Curriculum Information

Goucher College is an intellectual community of students, scholars, artists, and scientists. Within an innovative liberal arts curriculum, students can determine the course of study that best suits their intellectual interests and academic goals. They can choose a traditional major, or they can shape their education by combining different fields of study into a double major or interdisciplinary major. The Goucher curriculum emphasizes the value of intellectual engagement, interdisciplinary approaches, information technologies, and global perspectives in order to prepare students to live and work in the world as contributing, ethical citizens. Course work, service options, study abroad, and internships provide students with myriad opportunities to develop intellectually and personally.

Student Learning Goals and Outcomes

The college has posted the undergraduate college and program learning outcomes on a website for easy access by students and faculty. Program learning outcomes are also accessible on each program’s website.

A liberal education from Goucher College is demonstrated by a student’s ability to do the following:

The Courses of Instruction

Numbering of Courses

The number of the course indicates the level of instruction: that is, 100-level courses are introductory courses and are typically appropriate for first-year students, 200-level courses are intermediate courses and are typically appropriate for sophomores. 300- and 400-level courses are advanced courses. 300-level courses are typically appropriate for juniors and 400-level courses are typically appropriate for seniors. 500-700 level courses are designated for post-baccalaureate and graduate programs. Any student who has the stated prerequisite for a course may register for that course.

Credit Hour and Work Expectations

Goucher defines the credit hour as the amount of work expected in learning outcomes to be achieved by students in class work which is approximately equivalent to not less than:

(a) One hour (50-60 minutes) of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester for each credit (or the equivalent amount of work during a different amount of time); or

(b) At least an equivalent amount of work as required in item (a) above for other academic activities as established by the college, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, independent studies, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

In courses, such as online courses or independent work, in which “seat time” does not apply, a credit hour may be measured by an equivalent amount of work, as demonstrated by student achievement.

Calendar and Time Schedule

The academic year is divided into two semesters of approximately 14 weeks each. At the end of each semester, there is a brief reading period followed by days of final experiences/examinations. There is also a designated three-week intersession in January for intensive courses.

Goucher II Undergraduate Studies

Goucher II is an entrance plan for adult students who wish to complete or begin their undergraduate studies at Goucher College. Prospective students are eligible for Goucher II if they have independent status as defined by the Higher Education Act of 1992 (at least 24 years of age, or a veteran, or married, or with legal dependents other than a spouse). Goucher II students study on-campus and have the same access to classes and faculty as all other undergraduate students. Goucher II students may study either part- or full-time.

The college accepts up to 60 credit hours for courses completed at other accredited two- and four-year institutions in which at least a grade of C- was earned. Course credit may be transferred regardless of when the courses were taken, but only courses relevant to the Goucher curriculum will be accepted.

Robert S. Welch Center for Graduate and Professional Studies

The Robert S. Welch Center for Graduate and Professional Studies provides adults with opportunities for a degree, career change, professional advancement and enrichment. The center offers ten masters degrees programs, 4+1 Bachelors/Masters programs, 4+ 2 Bachelors/Masters of Fine Arts programs, dual degree MA/MA, dual-degree MA/MFA, post-baccalaureate post-masters certificate programs, and ongoing professional development opportunities.  Programs are offered in face-to-face, hybrid, and online formats.

Graduate Low Residency Degree Programs

Goucher College’s low-residency master’s degree programs are geared toward working professionals who want to take the next step in their professional lives.  Our hybrid on-campus/online format gives students the best of both worlds.  We pioneered the low-residency master’s degree format to provide a high-impact graduate education that is convenient and effective.   

Throughout the academic year, faculty maintain close contact with students. During the one-week residency, faculty meet face-to-face with students for intensive on-campus classes. During online sessions, classes meet in an interactive web-based format. The low-residency structure means that students have the attention of thought leaders and experienced practitioners from around the world, wherever they live or work.  Relationships bridge the on-campus and online sessions, which helps students to form the lifelong friendships and professional connections they retain throughout their careers.

