Bachelor of Arts, Major in English with Emphasis in Professional Writing

at Pittsburg State University USA

The Department of English and Modern Languages offers baccalaureate degrees and a master’s degree program. Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) programs are offered in English and in Modern Languages. A Bachelor of Science in Education and a master’s program are also offered in English. The department offers minors in English, English Teaching, Creative Writing, French, Professional Writing, and Spanish.

Creative Writing - Emphasis
There are few things in life as personally fulfilling as writing a story or poem others want to read. The best authors understand how to use the tools of their craft to convey emotion and move people to action.

With the Bachelor of Arts Degree in English with an Emphasis in Creative Writing, students have two avenues to choose from in the emphasis: Poetry or Fiction. Whichever path students decide to take, they will be guided by our experienced and encouraging staff. Students will be guided through classes such as Intro to Creative Writing, Multi-Genre Writing, and The Craft of Fiction/Poetry. Students will grow and learn to express themselves in a nurturing environment while they strive for their career goals.

The Kelce College of Business offers a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. The MBA is a professional program designed to prepare future business executives for the workforce.

The PSU School of Construction's mission is to provide a quality construction education and develop professional leaders for the construction industry through extensive recruitment, real-world education and successful placement. We strive to improve the community through service, economic development and applied research.

Our vision is to be an innovative leader in an effective, people-centered, collaborative, accessible learning environment maximizing the potential of construction students, faculty and industry constituents.

The Department of Music offers a Master of Music degree, with a variety of emphasis areas, including performance, conducting, and music education. Within the area of conducting, students may select a choral emphasis. This degree is designed to prepare individuals for professional advancement or for entry into further study at the doctoral level.  

Awards for graduate assistantships are available on a competitive basis. Recipients of these awards will assist with teaching as well as the administration of ensembles or other areas of the program.

The Department of Psychology and Counseling has placed its graduates in schools, businesses, agencies and hospitals throughout the region, as well as provided teachers for two and four year colleges. The department enjoys a strong relationship with area mental health agencies, with many private and governmental establishments acting as training sites for students, and using department faculty and advanced graduate students as consultants. PSU is the only school within a 100 mile radius that provides graduate training in counseling, psychology and school psychology. Additionally, no other university in Kansas has an integrated psychology and counseling department, allowing the department to offer comprehensive, in-depth programs in each area and providing students with the opportunity to experience the best in both disciplines.

Psychology and the Military - Emphasis
As a part of the Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology, the Psychology and Military concentration area provides an educational foundation for those interested in a career in the helping field in general, but is specifically designed for those interested in working with active-duty service members, veterans, and their families. Graduates will stand ready to gain civilian employment for Department of Defense programs (GS 5 and higher) across the nation that provide human and social services, instructional and educational services as well as services related to human resources for both Military Service members and Military Civilian Corps. This emphasis also provides an educational foundation for those who intend to pursue a graduate degree.

The Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation (HHPR) is located in the new Student Recreation Center. The HHPR faculty possess a wide array of specializations. The department offers undergraduate degree programs in Exercise Science, Recreation Services, Sport and Hospitality Management, and Physical Education, five minors and certificates in Dance, Coaching, and Hospitality Management, as well as a graduate program in HHPR. Within each of the degree programs, there are emphases/concentration areas from which students select the professional paths that best fit their needs.

Therapeutic Recreation - Emphasis
The Therapeutic Recreation emphasis prepares students for supervisory and leadership positions in various hospital, private and community-based organizations delivering care as recreation therapists to individuals with various disabilities and ability levels.  Recreational therapists work with a variety of individuals requiring health services such as: physical medicine and rehabilitation, pediatrics, geriatrics, mental and behavioral health, addictions, veterans and developmental disabilities.  Students completing the Therapeutic Recreation emphasis allows them to sit for the National Council on Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) Exam.

The Department of Music offers a Master of Music degree, with a variety of emphasis areas, including performance, conducting, and music education. Within the area of performance, students may select a vocal emphasis. This degree is designed to prepare individuals for professional advancement or for entry into further study at the doctoral level.

