Community Education Program (CEP): Community Innovation and the Arts (B.A.)
The Bachelor of Arts in Community Education Program
The Community Education Program (CEP) is for students that are ready to be change makers, innovators, leaders, creative thinkers, and non-traditional educators in their chosen fields in either education, the nonprofit sector, for profit organizations, or entrepreneurial enterprises.
The course work is driven by hands-on, experiential, progressive forward-thinking practical experiences in the chosen field, to prepare students for the challenges of an ever changing and developing 21st century world and their work with the lifelong learner community.
Graduates will leave with a degree that is innovative, creative, non-traditional, and forward-thinking, by being prepared with basics of community and social change and innovation, as well as problem/ project-based service-learning opportunities. All, while giving them the freedom to follow their dream careers by partially building and creating their own degree through selecting a number of electives of interest. This prepares the students for a job market in high demand positions in ever and newly developing fields and industries on the local, national, and international level.
The CEP is a 120-credit hour program, consisting of general studies, core, and track/ concentration specific coursework.
The CEP also offers a 15-credit hour minor.
There are five tracks/ concentrations for students to choose from:
Community Innovation and the Arts
Disabilities Services and Advocacy
Outdoor Education Experiential Learning and Mindfulness
Sports Recreation and Wellness
Teaching English and Global Education
Community Innovation and the Arts encompasses all things related to community and social innovation, social change, and the role of arts in these fields, by prioritizing the use of non-formal teaching methods, developing the lifelong learner, and providing experiential learning opportunities. It is designed for students who are interested in the arts (any type: visual, music, dance, literature, etc.) and aspire to become leaders in community-based organizations related to the arts, promoting the service, care, and education of children, adolescents, and life-long learners. In addition, it prepares students for new, upcoming, and future careers that are involved in and include the arts as a catalyst and medium for social change and community innovation in local, national, and international communities to address societal needs, inspire movements, and empower advocacy.
Career opportunities are manifold. Graduates can work in the more traditional arts sectors by filling roles of directors, coordinators, or program developers of art for the lifelong learners (e.g. children, young adults, adults, and senior citizens) in their communities and a number of place-based settings. They can work in private school settings, before/ after-school programs, non-, or for-profit organizations, or in community centers. Entrepreneurial areas, as well as freelance and social media engagement, visual and media literacy, are also quite popular. Some students prefer to work in more progressive fields of Community Innovation and the Arts, by becoming advocates, and/ or directors and coordinators of innovation and impacts, addressing societal needs and innovation changes through the arts.
This track/concentration also can serve as preparation for graduate school to further students’ studies and work in allied areas of their chosen field.
Requirements
Required Courses
| CEP 101 | Introduction to Community Education & CEP | 3 |
| CEP 201 | Cross-Cultural Competencies in Changing Communities | 3 |
| CEP 411 | Formal & Non-formal Educational Models | 3 |
| CEP 421 | Promoting Creativity & the Arts | 3 |
| CEP 422 | Outdoor Learning Spaces | 3 |
| CEP 433 | Program Design & Implementation | 3 |
| | Or | |
| CEP 452 | Reggio Emilia & Other Approaches | 3 |
| | Or | |
| CEP 473 | Community & School-based Programming | 3 |
| CEP 442 | Community Empowerment & Engagement | 3 |
| CEP 443 | Fundraising & Grant Writing | 3 |
| CEP 463 | Leadership in Community Education | 3 |
| CEP 482 | Practicum II (off-campus) | 3 |
| CEP 492 | Practicum I (on-campus) | 3 |
| CEP 493 | Internship/ International Community Experience | 4 |
| EDUC 201 | Human Development | 3 |
| EDUC 205 | Integrated Arts for Elementary Teacher | 3 |
| ENT 202 | Creative Problem Solving | 3 |
| ENT 300 | Foundation of Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| | Or | |
| ENT 350 | Entrepreneurship Law & Ethics | 3 |
| | Or | |
| ENT 325 | Social Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| SPED 241 | Introduction to Exceptionalities | 3 |
Choose 3 hours from the following:
Electives to total 120 hours