Education Guide 10.18.26 - Flipbook - Page 18
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| Sunday, October 18, 2026
Specialized Programs,
continued from page 7
are growing quickly, creating gaps in the
workforce.
“It is about moving into areas where
people can grow with confidence, and
meet the demands of what employers are
needing,” she says, regarding the new
degree programs. Making sure they get
the most relevant skills for the job market
is important.”
The Master of Science in homeland
security leadership is a program that will
prepare learners for specific roles across
homeland security, emergency management and the intelligence fields. Students
will develop skills for crisis response,
strategic coordination, intelligence analysis, and crucial and critical infrastructure
protection. The M.S. in public safety
leadership is designed for aspiring public
safety leaders to address the operational,
policy and management challenges they
will encounter as they advance in the
job. The program helps learners develop
skills that include organizational management, ethical and evidence-based
decision making, leadership communication, resource optimization, and building
public trust. The Master of Science in
artificial intelligence was designed to differ from many AI degrees as it is oriented
around technology theory, Besendeorfer
explains. The M.S. in applied AI focuses on the practical application of AI in
real-world settings, preparing students
to evaluate, implement and manage AI
solutions in their own professional field.
“It’s not considered just technology,” Besendeorfer says. “It’s really about
how do we use that, no matter what
area you’re in, while also equipping our
learners with the complementary skills
of machine learning, data analysis, data
engineering and solution design. It’s not
about how do you build AI; it’s really
about how do you utilize AI, and as a
leader, how do we understand to be able
to do that.”
The Bachelor of Science in extended reality design prepares learners to
design virtual, augmented and mixed-reality experiences for fields like training,
education and health care by developing
skills in user-centered design, 3D modeling, extended reality development, spatial
storytelling and usability testing while
building their professional portfolio.
The asynchronous programs are all
developed for working adults to engage
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and earn credentials that will enable
career advancement, Besendeorfer says.
In addition, a new program at Harford
Community College is enabling students
to pursue careers in allied health positions at a faster pace than in the past. The
pre-professional health sciences program
offers pathways for students interested
health-related careers, beginning with a
required two-credit course called career
exploration in health sciences.
“A large majority of students come
here because they want to be a nurse,”
notes Pamela Pape-Lendstrom, Ph.D.,
dean of science technology engineering
and math (STEM) at Harford Community
College. “But with our required career
exploration course, we enable students
to explore many allied health degrees at
the beginning of their academic journey.
It gets them to think about all of their
options; it increases student awareness
and enables them to make an informed
career choice.”
The course introduces students to
career opportunities in the health care
industry and to academic and life skills
including time management, good study
habits, professional skills and financial
planning. They conduct research on the
different professions and create an indi-
vidually customized academic and financial plan for determining and reaching
their goal.
The pre-professional health sciences program comprises 60-65 credits in
general allied health core courses as
well as three different pathways that
related to a specific pursuit. The specific
pathways include course guidance for
students in pre-sonography, pre-nursing
and pre-pharmacy, with information on
requirements for course selection based
on specialization and the specific program they wish to transfer to for completion of the bachelor’s degree. For example, pre-sonography students wishing to
attend Johns Hopkins Schools of Medical
Imaging is advised to choose a second
mathematics course. A general biology II
course is recommended for pre-pharmacy students interested in transferring to
the University of Maryland.
The program officially started in fall
2025, and to date, there are 536 preprofessional health sciences majors enrolled.
“Some students enroll knowing what
they what to do, while others aren’t sure,”
Pape-Lendstrom says. “This program
helps people understand that they have
a pathway if they start here. It is specific
and gets them there faster.”
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