Professional. Prepared. Promotable.

Professional Studies Degree

Do you want a degree that allows you flexibility and choice?

Do you want to focus on building the credentials you need for a professional resume?

You sound like a Professional Studies student. 

Professional Studies is a practical degree designed by faculty in partnership with employers to help you stand apart in a competitive job market. Instead of focusing on a particular field or discipline, Professional Studies takes an interdisciplinary approach with classes from Communication, Psychology, Writing, Leadership, Humanities, Social Sciences, Art/Design, and more.  In addition, you’ll earn marketable certificates in areas such as Leadership, AI and Technology, and Global Collaboration. The degree is focused on real-world experience with an Experiential Learning requirement to give you options for internships and employer mentorship while you’re still in college.  

The Professional Studies Major is available on both of our New Jersey campuses.  

Convert your talent into marketability.

Degree designed for:

Skill-Based and Resume-Ready

You’ll gain practical knowledge, experience and skills through a degree that focuses on:

  • Hands-on projects
  • Professional internships
  • Mentorship and networking
  • Multiyear portfolio that highlights your accomplishments

Flexibility

We built this degree with flexibility and customizability in mind—which is ideal for transferring in credits, selecting a second major, or minor.

Built-in Certificates

Earn marketable certificates as part of your degree. Certificates are offered in areas such as Leadership, AI and Technology, and Global Collaboration.

They’re built into your studies and LinkedIn-ready as soon as you earn them. They’ll be on your official transcript when you graduate, too!

Employer-Informed Curriculum

This degree was created with input and collaboration from regional and national employers from a range of industries, so you’ll have the skills employers value most: the ability to communicate, problem solve, adapt, lead, and collaborate as a member of a team.

We also have a dedicated Professional Studies Employer Advisory Council, which includes a wide variety of industry professionals. The Employer Advisory Council will provide real-world feedback to keep this degree aligned with industry needs and will also help open doors to internships and apprenticeships for students.

Degree Plan

As a Professional Studies student, you’ll work with faculty and dedicated advisors to personalize a plan of study that connects to real-world careers. Your degree will include a minimum of 27-31 credits in the following six key areas in addition to the required General Education requirements (42 credits), and ample room for adding a second major, minor, or transfer credits (47-51 credits):

  • Oral Communication/ Public Speaking (6 credits)
  • Professional Writing (3 credits)
  • Inquiry and Analysis (6 credits)
  • Quantitative Reasoning (3 credits)
  • Leadership, Ethics, and Cultural Competency (3 credits)
  • Experiential Learning – that includes internships, apprenticeships, and community-based learning! (10 credits)

As you take classes in these six areas, you can choose courses that also count toward earning those built-in, resume-ready certificates along the way.

See below for the full degree requirements:

General Education Requirements (42 credits)

All students are required to complete the General Education Requirements in fulfillment of their Bachelor degree requirements

Oral Communication / Public Speaking (6 credits)

Select from:

Professional Writing (3 credits)

Select from:

Inquiry and Analysis (6 credits)

Select from:

Quantitative Reasoning (3 credits)

Select from:

Leadership, Ethics, and Cultural Competency (3 credits)

Select from:

Experiential Learning (10 credits)

Required:
Select from the following for the remaining 3 credits:
  • Apprenticeship
  • Community-based learning
  • APEX 3941 FDU Global Career Accelerator (3 credits)

Free electives (47-51 credits)

Contact Information
Stacie Lents, Professor of Theater and Communication
Lents@fdu.edu
Director, Professional Studies