer Programming I is an ideal choice for business and systems analysts, as well as those simply wishing to learn a programming language.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Outline the general concepts of computer programming, the names of some programming languages, and the two major categories of programs, procedural and object-oriented.
  • Describe the types of programming available using the C# language, the associated terminology, as well as Windows Azure and cloud computing basics.
  • Describe and utilize the Visual Studio 2012 programming environment for creating and testing application code using the Visual C#.
  • Write simple C# apps using code rather than visual programming.
  • Explain the basics of object-oriented programming (OOP), including how to create classes and instantiate objects.
  • Demonstrate the basic functions and interactivity visual programming provides.
  • Apply a wide range of controls, including menus, date/time controls, and ComboBoxes, and Label types to provide for greater end-user interactivity.
  • Explain building classes, controlling access to members of a class and creating constructors, as well as software reusability, data abstraction, and encapsulation.

Credit Hours: 3

K08 - Computer Programming II  

Computer Programming II is the second of two courses designed to familiarize students with computer programming and Visual C#. In this course, students will be exposed to the foundations of the Internet and Web development. The lessons will focus on a variety of critical elements, including arrays and structures; asynchronous programming; styles and validator controls; ASP.NET; the Visual Studio Environment; reading from and writing to data files; the concepts behind object-oriented programming and more.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain the basic concepts and logic of computer programming and apply those concepts using Visual C#.net.
  • Outline the basic steps and processes of object-oriented programming (OOP).
  • Describe the characteristics of the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and explain how to navigate through the Solution Explorer, the Toolbox, and the Properties Window of the IDE.
  • Create a simple application in Visual Studio, make corrections and modifications to your simple application, and properly format output text using Console.Write and Console.WriteLine.
  • Describe, compare, and contrast: Classes, Methods, Properties and Instance Variables.
  • Design and create a simple Event-Driven Graphical User Interface (GUI), explain how Auto-Generated GUI Code is created, and give examples of four different Event Handlers.
  • Use control statements and blocks to execute the desired objective of a computer program using Visual C#.
  • Describe, give examples of, and correctly form pseudocode statements.

Credit Hours: 3

K09 - Web Site Design  

The Internet has grown from a small network populated by researchers and military personnel to a vast system of information, interaction, and intelligence we use every day. Nearly everything we do has some involvement with the Internet. Despite the use of other technologies, websites and individual pages are still rooted in simple code language. Hypertext markup language, or HTML, is the name for this relatively simple coding language. This course will help you understand and learn HTML so you can design and build your websites. It isn't hard to learn how to create webpages and understand the code behind them. You don't have to be a skilled programmer to be able to understand HTML and CSS. This course will provide you with the skills and knowledge you need to build and design webpages.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Create a simple HTML webpage that contains lists, links, images, and tables.
  • Recognize how to add forms, extra markup, flash, video, and audio.
  • Make a webpage using CSS rules and CSS elements.
  • Identify elements in HTML5, aspects of design theory, and practical tips for launching a site.
  • Create a professional-looking website.

Credit Hours: 3

K11 - Database Processing  

This course introduces the design and development of databases using data modeling tools, normalization, structured query language (SQL), database application design, and Internet technology.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Discuss the term database, its importance, what it contains, and the tasks necessary to develop a database.
  • Write queries in SQL to retrieve data from single and multiple tables using a variety of the basic commands.
  • Explain the concept of functional dependency, primary keys, candidate keys, composite keys, and the advantages and disadvantages of normalization.
  • Describe the key elements of the E-R model, data modeling processes, and transforming data models into database design.
  • Create table structures, views, and application programming using SQL statements.
  • Discuss the concept of database redesign.
  • Manage multiuser databases and databases with Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle Database, MySQL, and ArangoDB.
  • Discuss web server environments, Big Data, data warehouses, and business intelligent systems.

Credit Hours: 3

K12 - Systems Analysis and Design  

Systems Analysis and Design offers students a thorough examination of the design and development of information systems following the four phases of the systems development life cycle (SDLC) model. In this course, students will learn how to gather information, structure data, and build and implement information systems of all sizes. They'll learn the ins and outs of project management, and they'll understand the risks project managers take when they skip steps in the interest of saving time or resources. Additionally, students will learn how to communicate strategically, collaborate effectively, and solve problems collectively while working as an active part of a project team.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Understand and explain the importance of taking a systematic approach to information systems development.
  • Describe the systems development life cycle (SDLC) framework as it applies to the development of information systems.
  • Define and describe the inputs, tasks, activities, and deliverables of the four individual phases of the SDLC.
  • Recognize and explain how the results of each SDLC phase impacts the next phase as well as the final project outcome.
  • Describe the role of the systems analyst in information systems development.
  • Identify the key personal and professional qualities that systems analysts need for success.
  • Explain the importance of organizing, communicating, and managing the communications process with all project stakeholders.
  • Describe the essential nature of collaboration in a teamwork environment, particularly during complex information systems development projects.

Credit Hours: 3

Construction

B01 - Introduction to Construction  

This course provides an introduction to the primary concepts of contemporary building construction principles, materials, and practices. You'll obtain an overview of common construction phases and regulations and the team interactions required to successfully complete a construction project. The course also provides essential concepts of the basic principles of building loads and load resistance and the physical properties of common building materials.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Discuss the basic steps and participants in the building construction process as well as the primary regulations and design considerations used to devise safe and compliant building plans.
  • Identify the key concepts, milestones, and regulatory efforts used to promote and sustain adherence to the principles of sustainable building practices.
  • Outline the primary types of building loads and the structural elements of building design and materials that are used to offset and support the loads that modern buildings are subjected to.
  • Describe the properties of building materials that are used to control thermal, vapor, safety, and sound influences encountered in residential and commercial building design and the basic components of sustainable building practice.
  • List common classifications of soil types and the testing procedure used to determine the suitability of soil samples to bear structural loads.
  • Distinguish between shallow and deep foundation configurations and the components that define standard deep foundation types.

Credit Hours: 3

B02 - Construction Materials and Methods  

This is an introduction to the materials and methods used in constructing commercial buildings. Topics covered include using wood in construction, exterior and interior finishes, brick masonry, stone and concrete masonry, masonry load bearing wall construction, steel frame construction, site-cast and precast concrete framing systems, roofing, glass, windows and doors, cladding systems, interior walls and partitions, ceilings, and floors.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the application of both natural and manufactured wood products and fasteners used for common wood-frame construction.
  • Describe the application of steel, steel components, structural steel assemblies, and cold-formed steel members as applied to common steel frame construction.
  • Identify the important properties of cement and concrete configurations as applied to concrete framing, and wall and floor construction.
  • Outline common applications of brick, concrete masonry units, and stone masonry materials used for masonry and concrete bearing wall assembly.
  • Identify the materials used for exterior wall cladding applications and describe the advantages and disadvantages of various exterior building components based on established design requirements.
  • List applications of glass and light-transmitting plastics for a range of construction solutions for windows, doors, and glass-based cladding solutions.
  • Compare the applications of common roofing structural configurations and cladding materials including specialized integrations of structural insulated panels.
  • List the common materials and applications required for various interior building systems such as floors, ceilings, and stairs.

Credit Hours: 3

B03 - Drawings and Specifications  

This course provides an introduction to drawings and specifications used in construction. It includes lines of construction, scales, types of surveys, off-site and site improvements, foundations and below-grade construction, the structure above grade, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, commercial blueprints, construction offices, manufacturing facilities, and warehouses. This course touches on multifamily dwellings as well as heavy commercial construction to help provide a well-rounded look at these drawings.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Identify the tools, components, and industry conventions used to produce construction drawings including surveys and site plans.
  • Explain elements of above-grade construction as illustrated in blueprints and potential issues regarding foundation design and construction.
  • Describe the major elements of framing construction and the different framing systems on construction drawings.
  • Interpret specific floor plan information for vertical and horizontal framing, house layout, and openings.
  • Identify key information on truss engineering using plans, elevations, and sections, including waterproofing devices and roof ventilation systems.
  • Identify installation procedures for various structures, systems, and finishes—fireplace/chimney, decking, cabinets, and landscaping.
  • Understand the relationships and detailed information between complex construction drawings on a large project.
  • Discuss elements of interior and exterior construction in heavy commercial construction including major parts of HVAC equipment to be used in a building.

Credit Hours: 3

B04 - Safety Planning and Administration  

This course is an introduction to the role of safety in the construction industry. It covers the cost of accidents, causes of accidents, ethics and safety, workers' compensation, OSHA compliance, detailed coverage of subparts A through Z of OSHA's Construction Standard, safety and health programs and policies, job safety and hazard analysis, accident reporting and record keeping, emergency response plans, total safety management, workplace violence, workplace stress, environmental safety, ISO 14000, and promoting safety.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain why safety is important, the role of construction personnel in health and safety, OSHA compliance, and safety culture in construction.
  • Describe the role organized labor has played in the safety movement and being able to list major milestones, including workers compensation.
  • Describe the development of accident prevention programs, plans, and policies.
  • Describe the role of workplace violence prevention programs and emergency response plans.
  • Describe the accident investigation, record keeping, and reporting processes.
  • Explain how companies promote safety and safety training.
  • Explain detailed hazard analysis in relation to job safety.
  • Describe OSHA's Construction Standard (29 CFR 1926) and related practices.

Credit Hours: 3

B05 - Construction Surveying Fundamentals  

This is an introduction to the use of surveys in commercial, residential, and general construction. It includes the fundamentals of surveying, mathematical concepts, horizontal and vertical distance measurement, leveling, measuring angles and directions, horizontal control surveys, property surveys, topographic surveys and maps, highway curve and earth works, and construction surveys—establishing line and grade, building and pipeline stakeout, and additional layout procedures.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Identify the basic fundamentals, terms, common units and methods of measurements, and field instruments associated with construction surveying.
  • Apply mathematical methods, basic geometry, and triangle geometry (trigonometry) to calculate angles when provided with distances as raw field data, and distances when provided with angles as raw field data.
  • Employ means and methods of measuring distance and elevation on a construction project site to conduct a level survey.
  • Apply the concepts of angle geometry (bearings, azimuths, and meridians) along with the functions of angle measuring field instruments (theodolite and total station) to measure and lay out angles as they relate to construction surveying.
  • Discuss traverse survey specifics and applications, latitudes and departures, geometric shapes, and GPS uses as they relate specifically to construction surveying.
  • Apply construction surveying techniques necessary when conducting surveys for properties, subdivisions, topographic surveys, and mapping.
  • Explain the basic layout and geometry of highway horizontal curves, vertical curves, and resulting earthwork computations as they relate to construction surveying required to build highways.
  • Describe construction surveying techniques necessary when conducting layouts for general construction projects, pipeline construction, and building construction.

Credit Hours: 3

B06 - Cost Estimating  

This is an introduction to the process of estimating the full cost of construction projects. Topics include contracts, bonds, insurance, specifications, overhead and contingencies, labor, equipment, excavation, concrete, masonry, metals, wood, thermal and moisture protection, doors and windows, finishes, electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilating, air conditioning, profit and other estimating methods.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain what cost estimating is, including its terminology, technology, and role in project initiation.
  • Discuss the bid process, responsibilities, and the basics about preparing an estimate.
  • Describe how to prepare the contract documents, including the components and parties involved.
  • Summarize a detailed bid, including take off, preparatory steps, forms, and processes to facilitate the estimate.
  • Explain how to select and apply the knowledge, techniques, skills, and modern tools of the discipline to prepare detailed estimates for excavation, concrete, masonry, and steel.
  • Generate and apply labor rates in your costs.
  • Explain how to include subcontractors in the project from documentation to responsibilities.
  • Recognize alternate methods and their applications, as well as how to apply profit into the estimate.

Credit Hours: 3

B07 - Project Scheduling  

Project Scheduling introduces planning and scheduling a construction project. The course introduces Gantt charts, basic networks, the critical path method, precedence networks, resource allocation and leveling, schedule updating project control, schedule compression, reports and presentations, and construction delay claims.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain the differences and relationships among planning, scheduling, and controlling a project.
  • Outline the differences among the bar chart, arrow network, and node network methods of project scheduling; and explain when to use each.
  • Outline the steps for scheduling a project using the CPM and describe how it can be adjusted or implemented to maintain progress.
  • Describe the basic differences among the critical path, node networks, and precedence networks.
  • Explain how to plan and control the schedule and budgets for labor, materials, and equipment through resource allocation and resource leveling.
  • Determine unit costs, budgets, person-hours, and percent completions for individual activities in the project schedule and modify a project schedule for accelerating a project completion.
  • Describe the program evaluation and review technique (PERT) method, the graphical evaluation and review technique (GERT) method and the linear scheduling method (LSM) of construction scheduling.
  • Explain how typical construction delay claims occur and how to prevent them.

Credit Hours: 3

B08 - Construction Management  

Construction Management is a course in managing new construction projects that provides in-depth coverage of project delivery systems. This course will outline the roles and responsibilities of owners/engineers and general contractors, as well as subcontractors, in the construction management process. You'll learn about risk allocation and liability sharing alongside pre-construction operations. Pre-construction and early phases of construction work involve a bevy of documentation, including scheduling, submittals, ordering of materials, and mobilization. You'll learn ways to manage and track the project as work is completed, and what documentation should be kept in order to ensure timely payment and quality of workmanship. This course covers communications and processes for an entire project cycle through project close-out, from as-built documentation to final payment and release of lien paperwork.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the project manager's role and responsibilities for construction projects, including bidding and contracting.
  • Identify the aspects of successfully preparing and updating construction project plans and schedules.
  • Recognize the information required to evaluate and select subcontractor and vendor services and material and equipment purchases.
  • Explain the process, functions, and importance of communication and document management in construction project management.
  • Identify proactive measures to manage costs and increase productivity on job sites.
  • Describe how an unsafe jobsite impacts a company's bottom line and jeopardizes future projects.
  • Explain the construction, monitoring, and closeout phases of a construction project as it relates to responsibilities of the project manager.
  • Explain how to build and manage a construction project team and make it a peak performing entity.

Credit Hours: 3

Criminal Justice

J01 - Introduction to Criminal Justice  

Introduction to Criminal Justice examines the past, present, and future of the American criminal justice system. Topics discussed include how laws are created, the history and types of law enforcement, the structure of the court system, and the changing philosophies of the American correctional system. You'll also examine the role of legal precedent, the death penalty, prison life, and the juvenile justice system.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the purpose, components, and methods of the criminal justice system.
  • Describe the purpose, sources, types, and enforcement of laws.
  • Describe the methods of and challenges associated with enforcing the law.
  • Describe the role of the courts and the adjudication process in the US criminal justice system.
  • Explain the role and methods of corrections in the United States.
  • Describe the juvenile justice system.
  • Describe how drug abuse and drug crimes are handled in the criminal justice system.
  • Identify issues and emerging trends in criminal justice.

