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Bachelor of Science in Professional and Liberal Studies Course Descriptions
The online Professional and Liberal Studies degree-completion program at Saint Joseph’s University combines career training with the finest, well-rounded professional education to give you a bachelor’s degree designed for fast, effective career impact. From razor-sharp writing to persuasive negotiation, the online courses below will help develop skills that you can immediately use to find a better job and build a better life for you and your family.
To earn the online Bachelor of Science in Professional and Liberal Studies, you must complete 45 credit hours from this catalog of courses and transfer at least 60 credit hours from your previous college or university experience.
ODL 200 Career and Personal Development
CSC 101 Using Microsoft Office
PWS 263 Organizational Writing
ENG 112 Research Based Writing
ODL 300 Organizational Development
ODL 330 Organizational Issues
THE 154 Introduction to Christian Tradition
ODL 320 Organizational Leadership
PHL 154 Moral Foundations
ODL 340 Coaching
REL 101 Comparative Religions
PUR 245 Ethics in Supply Chain
PHL 201 Knowledge and Existence
PUR 240 Negotiations
ENG 111 Exposition & Argumentation
MAT 107 Contemporary Topics in Math
CHM 100 Chemistry for the Consumer
REL 241 Islam
ODL 200 Career and Personal Development (3 Credits)
Career and personal development is rooted in Organizational Psychology. This course provides students with an opportunity to learn and develop the knowledge and skills necessary to engage in a lifelong career development process. The course takes the student through various topics related to career development and how those topics apply to the students’ self and their own career process. This course will be partially didactic, experiential and self-reflective.
CSC 101 Using Microsoft Office (3 Credits)
Emphasis is on learning and using software applications for numeric data handling (spreadsheets), presentations and project planning. This course is a hands-on introduction and will introduce three Microsoft software packages, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Project.
PWS 263 Organizational Writing (3 Credits)
This course is a study of the principles of writing in the business world. The course will examine the style, structure, and tone of various types of business communications and consider the planning and development process for business reports.
ENG 112 Research Based Writing (3 Credits)
Emphasizing process and product through three significant research assignments, Research Writing teaches students to: conduct academically-based and workplace-based research; use traditional and technological library resources; read, analyze, compare and evaluate existing research and ideas; integrate sources while maintaining voice and syntactic fluency; document appropriately; conduct original research (such as surveys and interviews); present results in clearly written, skillfully organized and well documented papers; and effectively deliver oral presentation. Students will be expected to provide feedback to other writers, incorporate critical feedback into their own writing, produce multiple drafts of papers, and further sharpen their writing skills.
ODL 300 Organizational Development (3 Credits)
A behavioral science perspective on the causes and outcomes of individual and group behavior in organizations, and of the behavior of organizations. Topics will include motivation, attitudes, interpersonal processes, leadership, and macro-organizational behavior.
ODL 330 Organizational Issues (3 Credits)
Selected issues in the field such as emotional intelligence, assessment, group and interpersonal processes, job enrichment, selection and placement will be discussed; small groups, role-playing, and other experiential exercises will clarify important concepts in the field. Prerequisite: ODL 2705
THE 154 Introduction to Christian Tradition (3 Credits)
A broad chronological survey of the history of the development of the Christian tradition from antiquity to the present. This course will examine the origins of Christianity in the unique life of Jesus of Nazareth and trace the subsequent evolution of Christianity from a small Jewish sect to a major world religion. As is fitting for a foundational course taught in a Jesuit institution, this course will place a primary emphasis on the Roman Catholic thread of this great tradition, understanding that this specific tradition is at times clarified and properly understood only in contrast to alternative Christian positions. Critical dialogue with primary sources will be emphasized throughout the course.
ODL 320 Organizational Leadership (3 Credits)
In this course, participants will review and discuss current applicable social science literature in an attempt to answer some of the following questions: Who is a leader? What is leadership? Does effective leadership originate in a person or in a set of actions or behavior? What do we know about developing leaders? How do the constraints of organizations inhibit or facilitate leadership development? What is your current leadership style? These and related questions will be examined by class members through lectures, case studies, self-assessments, and experiential activities.
PHL 154 Moral Foundations (3 Credits)
The ethical dimension of human existence: 1) moral law and value, rights and obligations; 2) examination of traditional and contemporary norms and theories of morality, including nature law; 3) application to contemporary society – life, peace, sex, truth, economic and political justice.
ODL 340 Coaching (3 Credits)
Roles, functions, tools and settings that define consulting and coaching within a business context will be explored with an emphasis on the corporate world. Small groups, role-playing, videos and other experiential exercises will clarify and supplement readings, research and discussion.
REL 101 Comparative Religions (3 Credits)
An introduction to the comparative study of religion which examines the historical evolution of religious, nature and diversity of religious experience, the concept of a religious world and the diverse types of religious worldviews, the role of myth and ritual in the maintenance of religious worlds, the problem of religious change and the concept of transcendence.
PUR 245 Ethics in Supply Chain (3 Credits)
An analysis of the question, “Does business have a social responsibility?” The examination of various internal and external stakeholders of the contemporary business organization. The course exposes students to some of the ethical dilemmas confronted by employers in the workplace, and serves to help students enhance their skills in resolving these types of dilemmas.
PHL 201 Knowledge and Existence (3 Credits)
Three basic problems concerning reality and the quest to know reality: 1) the origin, validity, and limits of human knowledge; 2) Graeco-Christian, modern, and contemporary approaches to being and causality; and 3) the problem of God.
PUR 240 Negotiations (3 Credits)
This course is designed to develop the knowledge, attitude and skill required for successful purchasing negotiations. The course covers factors such as pace and style of negotiations, personal relationships, building cooperative supplier relationships, partnership development, decision making, and legal and administrative issues. Other areas covered: strategy and tactics development, communication styles, listening, understanding conflict, and assertiveness. The course will integrate the student and the instructor in a total learning environment with an appropriate mix of lecture, discussions, readings, case studies and realistic practice negotiations sessions.
ENG 111 Exposition & Argumentation (3 Credits)
Principles and practice of both written and oral expression as they are related to the effective selection, organization, and development of ideas. Attention will be given to several modes of writing and speaking, with special emphasis on the expository and the argumentative. Students will study composing as a continuous process—brainstorming, rough drafts, several revisions, the finished product. Prerequisite: ENG 101 or ENG 103.
ENG 113 Literature & Composition (3 Credits)
Introduction to fiction, drama, and poetry with frequent theme assignments, critical in nature and coordinated with readings in major literary genres. Prerequisites: ENG 101 or ENG 103. Signature Course.
MAT 107 Contemporary Topics in Math (3 Credits)
This course is designed to enable the student to recognize, understand and apply various mathematical concepts and principles that are the foundation for many things that we take for granted in our everyday lives, such as Voting, Traveling, Finances, Government and the wonders of Nature. (CPLS Students only)
CHM 100 Chemistry for the Consumer (3 Credits)
This course is designed to help one understand the chemistry that affects him/her through life. Topics covered: nuclear power, detergents, food additives, brewing, pollution, chemotherapy, and home products.
REL 241 Islam (3 Credits)
An introduction to the historical development of Islam together with its basic beliefs and practices from the time of Muhammad to modern period. The prophet Muhammad, the Quran and Hadith, the Shari’ah, Kalam, Shiism, Sufism, and Islamic modernism will be examined.
To learn more and begin the credit evaluation process for the Professional and Liberal Studies degree-completion program at Saint Joseph’s University, call (866) 758-7670 to speak with an admissions representative or request more information.