Degree Flexibility
You can choose among degrees that are more or less flexible, even though Empire is generally more flexible overall than other institutions in how you approach your studies.
Some degrees have been designed and vetted according to current academic and industry standards. These are mostly degrees that tend to be relatively standard around the country, from college to college, and they often tend to be in professional areas (e.g., degrees in Accounting, Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Allied Health Science, Early Childhood Education, Nursing, Psychology).
Other degrees may be more individualized, allowing a greater variety of coursework. These degrees have been vetted in terms of the foundational knowledge expected, and there may be more flexibility in terms of how you incorporate that foundational knowledge (e.g., degrees in Cultural Studies, Historical Studies, Business Management and Economics, Human Development, Interdisciplinary Studies, General Studies, Social Science).
Example
Look at Empire’s page on Undergraduate Degrees in the catalog for specific examples that explain degree flexibility.
In the list of degree possibilities, you’ll see that some have an asterisk (*) behind them. The asterisk indicates “individualized degree.”
Choose one degree without an asterisk and one with an asterisk and look at their requirements.
Degrees without an asterisk list required courses under Program Details. Even when there is choice among the courses, there is a specific list of course titles.
Degrees with an asterisk list foundation areas under Program Details. For each foundation area, it states that “Courses which meet this guideline include (but are not limited to)”….
Individualized degrees with an asterisk are the degrees that allow greater flexibility and greater variety of course work.
Keep degree flexibility in mind when choosing the degree you want to pursue.
Remember that both types of degree are fine, since they both have been vetted in terms of foundational knowledge to include. That’s what makes the degrees valid and the university accredited.
Make a decision about degree flexibility to best address your academic and professional interests, goals, and needs.
Key Takeaway – Flexible Degrees & Educational Planning
If you choose to pursue a more individualized, flexible degree, know that you’re not on your own in choosing courses to fulfill the listed foundation areas.
Individualized degrees require a course called Educational Planning in which you work with your mentor or advisor to fulfill those foundation areas in your own way.
For example, you might want to pursue an individualized degree in human services with a concentration focus on services for clients with Alzheimer’s. If you look at the Community & Human Services degree’s program details, you may not see courses that specifically deal with this focus. So in the Educational Planning course, you’d work with your mentor or advisor to identify courses appropriate to your individualized focus, identify possibilities for independent study in a course designed especially for your focus, and write a rationale for your course choices to explain how you interpreted and fulfilled the foundation areas in your own, unique way.
An Educational Planning course provides structure and yields credit for planning an individualized degree.
If you think you may want to pursue an individualized degree, make sure to read the Educational Planning section of this text.
