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Show Page 18 ine signpost V ilinuiivii Students master education with graduate programs By MARIA VILLASENOR managing editor The Signpost Most students trudging through the Weber State University campus in the morning have their sights set on earning their bachelor's degree, but a few hundred students set out during the after hours for their master's degree. WSU offers four graduate programs in various fields maintained around a professional student's schedule. Master of Professional Accountancy The Master of Accountancy program is entering its 19th year at WSU and provides students the added year of schooling needed for state certification. More than 40 students participate in the program annually. The program offers tracks in auditing, taxes, costsystems and general accountancy. One possible career path the program aids students toward is a Certified Public Accountant. That certification requires completing a total of 150 credit hours and passing an exam. "Salaries for CPAs are really good," said David Durkee, graduate program director. "It starts slow, but it's really well-paid, so it's an attractive career path." Apart from a good salary, job availability is also a good incentive for accounting students to continue in an extra year of schooling at WSU. "Any time there's a recession or dip in the economy, there's always accounting jobs," Durkee said. "We've had no problems placing students." Master of Business Administration Centrally located at the WSU-Davis Campus, the MBA program readily serves its students, who are equally divided among Weber, Davis and Salt Lake counties. "The program is really set up for working professionals," said Mark Stevenson, enrollment adviser, of the full-time majority. "It's a very flexible program in structure, which we did deliberately so that people would be able to proceed at their own pace." He said most students have four to five years of working experience, which is better than, if a bachelor's degree is followed straight into an MBA. "It's just a good idea to get your feet wet in the job market, to see what you like and don't like, to do some self-exploration, even find an employer who will pay for graduate school," Stevenson said. "If you earn an MBA and then you look for a job, for a fairly-decent, middle-level management position, it's still difficult if you don't have significant work experience." Master of Science in Criminal Justice Criminal justice education at WSU has consistently been ahead of the curve in Utah. "For a long time Weber was the only university in the state that had a four-year program; now two others have a four-year program," said Richard Sadler, dean of the School of Social Sciences, noting Southern Utah University's and Utah Valley State College's criminal justice majors, "but we're the only university in the state that has a master's degree in criminal justice. So that makes our master's program a bit unique." Most students in the master's program continue to work, and evening classes accommodate their professional hours while they complete their degree. This graduate degree is often used as a means of being hired or promoted. "It is just like the other graduate programs that we have," Sadler said. "It is more intense study in a variety of things, including critical thinking and criminal justice administration and trends in current criminal justice." Master of Education Since 1979, this degree was offered at WSU in conjunction with Utah State University, but in 1988, "we finally broke loose from Logan," said Judith Mitchell, program director. The Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction was initiated because of demand for a masters program from area teachers. Mitchell said the majority of the approximately 250 active students in the program are teachers in public schools. A requirement before fully completing the program is one year of teaching experience. "Most of them report to me that their teaching is enhanced; they learn more about being good teachers," Mitchell said. "Basically their whole knowledge base of instruction, curriculum and working with students is increased." She said the curriculum polishes and enhances their teaching and writing skills, and required research projects often have pragmatic applications. "Many of the projects are practical projects," Mitchell said. "They see a problem in their school or in their classrooms, so they investigate and design a study that would give them some information." You can reach reporter Maria Villasenor by calling 626-7614. re-; .i S,V: 5 f .' t ; , t t , c i ) at t.t Vie- ,r f WELCOME TO WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY mi V Students, faculty & staff, here's what we can do for you: full & self-serve copies color copies binding laminatingfax service mouse p a d i transparencies netwo r k p ri ntin g pick-up & delivery network printing bookmarks brochures business cards calendarscertificates eopiescourse packets fiyersforms iabefememo pads poniplelcprograms posterEstationery copy center Stewart library room 101 ...office 6738 or 641 2... fax 6491 ...copycenterweber.edu printmq service building 2 room 226. ..office 6107...pre-press 6109. ..fax 7579... printingweber.edu :sf S |