The School of Professional & Continuing Studies seeks to remain true to its roots in the greater Richmond community while strategically aligning itself with the principles of the University’s strategic plan, The Richmond Promise. The School also seeks to position itself as the Richmond area’s premier provider of world-class professional, undergraduate, and post-baccalaureate education to adult learners.

To achieve these goals, the School is changing its name to more accurately reflect our array of programs; revising its undergraduate degrees to emphasize the University’s liberal arts heritage; and expanding its graduate and non-credit professional programs to meet the needs of Richmond’s professionals.

Name Change

Beginning October 1, 2011, the School of Continuing Studies is known as the School of Professional & Continuing Studies. This new name more accurately reflects the School’s student profile and its array of undergraduate, graduate and non-credit programs.

Undergraduate Degrees

Effective with the fall 2012 term, the School will transition its Bachelor of Applied Studies (BAS) degree to a Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies (BSPS) degree with majors in Emergency Services Management, Human Resource Management, Information Technology Management and Paralegal Studies.

At the same time, the School is likewise transitioning its Bachelor of Liberal Arts (BLA) degree to a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts (BALA) degree. The BALA major is Liberal Arts, with concentrations available in Interdisciplinary Studies (Weekend College only) and other topics in the liberal arts and sciences.

The BSPS and BALA degrees will require foundational coursework and a common liberal arts seminar, typical among schools of continuing education. The degrees themselves align with the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees offered in the other undergraduate schools of the University. The common seminar will be required prior to engaging in upper-division major coursework.

In addition, the BSPS will require a 9-semester-hour professional core, and the BALA will require a 6-hour sequence in language and culture studies.

Professional Programs

The School will retain its three master’s degree programs—the Master of Education (M.Ed.), the Master of Human Resource Management (MHRM), and the Master of Liberal Arts (MLA)—while expanding its M.Ed. specialties from two to five. The additional three specialties will be Special Education, Gifted and Talented Education, and English as a Second Language. The School also will retain its baccalaureate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate certificates, as well as expand its non-credit professional programs, as it continues to meet the needs of Richmond area professionals.