Preparing Students for a Changing World

Students and parents across the country have been increasingly concerned with the value of a college degree. Students want a degree that will ensure they can enter their career with confidence, prepared for a constantly changing marketplace. Last year, Graceland University responded in a significant way by launching Transformational Leadership, a first-in-the-nation major exclusive to Graceland students. Along with a disciplinary major like business, data science, or allied health, every student will earn a second major in Transformational Leadership, which aims to help students develop skills and habits for lifelong success.

Transformational Leadership incorporates foundational general education courses in communications, quantitative, and liberal learning. Those foundational courses are combined with new sections on life & leadership and strategic skills, providing students with tangible soft skills that transfer to any career path. Through the Transformational Leadership major, Graceland students demonstrate the Career Readiness Competencies for success in the workplace and lifelong career management compiled by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

“We are excited about the expansion of our academic program offerings and the advancement of the Transformational Leadership major. Both underscore Graceland’s commitment to continue innovating in and outside the classroom,” said Joel Shrock, PhD, Graceland Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty.

New Disciplinary Academic Programs

This fall, Graceland University introduced several new majors and programs that are all set for accessibility, innovation, student success, and the development of future leaders in their field.

The following new academic offerings equip students today with the comprehensive skill set that is highly relevant in the professional roles they will take on tomorrow:

Business and Analytics

Graceland’s C.H. Sandage School of Business added two exciting majors which lean into the experienced international faculty dedicated to fostering the ethical values of the university, including human dignity, mutual respect and social responsibility. The first is a 4-year bachelor’s degree in Marketing, providing foundational skills in the always-in-demand discipline of marketing. Second is a 4-year bachelor’s degree in Finance, which provides students with strong quantitative, critical, and analytical thinking skills. Graceland also recently added a bachelor’s in Data Science as well as a 4+1 program for a master’s in data science and analytics. The data science program is all project-based and uses real data sets so students can understand how their work applies to real-world situations.

Humanities

Graceland’s new 4-year bachelor’s degree in Digital Content Creation is a cutting-edge combination of academic disciplines tailor-made for the 21st-century job market. The major brings together communication skills, graphic design, English, and more to equip students with the storytelling skills businesses are seeking in social media and content creation.

Health Sciences

In January, Graceland will enroll its first cohort of students into the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, a modern hybrid program which gives students the ability to complete their degree in two years from anywhere in the country. The program is designed to give access to students, particularly in underserved rural areas, providing an accelerated curriculum that mixes online coursework with lab immersions taught by a talented faculty of practitioners. The DPT program builds on Graceland’s success in the health sciences, where it already offers a Master of Science in Nutrition and Human Performance. The MSNHP can now be achieved in an accelerated timeline with a 3+2 program that gets students their undergraduate degree in Allied Health and their master’s degree in only five years. The MSNHP focuses on clinical practice and industry-leading science.

“The working world is evolving rapidly and radically, creating new roles, defining new competency areas, and offering increasingly diverse opportunities to students preparing to enter the workforce,” said Graceland President Patricia H. Draves, PhD. “As the world changes, the needs of students are changing as well, and it is critical for universities to ensure students are ready for whatever the future holds.”

Graceland University has a 125-year history of keeping an eye on the horizon and meeting these changing needs with academic programs that position students just where they need to be as they begin their initial or continuing professional journeys.