Credit Hours: 3

J02 - Criminal Law  

This course examines criminal law in the US. It offers an overview of the criminal court system. The course provides a foundation in criminal offenses, as well as defenses that are available to those accused of committing criminal acts. Terrorism and crimes involving multiple offenders are also highlights of this course. Throughout, early common law is compared to modern law.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain the elements needed to execute a crime, including mens rea, actus rea, and concurrence.
  • Outline the elements of various degrees of murder and manslaughter.
  • Identify the property invasion crimes of burglary, trespass, vandalism, and criminal mischief.
  • Discuss the differences between common law multiple offenders and modern-day accomplice statutes.
  • Summarize vice crimes and drug offenses.
  • Distinguish among treason, sedition, espionage, sabotage, criminal syndicalism, and other offenses against the state.
  • Distinguish among several types of defenses, including perfect and imperfect defenses.

Credit Hours: 3

J03 - Criminal Procedure  

This course provides an overview of the procedures used to lawfully investigate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals suspected of and accused of violating criminal laws.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Examine the constitutional basis for criminal procedure.
  • Explore remedies for violations of the Constitution, including the Exclusionary Rule.
  • Analyze searches and seizures within the context of the Fourth Amendment.
  • Compare arrest warrants and search warrants.
  • Evaluate the issues involved in warrantless searches and seizures, including the situations in which warrantless arrests may be made.
  • Compare and contrast "stop" and "frisk."
  • Summarize the varieties of regulatory and special needs searches.
  • Examine the constitutionality of interrogations, confessions, and identifications.
  • Construct the pretrial process once a person has been arrested and the roles of the prosecutors, grand juries, and defense attorneys.
  • Evaluate plea bargaining and guilty pleas and the Constitutional protections for the defendant at trial and beyond.

Credit Hours: 3

J04 - Policing  

This course provides a study of policing, including focused discussions that explain why police organizations differ from other organizations. Emphasis is given to policing in the modern world of technology and terrorism. Police subculture, their discretion and misconduct, US Supreme Court cases that address Constitutional rights, and internal and external measures of accountability are also highlights of this course.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Summarize the role of police in the criminal justice system.
  • Explain how law enforcement agencies differ from other organizations.
  • Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of police discretion.
  • Identify various types of police missions.
  • Analyze the influences of the Fourth Amendment on searches and seizures.
  • Explain the different types of external accountability measures put in place to check police misconduct.
  • Define several typologies proposed by scholars to account for police deviance.
  • Identify the various levels of force police officers use.

Credit Hours: 3

J05 - Corrections  

This course is designed to introduce you to the correctional system in the United States. To this end, you'll explore the American correctional context, correctional practices, and a number of correctional issues and perspectives.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Point out the importance of corrections, the associated laws, and the types of issues.
  • Categorize the types of correction programs, reforms, and the issues in them.
  • Differentiate between the various correctional programs, treatment methods, and the changes made with time.
  • Analyze the corrections used on different convicts and the factors that determine these corrections.
  • Apply the philosophy and knowledge of corrections to initiating the process of reentry.
  • Demonstrate a high level of inquiry, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
  • Demonstrate effective written and interpersonal skills.
  • Demonstrate effective quantitative skills.
  • Demonstrate computer and information literacy.

Credit Hours: 3

J06 - Ethics in Criminal Justice  

How ethical are people when no one is looking? This course will sharpen your awareness of ethical behavior as it applies to criminal justice. You'll engage in focused discussions of Aristotle, Kant, John Stuart Mill, and other renowned philosophers. Each lesson provides you with the opportunity to work through ethical dilemmas. Then, you'll examine retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation, the four primary theories of punishment. You'll also be exposed to US Supreme Court cases that address Constitutional rights, police misconduct, and the future of ethics.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Distinguish between morals, values, and ethics.
  • Explain the moral virtues concepts espoused by Aristotle.
  • Explain why lying is never permissible in formalism ethics.
  • Contrast utilitarian ethics with the views of Aristotle and Kant.
  • Identify the principles of classical, positivism, structural, and ethical theories of crime causation.
  • Evaluate the ethical dilemmas posed by plea bargaining and sentencing decisions.
  • Discuss ethical issues that arise in correctional facilities.
  • Analyze foreseeable ethical dilemmas that can arise with technological advances.

Credit Hours: 3

J09 - Juvenile Justice  

Many minors commit acts at one time or another that could involve them in the juvenile justice system. Knowledge and understanding of both theory and practice in juvenile justice are important for anyone working in the justice system. Two important differences between juvenile justice and adult justice are that (1) the perpetrators are children, and (2) certain acts that adults can lawfully commit would be crimes if committed by children.

Historically, juvenile justice emphasized the philosophy of rehabilitation more than the adult criminal justice system. Those who work in the juvenile justice system have an opportunity to impact young lives through timely and intelligent intervention and, perhaps, to permanently set juveniles on a path that will be safe and will allow them to grow into responsible and successful citizens.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Identify the fundamentals of the juvenile justice system and its historical background.
  • Explain the role of police in preventing drugs and gangs among the juvenile offenders.
  • Recognize court procedures, methods of interventions, and corrections associated with juvenile justice.
  • Distinguish between the issues, proposals for reforms, and factors of victimization for the juvenile offenders.
  • Prepare essays on the juvenile crime problem, safe schools, traumatic events, and legal procedures.

Credit Hours: 3

J10 - Criminal Investigation  

In this course, you'll thoroughly examine the investigation process and situations in which police officers apply specific investigative and information-gathering techniques to meet the evidentiary requirements of specific crimes.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Outline the history of criminal investigation.
  • Explain how a crime is legally established by a criminal investigation.
  • Describe the investigative process and stages of criminal investigation.
  • Describe the various types and forms of physical evidence.
  • Summarize interview and interrogation requirements and techniques.
  • Explain the role of the crime laboratory and forensic sciences.
  • Describe the investigation of violent crime scenes.
  • Outline the investigation of property crime scenes, including computer crime.

Credit Hours: 3

Early Childhood Education

E01 - Careers in Early Childhood Education  

This course offers a look at the foundations of early childhood education, current trends, and the importance of educating young children from birth to age eight. You'll learn how to meet the needs of every child in every area of development, background, and ability.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe early childhood education, and explain how the current trends reflect the past influences.
  • Explain how to support child development with the use of developmentally appropriate practices.
  • Explain how teachers meet the individual and cultural needs of all of their students.
  • Describe how a teacher can create positive relationships with families and caring communities in the classroom.
  • Design curriculum plans that will enhance learning and development.
  • Utilize effective strategies for teaching various subjects including language arts, math, science, and social studies.
  • Employ effective strategies for helping children become aware of the world around them as well as their own emotions, health, and physical fitness.
  • Describe children's learning, and implement appropriate teaching strategies to foster continued growth.

Credit Hours: 3

E02 - Child Development  

This course examines childhood development by observing physical and psychosocial factors that lead to cognitive, language, and literacy development according to a child's age.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe current theories and types of research in early childhood development.
  • Explain sociocultural, economic, emotional, and psychological factors associated with becoming parents.
  • Discuss assessment and care of newborns, health issues involved with infancy, and family changes after the birth of a new child.
  • Use theories related to physical, cognitive, language, and literacy development of toddlers.
  • Apply psychosocial, language, and literacy development in children ages one through three.
  • Recognize expected patterns of physical and motor development in children ages four through five and the major factors that influence them.
  • Identify cognitive development in children ages four through five and physical development in children ages six through nine.
  • State factors influencing emotional, neurological, and motor development in children ages six through nine.

Credit Hours: 3

E03 - Curriculum Development  

This course focuses on the purpose of curriculum, the elements to consider when developing curriculum, and how to meet the needs of all children in your classroom.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) as it relates to curriculum in the early childhood classroom.
  • Plan small and large group activities that are developmentally appropriate.
  • Describe the space and materials needed in an early childhood classroom that complement a child's ability to gain self-regulation.
  • Discuss assessments and evaluations and how to effectively share these with caregivers.
  • Explain the aesthetic and affective domains and how to effectively implement these in DAP.
  • Explain the cognitive and language domains and how to effectively implement these in DAP.
  • Explain the physical and social domains and how to effectively implement these in DAP.
  • Create organized, effective DAP curriculum that integrates play.

Credit Hours: 3

E04 - Guidance and Discipline  

Teachers who love teaching teach children to love learning. Have you ever had a child stick their tongue out at you? How about the eye roll? Behaviors such as those are why courses such as this exist. This course will take you through guidance and discipline, two very important aspects in the world of teaching. In this course, you'll learn the reasoning behind a child's behavior and explore why a "one size fits all" approach is rarely effective in the classroom.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Discuss the physical, emotional, intellectual, and social development impacting child behavior.
  • Explain ways to prevent discipline problems through the classroom environment and program planning.
  • Describe how desirable behavior can be achieved through effective modeling and communication.
  • Explain how to help children understand and accept limits.
  • Contrast punishment versus discipline.
  • Describe childlike behaviors and unmet needs that lead to behavior problems.
  • Discuss how to meet children's academic, social, cultural, linguistic, stress, and vulnerability needs.
  • Analyze discipline problems from knowledge previously gained.

Credit Hours: 3

E06 - Creative Expression and Play  

Have you ever wondered why play is so important for children and why it's a core component of an early childhood curriculum? This course will show the importance of play and teach students how to integrate play into the art, music, movement, and drama curricula. Creative Expression and Play analyzes the connection between play and creativity and will demonstrate techniques for fostering creativity.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Examine the dimensions of creativity that make it both a thinking process and a feeling process.
  • Explain the different ways play helps young children develop in areas such as cognitive, language, literacy, social, physical, and creative growth.
  • Identify the ways children learn through art.
  • Summarize the educational value of music, movement, dance, and drama.
  • Develop specific teaching strategies that will promote creative thought and expression in children.
  • Analyze teachers' roles in assessing and the influence of culture on children's creativity.
  • Explain key features of creative environments.
  • Examine the different types of play and learning materials for young children of various ages.

Credit Hours: 3

E08 - Health, Safety, and Nutrition  

You'll learn how the topics of health, safety, and nutrition are interrelated, how to assess children's health, how to plan for safety and attend to children's injuries, and how to foster nutritious eating habits.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Summarize how to promote nutrition and wellness.
  • Explain the difference between good health and chronic conditions based on health assessments.
  • Describe communicable diseases and the steps for identification and control.
  • Defend how quality environments and safe management practices promote effective classroom instruction.
  • Construct safety and emergency steps for initiation in response to emergencies including child abuse and neglect.
  • Describe the science of nutrition and its impact on children's mental health.
  • Prepare feeding and menu planning for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children.
  • Set up healthful practices and food safety steps.

Credit Hours: 3

E09 - Home, School, and Community  

This course is an introduction to the partnerships among the child, family, and community that must be created to achieve the best results for children in the classroom and society. Among the topics covered are the challenges to creating partnerships with families, relationship building with parents and children, and the community's role in socializing the child.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the multiple influences on development and learning.
  • Evaluate how to support and engage families and community through respectful relationships.
  • Assess the factors that contribute to children's initiative.
  • Summarize the importance of recognizing culture and working with parents from diverse backgrounds.
  • Discuss how to best support children to understand their feelings and how to problem solve.
  • Describe influences on gender equity and child-rearing.
  • Discuss how to support families and children dealing with stress and success.
  • Explain ways to help families access community resources and expand their social networks.

Credit Hours: 3

E13 - Early Childhood Literacy  

Language arts in the early education classroom covers a variety of topics. The development of a child's listening, speaking, writing, and reading skills is discussed in this course, as well as practical guidelines for setting up a classroom to address all children and meet their developmental needs.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the progression of language development and ways to foster that development.
  • Explain speech development in young children and identify ways to address the needs of multicultural students.
  • Plan and promote language, literacy, and listening.
  • Identify how to effectively use literature and storytelling in the classroom.
  • Discuss the value of using poetry, flannel boards, puppetry, and drama to foster language arts experiences.
  • Describe the progression of speech in children and how to successfully incorporate group times in the classroom.
  • Explain the stages children follow as beginning writers and readers and the many approaches to foster these stages.
  • Discuss how to set up a literacy-rich classroom and work cooperatively with parents.

Credit Hours: 3

Finance

F01 - Money and Banking  

This course focuses on the economics of money, banking, and financial markets. Detailed explanations of money, interest rates, and financial hazards explain how this medium of exchange changes value with economic fluctuations. The banking industry, including the Federal Reserve System, and national and international monetary policy, and monetary theory, are also a focus of this course. You'll learn how money, its policies, and its uses affect short-term and long-term spending and saving.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of money and financial markets.
  • Discuss interest rates and the market.
  • Explain financial influences, systems, and policies.
  • Distinguish banking industry operations.
  • Relate the factors and policies that affect money supply.
  • Discuss the foreign exchange market and international transactions.
  • Interpret aggregate demand and supply curves and policies.
  • Demonstrate how monetary policy affects the economy.

Credit Hours: 3

F02 - Financial Institutions and Markets  

In this course, you'll take a detailed look at the various types of organizations that make up the financial industry and the markets within which these organizations operate. This course includes complete coverage of Federal Reserve monetary policy, bonds and interest rate risk, money markets, mortgage markets, equity markets, derivatives markets, international markets, commercial banking, international banking, thrift institutions, finance companies, insurance companies, pension funds, investment banking, venture capital, investment companies, and hedge funds.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain financial markets, institutions, and associated interest rates.
  • Describe interest rate variables and financial market efficiency.
  • Give examples of the purposes and functions of financial institutions and the Federal Reserve.
  • Review various financial markets.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of mortgages, foreign exchange, and the international market.
  • Identify banking and financial industry regulation.
  • Summarize various financial funds and investments.
  • Discuss financial risk management.

Credit Hours: 3

F03 - Financial Statement Analysis  

This course presents the art of analyzing financial statements and the accompanying notes to identify the financial health of a business enterprise. The four financial statements required by generally accepted accounting principles are thoroughly analyzed and the techniques of detecting financial statement fraud are introduced.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Demonstrate effective quantitative skills.
  • Demonstrate job-specific technical and professional skills.
  • Demonstrate a high level of inquiry, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
  • Demonstrate computer and information literacy.
  • Solve important accounting principles and concepts by creating four types of financial statements: balance sheet, income statement, statement of retained earnings, and statement of cash flows.
  • Explain inventory systems, the inventory process, and the role of ethics in accounting.
  • Explain cash and receivables, assets, current liabilities, and debt.
  • Analyze stocks and the statement of cash flows and financial statements that are used to assess the value of a business.
  • Solve accounting problems using knowledge of accounting forms and functions.

Credit Hours: 3

F04 - Investments  

This course provides condensed coverage of the material contained in the textbook Investments: Fundamentals of Valuation and Management. The textbook aims to provide a comprehensive account of investment-related topics and techniques for students of introductory investment classes.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Analyze the concepts of risk and return, the investment process, and the various types of investments.
  • Categorize the functions of the stock market and how investors choose investments.
  • Point out the process of calculating interest rates, bond values, and yields.
  • Analyze how to form a diversified portfolio and how to evaluate the portfolio's performance.
  • Distinguish between futures and options and the investment strategies built on each.
  • Show how investors use option valuation, financial statements, credit ratings, and economic indicators.
  • Develop the ability to perform investments calculations and analysis related to this course.

