Dean College introduces 16 new academic programs

Photo | Grant Welker Dean College in Franklin

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A suite of new academic programs have been added to the catalogue of study at Dean College to best prepare students at the Franklin school for their professional careers.

Dean has expanded its major and minor tracks within its schools of Performing Arts, Liberal Arts, and Business with 16 new programs. These additions are designed to focus on necessary skills, equip students for growing markets, and provide education for increasingly complicated fields, according to a Wednesday press release.

"Dean College is dedicated to providing our students with dynamic and forward-thinking academic programs that align with today’s evolving career landscape,” Scott Sibley, vice president of academic affairs, said in the release. “Whether in the performing arts, health sciences, liberal arts or business, our students will graduate with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience necessary to lead and make a lasting impact in their fields."

Dean’s Schools of Performing Arts has reconfigured one major and added a new track to its dance major. The school’s arts and entertainment major has been rebranded to arts leadership to better reflect its course of study, which includes management strategies, marketing, production, and organizational leadership.

The college’s new dance science track will center the intersection of dance and health sciences, affording students with an on-campus clinical setting to study injury prevention, rehabilitation, and performance optimization through the school’s Athletic Training Clinic for the Performing Arts.

“These innovations ensure that our graduates are not only creative and passionate but also strategic, adaptable, and well-equipped to shape the future of the performing arts,” James Beauregard, interim dean for the Schools of Performing Arts, said in the release.

Two majors have been added to Dean’s School of Liberal Arts, in addition to four minors and a new track.

The school’s new neuroscience and public health majors were created as both fields have experienced a recent surge in popularity, according to the release. The neuroscience major will help prepare students for applications in medicine, technology, and artificial intelligence while its public health major will prepare students for careers in epidemiology, health education, biostatistics, and environmental health.

The department’s new minors include applied behavior analysis, biology, education studies, and family and childhood studies, in addition to an added applied behavior analysis track to its psychology major.

Lastly, Dean will now offer four new minors in its School of Business including accounting, data science, hospitality management, project management and the specialized tracks of accounting, finance, and data science within its business/business management major.

Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.