Harrisburg University Receives Approval to Offer Two of Its Master’s Programs in Southern Maryland

June 23, 2010 - PRLog -- Harrisburg University of Science and Technology has received approval from the Maryland Higher Education Commission to offer two of its master of science degree programs at the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center.

The University will offer the Learning Technologies Master of Science (LTMS) degree and the Information Systems and Engineering Management (ISEM) degree at the SMHEC campus, located at 44219 Airport Road, California, Maryland.

“We are pleased to bring Harrisburg University’s graduate programs to Southern Maryland in support of its rapidly expanding workforce and economic development in the region,” says Bilita Mattes, Associate Provost for Strategic Markets at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.  

The SMHEC was established by the State of Maryland in 1994 to provide a regional facility with state of the art technology to serve the university and professional training needs of the Southern Maryland region. Over 90 academic programs are currently offered at SMHEC’s high-tech, centrally-located campus, providing the growing workforce in Southern Maryland with unprecedented access to higher education opportunities.

“The unique, interdisciplinary, and applied nature of our graduate programs meets a need for advanced education identified by military and civilian personnel and educators from the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, the business community, and the school systems in Southern Maryland,” says Mattes.

The LTMS program provides students with leading edge approaches and skills to help them apply existing and emerging learning technologies in a variety of learning environments. A key element of the 36-credit Learning Technologies master’s degree is the use of technology to integrate and develop new ways of learning and assessing learning, as well as exploring new approaches to work, especially to collaborative work. The degree is a blend of theory and practice which develops skills that can be applied to complex education and training issues.

“The strong push for, and trend toward, the integration of technologies into the K-16 teaching and learning process in Maryland highlights the need for this program for educators in Southern Maryland,” says Andy Petroski, Director of the LTMS program at Harrisburg University.

The ISEM program at  the University can help bring into existence a new class of professionals with the capability to support the shift in business activity throughout Maryland, and globally, from custom information technology toward integrated, components-based information systems.

“It is projected that the demand in Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties for software engineers will increase 50 percent by 2016 and the demand for computer systems analysts will increase approximately 36 percent. Graduates of the ISEM program can touch on all of these job classifications,” says Amjad Umar, Director of the ISEM program at Harrisburg University.

The ISEM program will prepare individuals for positions such as systems engineers, business systems analysts, management analysts, software engineers, information systems managers, security planners and managers, and E-government and E-business specialists, as well as future job classifications which may not yet have emerged in this field.

For more information on the programs and to be put on an email list to be notified about upcoming Information Sessions call Dr. Cynthia Shoemaker at 301.737.2500 ext. 204 or go online to www.smhec.org, or check the Harrisburg University website at www.HarrisburgU.edu  

Founded in 2001 to address Central Pennsylvania’s need for increased opportunities for study leading to careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, Harrisburg University is an innovative and ambitious private institution that produces graduates who provide increased competence and capacity in science and technology disciplines to Pennsylvania and the nation. Harrisburg University ensures institutional access for underrepresented students and links learning and research to practical outcomes. As a private University serving the public good, Harrisburg University remains the only STEM-focused comprehensive university located between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

For more information on the University's demand-driven undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs in applied science and technology fields, call 717.901.5146 or email Connect@HarrisburgU.edu.

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Established in 2001 to address Central Pennsylvania’s need for increased opportunities for study leading to careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, Harrisburg University is an innovative and ambitious private institution.