Bachelor of Arts in Director of Church Ministries

at Concordia University Wisconsin USA

Our traditional undergraduate program in Healthcare Administration will prepare you for roles that may manage a department and/or a healthcare facility. As someone who may have interest in healthcare, but not necessarily direct patient care this may be the degree for you. Through your courses, you will be exposed to business management, finance, human resources, marketing, and more.

In addition, this program will equip you with the ability to evaluate research results that are applicable to your healthcare practice, and teach you how to create a reflective self-plan for personal and professional growth. You’ll discover an ability to recognize and analyze current trends and issues related to healthcare management, which will help you grow throughout your career.

Our graduates go on to work in hospitals, long-term care facilities, medical groups, medical device or pharmaceutical companies, other clinical settings and even insurance companies. You will be prepared with organizational, managerial, and leadership skills to lead a team. As well as, critical thinking and analytical skills to adequately assist, support, and lead among different areas in healthcare.
There are so many intricacies to working in the complex field of healthcare. This program focuses primarily on managing resources in a healthcare setting while working with others in the field of healthcare. It all starts with your ability to recognize every individual as a holistic being created by God – someone whose dignity, worth, and rights deserve to be respected and upheld.

This program will help you grow adept at analyzing different healthcare systems. You’ll grow an ability to synthesize knowledge from the sciences, humanities, and management theories as a basis for problem-solving and decision-making. You will be expected to display a willingness to work cohesively and communicate with members of the interdisciplinary healthcare network.

As a student in this program, you will be required to complete an internship and have opportunity to work in our new collaborative Speech-Language Pathology Clinic in the Robert W. Plaster Building (on campus). During this time, you will collaborate with other practitioners, clinicians, administrators, and patients to gain invaluable experience without having to go beyond the CUW campus.

Additionally, you are encouraged to participate in the – Next Generation Healthcare Leaders (NGHL), a student healthcare group supported by the Wisconsin Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). This will also provide accelerated opportunities for networking and access to local, state, and national healthcare leaders and decision makers to assist our aspiring students who are committed to a career in healthcare.

Once you have your MBA in Accounting, you can pick your industry of choice based on what interests you the most. The important thing is that you’ll be a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). This program is designed to provide you with the skills necessary to sit for the national CPA exam. Among other business foundations, you’ll learn essential skills like advanced auditing, global production and operations, as well as systems management and design. And you’ll receive direct, one-on-one instruction from current professionals eager to give you the most practical experience you could ask for - so you’ll be prepared for the corporate world.

As a graduate of the program, you’ll not only have greater expertise in accounting, but you’ll also come out as a better leader with the skills to make strategic decisions. You’ll know how to manage fraud, be confident in handling advanced accounting issues, communicate clearly, and lead diverse groups of people. Plus, you’ll have the knowledge you need to become a CPA - so you can join the field a step ahead.

This program isn’t all ones and zeroes, if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s actually a three-part curriculum that starts with a liberal arts core, moves on to lay a solid foundation in general business, and then offers specialized focus in finance. From accounting to economics and statistics, you’ll set the groundwork for a wide array of financial and business management topics. We’re talking the time value of money, interest rates, financial statements, capital allocation, stocks, bonds, derivatives, economic policy, international trade, foreign currency, regulation, and many others.

At the end of this program, you will know the ins and outs of business commerce you can apply all around the world. You will learn all levels of finance such as corporate and international and fundamental financial management and valuation principles. When you join the workforce you’ll be confident in commercial banking, financial markets, and monetary and fiscal policy.

More and more, actuaries use data analytics to help assess risk and inform policy. Concordia's new Actuarial & Data Sciences major meets the market's demands by preparing students with current, relevant knowledge and skills in both actuarial science and data analytics.

Actuarial science is an intense field, and will require a sharp, analytical mind, coupled with hard work and dedication to pass the certification exams and practice as an actuary. But it is a rewarding field, and in high demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay is over $110K, and the demand for actuaries is expected to increase 24% by 2030.

