Lake Erie College Launches Partnership with Lakeland Community College's Holden University Center to Offer New Master of Professional Studies Degree
Lake Erie College (LEC) will now be offering the College’s new Master of Professional Studies (MPS) degree through a partnership at Lakeland Community College’s Holden University Center. Designed to support a wide variety of professionals at various levels in their careers, students in this program will develop sought-after and marketable skills in areas such as organizational dynamics, leadership, negotiation and problem-solving.
“We are proud of our longtime partnership with Lakeland Community College, and we are eager to make available our innovative and skills-oriented Master of Professional Studies degree. Both Lake Erie College and Lakeland Community College are deeply committed to providing relevant and meaningful higher education opportunities to strengthen the skills of our regional workforce, so adding this degree to our partnership is a logical and strategic step in collaborating to meet the needs of our stakeholders,” said Bryan DePoy, Lake Erie College’s vice president for Academic Affairs and Institutional Effectiveness.
Open to anyone with a bachelor’s degree of any type, the MPS program will be particularly appealing to working adults who seek to build specific skills to support and grow within their organization.
“Once again we are excited to offer another educational option that allows area residents to conveniently earn degrees. The students in the MPS program will have access to all the Holden University Center’s building amenities including computer labs, quiet study spaces and printing access,” said Kristina Willey, director for the Holden University Center at Lakeland. “It’s especially a draw for students who have graduated from the university center with their undergraduate degree, are already familiar with our services, and wish to pursue their master’s degree in a place that’s close to home or work.”
The MPS degree will also appeal to those not currently in the workforce (e.g., those with graduate degrees looking for employment, individuals who are laid off, etc.) and seek to broaden or develop their skills to support reentry or position transitions. Of the new degree, DePoy, says “the program is designed to be highly relevant to the skills needed in a broad range of companies and organizations, and the fact that it’s online means that it is accessible to a wide range of learners who seek to grow professionally.”
With skills development and outcomes related to communication, leadership, critical inquiry, and ethics, the Lake Erie College’s MPS degree has three available concentrations: Professional Communication, Organizational Behavior Management and an Interdisciplinary track that allows students to customize a degree that aligns with their career goals and professional aspirations.
As the only degree of its type in the region with a unique array of courses and concentrations, the Master of Professional Studies Degree is eager to leverage Lake Erie College’s experienced faculty, partnerships with a wide range of companies and organizations, and emphasis on individualized learning to meet the needs of career-oriented students seeking a skills-based graduate program.
Housed in the School of Business, home of Lake Erie College’s successful MBA program, business dean Dr. Jenni Kinnaird states, “the Master of Professional Studies is a wonderful new addition to the graduate degree options available at Lake Erie College. The degree provides both the opportunity to develop specific skills that employers are looking for and the flexibility for students to tailor and complete a degree that meets their specific needs and interests.”
For more information, to include applying for the program, visit www.lec.edu/mps. Questions about the MPS degree may be directed to Dr. Jenni Kinnaird, dean of the school of business, at jkinnaird@lec.edu.
Those interested in the MPS program are encouraged to attend an information session June 23, from 6-7 p.m., via Webex. To register, visit www.lakelandcc.edu/ucevents.