UPPER BURRELL, Pa. -- Penn State New Kensington is offering preparation courses for the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) at the Regional Learning Alliance in Cranberry. The 15-hour, noncredit courses will be offered from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on five consecutive Thursdays, April 23 to May 21. The cost is $275.
The GMAT is used by business schools as a predictor for academic success at the graduate level. The exam measures verbal, mathematical and analytical writing skills and general reasoning ability. The preparation course provides an understanding of the test questions as well as strategies and techniques for earning good scores.
The course will be team-taught by Penn State New Kensington adjunct faculty member Marilyn Bartolacci, instructor in communications, and Greg DePalma, instructor in mathematics. They will work with the textbook, “Cracking the New GMAT.” Written by the Princeton Review, it contains practice questions and tests as well as sample problems and drills.
Prospective students can attend one of three master of business administration (MBA) degree information sessions at 6 p.m. at the Regional Learning Alliance. The dates are Wednesday, March 25; Tuesday, March 31; and Thursday, April 9. The preparation sessions coincide with the upcoming application deadlines for admission to the MBA program at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College -- April 7 for summer; and June 22 for fall. Applicants need to take the GMAT prior to the deadline. The course is offered through the campus’ Continuing Education office. For more information or to register, call 724-334-6010.
Penn State New Kensington is partnering with Behrend to offer the master of business administration degree at the leaning alliance. The program is offered in a blended delivery whereby students will meet in-person once per month. Each three-credit course will involve four class meetings per semester at the alliance with the remaining instruction delivered online. Depending on prior undergraduate courses, it will take approximately five-to-eight semesters to complete the program. This format is ideal for working adults. For more on the MBA program, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/CE/credit.htm.
Regional Learning Alliance
The Regional Learning Alliance was established in 2004 with the cooperation of educational institutions in the region. It offers a variety of degree programs and workforce training for adult and traditional students. Penn State New Kensington is a charter member of the alliance.
In addition to the MBA program, Penn State New Kensington offers two bachelor’s degrees that can be completed the Cranberry facility. Working adults can expand their professional opportunities and assume a position of leadership with a Penn State bachelor's degree in organizational leadership or nursing. For information, contact Nancy Miller, co-director of Continuing Education, at 724-334-6014 or nlh3@psu.edu.
Organizational leadership
Designed to meet the needs of adult learners, the organizational leadership program draws on many disciplines of the liberal arts to focus on issues that all leaders face regarding work and employment issues. According to Miller, the program is attractive not only to the business community but to those who work in government and law enforcement.
The degree focuses on communication as well as ethics, technology, leadership in the work setting, research, motivation and industrial organization. The delivery format is designed with students taking a three-credit accelerated class one night per week for eight weeks, followed by another three-credit class, one evening per week for eight weeks. For more about organizational leadership, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/CE/organizationalleadership.htm.
Nursing
The bachelor of science in nursing degree offers registered nurses the opportunity to earn a baccalaureate degree. The mode of delivery is adjusted to permit adults with family and occupational time constraints to pursue the degree in their home area. Nurses in the program acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to provide comprehensive nursing care to individuals, families, groups and communities. In addition to classes, the program affords nurses the opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty in designing experiences in the clinical setting. For more about the campus nursing program, visit www.nk.psu.edu/nursing
Other campus degree programs
The organizational leadership and nursing degrees are two of nine bachelor's degree programs offered by the New Kensington campus. Other four-year degrees include administration of justice, business, communications, electro-mechanical engineering technology, information sciences and technology, and psychology (bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees). In addition, the campus offers five associate degrees: biomedical engineering technology; business; information sciences and technology; letters, arts and sciences; and radiological sciences
The first two years of most of Penn State's 160 majors can be completed at the New Kensington campus. Students have the opportunity to start their major at one campus and transition to another campus to finish. The 2+2 Plan is the most common path to a Penn State degree. Nearly 60 percent of Penn State students choose this path.
For more information on majors, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Academics/Degrees/degrees.htm.