Credit Hours: 3

Healthcare

H01 - Medical Office Management I  

This course will provide you with an introduction to the administrative activities of a private medical practice, hospital office, or clinic department. You'll learn how to schedule appointments, follow OSHA standards and universal precautions, differentiate between government and commercial health insurance programs, maintain patient records, ensure HIPAA compliance, perform billing and coding duties, and follow typical office management procedures.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Examine the history of modern medicine and the profession of medical assisting, including educational opportunities, accrediting agencies, and administrative and clinical competencies related to medical assistants.
  • Describe the role of the medical office professional with regard to legal and ethical issues within the healthcare environment.
  • Describe effective communication techniques and standard safety precautions to follow within the medical office.
  • Describe office safety measures, medical waste, OSHA standards and guidelines, proper body mechanics, telephone techniques and triage, and handling difficult callers and emergency phone calls.
  • Describe the typical duties required of medical office personnel, including patient greeting/reception, scheduling, drafting correspondence, and using office equipment, supplies, and computers.
  • Manage and update patient medical records, and perform billing, collections, and financial management duties within the medical office.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of government and commercial health insurance plans and outline diagnostic and procedural code assignment and claims processing procedures.
  • Identify and discuss office and personnel management duties required of medical office managers.

Credit Hours: 3

H02 - Medical Office Management II  

This course will provide you with an introduction to the clinical competencies required of medical assistants in various healthcare settings. You'll learn about infection control, vital signs, physical examinations, medical specialties, life span specialties, minor surgery, and medical emergencies. They will also learn about the clinical laboratory, microbiology, urinalysis, phlebotomy, hematology, pulmonary function, physical therapy and rehabilitation, pharmacology, patient education and nutrition, mental health, and career opportunities.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Identify standard precautions and conditions for infections and the normal values and ranges for various vital signs.
  • Describe the proper methods and techniques used to assist physicians with physical examinations and the conditions commonly encountered with medical specialties and life span specialties.
  • Identify surgical procedures and medical emergencies that occur in medical offices, and explain the medical assistant's role in both surgical and emergency preparation.
  • Describe the medical assistant's role in laboratory test preparation, microorganism testing, urinalysis, blood specimen collection, and blood chemistry testing.
  • Identify the preparation procedures and basic positions for X-rays and the function, operation, and maintenance procedures of an electrocardiograph machine.
  • Identify various pulmonary function tests, physical therapy modalities, and rehabilitation procedures for which a medical assistant may prepare a patient.
  • Calculate medication dosages using mathematical conversions, and describe the procedures for administering oral and parenteral medications.
  • Identify teaching strategies for patient education and nutritional guidance, diagnostic categories and therapies for mental disorders, and professional skills and career opportunities for medical assistants.

Credit Hours: 3

H03 - Medical Terminology  

This course will familiarize you with medical terminology and the structure of the human body. Lessons are organized based on the systems of the human body: integumentary, skeletal, muscular, digestive, cardiovascular, blood and lymphatic, respiratory, urinary, endocrine, nervous, and reproductive systems. The special senses, oncology, radiology, nuclear medicine, and mental health are also discussed.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain the basic principles of medical word building and describe the organization of the human body.
  • Define and apply medical terminology associated with the integumentary, skeletal, and muscular systems.
  • Describe and apply medical terminology associated with the digestive, cardiovascular, blood, and lymphatic systems.
  • Describe the structure, components, and pathology of the respiratory and nervous systems.
  • Explain the structure, components, and pathology of the urinary and endocrine systems as well as the diagnosis, pathology, and treatment of these systems.
  • Examine the structure, components, and pathology of the eyes and ears of the human body.
  • Describe the structure, components, and pathology of the male and female reproductive systems and the diagnosis, pathology, and treatment of these systems.
  • Describe the basic diagnostic procedures, laboratory tests, and imaging techniques associated with oncology, radiology, and nuclear medicine, and the symptoms, contributing factors, and diagnosis and treatment procedures for mental disorders.

Credit Hours: 3

H04 - Anatomy and Physiology I  

The anatomy and physiology of the human body is presented as an integrated science. Each major body system is described and analyzed to illustrate normal function as well as pathology. Topics include basic biochemical elements, skin, bone, muscles, the nervous system, the senses, and the endocrine system.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Analyze the basics characteristics and functions of the human anatomy and physiology.
  • Categorize the characteristics and functions performed by the muscular, integumentary, and nervous systems.
  • Prepare a report of a medical disorder using the mentioned software program.

Credit Hours: 3

H05 - Anatomy and Physiology II  

This course will build on the knowledge you gained in Anatomy and Physiology I. After completing this course successfully, you'll have a solid foundation in anatomy and physiology. The course emphasizes critical information and explains difficult concepts in the assigned material.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Identify the characteristics and functions of the organs in various body systems.
  • Prepare a report of a medical disorder using the mentioned software program.
  • Prepare a lab assignment using the recorded screen captures for this assignment.

Credit Hours: 3

H06 - Health Records Management  

This course introduces most of the records used in a medical office and health information management. You'll see examples of these records, study their contents, and learn how these records are used, shared, and stored by health information management professionals. You'll also learn about the relationships among these records and medical care, legal, insurance or billing concerns, and the fundamentals of health information systems.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe health information management (HIM) and the role of HIM professionals.
  • Describe the different types of filing methods used in the healthcare setting.
  • Explain the development and purpose of health record systems. 
  • Describe the purpose, contents, and components of the health record.
  • Describe administrative and managerial support systems in relation to medical records processing.
  • Explain the concept of information systems and the electronic health record.
  • Discuss regulatory requirements for health record documentation and rationale for HIPAA privacy and security concepts.
  • Discuss other functions of health information management related to secondary health records, registries, and indexes.

Credit Hours: 3

H07 - Medical Coding I  

Medical billing is a crucial function in healthcare, and knowing how to code is an invaluable skill. In this course, you'll be introduced to the skills needed for correct billing in hospital outpatient clinic, inpatient, and physician office settings. Topics include the proper use of forms and billing guidelines to evaluate medical necessity. You'll also be introduced to various reimbursement methodologies and the claims billing process.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Discuss the history and impact of health insurance on the healthcare reimbursement process
  • Identify different types of facilities that employ allied health personnel and options available for certification
  • Identify the key elements of a managed care contract and the role HIPAA plays in the healthcare industry
  • Compare types and sources of health insurance
  • Explain the components of physician medical billing
  • Summarize the health insurance claims process
  • Identify the steps of the claims process
  • Compare reimbursement models
  • Explain the concept and goals of managed care
  • Explain Medicaid eligibility and benefits and the process of submitting Medicaid claims
  • Discuss Medicare challenges and processes, including fee schedules, provider reimbursement, fraud, and abuse
  • Compare the different components of billing and different types of benefits available to active duty members, veterans, and their family members
  • Discuss the history of workers' compensation and distinguish between federal workers' compensation and state workers' compensation

Credit Hours: 3

H08 - Medical Coding II  

Coding is an invaluable skill for medical professionals. This course continues instruction in the skills needed for correct billing in hospital outpatient clinic, inpatient, and physical office settings.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain the role of the ICD-10-CM manual to code health claims and its structure
  • Identify E/M services and codes, assign CPT codes correctly, and use the CPT index
  • Describe coding to the highest level of specificity and the steps of accurate code assignment and assigning codes correctly using ICD-10
  • Explain coding with HCPCS and describe federal laws, regulations, and penalties relating to coding compliance
  • Examine the impact of computers on health insurance
  • Discuss reimbursement follow-up, the appeals process for reimbursement, and refund guidelines
  • Identify the differences between inpatient and outpatient hospital billing and describe the UB-04 hospital claim form
  • Explain the steps for accurate surgical and procedural coding in a hospital setting using ICD-10-PCS

Credit Hours: 3

Human Resources

M01 - Human Resource Management  

This course is designed to familiarize you with the basic principles of human resources management. The course begins with an overview and legal aspects. Work analysis and workforce planning, recruiting, staffing, training, and performance management are also examined. This foundation is used to examine how the human resources professional manages careers, compensation, labor relations, safety and health of employees, and discipline and procedural justice. The course concludes by analyzing related concepts in a global context.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe a strategic HR plan for an organization and the role of the HR manager.
  • Describe the role played by HR in personnel planning, recruiting, and creating job requirements.
  • Explain key deficits in employee training and development programs.
  • Use performance appraisal criteria for multiple positions in an organization.
  • Describe the methods used to create an employee benefit and incentive plan.
  • Apply employment discrimination and labor laws to deal effectively with employment issues on the job.
  • Explain the methods for managing legal, health, safety, and ethical issues in the workplace.
  • Explain the need for global HR expansion, including a hiring strategy that best suits the new business environment.

Credit Hours: 3

R01 - Employment Law  

This course examines laws that affect the workplace. The course explores in depth employer/employee relationships, permissible testing in the workplace, discrimination and affirmative action, Title VII, unions, and injuries that take place within the course and scope of employment.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Outline the legal duties of employees and employers.
  • Identify the variety of tests employers can lawfully use.
  • Distinguish at-will employees from other employment arrangements.
  • Discuss the history behind affirmative action.
  • Outline the proof required, exceptions, and remedies for victims under Title VII.
  • Identify the parameters that Title VII places on various claims of discrimination.
  • Discuss the evolution of labor law in the United States.
  • Explain the term "within the scope of employment."

Credit Hours: 3

R02 - Training and Development  

Employee training takes place in every business. In some organizations, employee training is a formalized process that continues throughout an employee's entire career. In other organizations, employee training is an informal event used to introduce new employees to the basic skills they'll need to complete their tasks. Your current or future employer will approach training by some combination of the two methods. This course will help you make employee training a more efficient and effective process. After completing this course, you should be a valuable asset to any employer.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the various elements in the organizational training process
  • Categorize the various training designs and methods
  • Analyze the significance of development, implementation, and evaluation of training processes
  • Explain the concept of adult learning theory and how it influences employee training
  • Describe the interrelationships among the five phases of the training process model

Credit Hours: 3

R03 - Compensation and Benefits  

This course examines how compensation practices may be an advantage or disadvantage for enterprises in competitive environments, the criteria used to evaluate employees' compensation and benefits, and the challenges faced by human resource professionals in designing compensation and benefits practices in the future.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Identify the six types of core compensation.
  • Summarize the reasons for the evolution of Human Resources/Compensation from an administrative function to a strategic function.
  • Identify the main goals of a compensation function.
  • List the five external and three internal elements/capabilities that affect strategic planning.
  • Identify the three phases of organizational life cycles.
  • Discuss the impact of federal and state legislation on the Human Resource function.
  • Summarize the pros and cons of seniority and merit pay systems.
  • Discuss the importance and limitations of the performance appraisal process.
  • Explain how incentives differ from traditional pay systems and when to use them.

Credit Hours: 3

R04 - Human Relations  

In this course, you'll learn concepts and theories about communication. You'll begin by studying intrapersonal communication, or how you view and talk to yourself. You'll learn how personality and self-concept influence how you work with others. You'll also look at interpersonal communication, including concepts such as conflict and criticism, and learn how these concepts influence not only relationships but also productivity at work. Finally, you'll study leadership: what makes a "good" leader; how leadership is "good" under differing circumstances; and how a leader can create trust in group members. You'll learn about the value of networking and how to network. In addition, you'll learn about cultural differences and diversity in the workplace.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain strategies to improve intrapersonal and interpersonal skills
  • Describe how diversity and cultural differences impact the workplace
  • Explain the communication process as it relates to personal and digital interactions
  • Describe team interactions in terms of roles, communications, and problem-solving
  • Explain the skills, behaviors, and techniques used to lead and motivate others
  • Explain the role of political skills, customer satisfaction, and ethics in business organizations
  • Explain the contributing factors and methods for managing stress
  • Describe effective methods for finding a job and managing your career

Credit Hours: 3

Marketing

G01 - Consumer Buying Behavior  

This course is an introduction to the world of consumer behavior, investigating how perceptions, learning, memory, personality, and attitudes all influence purchase decisions and buying behavior. Group dynamics and the influence of culture and subculture on consumer consumption preferences will also be addressed.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Define consumer behavior, explain market segmentation, and explain how technology and culture create a new "always on" consumer.
  • Define and describe the stages in the consumer decision-making process, the categories of consumer decision-making, and the situational effects and emotions that influence consumer behavior.
  • Detail why marketers have an obligation to provide safe and functional products as part of their business activities and how consumer behavior impacts directly on major public policy issues confronting society.
  • Identify perception and the self and describe how they influence purchasing decisions.
  • Explain the power of attitudes and how marketers use consumer attitudes to predict customer behavior.
  • Describe the various forms of reference group influence and the family life cycle on household decision-making.
  • Define the characteristics of and explain the differences between social classes in America, including how social class affects purchase decisions.
  • Outline how new products, services, and ideas spread through a population over time and different types of people who are more or less likely to adopt them during this diffusion process.

Credit Hours: 3

G02 - Principles of Professional Selling  

This course is an introduction to the world of personal selling. You'll take a close look at developing customer relationship strategies and product strategies. Strategies for sales presentations, closing the sale, and servicing the sale will also be explored. Finally, you'll take a closer look at the many facets of sales management.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Discuss personal selling as an extension of the marketing concept.
  • Describe the evolution of consultative selling from the marketing era to the present.
  • Define the concepts and characteristics of presentation strategy and consultative sales presentations.
  • Describe the characteristics of the major selling strategies: relationship, product, and customer.
  • Outline the importance of developing a prospect base, sources of prospects, and common methods of organizing prospect information.
  • Describe the evolution of partnering and how it relates to the quality improvement process.
  • Discuss how self-image forms the foundation for building long-term selling relationships.
  • Identify the merits of the four major sources of sales training.

Credit Hours: 3

G03 - Principles of Retailing  

Principles of Retailing reviews retail business management, with extensive coverage of the types of retailers, marketing and financial strategies, retail locations, human resource management, supply chain management, merchandise management, and store management.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Discuss the complexities of retailers' relationships—with both customers and other channel members.
  • Outline organizational missions, ownership and management alternatives, goods/service categories, and objectives of a broad range of retail institutions.
  • Describe the many influences on retail shoppers, including lifestyles, needs, and shopping attitudes.
  • Explain the crucial nature of store location for retailers and outline the steps in location planning.
  • Identify the structural, financial, and operational dimensions of operations management in enacting a retail strategy.
  • Discuss the merchandise management and pricing aspects of the retail strategy mix, including buying, handling, forecasting, and budgeting.
  • Describe elements involved in how a retailer communicates with its customers, the role of a retail image, and how it is developed and sustained.
  • Connect the elements of a retail strategy, including planning and opportunity analysis, productivity, performance measures, and scenario analysis.

