Undergraduate Areas of Study
Empire State College is a college unlike any other. We believe that people deserve the opportunity to study based on their personal and professional goals. Rather than have a prescribed associate or bachelor's curriculum, your degree program can be customized to focus on an area of study necessary to achieve your objectives.
We offer 12 broad areas of study within which you can design a concentration (similar to a major). You will work with a faculty mentor to create a curriculum that meets your educational goals, includes your prior learning and knowledge, and meets Empire State College and State University of New York requirements. This curriculum becomes your personal degree plan and it can be as unique or traditional as you need.
Additionally, the college offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing for registered nurses and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. The college does not offer undergraduate programs leading to professional licensure or certification.
To see a quick overview of each area of study and the BSN, click on the headings below.
With everything from sculpture to photography, or graphic design to theater, you can design a program that both will enhance your understanding of the history behind your craft, and let you express your own concepts and ideas. You'll also develop research skills and technical proficiency, elevating your art and expanding your critical perspective.
Detailed guidelines for The Arts.
Learn more about The Arts.
Whether you're interested in pursuing business administration, industrial and labor relations, economics, or another area of business, your own personal goals can determine your path. Create a program that will help you understand the process and infrastructure of complex organizations, or develop your analytical and communication skills. It doesn't matter if you're looking to enter the field, increase your current viability, or prepare for graduate school — you can design a program to meet your needs.
Detailed guidelines for Business, Management and Economics.
Learn more about Business, Management and Economics.
Students considering human services professions such as urban planning, allied health, child care and mental health have many options at Empire State College. Graduates have found employment in areas such as community education, counseling, health care, advocacy, social services, and more. If you're interested in focusing on human needs and social conditions, Empire State College can help you find your way.
Detailed guidelines for Community and Human Services.
Learn more about Community and Human Services.
Develop an understanding of the traditional disciplines in the humanities, professional fields such as communications, journalism and creative writing, or interdisciplinary areas such as Women's Studies, African-American studies and American Studies with a program in Cultural Studies at Empire State College. We can sharpen your communication skills, increase your awareness, or change your view of the world.
Detailed guidelines for Cultural Studies.
Learn more about Cultural Studies.
Learn the process involved in teaching and learning with a program in Educational Studies. Build a foundation of historical, philosophical, sociological, political, multicultural and gender perspectives by discussing current issues, innovations and research. Prepare yourself for a career in fields such as adult education, international training and development, community education and educational technology.
Note: Empire State College does not offer undergraduate teacher certification programs.
Detailed guidelines for Educational Studies.
Learn more about Educational Studies.
A program in Historical Studies can take you in almost any direction you want to go. Focus on social, political, or religious issues, national experiences, or geographical areas. Develop your research and analytical skills as you study the nature of human existence. Graduates of Historical Studies are employed in many areas, including teaching, historical preservation and restoration, research, and more.
Detailed guidelines for Historical Studies.
Learn more about Historical Studies.
Students who focus on Human Development learn about the characteristic patterns of human behavior during life stages — cultural variability, achievements, behavioral pathologies, and more. Your studies can center on psychology, human biology, anthropology, or almost any other related discipline.
Detailed guidelines for Human Development.
Learn more about Human Development.
The key to a successful program in Interdisciplinary Studies is to create a degree program that works towards a goal, resolves a problem, or meets the specific needs of a particular profession. By combining studies from other program areas, you can work toward a degree that focuses on areas such as arts management, criminal justice, culinary education studies, holistic health, or writing as therapy.
Detailed guidelines for Interdisciplinary Studies.
Learn more about Interdisciplinary Studies.
Students with a degree in Public Affairs are well equipped to serve and improve society through public service, civic engagement, political and government careers, public communications or nonprofit service. Public affairs is an appropriate area of study for students seeking professions in public-sector careers such as criminal justice, emergency management, homeland security, journalism, public communications, public health and public administration.
Detailed guidelines for Public Affairs.
Learn more about Public Affairs.
A program in Social Science lets you examine the interaction of social, political and economic structures and processes while learning how they affect the human experience. You can focus on identifying social issues of critical concern for contemporary society and then work to develop policies to address those issues.
Detailed guidelines for Social Science.
Learn more about Social Science.
The college's bachelor of science degree program in accounting is designed to serve students who are interested in pursuing future careers as professional accountants regardless of their chosen field or certification in public, private, nonprofit, and/or governmental accounting services.
Learn about our B.S. in Accounting degree program.
The college offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing for registered nurses. Working nurses who hold an associate degree or nursing diploma and RN licensure develop a degree program that includes 40 credits of advanced-level, online nursing courses focused on promoting community health and excellent patient care.
Learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