Actuaries assess risk to help make wise decisions for their organizations. Most actuaries work in insurance, but they can also work in finance, healthcare administration, wealth management, and any other industry where predictions and decisions must be made to mitigate risk.

Like all industries, the actuarial science profession is constantly changing to adapt to new technologies. With the computing capabilities that we now have, actuaries are increasingly dependent on data science and analytics. In 2021, the Society of Actuaries announced a change in their Associate of the SOA (ASA) education requirements, including an updated curriculum designed to meet employer and market demands for increased coverage of data analytics.

Concordia's new actuarial and data sciences major couples proven actuarial science methodologies with cutting edge data science technologies to thoroughly prepare tomorrow's actuaries with the skills needed to assess risk in the modern world.

This is an intense field, and it takes a lot of work and dedication to prepare you for your Society of Actuaries Exams. That’s why it’s an incredible benefit to you that our program consists of small class sizes to maximize the personal attention you get from your professors. It really makes all the difference, and will get you where you need to go quicker.

The program itself encompasses a three-part curriculum that includes a liberal arts core, a business common body of knowledge, and a specialization in actuarial science. So in addition to classes like Econometrics, International Business, and Linear Algebra and Differential Equations, you’ll round out your education with classes in literature, history, and theology.

Yes, it’s demanding. But it’s incredibly rewarding as well. High school students are encouraged to get as many AP credits as you can before you begin the actuarial science program. Once you’re in the program, we strongly encourage you to take (and pass, obviously) your SOA Exams P and FM while you’re still in college. It’s especially important for you to pass your Exam P before or during your junior year, because it’s the only way you’ll be able to secure an actuarial science internship.

As you know, it isn’t easy getting into advanced programs in the health professions. The good news is Concordia has a major designed specifically for those who aspire to such careers. You’ll gain the intellectual, scientific, and ethical tools you’ll need to serve others, specifically by helping them lead healthier lives.
Whether your end goal is a graduate program in the medical sciences; admission to a school of medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, or veterinary science; or enrollment in a professional program such as physician assistant or physical therapy, our bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences will help develop a foundation for your desired future career.

The biomedical sciences major has three tracks you can choose from: Human Biology, Pre-Medical, and Research. Your selection of electives within your chosen track will enable you to further individualize the final program based on your particular career goals. Plus, CUW has outstanding faculty in the biomedical sciences who are willing and able to guide you in your selection and work with you to help you fulfill your vocation. And the support continues outside of the classroom through mentoring programs and networking within student organizations such as the Pre-Med and Pre-Pharmacy Clubs.

What will your time at CUW look like? That, of course, depends on you and your interests, but we can at least give you an outline of the coursework you’ll receive. Your foundational classes will focus on the subjects of human biology, genetics, microbiology, chemistry, physics, and bioethics. Depending on your track choice and electives, you may delve as deeply as you like into anatomy and physiology, molecular genetics, research methods, histology, immunology, and pharmacology.

Concordia has teamed up with Milwaukee Area Technical College to offer you a four-year liberal arts degree with extensive hands-on experience. That means you can get the best of both worlds: the expert professors or resources offered through MATC paired with a traditional undergraduate experience filled with all of the perks of campus living, including exposure to Concordia’s vibrant faith community.

With this degree program, you can choose between two routes to meet your goals and needs. You can enroll at CUW for a traditional four-year experience that includes access to dorms, student life activities, music or theatre programs, and participation in intervarsity sports and then make the 3-mile commute to MATC’s Mequon campus to take your major courses and have access to MATC’s greenhouse and landscaped grounds. Or, you can complete MATC’s two-year associate degree before enrolling at CUW and then complete the CUW liberal arts core courses plus requirements for a minor in order to earn your bachelor’s degree.
While completing this major, you will learn about the fundamental and technical aspects of horticulture, such as landscape design, maintenance, estimate and bidding, ornamental plants, soils, plant health care, and landscape marketing.  You will also choose to emphasize landscape design, landscape construction, or landscape maintenance and arboriculture through specialized tracks at MATC.