Credit Hours: 3

G04 - Integrated Marketing Communications  

This course covers the principles of marketing. Topics covered include assessing, analyzing, understanding, and targeting the marketplace, as well as the creation, capture, delivery, and communication of value. You'll learn how to develop a marketing plan; use social and mobile marketing effectively; integrate ethics into marketing strategies; influence the consumer decision process; perform market research; perform SWOT and STP analyses; make decisions concerning branding, packaging, and developing new products; price products and services fairly; set advertising objectives; and more.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Demonstrate effective written and interpersonal communication skills.
  • Demonstrate a high level of inquiry, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
  • Demonstrate computer and information literacy.
  • Analyze marketing plans, strategies and the aids needed to catalyze it.
  • Analyze the foundation of the marketing model and its emergence.
  • Point out the targeted strategies and plans in marketing and globalization.
  • Formulate a plan of valuing production, innovation, and product marketing.
  • Develop the valuing strategies for products and services in marketing.
  • Categorize the strategies for supply chain management and retailing.
  • Distinguish between the various domains under IMC strategies.
  • Design a marketing plan for an existing business.

Credit Hours: 3

Paralegal Studies

P01 - Introduction to Paralegalism I  

This survey course introduces the paralegal profession. Career opportunities will be examined, as well as the training and educational requirements demanded of the paralegal. Civil litigation and criminal law will be explored. The entire trial process — from filing a complaint to the appeals process — will be studied. The history of American laws and the structure of the US court system are also highlights of this course.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Discuss the roles and duties of the paralegal.
  • Distinguish between the rules of ethics that govern attorneys and those that govern paralegals.
  • Explain how law firms are structured
  • Discuss the role technology plays in a law office.
  • Outline the history, sources, and functions of U.S. law.
  • Describe the federal and state court systems.
  • List the steps in a trial.
  • Discuss the protections afforded by the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Credit Hours: 3

P02 - Introduction to Paralegalism II  

The paralegal's role in investigation and interviews highlights the beginning of the course. Legal research and writing will be examined throughout. Then this survey course moves into specific legal subjects. Torts; property law, including intellectual property (IP); contracts and e-commerce, family law; and labor law will be explored in depth.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain the importance of the initial contact with clients and witnesses.
  • Explain the process of identifying legal issues, material facts, applicable law, and reaching a conclusion after applying the law to the facts.
  • Describe the types of damages available to plaintiffs in tort and product liability lawsuits.
  • Discuss the elements of a contract.
  • Distinguish between real and personal property.
  • Explain how courts determine child custody and support issues.
  • Discuss the scope of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and major legislation that impacted workers' rights.
  • Discuss the protections afforded to intellectual property (IP).

Credit Hours: 3

P03 - Torts  

This course explores tort law. Negligence, intentional torts, and strict liability torts will be examined, as well as the affirmative defenses defendants can raise. Premises liability and business-related torts will also be covered. The common law history of tort law and modern remedies for resolving such disputes will be examined as well. The entire trial process — from filing a complaint to the appeals process — will be studied in depth.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • List the elements of tort.
  • Explain how a lawsuit gets started and the rules that govern its progression.
  • Discuss the concept of duty of care and how it can be breached.
  • List the elements of the intentional torts of assault, battery, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of a right to privacy, defamation, conversion, trespass to land, and trespass to chattels.
  • Outline the elements of negligent misrepresentation and fraud.
  • Explain the defenses of necessity, consent, and mistake.
  • Explain the concept of strict liability.
  • Describe the concept of vicarious liability and how it comes into play.

Credit Hours: 3

P05 - Criminal Law and Procedures  

This course takes a close look at the U.S. criminal justice system. The steps involved in a criminal prosecution are covered from start to finish, including appeals. Types of crimes and the elements required to commit crime are explored as well. This course also examines the U.S. Constitution and the rights afforded to criminal defendants. The paralegal's role as assistant to either the prosecutor or criminal defense attorney is highlighted throughout the course.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe various categories of crime and their respective elements.
  • Define various degrees of murder.
  • Discuss kidnapping and human trafficking issues.
  • Explain why some crimes are classified as social crimes.
  • Explain why treason, sedition, and espionage are such serious offenses.
  • Discuss the Common Law defenses of self-defense, necessity, duress, entrapment, mistake of fact, mistake of law, and consent of the victim.
  • Discuss the U.S. Constitutional provisions of the Fourth Amendment that protect citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures.
  • List the steps in a criminal trial.

Credit Hours: 3

P07 - Law Office Management  

This course provides insight into the practical side of operating a law office. The roles and duties of the legal team are explained. Later lessons discuss the unauthorized practice of law, calendaring, docket control, and case management. The role ethics plays is examined throughout. The course concludes with a discussion of marketing and the legal library.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Discuss the duties and titles of each member of the legal team.
  • Identify the functions of legal administration.
  • Discuss ethical codes that apply to paralegals and attorneys.
  • Discuss factors that will promote successful client relationships.
  • Differentiate between timekeeping and billing.
  • Explain why paralegals need a rudimentary understanding of law office accounting.
  • Discuss how to calculate court deadlines and calendar important meetings.
  • Identify cost-saving practices for legal libraries.

Credit Hours: 3

P09 - Legal Research and Writing  

This course provides insight into legal research and writing. The basics of researching case law, statutory law, and administrative regulations are explained. Students will learn how to read cases and statutes, distinguish between primary and secondary sources of law, and apply these skills to brief a case. Later lessons delve into the basic rules of writing and the unique rules that apply to legal writing. The course concludes with a discussion of proofreading, editing, and cite checking.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe what legal research is and its importance.
  • Explain how to read the language contained in a statute.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in briefing a case.
  • Explain how to locate cases and federal regulations in print and online.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in legal research and analysis.
  • Summarize how to construct effective sentences, paragraphs, and transitions.
  • Explain the purpose and intended audience of a legal research memorandum.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in proofreading, editing, and cite checking a legal document in print and online.

Credit Hours: 3

Psychology

S01 - Introduction to Psychology I  

This course explores introductory concepts in psychology. This course helps students to think like psychologists and understand why scientific and critical thinking is so important to the decisions they make in their own lives. This course provides an overview of psychology that emphasizes critical thinking, gender, and culture.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Define the science of psychology.
  • Distinguish between a theory, a hypothesis, and an operational definition.
  • Explain the relationship among genes, chromosomes, DNA, and genomes, and describe their importance to psychology.
  • Identify and describe the major structures of the central nervous system and their primary functions.
  • Define circadian rhythms and explain how the body's "biological clock" works and what happens when this clock goes awry.
  • Distinguish between sensation and perception, explain how the doctrine of specific nerve energies applies to perception, and discuss how synesthesia contributes to our understanding of sensory modalities.
  • Describe the basic principles of classical conditioning, including the extinction and recovery of a classically conditioned response, how higher-order conditioning takes place, and the process of stimulus generalization and discrimination.
  • Compare social norms and social roles, and note how each contributes to the social rules that govern a culture.

Credit Hours: 3

S02 - Introduction to Psychology II  

This course builds on what you've learned in Introduction to Psychology I. That foundation included topics such as defining psychology, exploring the brain and nervous system, becoming familiar with sensation and perception, learning and conditioning, and the ways by which behavior is shaped by social and cultural influences. In this course, Introduction to Psychology II, we'll press onward to gain insights into an array of topics that include the basics of psychological research, genetics and evolution, sensation and perception, different types of consciousness, learning theories, thinking and intelligence, memory, motivation, theories of personality, emotions and stress management, development over the lifespan, an overview of psychological disorders and, finally, an exploration of treatments and therapies for addressing the various kinds of psychological disorders.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain the rational and irrational processes involved in thinking and describe approaches to the measurement of intelligence.
  • Discuss and explain the nature of memory, including the ways we reconstruct the past, the three-box model, and techniques for enhancing memory.
  • Describe the nature of emotions and the various influences of emotion on our health and well-being, including guidelines for managing stress.
  • Discuss and explain variables related to motivation, including weight management, love vs. infatuation, the biological root of sexuality, the cultural influences of gender bias, and our drive to achieve personal goals.
  • Outline and discuss human development over the lifespan, including infancy, early childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age, and an understanding of the stages of cognitive and moral development.
  • Discuss and explain theories of personality, including psychodynamic models originating with the work of Sigmund Freud and modern personality theories based on identifying personality traits, while appraising genetic, peer, family, and cultural influences on personality development.
  • Outline and discuss the various forms of mental disorders.
  • Outline and discuss the various approaches to treating or alleviating the different kinds of mental disorders.

Credit Hours: 3

S03 - Human Growth and Development I  

This course provides an exciting and comprehensive overview of human development. It highlights lifespan development and its fascinating theories and applications. This course enriches your understanding of lifespan development and demonstrates how this can be applied to your life. Finally, this course highlights how you can develop a sense of awareness of the similarities of growth and developmental changes everyone shares.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Summarize the relationship of lifespan development, heredity, and genetic influences along with their prenatal impact.
  • Describe the labor and birth processes, potential birth complications, and the competent newborn.
  • Explain the infant's growth and development in relation to motor, sensory, cognitive, information processing, and language development.
  • Discuss the infant's cognitive growth as it relates to information processing and language development.
  • Compare the evolution of the infant's social and personality formation and a child's physical and intellectual changes in beginning childhood.
  • Describe the intricacies of a preschooler's psychosocial, social, and moral development.
  • List the physical, intellectual, and educational developments of a child in middle school.
  • Explain the adolescent's physical and cognitive development and potential threats to this population.

Credit Hours: 3

S04 - Human Growth and Development II  

This course offers fascinating insight into human growth and development from middle childhood to late adulthood. You'll build on the knowledge they attained in the first part of this course, which looked at lifespan from infancy to middle childhood. New discoveries that continue to draw scientific and personal attention about the ongoing nature-nurture debate and its impact on human development will be discussed. You'll also delve into the interesting topic of the human condition and reflect on how people's lives will evolve.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Compare social and personality development of middle childhood with early adulthood.
  • Describe relationships in the life of the adolescent.
  • Explain the intellectual and physical development of adults and how experiences impact this group.
  • Summarize the various changes that occur during middle adulthood.
  • Discuss social, personality, and work-life balance changes that affect middle adulthood.
  • State the physical, cognitive, and health changes in late adulthood.
  • Explain the intrinsic and extrinsic variables that affect late adulthood.
  • Describe the effects of death and dying, along with grief and bereavement, on late adulthood.

Credit Hours: 3

S06 - Social Psychology 

In this course, you're introduced to concepts related to the behavior of individuals as members of the larger society as expressed in varying beliefs, norms, attitudes and attitude changes, along with basic ideas and concepts related to group influence and persuasion. Proceeding from this basic foundation, you'll explore the nature of group dynamics, cultural influences, conformity, attraction and intimacy, aggression and its sources, prejudice and its effects and sources, as well as the opposition of altruism and conflict in social life.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the field of social psychology, including the methods that social psychologists typically use in research.
  • Explain how the self-concept is developed across time.
  • Discuss human behavior in terms of social cognition, social perception, and attitudes.
  • Describe how social roles affect conformity and compliance.
  • Illustrate how other individuals and groups influence an individual's behavior.
  • Express how stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, and aggression are formed, and how they influence human behavior.
  • Describe the factors that influence attraction and the nature of relationships.
  • Discuss the concept of prosocial behavior.

Credit Hours: 3

S07 - Abnormal Psychology  

Upon completing this course, you'll have a pretty good understanding of the role of clinicians as they assess, diagnose, and attempt to treat a wide variety of psychological disorders. You'll also gain insight into how researchers conduct scientific studies to try to shed light on the mysteries of the human mind. Among other topics, you'll become familiar with the distinctions between normal and abnormal behavior. From that starting point, you'll be able to outline the history of the discipline from the ancient philosophers to today's cutting-edge diagnostic tools that scan the brain. You'll discuss obsessive-compulsive disorders, specific anxiety disorders, including PTSD, and somatic dissociative disorders. You'll also study bipolar and depressive disorders, substance-related and addictive disorders, feeding and eating disorders, and gender dysphoria, sexual dysfunctions, and paraphilic disorders. Near the end of this course, you'll learn about the schizophrenia spectrum and its relationship to other psychotic disorders.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe differences between normal and abnormal behavior, the history of treatments, research methods, and various perspectives.
  • Discuss the goals of assessing, diagnosing, and treating abnormal psychological disorders.
  • Describe the nature and symptoms of impulse control disorders, somatic disorders, and dissociative disorders.
  • Discuss bipolar disorders, depressive disorders, eating disorders, and the epidemiological factors that may affect them.
  • Discuss the characteristics of and treatments for sexual dysfunctions and substance-related disorders.
  • Describe psychotic disorders and personality disorder clusters and the etiological factors related to them.
  • Describe the etiology of intellectual deficiency, learning disorders, and disorders related to aging.
  • Explain the relationship between law, ethics, and treatment issues in abnormal psychology.

Credit Hours: 3

S08 - Psychology of Personality  

This course enables you to understand the basics of personality psychology. You'll differentiate among several theoretical perspectives of personality psychology, such as psychoanalysis, cognitive-behavioral, and motivation theories. Emphasis is placed on the importance of learners recognizing principle systems and underlying beliefs innate in various personality paradigms that accurately reflect their own personal perspectives. Additionally, you'll learn to recognize strategies and approaches in psychology that reflect identified personality theories as a foundation and how to apply concepts to events in day-to-day life.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain foundational concepts of personality psychology.
  • Explain personality traits and how concept relates to identifying an individual's personality.
  • Discuss physiological approaches used in personality research, including how physiological measurements are made.
  • Explain and discuss intrapsychic of personality, including psychoanalysis and psychodynamic theory.
  • Describe cognitive foundations of personality psychology.
  • Discuss how influence plays a role in personality and how individuals are able to influence the behavior of others.
  • Explain the concept of resilience and how this concept directly relates to an individual's ability to adjust to various situations.
  • Apply psychological principles relating to personality psychology theories to understanding special topics.

Credit Hours: 3

Retail

L01 - Introduction to Retailing  

This is an introduction to retailing concepts and processes. The student will explore the basics of retailing, such as setting up a retail business, primary target markets, products, and location. In addition, the student will survey personnel and risk management, and examine the basics of writing a business plan and operating a retail business in the global marketplace.
Credit Hours: 3

L02 - Retail Supply Chain Management  

This is an introduction to the basics of supply chain management. The student will explore the distribution channel including the types of channels and the relationships among channel members. They will also examine the supply chain operations of planning, sourcing materials, making products, deliveries, and returns. The use of technology to operate the supply chain will be discussed, and supply chain metrics will be presented.
Credit Hours: 3

L03 - Retail Buying  

This course explores important concepts of retail buying, beginning with a discussion of customer needs, support staff requirements, and the education and training buyers need. The course also explores the roles of buying groups, merchandise assortments, planning and controls, and how technology and Internet commerce relates to retailing. In addition, the student will learn how to choose vendors, translate plans into purchases, negotiate the buy, and price and sell merchandise once it has been bought.
Credit Hours: 3

L04 - Retail Employee Management  

This course examines the various aspects of hiring, managing, motivating, and retaining retail employees. The course describes hiring techniques and discusses federal employment laws. The student will also explore concepts such as the effective management of employees, employee benefits, retention, and motivation, and customer service and relationship building.
Credit Hours: 3

Security

T01 - Introduction to Security Management  

In this course, you'll learn the ins and outs of this very important topic. You'll take an in-depth look at what security entails, examine the various kinds of security, and review the types of firms that provide such security. You'll also examine the fascinating ways that individuals, organizations, and nations can minimize the loss of life and property through modern security measures. Throughout the course, you'll also consider how security needs have changed since 9/11.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Summarize threats to safety and security.
  • Describe the ways organizations can protect their physical assets, personnel, stakeholders, and reputations.
  • Explain how the legal and regulatory environment influences security operations.
  • Define risk, risk assessment, and risk management.
  • Identify security threats unique to specific institutions.
  • Describe retailers' security concerns and ways they can minimize loss from shoplifting and employee theft.
  • Identify findings and changes brought about by the events of 9/11.
  • Discuss the likely future of security operations and management.

