Technical Writing

This 18-credit Communication Arts and Mass Media minor is designed to offer students the opportunity to balance a liberal arts foundation and orientation to communication with the media and production theory. This merger of technique will provide the skills necessary for supplementing career fields requiring effective oral, written and media production skills.

This minor is available to students in any major, but complements majors in management, marketing, education, sales, training and development, government, human resources, and development.

The Computer Science minor is designed to allow students in any Behrend major to establish a strong conceptual framework in computer science, so they can apply computer science methods and techniques to their primary field of study. Computing has become a critical aspect of most disciplines. This minor provides students with the opportunity to develop computing expertise which can then be applied to their field of study, thus enhancing job placement opportunities after graduation or better preparing the student to pursue graduate work in computing intensive sub-disciplines of their major.

This 18-credit Creative Writing minor (CWRIT UMNR) offers students not majoring in Creative Writing the opportunity to explore different forms of creative writing—fiction, poetry, and nonfiction—or to focus primarily on one of them. Students receive instruction and practice the art and craft of writing in small workshop courses.

The Crime, Law, and Psychology minor explores both sociological and psychological causes of criminal behavior, the legal process, and the political process dealing with the creation of policies promoting prevention and controlling crime.

With this minor program, you’ll learn about criminal behavior, reasons for crime, how crime is investigated, and the legal system charged with processing offenders. The skills and knowledge gained from this minor will benefit students entering into careers in police, security, the correctional system, social work, law, psychology, and government or politics. This 18-credit minor integrates well with a political science or psychology major.

The 18-credit English minor encourages students to take courses from each of the areas within the major: The Canon and Its Critics, Globality and Literature, and Cultural Studies, as well as courses in Creative Writing. By doing so, students will develop skills in writing and critical thinking that will prove valuable in their later work experiences.

The Certificate in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) with Oracle will instruct you in Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning software, an integrated multi-module application software that supports business processes. Oracle is one of the top ERP vendors and the skills gained by learning this software will allow you to become more valuable in the current marketplace. Oracle certification is valuable to hiring managers who want to distinguish among candidates for critical IT positions.

This program enables students to become proficient in Oracle Supply Chain and prepares them for the Oracle Supply Chain Certified Professional Consultant exams. Students who complete this certification will have the ability to implement and support eBusiness Supply Chain applications.

SAP is the world’s largest enterprise application software company, with more than 170,000 customers in more than 120 countries. The certificate program in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) with SAP helps set our graduates apart from other business and management information systems graduates when gaining successful employment. Based on a Central Michigan University study, the average starting salary of SAP graduates was $5,250 greater than non-SAP graduates.

The goal of this program is to use SAP technology as a tool to help teach business concepts. Instead of studying “cold” textbook exercises at the end of a given textbook chapter, students directly interact with a real business, executing real functions and transactions in a life-like business-to-business simulation.

Penn State Behrend offers the innovative interdisciplinary-based Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ENTI) minor to students in any major.

The minor equips students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset; think critically and “outside the box” to sense opportunities; develop value propositions; and create sustainable value in fast-paced socio-technological environments. The minor at Penn State Behrend currently offers the New Ventures Cluster, although additional clusters will be made available.

Our world runs on data, and the people who best understand it—and who can explain it—are essential to any organization. With the B.S. in Functional Data Analytics, you’ll learn to analyze and interpret the numbers, but also discover how to clearly convey that information to others.

The United States and global games industry continues to be one of the most diverse and healthy available for job-seekers. In the United States alone, the games industry employs more than 32,000 people across 34 states, reaching a total compensation of over three billion dollars annually.

As one of a growing number of interdisciplinary programs at Penn State Behrend, students can now opt to enroll in a minor in Game Development.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences offers an interdisciplinary German Studies Certificate (GERSC BC) available to all Penn State Behrend students. The German Studies Certificate, which requires 16-17 credits, may serve as a “bridge” to Penn State’s German Minor.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences offers an interdisciplinary Global Awareness Certificate (GLBLBC). Open to all Penn State Behrend students, the 12-credit certificate program equips students to deal more effectively with the globalizing world in which they will live and work.