Low-residency students address real-world issues that directly affect their communities and their disciplines, with the goal to empower students to address the complex challenges they face as professionals and leaders. Students graduate with a degree that enhances their ability to make a lasting contribution to the world.

For more information or an application, visit us at:

Robert S. Welch Center for Graduate and Professional Studies

http://www.goucher.edu/graduate-programs

Julia Rogers Building, Room 204

410-337-6200 or 1-800-697-4646

graduateprograms@goucher.edu

Master of Arts in Arts Administration

The Master of Arts in Arts Administration program gives working professionals the ability to further their skills and knowledge in a challenging and ever-developing field. The program emphasizes the role of the arts in the community, and the contribution the arts make to society. The core curriculum covers key fields in arts administration, including strategic planning, marketing, development, law and the arts, and financial management.  Graduates are prepared to work effectively in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, in organizations focused on the performing arts, visual arts, arts education, and arts policy. For more information, visit www.goucher.edu/MAAA 

Master of Fine Arts in Nonfiction

Our nationally recognized MFA in Nonfiction helps students develop their skills as nonfiction writers under the close supervision of faculty mentors. The program’s faculty includes some of the most respected writers in the genre who excel in teaching and who can work with a wide range of student interests. What distinguishes Goucher’s MFA from other graduate creative writing programs, including those that take advantage of the low-residency format, is its exclusive focus on a single genre. The program is also distinguished by its strong professional focus on writing and publishing. Second-year students travel to New York to meet with editors and agents in the publishing world. The program is usually completed in two years and includes four semesters of off-campus work, along with up to four weeklong residencies on Goucher’s Baltimore campus or a major city with a strong literary community. Balancing original writing with critical reading, the program provides instruction in personal essay, memoir, and literary journalism, among other forms. Residencies include lectures, writing workshops, panel discussions, and faculty and student readings. Elective courses are also available that allow the student to focus on a particular area of interest, as well. Visit www.goucher.edu/MFA.

Master of Arts in Cultural Sustainability

The Master of Arts in Cultural Sustainability prepares students to effectively engage and build community capacity for sustainability, resilience, and innovation in the face of complex social challenges.  The program prepares students to work effectively in identifying and supporting the cultural history, resources and gifts of communities. The program is centered around promoting ethical practice, deep human inquiry, relationship building with people in communities, and ongoing assessment and reflection.  Graduates from the program work in roles ranging from programming and education at cultural institutions; cultural documentation in both written and multimedia formats; and helping organizations effect community partnerships, build their cultural competency, and promote cultural equity. An elective internship program wiht the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., also offers students the opportunity for an onsite or virtual field experience. For more information, visit: www.goucher.edu/culture.  

Master of Arts in Historic Preservation

The Master of Arts in Historic Preservation program prepares students to work effectively and innovatively in the field of preservation by providing the knowledge, experience and methods to identify and document important places and the meanings they hold for the people who use them. Students build a solid foundation, based on a comprehensive understanding of the field, to help communities plan for the long-term sustainability of places that matter and to expand students’ own networks of community and practice. Topical and competency-based electives allow students to customize their program of study and align with program scholarships that recognize the importance of the built environment, cultural heritage, and community engagement in planning to take historic resources into the future. For more information, visit: www.goucher.edu/MAHP.

Dual-Degree Master’s Programs

Students who would like a broader knowledge base can apply to the limited residency dual-degree programs with the initial application or at any time before graduation. Dual-degree students typically take an extra year of course work and finish with two master’s degrees. By coordinating classes across programs, students can maximize their education and credentials while minimizing the cost and time in school. In the dual-degree option, classes are drawn from across both curricula so students can develop their skills in two domains. Students also complete a capstone project or thesis, a culmination of their work that draws from topics shared in both programs. Visit www.goucher.edu/graduate-programs/dual-degree-masters-program.