Credit Hours: 3

T03 - Incident Command Systems  

This course explores how to prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from disasters that are brought on by nature and those that are made by humans, such as acts of terrorism. The roles of first responders, volunteers, search and-rescue teams, government agencies and nonprofit organizations will be examined. In addition, the course will consider the likely disasters that the future holds and how you can prepare for those events by revisiting successes and failures of the past.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Define key terms such as hazard, vulnerability, and disaster.
  • Distinguish among public actors, private actors, and nonprofits with regard to disaster.
  • Explain the federal government's involvement in disaster activities.
  • Discuss search-and-rescue terms and operations.
  • Describe the benefits and challenges associated with the media's role during a disaster.
  • Define damage assessment and some of the methods used to determine the same.
  • Describe the challenges "special populations" pose during response and recovery.
  • Describe likely vulnerabilities of the future.

Credit Hours: 3

T05 - Criminal Behavior  

This course is an introduction to criminal behavior! You'll be able to gain a better understanding of theories that help better explain criminal behavior and delinquency. Throughout the course, you'll also learn more about the victim(s) of crimes and how crimes impact their lives.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain the various theories that help society understand criminal behavior.
  • Explain juvenile delinquency and ways to prevent, intervene with, and rehabilitate juvenile delinquents.
  • Outline the major principles of the social structure, social process, and social development theories of criminal causation.
  • Understand how biological and environmental factors play a role in criminal behavior.
  • Explain the four core factors of psychopathy.
  • Explain the extent of harm caused by white-collar crime.
  • Explain the impact cybercrime has on its victim(s) and understand the types of crimes that fall under this category.

Credit Hours: 3

 

Electives (300-400 Level)

Listed by discipline. Students can choose any course from any discipline, unless the course is already part of the required curriculum.

Business

BM350 - Marketing Management  

Marketing Management reviews the bedrock principles and theories of marketing, including strategic planning, marketing research, the marketing mix, building brands, and communicating value. Specialized fields such as service marketing and business marketing are presented.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Present the essentials of marketing and marketing management theories, concepts, and models.
  • Identify and discuss the tools and methodologies used to solve marketing management problems.
  • Compare and contrast the processes that influence buying behavior in business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets.
  • Explain the concept of branding, key ingredients of brand equity, and the strategic brand management process.
  • Examine the role competition plays in expanding and defending market share.
  • Discuss the classifications of products, elements of product design, and how to manage a product mix and product lines.
  • Analyze pricing and demonstrate the psychology of pricing of products and services.
  • Describe the elements of the promotional mix and determine which are the most favorable for certain products and services.

Credit Hours: 3

BM440 - Internet Marketing  

This course provides you with a broad base of knowledge in marketing techniques for the digital age. The course begins with an overview of the most disruptive events in the current digital environment, particularly the explosion of mobile content and marketing. It continues by exposing you to content marketing, email marketing, and search engine marketing. Customer relationship management is presented, along with discussion of customer service strategy concepts. Finally, regulatory action to protect privacy is discussed, along with issues related to the protection of intellectual property on the Internet.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Summarize disruptive change caused by the digital environment and the corresponding digital transformation that businesses of all kinds must undergo.
  • Display an understanding of business models, direct-response strategy and techniques, and data mining.
  • Explain why marketers find it both necessary and effective to engage in social media marketing and the key things marketers must do to be effective in the digital age.
  • Analyze display, content, and email marketing, including how they are used for customer acquisition and retention.
  • Illustrate search engine, social, and mobile marketing concepts and applications.
  • Provide a detailed discussion of the sales process and customer relationship management.
  • Discuss the website development process as it relates to customer service and satisfaction.
  • Summarize privacy and security issues in social media and in the mobile space, privacy protection efforts, and marketing metrics that are available for websites, mobile sites, social media, and video campaigns.

Credit Hours: 3

BU330 - Accounting for Managers  

Welcome to the world of Accounting for Managers! It's a practical world of analysis interpretation and problem-solving. You'll have to work through transactions, complete calculations and financial statements, and analyze and interpret your results to answer the questions. You'll also need to keep your eye on the goal of sound decision-making. Understanding how to apply what you learn in this Accounting for Managers course to everyday business situations can help make you a more effective decision-maker. May your judgment be sound, and your choices lead you to success.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Demonstrate effective written and interpersonal skills.
  • Demonstrate job-specific technical and professional skills.
  • Demonstrate effective quantitative skills.
  • Demonstrate a high level of inquiry, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
  • Analyze the various concepts related to managerial accounting and cost accounting.
  • Explain the different tools of management used for the decision-making process.
  • Identify the various budget analysis processes and the performance measurements for decision making.
  • Analyze the various components of capital budgeting, cash flow statements, and ratio analysis.
  • Solve examples of real-world accounting problems using knowledge of accounting forms and equations.

Credit Hours: 3

BU340 - Managerial Finance I  

Financial management integrates concepts from economics, accounting, management, and other business disciplines to forge a sound basis on which the firm can predict risk, return, and cash flows for operating and strategic decisions. This enables financial managers to manage the firm's resources and maximize return to the firm's shareholders, a central goal of most corporations. Topics include financial management, the time value of money, interest, stocks, and bonds.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Outline the effects of financial planning on strategy.
  • Measure risk and calculate the risk-adjusted discount rate.
  • Calculate the value of money at different points in time.
  • Evaluate bonds and calculate bond yields.
  • Determine the price of common and preferred stock.
  • Assess investments using net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return methods.
  • Compute a firm's cash flow components.
  • Explain how financial institutions determine discount and investment rates.

Credit Hours: 3

BU350 - Organizational Behavior  

This course is designed to provide you with an opportunity to explore the behavior of individuals, groups, and organizations within today's dynamic work environment. Specific topics include communication, motivation, leadership, power structure, diversity, and organizational culture.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the discipline of organizational behavior.
  • Explain the impact that behavior, values, and decision making have on an organization.
  • Describe how an individual's motivation, emotions, and moods can impact an organization.
  • Discuss ways to improve group communication and team performance.
  • Discuss how leadership, power, and conflict can shape an organization.
  • Analyze the impact that organizational structure and culture can have on an organization.
  • Describe the role and function of human resources in an organization.
  • Explain theories and methods to manage change and stress.
  • Assess the impact in the workplace of globalization, cultural differences, workforce diversity, and ethics and identify strategies for enhancing individual and organizational performance.

Credit Hours: 3

BU360 - Social Impact of Business  

In this course, you'll examine broad social, ethical, and technological themes and trends that affect business operations. You will explore some of the broad effects and implications of business-society interactions relating to public issues, ethics and social responsibility, and the process of globalization. You'll also examine in detail issues of technology, development, the environment, culture, and diversity.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the relationships between business and society, with a focus on collaboration and process management.
  • Explain the concepts of corporate social responsibility and corporate citizenship.
  • Illustrate ethical problems that occur in business, how they are managed, and why businesses strive to be ethical.
  • Analyze the impacts of globalization, including the political and economic systems in which companies operate across the world and the drivers of the globalization process.
  • Examine the concept of sustainable development and the costs and benefits of major environmental regulation.
  • Explain the scope of technology as a force that affects society.
  • Assess the topics of stockholder rights and corporate governance, including environmental responsibility and how the courts protect consumers.
  • Outline the obligations of business to their employees and the community.

Credit Hours: 3

BU440 - Managerial Finance II  

This course explores the concepts, techniques, and tools used for financial decision making at strategic, tactical, and operational levels of a firm including capital structure planning, financing decisions, working capital management, and financial management for multinational corporations.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite: BU340

BU450 - Leadership Skills  

This course explores the leadership skills required in business, government, and society by looking at the relentless change and escalating uncertainties that define our times. Leadership has little to do with title or position; it's a way of acting that involves the influence of people to inspire change toward a mutually desired outcome. This course explores how effective leaders embrace the inevitability of constant change and diversity and use their interpersonal skills to promote change, communicate vision, provide a sense of direction, and inspire employees.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Examine fundamental leadership concepts and principles.
  • Identify traits and characteristics associated with effective leaders.
  • Identify contingency factors and situational variables that affect leadership in an organization.
  • Define various styles of leadership and explain the impact of values, attitudes, and personality on each.
  • Discuss the evolution of participative management, including the characteristics of teams and self-leadership.
  • Discuss the elements and methods of leader development.

Credit Hours: 3

BU460 - Electronic Commerce  

E-commerce will present you with countless opportunities to learn about the fascinating, dynamic, and rapidly growing field of e-commerce, or rather, conducting your business over networks. This course explains how businesses operate over the internet, and on mobile applications. This course offers you an opportunity to learn about the countless platforms, interfaces, and services available to you, as well as society, through e-commerce. With this rapidly expanding market, this course presents the basics of e-commerce and its impact on everyday life.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Summarize e-commerce's distinguishing features, models, and supportive mechanisms.
  • Evaluate the role of the Internet in e-commerce.
  • Synthesize the vision, implementation, and support behind building e-commerce.
  • Appraise the role of security and technology in e-commerce.
  • Explain purchasing, marketing, and their associated costs and benefits online.
  • Synthesize public and private issues that impact e-commerce.
  • Summarize various online services.
  • Compare various sites for conducting e-commerce.

Credit Hours: 3

BU470 - Strategic Management  

Strategic management may sound uninteresting on the surface, but as you'll see in this course, there are many interesting aspects to strategic management and knowing how a firm can have a competitive advantage in the marketplace! This course is designed to provide you with an understanding of the concepts, models, and theories of strategic management by looking at case analyses, analyzing external environments, evaluating internal capabilities, and exploring useful strategies. The emphasis of the course is on the successful implementation of strategies in different types of firms across industries to gain an advantage over all their competitors.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Define strategy and the strategic management process.
  • Describe external environment and how it affects the decisions and performance of a firm.
  • Describe how a firm analyzes its internal capabilities and why it is essential to an organization.
  • Explain cost leadership and the benefits of the cost leadership strategy.
  • Define product differentiation and explain how it can create economic value.
  • Discuss the strategies of flexibility and real options and how they benefit a firm.
  • Summarize explicit and tacit collusion and the issues associated with the decision to collude.

Credit Hours: 3

BU480 - E-Business Strategy  

E-Business Strategy addresses the new technological environment that businesses are facing by exploring strategic considerations related to technology and technology implementation. The course also examines the basics of the marketing exchange by utilizing social media, database marketing, interactive telecommunications, and other e-business techniques.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Assess how the new technological environment will impact business activity.
  • Describe the strategic planning process and the external environment within which an organization operates.
  • Describe the virtual value chain and how companies move from managing an internal value chain to operating along a value network.
  • Explain the impact of the internet on business goals and activities.
  • Explain how the value-process framework integrates the value chain and the five forces analyses, including the relationship between strategy formulation and the concepts of value creation and value capturing.
  • Compare and contrast the various organizational structures for e-business activities.
  • Describe how to implement and utilize digital customer relationship management (CRM) and mobile e-commerce.
  • Explain the e-business strategy formulation roadmap and how to link the steps of the roadmap to the different parts of the e-business strategy framework.

Credit Hours: 3

BU490 - Business Ethics  

This course will introduce you to the types of ethical issues you may encounter in your professional life and provide you with ways of considering what the best response to an issue might be. First,?you'll be introduced to different schools of thought about how to determine the "right" course of action— philosophical approaches such as utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, and character-based philosophies. Second, in addition to these personal ethics perspectives, you'll be introduced to various business-related approaches to ethical issues in a professional setting. Third, you'll be introduced to a process for decision making to balance the personal, professional, and societal considerations to help you make good decisions in your business life. Finally, you'll be given an overview of selected areas of business that may require particular attention to ethical and social responsibility issues.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Categorize ethics and perspectives pertaining to business and decision making.
  • Distinguish between the norms of corporate culture and the corporate social responsibilities.
  • Analyze the various employer and employee responsibilities, the issues of technological capabilities, and ethical marketing.
  • Point out the impact of ethical corporate governance on corporate sustainability and conflicts of interest.
  • Prepare a report on business ethical decision in veterinary practice by utilizing your findings.

Credit Hours: 3

BZ380 - Management Information Systems  

BZ380 focuses on understanding information systems that today's managers use to make decisions and analyze production and performance in a business environment. The student will be able to identify the challenges facing firms today, understand the technologies that will help them meet these challenges, design business processes to take advantage of the technologies, and describe management procedures and policies to implement the required changes. The student will also be able to understand what the role of information systems is concerning project and global management.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Summarize information systems and the global business environment.
  • Relate how organizations use information systems in a strategic manner.
  • Synthesize information technology and the management of data.
  • Explain how telecommunication networks operate and employ security.
  • Categorize and relate the use and applications of enterprise systems and e-commerce.
  • Relate how managing knowledge in business with work systems and business intelligence assists managerial decisions.
  • Summarize project and systems development management as each relates to goals and risks.
  • Synthesize global management and internationalization of information systems.

Credit Hours: 3

BZ400 - Strategic Information Technology  

This course will improve your decision making about technology. You'll learn to identify major technologies that can increase competitive advantage. You'll learn how to avoid some of the implementation traps that can lead to failed projects with careful planning. After completing this course, you'll be able to diagnose choice technologies, organize your thinking about technology in helpful ways, and then analyze them in ways to help make technology a valuable strategic differentiator. You'll learn how laws such as Sarbanes-Oxley are forcing organizations to align business processes with technology.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Summarize how information systems have evolved utilizing various strategies.
  • Synthesize management of information system infrastructure and electronic commerce.
  • Relate the use of social media in the business environment for communication.
  • Support the use of business intelligence, its components, and its integration with databases.
  • Describe core business processes and implementation of enterprise resource planning systems.
  • Evaluate the impact of supply chain management and customer relationship management on organizations.
  • Explain how companies invest in technology and the processes used in securing technology.
  • Appraise how information security is threatened, controlled, and managed.