In addition to your horticulture major, you will study environmental ethics, environmental science, and environmental law at CUW and choose a minor. Many horticulture students choose to augment their knowledge of horticulture and plant biology with a minor in areas such as general business, accounting, marketing, management, environmental science, biology, chemistry, or art in order to enhance their vocational goals and interests.

The Physician Assistant (PA) Program at CUW prepares students to become competent physician assistants who provide high quality health care in a respectful, culturally sensitive, caring and knowledgeable manner. CUW PA graduates are committed to caring for patients in mind, body and spirit with an emphasis on continual lifelong learning.

Your studies will be a combination of didactic and clinical courses. The didactic portion is held on our Mequon campus and provides your foundation for the clinical year by exploring the basic sciences, clinical medicine, and behavioral medicine. We believe it is essential to begin putting your knowledge into practice as soon as possible in order for you to grow as a health care professional. You’ll get a variety of hands-on experiences through 11 months of clinicals. Clinical rotations must be taken in family medicine, internal medicine, general surgery, women's health, behavioral medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine and two elective rotations. While the majority of your rotations will occur in Wisconsin, our Director of Clinical Education may work with you to pursue out-of-state options.

Your courses will delve into the realms of human anatomy, physical examination and history. You'll also cover pharmacology, physiology/pathophysiology, clinical skills, and issues in health care. The overarching theme of your education will be an emphasis on preventative medicine and primary care. In order to facilitate your clinical skills and overall experience, we have a simulation lab and recently renovated cadaver lab on campus. You’ll get to learn in a small class setting (no more than 30 students) and receive personalized instruction from our dedicated faculty. Upon graduation, you’ll be eligible to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE).

Program Highlights:

• Small class sizes with personalized instruction
• State-of-the-art cadaver lab
• Multiple interprofessional educational experiences
• Opportunities for service learning and community service within the curriculum and as a student society
• Simulation lab
• International rotations available

If you are ready to have a positive impact in your community and the world—perhaps a degree in public service is the right fit. You emerge with analytical skills, critical thinking skills, and go on to practice in organizations fostering service and commitment to serve local, national and international organizations.

Our public relations program will prepare you in this language of persuasion so that you can bring incredible value to your employer – whether you’re working in sports, entertainment, or media, or for a corporation, a non-profit organization, a lobbying group, or political campaign. Public relations has become trickier and trickier in our modern age with the rise of social media, which makes it an incredibly diverse and exciting field of study.

At the center of all public relations lies the skill of communications. Our public relations major focuses on building your communication, interpersonal and problem-solving skills so you can always count on your fundamentals in this field. You’ve heard, “there’s no such thing as bad press,” haven’t you? Well, that’s only because public relations exists. And we prepare you to create crises response plans for product recalls and negative press so you can always be sure to stay out in front of potential catastrophe. What’s special about our program is that it combines skills and strategy with Christian ethics. It’s an exciting major that teaches you how to create and maintain a positive public image!
As we mentioned, social media has made this field incredibly dynamic, which is why we’ll help you master social media – especially when it comes to targeting audiences to engage in both corporate and personal branding. You’ll take a close look at certain major public relations cases that include political campaign strategy, how companies respond to negative events (such as the BP oil spill), and how to strategize new product launches (like the Nintendo Switch). You’ll also study non-profit and issue organizations like the World Wide Life Fund and Lutheran World Relief to get a glimpse into how public relations affects their world.

Throughout this program, you’ll create public relations plans that include journalism, social media, marketing, public speaking, radio, and promotion. The final capstone places you with organizations in need of a public relations plan, project, or strategy to provide experiential, real-world experience – because there’s no better way to learn than to actually step into the public relations role and perform. Our graduates have been hired by Fortune 500 companies including IBM, Boeing, Abbott Labs, and Kraft to help communicate company goals and new product launches.