As a part of an ongoing effort to expand academic experiences and prepare them for their prospective careers, Stanislaus State is offering seven new programs and subprograms for the upcoming academic year.

Academic programs lead to a degree, while sub-programs include minors, concentrations, certificates, credentials or options that supplement a degree.

The new programs and subprograms being introduced at Stan State this academic year are:

• Early Childhood Education Credential
• Counseling M.A.: Pupil Personnel Services Credential plus Professional Clinical Counselor, Dual-Concentration
• Medical Anthropology Minor
• Musical Theatre B.A.
• Museum Studies Minor
• Public History Certificate
• Public Health Promotion Minor

Musical Theatre Debuts

Stan State’s newest addition to its baccalaureate program, the Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre, cultivates students as musical theatre performers and backstage technicians, with an emphasis on hands-on and experiential learning.

Graduates in the program will be trained with practical skills in musical theatre, including singing, acting, dancing, reading music, analyzing scripts and auditioning.

While Stan State has both Music and Theatre Departments, the new major fulfills an interest from undergraduates in musical theatre material.

“I can just see the energy come to life. Music is sometimes an easier thing for a person to allow themselves to be vulnerable doing, as opposed to acting without music,” said Jamie Johns, assistant professor of musical theatre. “It works wonders in terms of allowing a person to explore even further their emotions and the character.”

After putting their skills on full display at on-campus theatre productions and local venues, Johns said the Theatre Department wants to produce artists who will continue to shine here in the Central Valley.

Two Pathways, One Purpose: Dual Concentration in Counseling

Counseling M.A. Master of Arts in Counseling students interested in becoming either K-12 school counselors or an independent clinical counselors can now do so with Stan State’s new Public Personal Service (PPS) credential plus Professional Clinical Counselor (PCC) dual concentration.

“I think that this is going to be a very popular degree for students because they’re really set for life,” said Suzanne Whitehead, coordinator of the Counselor Education Program. “They can be a school counselor for a while, then transition to a clinical mental health counselor, or vice versa.”

Whitehead explained how the dual concentration caters to an increasing community demand.
“When COVID-19 happened, it really underscored the need for mental health services in our schools and in our community,” Whitehead said. “The community is truly asking for graduates.”

Whitehead added that spontaneously adding both concentrations has postponed students’ graduation. The PPS plus PCC dual concentration, instead, streamlines this process and allows aspiring counselors to complete the program in three years.

Building Blocks to Early Childhood Education

The PK-3 Early Childhood Education Credential (ECEC) prepares students to support children from preschool to the third-grade level in a classroom setting.

“Our faculty are committed to developing high-quality coursework,” said Adam Devitt, assistant professor of teacher education and ECEC program coordinator. “For this program, virtually all the courses are brand new, and they were created from the ground up.”

When pairing this credential with a major, students will form foundational knowledge in the science of learning, special education and assessment, social justice and pedagogical approaches for young learners.

Devitt added that graduates who earn this credential are likely going to educate and serve regional districts.

“The ones who come to us in our teacher preparation program stay in the surrounding
counties to educate and live,” Devitt said. “So, we understood the responsibility and the duty to expand our teaching education program to make sure we’re attending to the needs of early childhood learners.”

History in Action: Public History Certificate

According to Assistant Professor of History Jennifer Cullison, the Public History Certificate will help students develop the skills to use history in more ways than they expect.  

The certificate expands a realm of opportunities for students who are interested in history but want a non-teaching career. Employment potential includes museum coordination, historic site assessment, exhibition planning, cultural resource management, collecting and creating oral histories or using transferable skills in a variety of industries.

“It will excite students and open them up to the different possibilities of history,” said Cullison. “What I’m teaching in the program is more about research skills and approaches and less about content.”

Cullison shared that within the local community, there are many museums and archives seeking young people to help play a significant role in modernizing and decolonizing the archives.

Medical Anthropology: Bridging Healthcare and Cultural Perspectives

Narrowing in on health, illness and well-being, the new Medical Anthropology Minor helps students develop a critical understanding of biological and cultural implications for human health.

Through small-scale ethnographic research projects, students will be able to apply what they are learning to real-world situations within the community.

“It’s a unique blend of biological, medical and cultural anthropology courses to really expand students’ minds about what health is, how different factors affect health and how they can carry that knowledge into their future careers and improve the health of their communities right here in the Central Valley,” said Ryan Logan, associate professor of anthropology.  

Intrigue may come from students in nursing, health promotion, kinesiology, anthropology and biological sciences. However, Logan noted that this minor would fit any career path students want to take.

“We already have an impressive ranking in terms of our health sciences and nursing programs in addition to the affordability of Stan State,” Logan said. “I think this Medical Anthropology Minor will give students another reason to choose Stan State.”

A Commitment to Community Wellness: Public Health Promotions Minor

The Public Health Promotion Minor, focusing on real-world application and active learning, prepares students to combat health challenges in local and global landscapes.

The minor emphasizes preventive and holistic health with a lens of cultural awareness, concentrating on how factors such as socioeconomic status, gender, geology and health disparities affect wellness.

“Looking at it through a lens of diversity, equity and inclusion, public health can have a lot of benefits to students,” said Eric Conrad, assistant professor of public health. “I think that it can make them more empathetic, socially informed and civically engaged students.”

The Public Health Promotion Minor will be academically supported by dedicated advisors and members from the Interdisciplinary Health Alliance (IHA), a group consisting of allied faculty from diverse disciplines who are committed to researching and bolstering community health.

Students will gain marketable skills in data analysis, health communication and problem-solving, and the program’s flexibility allows students to tailor it to their interests.

Exhibiting the Museum Studies Minor

Jennifer Ringberg, professor of anthropology, and Alice Heeren, professor of art, explained that the minor’s flexibility and versatility attracts students from a broad range of academic interests.

Students from Museum Collections Management get hands-on experience in artifact care and preservation.

“Although the minor is seated in art and anthropology, its flexibility benefits students in other disciplines who aspire to work in a variety of similar settings such as park visitor’s centers, cultural centers, historic house and historical society museums, natural history museums or zoos and aquaria,” Ringberg said.

Students will be supported by faculty with collector experience, as well as work with advisors to tailor the minor to their professional goals.

“Any student with this kind of career preparation before graduation will undoubtedly be more competitive in the job market and enhance their career prospects beyond graduation,” Ringberg said. “We’re committed to helping them make that transition.”