Credit Hours: 3

BZ420 - Human Resources Management  

This course is designed to familiarize you with the basic principles of human resources management. The course begins with an overview and legal aspects. Work analysis and workforce planning, recruiting, staffing, training, and performance management are also evaluated. This foundation is used to synthesize how the human resources professional manages careers, compensation, labor relations, safety and health of employees, and discipline and procedural justice. The course concludes by evaluating related concepts in a global context.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Evaluate a strategic HR plan for an organization and the role of the HR manager.
  • Interpret the role played by HR in personnel planning, recruiting, and creating job requirements.
  • Design an employee training and development program that addresses key deficits in these areas.
  • Synthesize performance appraisal criteria for multiple positions in an organization.
  • Delineate the methods used to create an employee benefit and incentive plan.
  • Critically interpret employment discrimination and labor laws to deal effectively with employment issues on the job.
  • Evaluate the methods for managing legal, health, safety, and ethical issues in the workplace.
  • Assess the need for global HR expansion, including a hiring strategy that best suits the new business environment.

Credit Hours: 3

BZ440 - Quality Control  

This course presents a study of quality management processes from teams to organization-wide systems, including the behavioral and analytical tools that support fully integrated quality management. Emphasis is given to the commitment of management and the organization to the cultural changes necessary to implement quality improvements throughout the organization to ensure long-term competitiveness.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Evaluate quality and how an organization achieves excellence through the total quality approach.
  • Appraise the impact organizational behavior can have on the implementation of total quality and how managers can control behavior within an organization.
  • Formulate an understanding of partnering with suppliers and customers, both internal and external, as a benefit to total quality in a competitive marketplace.
  • Analyze examples of how management is making substantial changes in organizations to implement a better focus on TQ and performance excellence.
  • Determine the principles of successful leadership, empowerment, and teamwork.
  • Discuss the implementation of total quality management and the future of ISO 9000.
  • Evaluate the various tools and techniques used for problem solving and process improvement in a total quality environment.
  • Synthesize commonly used continual improvement systems and methods.

Credit Hours: 3

BZ450 - Being an Entrepreneur  

This course provides a strong foundation in the theory, process, and practice of entrepreneurship. The course also presents detailed information on marketing research for new ventures, how to outline and present an effective business plan, characteristics of a sole proprietorship, partnership, and a corporation, as well as patent protection, copyrights and trademarks.
Credit Hours: 3

BZ460 - Project Management  

In this course, you'll first learn about project management, including the project manager's responsibility to the project. Topics to be discussed include the role of the project manager in managing the project life cycle, including defining tasks, scheduling, allocating resources, monitoring, and controlling. Tools, techniques, and tips for project management will also be presented. Once this is accomplished, you'll delve into the detailed requirements of project planning.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Outline the primary goals of project management, as well as the planning process and project life cycle.
  • Explain how projects are identified and selected, along with the proposal solicitation process.
  • Describe the project scope document, quality, how to define what activities need to be done, who will be responsible for them, and in what sequence they will be performed.
  • Discuss monitoring and controlling the progress of the project, replanning, and updating the project schedule.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the resource requirements plan, forecasting project cost at completion, controlling project costs, and managing cash flow.
  • Explain how to identify risks and their potential impact, risk response planning, and controlling risks.
  • Describe the characteristics of effective project teams and team management.
  • Explain an element vital to the effective performance of a project: communication.

Credit Hours: 3

BZ480 - International Management  

This course deals with the issues affecting multinational corporation managers in a global business environment. Its primary focus is on understanding, respecting, and working within the parameters of a variety of cultures affecting the outcomes of all dimensions of business and management operations. These dimensions include, but are not limited to, business communication and negotiation, management decision making, strategy formulation and implementation; organizational structure and control; staffing, training, and compensation for global operations; and motivation and leadership from a multinational, multicultural set of perspectives.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Discuss reasons why managers engage in global marketplaces and their subsequent rights and ethical responsibilities.
  • Explain how managers develop cultural intelligence to facilitate international cross-cultural communication.
  • Describe how analyses and models are utilized to enter a global market.
  • Compare cultural behavior and communication complexities in international business management.
  • Interpret how strategy and alliances provide the framework for international managerial success.
  • Synthesize how strategic planning, staffing, and international human resource management present management with challenges and opportunities.
  • Appraise how international management operates among various cultures and labor relation systems.
  • Summarize how global cultures impact international business management.

Credit Hours: 3

Criminal Justice

CJ320 - American Constitutional Law  

This course is designed to introduce you to the underlying political structure of the American judiciary and to explore the political and legal foundations for constitutional law in the American political system. This course is based on the premise that judges are political actors and courts are political institutions; both are integrally connected with other branches of American government, and federal and state governmental relationships are key because the system is based on the "rule of law."

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain the core principles of constitutional law as developed under the Articles of the Constitution.
  • Examine the role of the judiciary as part of the political process.
  • Summarize the role of the legislative branch of government as part of the political process.
  • Explain the role of the executive branch of government, including administrative agencies, as part of the political process.
  • Analyze contemporary federalism: the federal and state relationship.
  • Discuss the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment.
  • Analyze the core principles of privacy and equal protection as developed under the Fifth Amendment.
  • Describe civil rights legislation and the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments to the US Constitution.

Credit Hours: 3

CJ330 - Criminal Law and Procedure  

This is a comprehensive survey of source, distinctions, and limitations relating to criminal law, the principles of criminal liability, the various crimes and their elements, and the criteria considered in determining capacity and defenses. Also explored are the elements of due process, legal liabilities of public officers, terrorism and electronic surveillance, and issues related to the Fourth Amendment.
Credit Hours: 3

CJ340 - Criminology  

Criminology is the discipline that studies crime and criminal behavior. In this course, you'll study the causes of crime, reactions, and different forms of criminal behavior. You'll also explore the many interrelationships of the criminal enterprise, the criminal justice system, and the study of the reasons for criminality.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Analyze the disciplines of criminology, victimology, and the associated research methods.
  • Point out the important theories in criminology.
  • Distinguish among violent crime, property crime, and white-collar crime.
  • Categorize the special types of crime and the future of crime.
  • Analyze theories on the emergence of law.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the liberal arts, natural sciences, and social sciences.
  • Demonstrate job-specific technical and professional skills.
  • Demonstrate a high level of inquiry, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
  • Demonstrate computer and information literacy.
  • Demonstrate effective written and interpersonal communication skills.

Credit Hours: 3

CJ350 - Judicial Process  

This course explores the structures of both federal and state criminal courts. The roles and duties of key players will be examined, as well as the constitutional rights of defendants. The history of juries and development of criminal law will be explored as well. The entire trial process, including pretrial procedures, plea bargains, appeals, and differential treatment of offenders will be studied in depth.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the hierarchical structure of the courts.
  • Outline the history and development of the federal courts.
  • Outline the history and development of the juvenile courts.
  • Describe the qualifications and appointments of federal judges.
  • Outline the history of criminal defense.
  • Explain plea bargaining, including its history and development.
  • Describe the jury's decision-making process and factors that influence its decisions.
  • Summarize factors that lead to differential treatment in the criminal justice system.

Credit Hours: 3

CJ380 - Probation and Parole  

Did you know that probation is the most common method used in America to deal with offenders? Or that 97% of all incarcerated persons will be released at some point? This course will sharpen your skills in the areas of probation and parole. You'll examine the history of probation and parole and discover how the mistreatment of children on farms and in factories led to the current system of probation and parole. You'll engage in discussions that focus on the balance between achieving public safety and protecting offenders' rights. Each lesson provides you the opportunity to assess current and novel approaches to the fields of probation and parole. You may decide these are the careers for you!

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain why probation is the most common sentence in the American criminal justice system.
  • Discuss the complexities of the American criminal justice system.
  • List the dispositions available to the juvenile.
  • Distinguish determinate sentencing from indeterminate sentencing.
  • Evaluate theoretical and practical models for rehabilitation in probation and parole.
  • Identify the qualifications and duties of probation and parole officers.
  • Outline the benefits of intermediate punishments.
  • Evaluate the problems associated with determining "success" and "adequate supervision."

Credit Hours: 3

CJ390 - Victimology  

This course explores the concept of victimology, its history, and evolving role in the criminal justice system. The roles and duties of victims' advocates and victims' services providers will also be examined. Victims' rights, restitution, hate crimes, intimate partner violence, abuse and sexual victimization of children, special victim populations, and victimology at the international level will be studied in depth.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Discuss the social forces that have shaped the discipline of victimology.
  • Describe the limitations of statistical reports on crime.
  • Describe the typical homicide victim.
  • Explain why the term domestic violence has been expanded to intimate partner violence.
  • Explain the injuries elder populations experience as victims of crime.
  • Discuss the unique challenges special victim populations pose for law enforcement and victims' advocates.
  • Explain the significance and history of 42 U.S.C. Section 1983.
  • Summarize the pros and cons of victim impact statements.

Credit Hours: 3

CJ400 - Ethics in the Justice System  

This is an examination of a wide range of ethical issues in policing, the practice of law, sentencing, corrections, criminal justice research, and crime control policy. Course discussion includes the utilitarian and deontological approaches to criminal justice ethics, morality of the death penalty, privatization of corrections, and the myths that influence public opinion toward crime and crime control.
Credit Hours: 3

CJ410 - Leadership in Law Enforcement  

This course takes a close look at the structures, leadership, and behaviors found in a typical police agency. Course materials devoted to human resource management and on-the-job stress include a discussion of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). This course also examines the impact that severe budget cutbacks and a culture of violence have had on law enforcement agencies across the nation. Legal issues are highlighted throughout the course.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Summarize the ways in which policing has evolved.
  • Assess the influence of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on intelligence and policing.
  • Outline two sources of pressure that are exerted on police departments.
  • Compare transactional and transformational styles of leadership.
  • Assess the purposes and benefits of progressive discipline.
  • Discuss the ways in which police agencies have addressed budget cutbacks.
  • Summarize the typical actions of police officers that give rise to civil lawsuits.
  • Evaluate the role of the rank and file in organizational change.

Credit Hours: 3

CJ440 - White Collar Crime  

This course is designed to introduce you to an examination of white-collar crime. This includes a review of the forms, causes and consequences, relevant social scientific theories, and the mechanics of this type of crime. How the schemes work, who perpetrates them, and the relationship to the environment in which they're perpetrated are also reviewed. This includes a closer look at consumer fraud, unsafe products, environmental crime, and institutional corruption, including religious-affinity fraud, securities fraud, corporate fraud, fiduciary fraud, crimes by the government, corruption, healthcare fraud, and computer-related crime.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain the meaning, measurement, costs, categories, and evolution of white-collar crime.
  • Explain crimes against consumers and crimes involving unsafe products.
  • Describe environmental crime and institutional corruption.
  • Explain securities fraud, corporate fraud, and fiduciary fraud.
  • Describe crimes by the government and corruption of public officials.
  • Describe the extent of healthcare fraud, its effect on government programs, and its costs.
  • Describe computer-related crime including its origins and its costs.
  • Explain the causes and responses to white-collar crime.

Credit Hours: 3

CJ450 - Private Security  

This is an examination of private security from a historical and philosophical perspective. Topics include the evolution of private security, basic security goals and responsibilities, investigation, deterrence theory, loss prevention through risk management, how to recruit, select, and train security personnel for an organization, and current challenges facing the security profession.
Credit Hours: 3

Early Childhood Education

EC360 - Movement and Music  

Young children explore the world around them and learn about themselves essentially by moving about and using their senses. Movement is a key component of all children's development. Thus, movement is an essential part of an early childhood curriculum. Children also love music, and rhythm is directly related to movement, making it an essential part of an early childhood curriculum as well. This is a broad-based course in physical education for children, which emphasizes the development of fundamental motor skills through child-centered activities that often involve the use of music.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain the importance of movement and music for young children.
  • Formulate a well-rounded movement and music curriculum based on state standards.
  • Examine research-based strategies for teaching music.
  • Create developmentally appropriate lessons and environments for a range of children.
  • Explain the relationship between music, movement, and higher-level thinking skills.
  • Summarize the sequence of development of gross motor skills.
  • Relate the importance of using movement and music to enhance learning.
  • Summarize how to utilize competency and performance-based assessments and evaluations.

Credit Hours: 3

EC380 - Art and Creative Development  

In a world where academic and professional achievement is so valued, it appears as though seemingly trivial activities like painting and dancing are pushed to the bottom of the priority list. However, many would argue that those tasks are actually the most important work children might do, especially in terms of their emotional, social, and cognitive development. Throughout this course, you'll explore these ideas of art, music, and movement and their roles within a child's development. By tailoring teaching strategies, assessment techniques, and environments to the creative needs of students, you'll reach one of the most important goals of teaching: to make learning fun.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Demonstrate effective written and interpersonal skills.
  • Demonstrate job-specific technical and professional skills.
  • Demonstrate computer and information literacy.
  • Analyze developmental theories related to creative thinking, behavior, and play in children's learning.
  • Identify the best practices for fostering creative thinking through art, music, movement, and drama.
  • Categorize the research-based methods for assessing children's creative thinking.
  • Analyze the learning environments and materials that promote creative thinking.
  • Prepare a lesson plan for a single day for a preschool classroom.

Credit Hours: 3

EC390 - Children's Literature  

Literature is a core component of an early childhood curriculum. This course will teach students how to select and evaluate appropriate resources and how to use these resources in a classroom to meet specific educational objectives.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Apply your understanding of literary elements to evaluate the quality of children's fiction and nonfiction books.
  • Explain how teachers should choose a story to read aloud to help children develop understanding and meaning from literature.
  • Summarize knowledge of diversity in literature to create appropriate classroom activities.
  • Create and plan literature programs for emergent readers.
  • Discuss how to select poems and how children learn from poetry.
  • Identify the significance of informational books in the classroom.
  • Outline how books of various genres are evaluated and selected.
  • Describe the role of story and literature in the personal and academic lives of children.

Credit Hours: 3

EC400 - Early Childhood Math & Science  

This course focuses on incorporating the fundamental concepts of math and science into education programs for young children. It provides strategies for teaching children how to apply these concepts in problem-solving and scientific investigation.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Summarize the concepts children are developing in early childhood.
  • Explain how young children acquire fundamental skills and concepts.
  • Create developmentally appropriate instruction as it relates to concepts, attitudes, and skills.
  • Defend the importance of utilizing symbols and higher-level activities in the early childhood classroom.
  • Construct activities that promote the learning of whole numbers, patterns, and fractions for the primary grades.
  • Construct activities that promote the learning of numbers, geometry, and measurement for the primary grades.
  • Prepare developmentally appropriate scientific investigation lessons relative to concepts, attitudes, and skills for the primary grades.
  • Set up a productive math and science environment.

Credit Hours: 3

EC410 - Cultural Diversity  

When working with children, it is important to realize that the environment and family a child is growing up in directly affects the way the child thinks, learns, and behaves. This course is a sociological overview of the ways cultural diversity influences children's behavior, communication, and learning styles; it also gives suggestions for teachers in working with children from diverse backgrounds.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Demonstrate effective written and interpersonal skills.
  • Demonstrate a high level of inquiry, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
  • Demonstrate effective quantitative skills.
  • Demonstrate computer and information literacy.
  • Identify the long-term benefits of childhood programs and how cultural differences affect education.
  • Analyze how poverty and culture affect child-rearing practices.
  • Prepare curriculum and instruction strategies for young English learners.
  • Create a week's lesson plan for a preschool class.