Post Master’s Certificate Programs

Goucher offers a variety of professional development certificates at the post-baccalaureate and post-masters levels that will enhance your skill set and help advance your career. For more information, visit https://www.goucher.edu/learn/graduate-programs/certificates/.

Historic Preservation Fieldwork and Documentation

This flexible certificate provides advanced skills for allied professionals in the field. Students will learn basics in historic preservation with a focus on documentation and cultural heritage. Designed for the hands-on practitioners looking for directly applicable skills.

Historic Preservation and Heritage Conservation for Professionals

This certificate is designed to provide historic preservation skills, perspectives, and competencies for allied professionals. Emphasis is on the preservation and conservation of heritage artifacts, cultural symbols, and historical sustainability.

Humanitarian Leadership and Ethical Advocacy

This certificate will strengthen the student’s capacity and confidence as a leader in the social sector by exploring leadership and self-development in the context of culture, community, and advocacy. 

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Programs

Actionable Intelligence Through Analytics

Through the program’s approach to data and information, students will gain a deeper mastery of critical inquiry, dialogical research principles and deep analysis. Instruction and curriculum will promote strategic thinking, ethical practice, and application of both to decision making.

Climate Change Education

This certificate in Climate Change Education targets environmental educators, both formal and informal, who face the challenges of understanding and explaining the complexity of the science and phenomena underlying climate change, the disparate, duplicative, and often competitive policy initiatives, the contentious politics, and range of behavior and beliefs surrounding climate change. 

Documenting Communities: Putting Stories to Work

This certificate program is grounded in ethical practice that honors and interrogates community identity and self-representation, skills most often associated with the liberal arts. Through our approach to community documentation, students will gain a deeper mastery of critical inquiry, dialogical research principles and deep listening.

Environmental Communication and Collaboration

This 12-credit certificate program provides education and media professionals graduate level knowledge and training to develop skills and leadership with environmental communication and collaboration. The certificate is designed to provide professionals working in different capacities, formally and informally (curators, writers, journalists, conservationists, naturalists, park rangers, etc.), the tools to evaluate, communicate, and collaborate with stakeholders and members of the public on complex environmental issues. 

Environmental Education and Leadership

This certificate program provides education professionals graduate level knowledge and training to develop and enhance environmental education and leadership skills.  It is aimed at secondary teachers but also other professionals working in environmental education in different capacities, formally and informally, including administrators, curators, writers, conservationists, naturalists, and park rangers, among others.

Fact-Based Narrative

This certificate in factual narrative teaches storytelling skills and narrative design. Through its approach to storytelling craft and its application, the program emphasizes both intellectual inquiry and creativity.

Financial Skills for Managers

This certificate focuses on improving the financial skills of leaders and managers across a range of organizations and entities, engaging participants in financial management and planning for the modern organization.  In this program, students apply what they learn to real-world projects within their own organizations as they improve and fine-tune their business and financial skills necessary for the professionally effective manager.

Innovative Leadership and Management

This certificate is grounded in the framework of holistic management, innovative leadership, and socially-conscious management in traditional, hybrid, or virtual organizations.  Students learn concepts related to virtual communities, social capital, and new media; conceptual knowledge and self-awareness; ethical and social responsibility, legal principles, and team building; and the ability to measure and assess organizational performance.

Management Essentials

This certificate emphasizes the development and application of core skills for the modern manager, as it draws from a curriculum that explores the fundamentals of managing a small or medium-sized organization; analyzing and assessing organizational strategy, culture, and operations; the tenets of effective communication within the organization; and focused study of financial skills and managerial accounting.  Students learn how to build business models, analyze and implement plans, and justify decisions based on data and information.

Marketing and Communication Skills for Managers

This certificate provides professionals with the skills to develop and implement marketing and communication plans within social, environmental, and creative organizations.  The program is geared toward managers who want to make a positive impact on people and the planet, as well as run economically sustainable organizations in the for-profit, non-profit, and public sectors.

