Columbia Southern University, an online university located in Orange Beach, has added four degree program concentrations to its academic catalog.
The degree programs were added based on current industry trends, applicant and student requests and consultations with subject-matter experts. Concentrations include bachelor degrees in occupational safety and health – construction safety, occupational safety and health – oil and gas, and criminal justice – forensics and a master of business administration — entrepreneurship.
In creating the entrepreneurship concentration for its MBA program, the university is offering insight to individuals seeking self-employment and business ownership, which is anticipated to be approximately 10.3 million Americans by 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“We are very proud of the new concentrations as they provide students with options in relation to their education,” said CSU Provost and Chief Academic Officer Barry Goldstein. “The concentrations also ensure that our programs remain current and graduates entering the field will have the most up-to-date information available to help them be successful.”
The occupational safety and health bachelor’s degree concentrations address two of the most prominent areas in the industry: construction and oil and gas. CSU’s occupational safety and health degree programs meet the educational requirements mandated by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals to be Qualified Academic Programs. QAP graduates may apply for the Graduate Safety Practitioner designation. Once obtained, this designation eliminates the need to sit for the Associate Safety Professional exam prior to becoming a Certified Safety Professional. These programs are also approved through the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management.
The university’s forensic concentration will allow students to learn more about forensic psychology and overarching crime scene investigative procedures.
The university also has recently updated its emergency medical services management concentration in the health care administration program, so that it now focuses on the emergency medical services field, in addition to emergency response operations, management and planning for emergencies.
CSU also created three undergraduate certificates: emergency management, cybersecurity and psychology. These certificate programs are available to students who are enrolled in a degree program and were created to supplement that educational experience.
CSU was established in 1993 to provide an alternative to the traditional university experience. It offers online associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. It primarily serves adult learners and has more than 29,000 students.