Awards for full-time graduate assistantships are available on a competitive basis. Recipients of these positions will take active leadership roles in the department's ensembles, teaching and accompanying private lessons, and/or serving as an assistant to the ensemble director.

The B.S.T. in Graphic Communications is a 120-credit Graphic Communications Degree that can be completed in four years of full-time study. Students are asked to declare one of the following areas of emphasis: Digital Media, Graphic Design, Graphics Management, Print Media, Packaging Graphics, or Web/Interactive Media.

All six areas of emphasis within the Graphic Communications program share a core curriculum, classes necessary for the field of graphic communications. In addition to these classes, each of the six distinct areas have specific emphasis and support courses, to round out the major, as well as elective graphics classes, allowing students to customize their degree.

The curriculum offered by the GIT department is under constant review and is always updated to ensure students get exposure to contemporary changes in this dynamic field.

Print Media - Emphasis
The Print Media emphasis features the latest methods and practices of today’s industry. With this emphasis, students will learn all facets of graphics input, manipulation, and output as applied to modern print products and the larger scope of the graphics industry.

The core curriculum within the Department of Graphics and Imaging Technologies (GIT) includes courses common among all of our six emphasis areas. These courses are primarily introductory classes that provide students with the basic information needed to succeed in the graphics industry. Within the core curriculum, there are also two upper-division classes, an internship and a capstone class.

Print Media Emphasis Courses:

• Introduction to Packaging Technologies
• Print File Preparation and Preflight
• Printing Technologies
• Specialty Graphics
• Publication Graphics
• Digital and Variable Data Technologies
• Graphics Cost Analysis and Estimating
• Color Reproduction

Located within the Kansas Technology Center, the Department of Automotive Technology is recognized by industry as offering one of the best academic programs in the nation. Our professors are accomplished professionals with industry experience and our laboratories offer students access to the latest technology. Learn more about our department and discover why you belong at Pittsburg State University.

Collision Repair and Insurance Management - Emphasis
This program is the perfect choice for students whose career plans are to work in insurance or collision repair positions. An emphasis area within our 4-year Automotive Technology program, the Collision Repair and Insurance Management program focuses on this 10 billion/year sector of the automotive industry.

Social Work is a practice-based profession which seeks to meet the basic needs of all people. Social workers help people at the individual, family, group, and community levels.  Social workers practice in a wide variety of settings, with licensed positions at the bachelor level, master level, and clinical level.

The Bachelor of Science Degree with a Major in Social Work (BSW) prepares students for generalist practice in settings such as (but not limited to) child welfare, mental health, addictions, probation/parole, disability, health care, older adults/end of life, schools, and more. The BSW also prepares students for graduate school. Students who have a BSW from an accredited program are generally eligible for advanced standing in master of social work (MSW) programs. This means that after earning a BSW, a student may achieve an MSW in one additional calendar year.

A minor is not required for the social work major, but students frequently choose minors in Psychology, Public Health, Criminology, or Youth and Adolescence.

Social Work
The Bachelor of Science Degree with a Major in Social Work (BSW) prepares students for generalist practice in a variety of settings. It also prepares students for graduate school. Students who have a BSW from an accredited program are generally eligible for advanced standing in master of social work (MSW) programs. This means that after earning a BSW, a student may achieve an MSW in one additional calendar year.

The mission of PSU’s Social Work Program is to prepare bachelor level social workers to utilize the knowledge, skills, and values of the social work profession in order to enhance the lives of individuals, families, groups, and communities and to promote social and economic justice locally, nationally, and globally.  

To that end, the PSU Social Work Program aims to prepare students for:

• Generalist practice at all levels of the social environment and across the lifespan
• Utilization of the professional self which includes adherence to the Code of Ethics, professional demeanor, effective communication skills, self-awareness, and self-care
• Critical examination of and contribution to research, policies, and practices
• Living and working in a diverse environment
• Promoting human rights and social justice
• Graduate education
• Licensure