The 18-credit History minor is designed to complement a wide range of social studies and humanities majors by affording students the opportunity to examine change and development in human societies over time. Students are free to select courses in the topics, geographical areas, and time periods that most suit their needs and interests.

This 15-credit interdisciplinary certificate program is designed to prepare students with in-depth knowledge of the capabilities and limitations of people and the application of psychological concepts to the design and safety of products and services; including consumer goods, military products, interactive websites and games, and assistive technologies. This certificate requires that students take introductory psychology as well as the two human factors courses (9 credits). Students will also need to take 1 additional psychology course (3 credits), and one course (3 credits) outside of their major of study in order to foster the interdisciplinary nature of this certificate.

The 18-credit minor in Latin American Studies offers students in any degree program the opportunity to enhance their education with a foundation of knowledge about Latin America. The program explores disciplines like history, political science, and anthropology, examining them through the lens of Latin American experiences.

This minor can provide an essential knowledge base for students interested in pursuing careers with global companies or organizations, or for students interested in pursuing graduate studies.

The Latin American Studies minor might also be of particular interest to students interested in a study-abroad experience.

The management information systems minor can open new career options for students, increase their market value, and improve their chances for advancement.

A marketing minor offers a general marketing background to give students an understanding of core marketing principles, including marketing research and consumer behavior issues. In addition, students must take upper-level courses (at least 6 credits) in MKTG to get a more comprehensive understanding of marketing.

Effective projects don’t just happen; they are coordinated by effective project managers. The ability to bring in large, multifunctional projects on time and on budget requires a unique set of skills in leadership, resource planning, and management. This 30-credit graduate program helps working professionals to develop the tools needed to carry out these complex organizational activities.

Mathematics is one of the oldest and most basic sciences, the foundation on which many other disciplines rely. Mathematical knowledge increases problem-solving skills in many fields.

Every organization seeks competent and confident communicators—professionals who craft and deliver meaningful messages that reach the right audience at the right time. This universal need makes Penn State Behrend’s B.A. in Media and Communication a versatile, valuable degree.

If you enjoy working with people, welcome the opportunity to brainstorm and develop creative ideas, and embrace new technology, Media and Communication might be the major for you.

Are you ready for higher education but unsure if you want to commit to a four-year degree? Consider pursuing the two-year associate degree in Multidisciplinary Studies (formerly called Letters, Arts, and Sciences) from Penn State Behrend.

A Multidisciplinary Studies degree can also help establish you in a better career than you’d find yourself without a college degree. Organizations want employees who are effective communicators, can adapt to change, and enjoy learning. Earning the associate degree in Multidisciplinary Studies demonstrates not only that you have the skills to bring value to an organization, but also the ability to set a goal and stick with it to completion.

Physics is the fundamental science from which many fields of science and engineering developed. Understanding it gives you insights into your field at broad and fundamental levels. This strengthens your abilities to innovate and to see basic connections in your specialization or across disciplines.

A physics minor can provide you with a cross-disciplinary background that is highly valued by industry and academics.

Plastics are everywhere. That means a B.S. in Plastics Engineering Technology will put you in demand in nearly any industry sector that interests you: automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, consumer products, computers—even toys!

This 18-credit Politics and Government minor allows students to develop research, writing and analytical skills in the many related fields in the study of politics, such as American Government, Public Policy and Administration, Comparative Politics or International Relations.

Because the policy making process and the processes of globalization affect us in virtually all areas of our lives, the minor is appropriate for supporting the study of any major. Similarly, the minor provides an invaluable understanding of the political world that is useful in any career that has an impact on or is affected by public life.

With the 18-credit Politics and Public Policy minor, students can develop a deep understanding of how the policies that affect our daily lives are formulated, funded, and implemented. The minor explores the political and governmental processes behind these decisions, and gives students a framework for how to analyze the impact and effectiveness of those policies.

