Academic Catalog

Professional Studies Division

Professional Studies Division

The Professional Studies Division is committed to providing job-ready programs at the certificate, associate and bachelor degree levels. Courses are offered in a variety of formats including traditional face-to-face, hybrid and online. Graduates will be prepared to enter the workforce with skills that match area employers’ goals. Career ladders are provided in business administration, criminal justice, child development, agriculture, and elementary education.

  • Agribusiness prepares students with the skills and abilities needed to manage and operate a successful agribusiness. This degree includes business courses that provides students with the knowledge to manage the financial and management aspects of farming, from production marketing to production sales. 
  • Business, Finance, and Accounting programs will give students a strong background in business skills and competencies. Upon completing the AAS, students are ready to enter the workforce in entry-level positions or continue their education toward the Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Administration at WVUP. The Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) accredits all business programs. 
  • Child Development prepares graduates to facilitate and assess learning environments that are engaging and playful to promote social, emotional, cognitive and physical development in young children. Many and various careers are available depending on the level of education attained.
  • Communication and Media Studies prepares students for a career in broadcasting, journalism, digital media or marketing. Students gain real broadcasting experience through WVU Parkersburg’s campus radio station. Communication professionals shape how people share, receive, and process information.
  • Criminal Justice prepares students in various aspects of crime prevention, police and law enforcement functions, criminal law and the courts, the corrections system, and the root causes of crime. The program provides a basic understanding of the criminal justice system and the skills needed to pursue further education and work in policing, courts, corrections, and related fields.
  • Digital Communication prepares students to be a part of the only community college radio station in West Virginia - as part of WPKM 96.3 FM The Beet. If you want to work in broadcasting, journalism, digital media, or marketing, a digital communications degree can help you launch a successful career.
  • Elementary Education is committed to creating an exemplary workforce to help shape our community, state and nation’s future…our children. WVU Parkersburg offers a variety of educational opportunities for students interested in a career in education. Our elementary program is based on the premise that the best place for pre-service teachers to learn about teaching is in public school classrooms. For this reason, you will begin working in a classroom as early as your freshman year. The Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, the Math Emphasis, Special Education Emphasis and Middle School endorsements are approved by the West Virginia Department of Education. The program has been nationally accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and is affiliated with the American Association for Colleges of Teacher Education, the National Association of Community College Teacher Preparation Programs, and the National Professional Development School Association.
  • Multidisciplinary Studies provides a rigorous academic program with a strong foundation in the arts and sciences. The program provides preparation for graduate or professional degrees beyond the college’s other, specialized and primarily professional/career focused, bachelor’s degree programs.
  • Supervisory Management is a 2+2, online degree program for Associate of Applied Science graduates who want to pursue a four-year managerial degree and are interested in pursuing a career as a first-line supervisor,  managerial accountant, in process and quality management, in strategic management or marketing management or Agribusiness.