Rider launches new programs in health care, gender, psychology, communication, education

This fall, Rider launched a number of new certificate programs and a new minor.

"We are constantly looking to see how we can adapt and expand our curriculum to provide our students with the expertise and credentials needed to excel in their chosen field," says Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs DonnaJean Fredeen, Ph.D.

Addressing two growing fields, especially relevant to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, are Rider's new public health certificate and the health care policy minor. The public health certificate addresses different approaches to solving complex health concerns. Through four classes, students are introduced to the foundations of public health to understand how to keep populations healthier and influence public policy issues.

The 21-credit health care policy minor compliments any health, political or policy field with a focus on health care regulation and implementation. Students enrolled in the minor will examine both the science and politics of health care at the local, national and global levels.

Rider’s certificate in gender and sexuality studies will further students' understanding of how gender, race, class, ethnicity and sexuality impact institutions and affect the way that individuals think and act. The 12-credit certificate offers students a variety of courses to select from that delve into key issues such as reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, health, politics and law.

A new applied behavior analysis certificate will complement psychology majors, or elementary education and psychology double majors, with a minor special education. The 17-18 credit certificate is designed to prepare students who are interested in taking graduate-level coursework to learn more about supporting a range of behavioral and learning needs. 

For graduate-level students, Rider launched a certificate in communication leadership. The 12-credit program combines courses from Rider's organizational leadership and business communication graduate programs to prepare students to effectively lead and communicate in the modern workplace. Students who complete the certificate can apply credits toward a future master's program.

Rider's new two-year New Jersey alternate route teaching certificate is designed to help those who have earned an Instructional Certificate of Eligibility and have been provisionally hired by a New Jersey public school district become professional educators. The program also provides a pathway for students to earn their Master of Arts in Teaching. Students may take one to two additional graduate courses to earn the master's degree.