School of Professional Studies

Director of the School of Professional Studies:
Assistant Director of the School of Professional Studies: Gary Levanti
Assistant Professor: Maureen Keefe, Chair, Professional Studies

The School of Professional Studies offers a variety of programs oriented toward developing skills and knowledge needed for professional occupational areas. The School offers high quality, flexible courses of study attuned to the needs of the current workplace that prepare students to compete successfully in the global marketplace. Its programs include two baccalaureate degrees, a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Professional Studies and a Bachelor of Science in General Studies; a Minor in Entertainment and Sports Management; and a Minor in Congregational Leadership that if offers in collaboration with the History and Philosophy Department. The School of Professional Studies also offers Microcredentials in Professional Skills for the Workplace; Workplace Communication and Information Technology; the Foundations of Nonprofit Management; and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in the Workplace.

Mission

The School of Professional Studies (SPS) supports the College’s mission by expanding access to higher education through student-centered professional and general education programs that promote the values of life-long learning and social and professional responsibility. Through close interaction with faculty and professional staff, SPS students develop a foundation for professional success or graduate study by cultivating critical thinking, empathy, creativity, and the practical skills necessary to build a more just and sustainable world. We work toward these goals by:

Providing intensive and continuous advising and support to students as they pursue individualized pathways to degree completion;
Offering small classes taught by faculty with academic and professional expertise;
Offering programs that can be completed “off hours” - on weekends, in the evenings, and online; and
Offering innovative courses and programs that meet the needs of working adults.

Admissions and Enrollment

Non-matriculated students can enroll in courses offered by the School of Professional Studies up to Old Westbury’s limit of 32 credits.

Matriculated students can enroll in credit courses offered by the School of Professional Studies as part of their regular course load through the normal registration process.

Matriculated students gain admission to the School of Professional Studies when they declare as their major one of its degree programs. Students intending to major in one of the School’s degree programs should apply to the College through its normal enrollment process.

Transfer Students

Students can apply up to 80 credits earned at other accredited institutions of higher learning toward their Old Westbury degree. Transfer credits will be applied to degrees offered by the School of Professional Studies based on their appropriateness as determined by the Director, the policies of the College specified in the “Transfer Credit” section of the College catalog, and existing equivalencies and articulation agreements.

Credit for Prior Learning

Old Westbury offers a number of ways for incoming students’ to get credit for their prior learning: credit by Examination, credit for Military Training, and credit awarded for experiential learning (the College’s Accreditation Program for Experiential Learning, or APEL). The School for Professional Studies will advise students on how they can take advantage of these opportunities to gain credit for their prior learning and advance as quickly as possible to their degree. Information about the various programs is given under “Academic Policies and Procedures .” (Note that Credit for Prior Learning is included in the 80 credit limit mentioned in the “Transfer Students” section above; students must take at least 40 of the 120 credits required for their bachelor’s degree at Old Westbury.)

Evening and Weekend Students

Courses offered by the School for Professional Studies are offered on weekends, in the evening, and online. Courses offered by other schools in the College utilized by programs in the School for Professional Studies may not be available at these times, but Liberal Education Curriculum can be completed through classes offered online and in the evening. Most majors offer some courses online and at night, but selection is limited. Students therefore should plan individualized courses of study and electives carefully. Advising is available from the School of Professional Studies, and appropriate course substitutions can be made with the approval of the Director.

Degree Programs

The School of Professional Studies offers two degree programs, both of which are characterized by the flexibility of their major components:

Bachelor of Professional Studies (B.P.S.) in Professional Studies, which includes a core of courses that equip students to function effectively as professionals in a variety of fields, and an elective component.
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in General Studies, whose course of study is created individually by a student in consultation with an advisor

Minors and Microcredentials

Part of the flexibility of the School for Professional Studies’ programs comes from the fact that students are encouraged to pursue Minors and Microcredentials as well as their Major in order to gain focused skills and readily identifiable credentials in specific vocationally oriented areas. The School of Professional Studies currently offers one Minor and four Microcredentials itself, a second minor in conjunction with the History and Philosophy Department (Congregrational Leadership); and Professional Studies students can also take minors and microcredentials offered by Old Westbury’s other departments.

Programs

Major

Micro-Credential

Minor

Entertainment and Sports Management, Minor