Credit Hours: 3

EC420 - Exceptional Children  

In today's classroom there is an array of children with many different needs and abilities. It is important for teachers to be prepared to meet each child's individual needs while making each child feel like a vital part of the learning community. This course is an introduction to the special needs of children with developmental disabilities, and how to implement programs that include these children in an early childhood classroom. Inclusion is not only beneficial for the child with special needs, it is beneficial for all the children in the classroom as they develop a sense of community and an acceptance of diversity.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe how to teach a child with special needs through partnering with the family.
  • Construct individualized intervention plans and programs for students with special needs.
  • Choose instructional programs that meet the needs of students with specific disabilities.
  • Summarize how to promote emotional and social development of students with special needs.
  • Synthesize how to develop motor and self-help skills in young children.
  • Explain the importance of cultivating communication skills for students with special needs.
  • Explain the developmental sequence of thinking and reasoning.
  • Summarize the importance of collaboration, problem solving, and consultation.

Credit Hours: 3

EC440 - Creating Learning Environments  

This course is designed to help students explore early childhood environments and curriculum that will enhance the learning and development of young children. It focuses on creating healthy, safe, and emotionally supportive environments that facilitate and promote learning in a variety of areas - literacy, math, science, art, music, play, etc.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Discuss the importance of an emotionally supportive and equitable classroom environment.
  • Establish a context for learning through a play-based curriculum.
  • Design an effective learning environment.
  • Explain the importance of dramatic play, manipulative, sensory, block and building, literacy, science, math, art, and music centers.
  • Describe the appropriate materials needed and placement of each learning center.
  • Integrate technology into the classroom, focusing on age appropriateness.
  • Explain the value of outdoor environments.
  • Discuss the challenges when creating space for families, teachers, and sharing space.

Credit Hours: 3

Healthcare Management

HE310 - Survey of Healthcare Management  

This course will provide you with a comprehensive education about the healthcare industry. You'll build strong critical thinking and analytical skills that you'll need as a future healthcare administrator. This course will examine the full scope of responsibilities associated with the position of healthcare administrator. Topics of discussion include finance, human resources, risk assessment, crisis management, compliance, internal and external audits, quality assessment/control, and performance improvement, as well as legal and ethical concerns as they relate to the healthcare industry.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Identify the responsibilities of the healthcare administrator.
  • Evaluate various types of healthcare facilities and the different types of services performed in these facilities.
  • Analyze the financial side of healthcare, including reimbursement methodologies.
  • Explain the link between quality of care and healthcare administration.
  • Describe how the essential activities of healthcare administration such as workplace safety, compliance plans, strategic planning, risk management, and crisis management influence the success of a healthcare organization.
  • Explain how the use of administrative and clinical technology can enhance healthcare operations.
  • Describe how food operations are handled in the healthcare industry.
  • Outline how internal and external activities such as performance improvement; audits and inspections; legal and ethical issues; and healthcare marketing, advertising, and public relations improve healthcare operations overall.

Credit Hours: 3

HE320 - Medical Sociology  

This course analyzes social factors in relation to health and disease. Consideration will be given to definitions of health, illness behavior, the formal and informal organization of health professions and institutions, and the expanding role of government in the health field. Use will be made of both theory and current research. Social issues and healthcare will also be examined and include poverty and health delivery systems, abortion, euthanasia, child abuse, and old age.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Identify and explore the socio-cultural aspects of health and illness, specifically as relating to the definitions of health, illness, behavior, and social epidemiology.
  • Describe and examine the social causes of disease and illness and vaccinations due to race, clan, and ethnicity.
  • Explore the health professions and health institutions from the broader perspectives provided by theory and research in the sociology of occupations and complex organizations.
  • Identify the forces within the healthcare field and society as a whole that lead to increased government participation in the delivery of healthcare, including the nature of health maintenance organizations and managed care.
  • Compare and describe traditional-scientific medicine and alternative forms of healthcare, and explain how social-cultural and political-economic factors affect these healthcare methods.
  • Describe the structure and operation of the American healthcare system, and contrast the major features with the healthcare systems found in other advanced industrial nations.
  • Identify and discuss ethical issues/moral dilemmas involved with the conducting of medical research and providing or withholding healthcare for the sick and dying.
  • Identify and describe how environmental conditions and contaminants influence public health, and how social, political, economic, and cultural forces shape environmental conditions and contaminants.

Credit Hours: 3

HE330 - Healthcare Delivery Systems  

This course provides a current and comprehensive overview of the basic structures and developments of the US health system. The historical origins, resources, individual services, cost, and quality will be explored. The topics to be covered include the continuum of care, concepts methods and theories in healthcare delivery systems, and computer applications in healthcare.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Examine the development and growth of contemporary healthcare delivery systems.
  • Identify the management of information by computer applications in healthcare delivery systems.
  • Analyze and explore the uses and interpretation of statistical healthcare data.
  • Examine the US health insurance options.
  • Examine the meanings of outpatient and inpatient services and how this concept relates to healthcare delivery systems.
  • Review the link between the development of managed care and earlier organizational forms in the US healthcare delivery system.
  • Identify and examine the different population groups facing greater challenges and barriers in accessing healthcare services.
  • Identify and outline trends and possibilities for future improvement of healthcare delivery.

Credit Hours: 3

HE350 - Healthcare Human Resource Management  

This course is designed to familiarize you with the basic principles of healthcare human resources management. The course begins with an overview of human resources within a healthcare organization. Training, compensation, recruiting, staffing, and performance management are examined. This foundation is used to examine how the human resources professional manages careers, compensation, labor relations, safety and health of employees, and discipline and procedural justice.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Appraise the role of human resources within a healthcare organization, including how the human resources operation is commonly organized and the regulated environment within which human resources must work.
  • Support the concept that healthcare human resource management requires people-centered skills to support employee retention and reduce problems of performance and behavior.
  • Describe the roles that human resources and department managers have in matters of training, compensation, the employment process, and performance appraisals.
  • Evaluate the recruiting and interviewing processes in healthcare organizations, including those governed by civil service systems.
  • Explain the legal implications of employment documentation as it relates to employee privacy and confidentiality, counseling, and termination.
  • Describe a department manager's role in the union organizing process, along with the process of arbitration for problem resolution.
  • Document the evolution of employee relations through three distinct philosophical eras and explain how today's healthcare has changed to improve processes and motivate employees and providers.
  • Recommend how managers can increase the value and strengthen the effectiveness of human resources by adopting strong ethical practices and using a proactive approach.

Credit Hours: 3

HE360 - Healthcare Economics  

The purpose of this course is to provide a step-by-step examination of the basic principles of economics as they apply to health systems. In this course, you'll focus on how healthcare costs are determined, how supply and demand impact healthcare, and how effective healthcare delivery maximizes resources. You'll explore important information on the healthcare reforms currently faced at the state, national, and international levels as well as updated organizational models. As you investigate the tools used to navigate economic feasibility while providing optimal healthcare for recipients, you'll develop a useful framework to understand many current public health and healthcare issues.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Recognize the relevance of economics to healthcare.
  • Describe the role of market models and government intervention in analyzing economic phenomena.
  • Analyze the demand for health and how it provides the foundation for the demand for healthcare.
  • Identify characteristics of the insurance market, including the role of health disparities and associated effects on health outcomes.
  • Identify the determinants of healthcare supply and how this guides production and cost behaviors.
  • Describe how workforce factors and technological changes affect the costs of healthcare.
  • Compare the predominant types of healthcare systems in the world using economic evaluation criteria.
  • Analyze public health policy issues in the healthcare sector from an economic perspective.

Credit Hours: 3

HE380 - Managed Healthcare  

This course presents an overview of major issues related to the design, function, management, regulation, and evaluation of health insurance and managed care plans. It provides a firm foundation in basic concepts pertaining to private and public sector health insurance/benefit plans, both as provided by employers and government agencies such as Medicaid and Medicare.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Identify and explain the historical basis of managed healthcare and health insurance in the United States.
  • Understand the basic health insurer and managed care organization models.
  • Identify the basic types of contracted healthcare professionals, facilities, and integrated provider healthcare delivery systems.
  • Describe the common forms of payment that combine facility and physician payment.
  • Describe the basic components of quality and utilization management, including structure, process, and outcome.
  • Identify and describe the basic structure of governance and management in payer organizations.
  • Understand the basic issues involved with Medicare Advantage and managed Medicaid plans.
  • Describe the basic structure of state and federal oversight of managed care organizations (MCOs).

Credit Hours: 3

HE400 - Cultural Diversity in Healthcare  

This course presents cultural perspectives about healthcare practices. Many diverse cultures are described in rich detail with respect to their similarities and differences. Their individual perspectives on such topics as worldview of health, illness etiology, religion, and health promotion are presented. Health barriers and the Affordable Care Act are described to provide ways to effectively communicate and treat people from different cultures.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Summarize the meaning, theories, and models of multicultural health.
  • Describe worldview and alternative medicine practices as each relates to healthcare cultures.
  • Evaluate impact of religion and culture in dissemination of effective health promotion.
  • Explain how Hispanic and Latino Americans view their health.
  • Assess the health perspectives of American Indians, Alaskan Natives, and African Americans.
  • Summarize the Asian American culture as it relates to healthcare practices.
  • Compare European and Mediterranean Americans' health practices and cultures.
  • Evaluate non-ethnic cultures and cultural health disparities.

Credit Hours: 3

HE420 - Healthcare Finance & Accounting  

This course presents a comprehensive analysis of financially managing a healthcare organization. You'll be introduced to financial terminology and how it's used in organizational analysis. Evaluation of financial statements provides insight as to necessities of effective planning, staffing, inventory management, budgeting, and benchmarking. Lastly, the benefits of electronic record implementation are explored along with how it's being supported by the World Health Organization.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Analyze the annual management cycle.
  • Analyze revenue for services as a revenue stream.
  • Analyze the interrelationship between the inventory and cost of goods sold.
  • Describe three criteria that allow for true comparability.
  • Perform budget variance analysis.
  • Distinguish between privately held companies and public companies.
  • Describe the strategic planning cycle and its process flow.
  • Discuss why situational analysis is particularly appropriate for electronic records implementation such as ICD-10.

Credit Hours: 3

HE450 - Leadership in Healthcare  

This course explores the leadership skills required in the healthcare industry by looking at how effective leaders embrace the inevitability of constant change and diversity. Master leaders use their interpersonal skills to promote change, communicate vision, provide a sense of direction, and inspire employees. In this course, you'll gain insight into various models for leadership and leadership styles. You'll also learn how the medical field is shaping a new community-based approach to care that supports patient satisfaction.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Synthesize healthcare evolution, healthcare management skills, and effective communication within the organization.
  • Address strategies for employee motivation and the importance of leadership in achieving superior outcomes through performance motivation.
  • Evaluate the concepts of empowerment, ecosystem, efficiency, and effectiveness as they relate to the role of leadership and the achievement of a highly reliable organizational culture.
  • Discuss how leaders create an atmosphere within which change is embraced and the focus is on quality.
  • Assess the competitive environment in which healthcare organizations operate and the various ways marketing can be a means to compete effectively.
  • Describe the role of leadership in promoting effective community orientations in healthcare systems.
  • Explain the many and varied forces that have impacted the development and achievement of patient satisfaction goals.
  • Assess leader traits and behaviors as they relate to dealing with internal and external stakeholders.

Credit Hours: 3

HE470 - Medical Law and Ethics  

In this course, you'll learn about how medical law and ethics are interwoven and help define and strengthen healthcare delivery. You'll learn about how both providers and patients have rights and work together to provide optimal health. In addition, you'll learn about workplace safety, protection of medical records, ethical considerations, and future trends and benefits in the healthcare environment.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Contrast laws and ethics and describe how these work within the legal environment.
  • Summarize how medical care is secured and monitored legally.
  • Appraise the rights and responsibilities of providers and patients.
  • Interpret the laws that protect workplace safety.
  • Synthesize measures to protect patient medical records.
  • Explain ethical considerations in the medical field.
  • Summarize death and dying processes.
  • Relate healthcare's future and benefits.

Credit Hours: 3

Management

BM350 - Marketing Management  

Marketing Management reviews the bedrock principles and theories of marketing, including strategic planning, marketing research, the marketing mix, building brands, and communicating value. Specialized fields such as service marketing and business marketing are presented.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Present the essentials of marketing and marketing management theories, concepts, and models.
  • Identify and discuss the tools and methodologies used to solve marketing management problems.
  • Compare and contrast the processes that influence buying behavior in business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets.
  • Explain the concept of branding, key ingredients of brand equity, and the strategic brand management process.
  • Examine the role competition plays in expanding and defending market share.
  • Discuss the classifications of products, elements of product design, and how to manage a product mix and product lines.
  • Analyze pricing and demonstrate the psychology of pricing of products and services.
  • Describe the elements of the promotional mix and determine which are the most favorable for certain products and services.

Credit Hours: 3

BU330 - Accounting for Managers  

Welcome to the world of Accounting for Managers! It's a practical world of analysis interpretation and problem-solving. You'll have to work through transactions, complete calculations and financial statements, and analyze and interpret your results to answer the questions. You'll also need to keep your eye on the goal of sound decision-making. Understanding how to apply what you learn in this Accounting for Managers course to everyday business situations can help make you a more effective decision-maker. May your judgment be sound, and your choices lead you to success.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Demonstrate effective written and interpersonal skills.
  • Demonstrate job-specific technical and professional skills.
  • Demonstrate effective quantitative skills.
  • Demonstrate a high level of inquiry, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
  • Analyze the various concepts related to managerial accounting and cost accounting.
  • Explain the different tools of management used for the decision-making process.
  • Identify the various budget analysis processes and the performance measurements for decision making.
  • Analyze the various components of capital budgeting, cash flow statements, and ratio analysis.
  • Solve examples of real-world accounting problems using knowledge of accounting forms and equations.

Credit Hours: 3

BU340 - Managerial Finance I  

Financial management integrates concepts from economics, accounting, management, and other business disciplines to forge a sound basis on which the firm can predict risk, return, and cash flows for operating and strategic decisions. This enables financial managers to manage the firm's resources and maximize return to the firm's shareholders, a central goal of most corporations. Topics include financial management, the time value of money, interest, stocks, and bonds.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Outline the effects of financial planning on strategy.
  • Measure risk and calculate the risk-adjusted discount rate.
  • Calculate the value of money at different points in time.
  • Evaluate bonds and calculate bond yields.
  • Determine the price of common and preferred stock.
  • Assess investments using net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return methods.
  • Compute a firm's cash flow components.
  • Explain how financial institutions determine discount and investment rates.

Credit Hours: 3

BU350 - Organizational Behavior  

This course is designed to provide you with an opportunity to explore the behavior of individuals, groups, and organizations within today's dynamic work environment. Specific topics include communication, motivation, leadership, power structure, diversity, and organizational culture.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the discipline of organizational behavior.
  • Explain the impact that behavior, values, and decision making have on an organization.
  • Describe how an individual's motivation, emotions, and moods can impact an organization.
  • Discuss ways to improve group communication and team performance.
  • Discuss how leadership, power, and conflict can shape an organization.
  • Analyze the impact that organizational structure and culture can have on an organization.
  • Describe the role and function of human resources in an organization.
  • Explain theories and methods to manage change and stress.
  • Assess the impact in the workplace of globalization, cultural differences, workforce diversity, and ethics and identify strategies for enhancing individual and organizational performance.