This minor is useful to students pursuing any number of degree programs, giving them a background to bring expertise to their chosen major—particularly in how their field intersects with government regulation.

Our unique B.S. in Polymer Engineering and Science prepares you to analyze and design polymers—the fascinating materials that make up our world. You’ll learn to analyze the character and structure of materials, and then use that knowledge to design innovative new products for a variety of fields, including medicine, manufacturing, and sustainability.

If you’re passionate about using data to solve problems, then you might benefit from adding a certificate in Project and Supply Chain Analytics to your degree. This 12-credit certificate program takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating project management, supply chain management, and data analytics to build your skills in managing the flow of goods, services, and information.

The certificate program is designed to help you learn to apply analytical methods to find solutions and insights needed for key decision making within an organization. The certificate provides a foundation that can be used to boost your portfolio in a number of fields, including management, data analytics, or business intelligence, or to help prepare you for further graduate studies.

The online Graduate Certificate in Project Management is an interdisciplinary, 12-credit program that uses problem-based learning to provide a strong foundation in project management theory and practice. The program is AACSB accredited, so your certificate will be a well-respected credential.

An 18-credit Psychological Science minor is available to students in any major, and it is a valuable addition if one’s career will involve interaction with other people.

This minor is designed to provide undergraduate students with a broad overview of topics and domains within psychology; knowledge and skills related to research methods in psychology; and a deeper knowledge of research, theory, and application in one or two specific content domains. Students completing this minor will find a flexible selection of coursework in psychology.

The Certificate in Public Relations (PR BC) offered at Penn State Behrend is designed for communication and business majors who wish to focus their supporting or non-business supporting coursework in a specific professional communication area. The certificate is also designed for working professionals interested in developing their skillset in public relations. The foundation of the certificate is developed in the Media Writing, Introduction to Public Relations, and Public Relations Media and Methods courses. Students are then allowed to choose one additional advanced course to complete the 12 required hours.

An 18-credit Sociology minor is available to students in any major, and it is a valuable addition to one’s personal ability to communicate in and outside of the workplace.

This minor is designed to allow undergraduate students to explore the wide range of topics, social groups, and social interactions studied by sociologists. From social inequities and social problems to the familiar institutions of family, school, religion, and government, the diversity of courses available allows sociology minors to explore courses relevant to their interests.

Statistics originated from the simple study of games of chance and grew into one of the most important applications of human knowledge. One cannot read a newspaper or watch the evening news without being exposed to some sort of statistic or graphic used to describe everything from approval ratings to medical studies. A statistical background enables people to critically analyze and interpret this information.

The Intercollege Minor in Sustainability Leadership allows students in any major to incorporate sustainability as a significant theme in their undergraduate degree program. Through a combination of coursework and immersive experiences in sustainability, students develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to become sustainability leaders in their respective fields.

This 18-credit Trauma Studies certificate offered at Penn State Behrend provides the core information and competencies for students interested in pursuing research and applied experiences in trauma studies. The certificate is open to all majors; students will be provided with an interdisciplinary understanding of the psychological, historical, sociocultural, political, and physiological aspects of the effects of trauma. It will also provide students a greater understanding of the unique economic, occupational, physical, medical, and interpersonal needs of those recovering from trauma.

Women’s Studies & Gender Studies (WMNST) at Penn State Behrend asks students to think about the impact of gender in their lives and to interpret both their own experiences and social expectations. The WMNST minor is interdisciplinary; students take courses in a variety of fields, including communication, history, literature, political science, psychology, and more.

To obtain a minor in Women’s Studies, students are required to complete 18 credits of coursework, 6 prescribed and 12 supporting. The supporting credits, which students choose from a program-approved list, must include at least 3 credits each in arts and humanities and natural or social sciences, and 3 credits focusing on non-Western women or on women of color in the United States. A total of 6 credits must be at the 400 level.

When students complete the minor requirements, they receive a certificate, and the minor is noted on their official transcript.