Social Innovation for Managers

This certificate mergers the worlds of nonprofit leadership and management, organizational law, and social entrepreneurship, as students explore different organizational models where people work to change the world in positive ways.  Students explore the tools and frameworks that boost innovation as they work to identify unique opportunities to create public value and solve problems.  Emphasis is on assessing the role of market forces, philanthropy, and the government when addressing the pressing social and environmental issues faced by communities.

Graduate Programs in Education

Master of Arts in Teaching

This certification program is designed to prepare college graduates with strong liberal arts backgrounds who wish to enter the teaching profession but who have not had adequate preparation for teaching. The program is based on the assumption that, through a curriculum carefully balanced between theory and practice, participants can acquire the knowledge and skills needed to teach elementary, secondary, special education, or dual certification (elementary and special education or secondary and special education). Students complete the program with a yearlong internship guided both by a member of the Goucher faculty and for traditional interns, by a selected, well-qualified cooperating teacher. For more information, please visit www.goucher.edu/gpedu.

Master of Education

Goucher College offers a master of education degree developed in collaboration with the Sheppard Pratt Health System Inc. With a curriculum specifically designed to integrate theoretical with practical course work, the MEd program is currently divided into eleven areas of specialization: Athletic Leadership and Administration, At-Risk/Diverse Learners, Literacy Strategies for Content Learners,  Middle School (available only through cohort program), Montessori studies (in collaboration with Maryland Center for Montessori Studies), Reading Instruction, Reducing Student Classroom and School Disruption, School Improvement Leadership, Special Education for Certified Elementary and Secondary Education, and Teacher as Leader in Technology. Each program component addresses the societal forces that have an impact on student development and success, social and ethical issues, curricular and management strategies, and relevant research. Whenever possible, a clinical perspective is offered. For more information, please visit www.goucher/edu/gpedu.

Professional Development Certificate Program

Advanced graduate work may be pursued beyond the master’s degree to receive a professional development certificate. Applicants are required to have completed a master’s degree in education or a closely related field from a regionally accredited institution of higher education. Certificates are offered in nine of the areas of specialization listed in the Master of Education program. For more information, please visit www.goucher.edu/gpedu.

Advanced Placement Summer Institute

In association with the Middle States Regional Office of the College Board, The Advanced Placement Summer Institute offers week-long summer courses intended for both future and current Advanced Placement (AP) teachers to help them prepare for their AP courses as they share best teaching practices with colleagues in a retreat-like setting. All instructors are national AP consultants for the College Board who are experts in their fields and are very experienced in effectively preparing students for their AP exams. 

4+1 and 4+2 Bachelor of Arts/Master Programs

For those undergraduate students interested in continuing their studies at the graduate level, Goucher offers accelerated degree programs in which students can earn both the Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master’s degree in five years rather than the more typical six or seven years. 

The Welch Center offers accelerated 4+1 degree programs in both the limited residency programs and the graduate programs in education.  In this program students can earn both the Bachelor of Arts degree and a Masters degree in just five years in Cultural Sustainability, Education/Teaching, and Historic Preservation.  For students interested in earning both a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Fine Arts in Nonfiction we have a 4+2 program. 

To be eligible, undergraduate students need to have at least a 3.0 grade point average, and have been approved by their undergraduate faculty advisor and the director of the graduate program the student wishes to enter.  Students may apply as rising juniors.  Undergraduates may take up to 12 graduate credits that would apply to both the 120 credits required for the bachelor’s degree, and the credits required for the master’s degree. The 4+1 programs typically require two to three summers of coursework. Information on the programs is available at the relevant program website at: http://www.goucher.edu/graduate-programs

Master of Science in Higher Education Policy, Research and Administration

The Master of Science in Higher Education Policy, Research, and Administration is designed for flexibility for the working higher education professional, helping the student gain the understanding, the knowledge, and the skill base to move into leadership roles in higher education. With concentrations in finance, assessment, strategy, and adult education, the M.S.H.E. degree prepares today’s higher education professional to succeed in an industry that demands data-informed planning, decision making, and resource allocation. Like other programs in higher education administration, Goucher’s program offers a strong foundation in the history, theory, and practice of education in America’s colleges and universities. What distinguishes our M.S. program is the emphasis on data, research, analysis, and use of that analysis to inform decision making at the leadership level.