Credit Hours: 3

BU440 - Managerial Finance II  

This course explores the concepts, techniques, and tools used for financial decision making at strategic, tactical, and operational levels of a firm including capital structure planning, financing decisions, working capital management, and financial management for multinational corporations.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite: BU340

BU450 - Leadership Skills  

This course explores the leadership skills required in business, government, and society by looking at the relentless change and escalating uncertainties that define our times. Leadership has little to do with title or position; it's a way of acting that involves the influence of people to inspire change toward a mutually desired outcome. This course explores how effective leaders embrace the inevitability of constant change and diversity and use their interpersonal skills to promote change, communicate vision, provide a sense of direction, and inspire employees.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Examine fundamental leadership concepts and principles.
  • Identify traits and characteristics associated with effective leaders.
  • Identify contingency factors and situational variables that affect leadership in an organization.
  • Define various styles of leadership and explain the impact of values, attitudes, and personality on each.
  • Discuss the evolution of participative management, including the characteristics of teams and self-leadership.
  • Discuss the elements and methods of leader development.

Credit Hours: 3

BU470 - Strategic Management  

Strategic management may sound uninteresting on the surface, but as you'll see in this course, there are many interesting aspects to strategic management and knowing how a firm can have a competitive advantage in the marketplace! This course is designed to provide you with an understanding of the concepts, models, and theories of strategic management by looking at case analyses, analyzing external environments, evaluating internal capabilities, and exploring useful strategies. The emphasis of the course is on the successful implementation of strategies in different types of firms across industries to gain an advantage over all their competitors.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Define strategy and the strategic management process.
  • Describe external environment and how it affects the decisions and performance of a firm.
  • Describe how a firm analyzes its internal capabilities and why it is essential to an organization.
  • Explain cost leadership and the benefits of the cost leadership strategy.
  • Define product differentiation and explain how it can create economic value.
  • Discuss the strategies of flexibility and real options and how they benefit a firm.
  • Summarize explicit and tacit collusion and the issues associated with the decision to collude.

Credit Hours: 3

BU490 - Business Ethics  

This course will introduce you to the types of ethical issues you may encounter in your professional life and provide you with ways of considering what the best response to an issue might be. First,?you'll be introduced to different schools of thought about how to determine the "right" course of action— philosophical approaches such as utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, and character-based philosophies. Second, in addition to these personal ethics perspectives, you'll be introduced to various business-related approaches to ethical issues in a professional setting. Third, you'll be introduced to a process for decision making to balance the personal, professional, and societal considerations to help you make good decisions in your business life. Finally, you'll be given an overview of selected areas of business that may require particular attention to ethical and social responsibility issues.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Categorize ethics and perspectives pertaining to business and decision making.
  • Distinguish between the norms of corporate culture and the corporate social responsibilities.
  • Analyze the various employer and employee responsibilities, the issues of technological capabilities, and ethical marketing.
  • Point out the impact of ethical corporate governance on corporate sustainability and conflicts of interest.
  • Prepare a report on business ethical decision in veterinary practice by utilizing your findings.

Credit Hours: 3

BZ380 - Management Information Systems  

BZ380 focuses on understanding information systems that today's managers use to make decisions and analyze production and performance in a business environment. The student will be able to identify the challenges facing firms today, understand the technologies that will help them meet these challenges, design business processes to take advantage of the technologies, and describe management procedures and policies to implement the required changes. The student will also be able to understand what the role of information systems is concerning project and global management.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Summarize information systems and the global business environment.
  • Relate how organizations use information systems in a strategic manner.
  • Synthesize information technology and the management of data.
  • Explain how telecommunication networks operate and employ security.
  • Categorize and relate the use and applications of enterprise systems and e-commerce.
  • Relate how managing knowledge in business with work systems and business intelligence assists managerial decisions.
  • Summarize project and systems development management as each relates to goals and risks.
  • Synthesize global management and internationalization of information systems.

Credit Hours: 3

BZ400 - Strategic Information Technology  

This course will improve your decision making about technology. You'll learn to identify major technologies that can increase competitive advantage. You'll learn how to avoid some of the implementation traps that can lead to failed projects with careful planning. After completing this course, you'll be able to diagnose choice technologies, organize your thinking about technology in helpful ways, and then analyze them in ways to help make technology a valuable strategic differentiator. You'll learn how laws such as Sarbanes-Oxley are forcing organizations to align business processes with technology.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Summarize how information systems have evolved utilizing various strategies.
  • Synthesize management of information system infrastructure and electronic commerce.
  • Relate the use of social media in the business environment for communication.
  • Support the use of business intelligence, its components, and its integration with databases.
  • Describe core business processes and implementation of enterprise resource planning systems.
  • Evaluate the impact of supply chain management and customer relationship management on organizations.
  • Explain how companies invest in technology and the processes used in securing technology.
  • Appraise how information security is threatened, controlled, and managed.

Credit Hours: 3

BZ420 - Human Resources Management  

This course is designed to familiarize you with the basic principles of human resources management. The course begins with an overview and legal aspects. Work analysis and workforce planning, recruiting, staffing, training, and performance management are also evaluated. This foundation is used to synthesize how the human resources professional manages careers, compensation, labor relations, safety and health of employees, and discipline and procedural justice. The course concludes by evaluating related concepts in a global context.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Evaluate a strategic HR plan for an organization and the role of the HR manager.
  • Interpret the role played by HR in personnel planning, recruiting, and creating job requirements.
  • Design an employee training and development program that addresses key deficits in these areas.
  • Synthesize performance appraisal criteria for multiple positions in an organization.
  • Delineate the methods used to create an employee benefit and incentive plan.
  • Critically interpret employment discrimination and labor laws to deal effectively with employment issues on the job.
  • Evaluate the methods for managing legal, health, safety, and ethical issues in the workplace.
  • Assess the need for global HR expansion, including a hiring strategy that best suits the new business environment.

Credit Hours: 3

BZ460 - Project Management  

In this course, you'll first learn about project management, including the project manager's responsibility to the project. Topics to be discussed include the role of the project manager in managing the project life cycle, including defining tasks, scheduling, allocating resources, monitoring, and controlling. Tools, techniques, and tips for project management will also be presented. Once this is accomplished, you'll delve into the detailed requirements of project planning.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Outline the primary goals of project management, as well as the planning process and project life cycle.
  • Explain how projects are identified and selected, along with the proposal solicitation process.
  • Describe the project scope document, quality, how to define what activities need to be done, who will be responsible for them, and in what sequence they will be performed.
  • Discuss monitoring and controlling the progress of the project, replanning, and updating the project schedule.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the resource requirements plan, forecasting project cost at completion, controlling project costs, and managing cash flow.
  • Explain how to identify risks and their potential impact, risk response planning, and controlling risks.
  • Describe the characteristics of effective project teams and team management.
  • Explain an element vital to the effective performance of a project: communication.

Credit Hours: 3

BZ480 - International Management  

This course deals with the issues affecting multinational corporation managers in a global business environment. Its primary focus is on understanding, respecting, and working within the parameters of a variety of cultures affecting the outcomes of all dimensions of business and management operations. These dimensions include, but are not limited to, business communication and negotiation, management decision making, strategy formulation and implementation; organizational structure and control; staffing, training, and compensation for global operations; and motivation and leadership from a multinational, multicultural set of perspectives.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Discuss reasons why managers engage in global marketplaces and their subsequent rights and ethical responsibilities.
  • Explain how managers develop cultural intelligence to facilitate international cross-cultural communication.
  • Describe how analyses and models are utilized to enter a global market.
  • Compare cultural behavior and communication complexities in international business management.
  • Interpret how strategy and alliances provide the framework for international managerial success.
  • Synthesize how strategic planning, staffing, and international human resource management present management with challenges and opportunities.
  • Appraise how international management operates among various cultures and labor relation systems.
  • Summarize how global cultures impact international business management.

Credit Hours: 3

Marketing

BM350 - Marketing Management  

Marketing Management reviews the bedrock principles and theories of marketing, including strategic planning, marketing research, the marketing mix, building brands, and communicating value. Specialized fields such as service marketing and business marketing are presented.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Present the essentials of marketing and marketing management theories, concepts, and models.
  • Identify and discuss the tools and methodologies used to solve marketing management problems.
  • Compare and contrast the processes that influence buying behavior in business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets.
  • Explain the concept of branding, key ingredients of brand equity, and the strategic brand management process.
  • Examine the role competition plays in expanding and defending market share.
  • Discuss the classifications of products, elements of product design, and how to manage a product mix and product lines.
  • Analyze pricing and demonstrate the psychology of pricing of products and services.
  • Describe the elements of the promotional mix and determine which are the most favorable for certain products and services.

Credit Hours: 3

BM380 - Marketing Research  

This course explores the significance of marketing research to the field of marketing. It explains how marketing research answers a variety of questions to facilitate effective decision making. In this course, you'll learn the process of marketing research to better understand when marketing research is used by marketers to make better, more informed decisions to satisfy customer needs. This course introduces you to its purposes, processes, and all its elements. It also emphasizes the interrelationships between the elements because decisions made at one stage in the process have important consequences at other stages.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the value of marketing research to marketers' decision making and other activities of the firm.
  • Explain the marketing research process, the key steps involved, and how they're interrelated.
  • Apply your knowledge of the different types of research designs, the questions they address, and the function of secondary data.
  • Describe various types of data collection methodologies and their specific features, and how these data are measured.
  • Analyze a sampling decision issue and make recommendations demonstrating understanding of the function of sampling and the methods used.
  • Explain how sampling size is determined and the implications of errors in ensuring validity.
  • Describe the primary types of data analysis techniques, their relevance, and interpretive limitations.
  • Summarize the conventions and approaches employed to report research findings.

Credit Hours: 3

BM410 - Sales Management & Practices  

In this course, you'll be provided with an analysis of professional selling practices with an emphasis on the selling process and sales management, including the development of territories, determining potentials and forecasts, and setting quotas. Included is a discussion of sales ethics, legal regulations that affect the sales environment, and how a sales manager can model ethical behavior effectively within the sales force.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Analyze the basic and essential principles and concepts of personal selling and sales management in the global marketplace.
  • Evaluate sales management strategies and organizational structures.
  • Outline the key activities in planning and executing a program for salesforce recruitment and selection.
  • Describe methods for assessing sales training needs and the sales training process as a series of six interrelated steps.
  • Distinguish between salesforce leadership, management, and supervision.
  • Explain the key components of motivation and the guidelines for motivating and rewarding salespeople.
  • Describe how to perform different methods of sales analysis for different organizational levels and different types of sales.
  • Explain how salesperson performance information can be used to identify problems, determine their causes, and suggest sales management actions to solve them.

Credit Hours: 3

BM440 - Internet Marketing  

This course provides you with a broad base of knowledge in marketing techniques for the digital age. The course begins with an overview of the most disruptive events in the current digital environment, particularly the explosion of mobile content and marketing. It continues by exposing you to content marketing, email marketing, and search engine marketing. Customer relationship management is presented, along with discussion of customer service strategy concepts. Finally, regulatory action to protect privacy is discussed, along with issues related to the protection of intellectual property on the Internet.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Summarize disruptive change caused by the digital environment and the corresponding digital transformation that businesses of all kinds must undergo.
  • Display an understanding of business models, direct-response strategy and techniques, and data mining.
  • Explain why marketers find it both necessary and effective to engage in social media marketing and the key things marketers must do to be effective in the digital age.
  • Analyze display, content, and email marketing, including how they are used for customer acquisition and retention.
  • Illustrate search engine, social, and mobile marketing concepts and applications.
  • Provide a detailed discussion of the sales process and customer relationship management.
  • Discuss the website development process as it relates to customer service and satisfaction.
  • Summarize privacy and security issues in social media and in the mobile space, privacy protection efforts, and marketing metrics that are available for websites, mobile sites, social media, and video campaigns.

Credit Hours: 3

BU460 - Electronic Commerce  

E-commerce will present you with countless opportunities to learn about the fascinating, dynamic, and rapidly growing field of e-commerce, or rather, conducting your business over networks. This course explains how businesses operate over the internet, and on mobile applications. This course offers you an opportunity to learn about the countless platforms, interfaces, and services available to you, as well as society, through e-commerce. With this rapidly expanding market, this course presents the basics of e-commerce and its impact on everyday life.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Summarize e-commerce's distinguishing features, models, and supportive mechanisms.
  • Evaluate the role of the Internet in e-commerce.
  • Synthesize the vision, implementation, and support behind building e-commerce.
  • Appraise the role of security and technology in e-commerce.
  • Explain purchasing, marketing, and their associated costs and benefits online.
  • Synthesize public and private issues that impact e-commerce.
  • Summarize various online services.
  • Compare various sites for conducting e-commerce.

Credit Hours: 3

BU480 - E-Business Strategy  

E-Business Strategy addresses the new technological environment that businesses are facing by exploring strategic considerations related to technology and technology implementation. The course also examines the basics of the marketing exchange by utilizing social media, database marketing, interactive telecommunications, and other e-business techniques.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Assess how the new technological environment will impact business activity.
  • Describe the strategic planning process and the external environment within which an organization operates.
  • Describe the virtual value chain and how companies move from managing an internal value chain to operating along a value network.
  • Explain the impact of the internet on business goals and activities.
  • Explain how the value-process framework integrates the value chain and the five forces analyses, including the relationship between strategy formulation and the concepts of value creation and value capturing.
  • Compare and contrast the various organizational structures for e-business activities.
  • Describe how to implement and utilize digital customer relationship management (CRM) and mobile e-commerce.
  • Explain the e-business strategy formulation roadmap and how to link the steps of the roadmap to the different parts of the e-business strategy framework.

Credit Hours: 3

BU490 - Business Ethics  

This course will introduce you to the types of ethical issues you may encounter in your professional life and provide you with ways of considering what the best response to an issue might be. First,?you'll be introduced to different schools of thought about how to determine the "right" course of action— philosophical approaches such as utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, and character-based philosophies. Second, in addition to these personal ethics perspectives, you'll be introduced to various business-related approaches to ethical issues in a professional setting. Third, you'll be introduced to a process for decision making to balance the personal, professional, and societal considerations to help you make good decisions in your business life. Finally, you'll be given an overview of selected areas of business that may require particular attention to ethical and social responsibility issues.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Categorize ethics and perspectives pertaining to business and decision making.
  • Distinguish between the norms of corporate culture and the corporate social responsibilities.
  • Analyze the various employer and employee responsibilities, the issues of technological capabilities, and ethical marketing.
  • Point out the impact of ethical corporate governance on corporate sustainability and conflicts of interest.
  • Prepare a report on business ethical decision in veterinary practice by utilizing your findings.

Credit Hours: 3

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