Graduate Programs Financial Aid

Matriculated students enrolled in programs culminating in a degree may apply for graduate-level Subsidized and/or Unsubsidized Stafford Loans or Graduate PLUS loans. Please review the loans section of our financial aid website for details. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required to be considered for these programs. A limited number of scholarships are also available.

Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program

The one-year Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program is a non-degree program designed for applicants who have completed a bachelor’s degree but lack the required science courses for entrance to medical school. Students typically take eight courses in the sciences and receive a certificate upon completion of the program. Prior to the start of the program in June, an optional intensive mathematics review is offered at no extra cost. Individual tutoring is provided throughout the program by a full-time teaching assistant, who also conducts homework sessions and exam reviews. Beginning in the fall, students prepare for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) through twice-weekly prep instruction; this continues in the spring with more frequent sessions and numerous practice MCATs. Workshops are offered on many topics, including essay writing and interviewing skills. In addition, students receive extensive counseling during the medical school application process and a composite letter of evaluation from the premedical committee at Goucher. On Tuesdays starting in the fall, students have the opportunity to enhance their clinical experience by volunteering in a hospital or clinic.

ADMISSIONS PROCEDURES

Candidates for the Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program are selected on a rolling admission basis starting in September. An interview is required of competitive candidates after all application materials are received. Applicants must apply through PostBacCAS. In addition to its requirements, the following are required by Goucher:

• Nonrefundable Goucher application fee, submitted electronically via PostBacCAS.
• Official scores from the SAT, ACT, or GRE.
• A total of two letters of recommendation.

FEES and EXPENSES

Information concerning tuition and expenses can be obtained from the Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program website. The tuition fee includes workshops, MCAT preparation, tutoring provided by the teaching assistant, lectures, and laboratory fees for the eight courses and a mathematics review (offered in the summer before the start of the program). Books and incidental fees are not included.

FINANCIAL AID

Students may apply for graduate-level Federal Direct unsubsidized loans and Graduate Direct PLUS loans by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The program awards several merit scholarships; all applicants are considered for these, and there is no separate application.

PROGRAM ADMINISTRATORS and FACULTY

Director- Betsy Merideth

Assistant Director - Marisa Sanders

Program Assistant - Aimee Marson

Professors - Sasha Dukan (physics), George Greco (chemistry), Judith Levine (biology)

Associate Professors - Ruquia Ahmed-Schofield (chemistry), Nina Markovic (physics), Kevin Schultz (chemistry), Rodney Yoder (physics), Jenny Lenkowski (biology), Mark Hiller (biology)

Assistant Professors - Jay Garaycochea (biology), Anna Jozwick (biology)

CURRICULUM

BIO 547  BIOLOGY AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE I (5 Cr.) - fall term.

BIO 548  BIOLOGY AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE II (5 Cr.) - spring term.

CHE 540  PRINCIPLES OF CHEMISTRY I (4 Cr.) - taken in the summer.

CHE 541  PRINCIPLES OF CHEMISTRY II (4 Cr.) - taken in the summer.

CHE 636  ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I (4 Cr.) - fall term.

CHE 637  ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II AND BIOCHEMISTRY (5 Cr.) - spring term.

PHY 542  PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICS I (4 Cr.) - fall term.

PHY 543  PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICS II (4 Cr.) - spring term.

If a student has successfully completed for credit one or more equivalent courses elsewhere, the Director may approve the substitution of an upper-level science course or an appropriate non-science course for the core courses listed above. All post-bacs must be enrolled full-time in the program.