PennWest University was designed to be an innovative new model for an institution of higher education. Just over three years into that process, PennWest is revising its academic array to match its innovative institutional design.
The updated undergraduate academic array is slated to include 43 bachelor’s degree majors (reduced from 47), 40 minors (reduced from 74), and 37 undergraduate certificates (increased from 19).
The majority of undergraduate degree programs will have a more streamlined design that reduces the number of credits required to complete a major, providing students greater flexibility to pursue one or more minors and undergraduate certificates, and in some cases earn two bachelor’s degrees, all within the 120 credit hours required for graduation.
A student majoring in criminal justice, for example, could also complete a minor in pre-law and a certificate in geographic information systems. A business major could complete a minor in artificial intelligence and machine learning. An English major could complete certificates in entrepreneurship essentials and social media. A psychology major could complete a certificate in trauma-informed care. And students of all majors will have opportunities to enjoy participating in a variety of band, choir, and theater activities and earn a certificate in performing arts.
Increasing flexibility and student choice empowers students to be more purposeful in designing their academic experience, develop their personal and career interests, and tell their story to future employers through the credentials they earn on the path to graduation.
In addition to the quality instruction that students receive in the classroom, “Keystone Experiences” will supplement every student’s PennWest experience. “Keystone experiences” include a wide range of fun and meaningful extracurricular opportunities — student clubs, service organizations, athletics, resume-enhancing experiential learning, and tailored career advising and support from a student’s first day on campus until well after graduation.
Why shift some minors to certificates?
Some current minors are slated to be redesigned as streamlined and skill-focused certificates. Minors, while valuable, are at least 18 credit hours in length. Certificates, which can be designed to require as few as nine credit hours, offer greater flexibility. Rebalancing the academic array to plan for additional certificates, including several that prepare students of any major to attend graduate programs in the health sciences, is part of PennWest’s commitment to place students more firmly in the driver’s seat of their own education.
Enhancements in Graduate Programming
PennWest is currently the largest provider of graduate education among schools in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, with approximately 3,300 students enrolled in degree or certification programs at the graduate level. PennWest will continue to offer its four current doctoral programs and one educational specialist degree. However, several enhancements are slated for its master’s degree portfolio.
PennWest is slated to offer 23 master’s degree programs (reduced from 27). Pending all approvals, PennWest intends to add a school librarian certification to its MAT in Teacher Education and a concentration in K-12 athletic administration to its MS in sport management studies. Current master’s-level programs slated for moratorium include the MA in athletic training, MAcc in professional accountancy, MA in corporate communications, and the MS in legal studies. These shifts in programming at the master’s level, including updating the design of several programs, will ensure students have access to programs that are in current demand and prepare students for areas of high demand future employment.
What was the process used to draft the new academic array?
A thoughtful and inclusive process of examining all facets of PennWest’s academic programming took place during the fall 2025 semester, with a focus on ensuring PennWest’s programming fully aligns with student success, career readiness, flexibility, workforce demand, and student interests. A wide range of relevant data was examined holistically and carefully. Students were surveyed about their current and desired academic experience – more than 1,300 students participated – and survey results were shared, discussed, and considered widely. Faculty and staff in the Division of Academic Affairs spent much of the fall semester brainstorming, discussing, revising, and rerevising the programmatic recommendations submitted to the President in December.
During the spring semester, proposed curricular updates will work through PennWest’s shared governance process. Approved academic program offerings will be available to students in the fall 2026 semester. All currently enrolled students will be able to complete the program in which they are currently enrolled.
“Our commitment to PennWest students is to deliver the most accessible, affordable, and transformative experience possible, so that students graduate as confident, career-ready, and career-adaptable lifelong learners and leaders,” said Dr. James Fisher, interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “This process of strengthening our academic programs and the student experience overall furthers that commitment to our students and our commitment to serve and strengthen communities in western Pennsylvania and beyond.”
Looking Ahead
PennWest will share additional information about the benefits of its refreshed and strengthened academic array throughout the spring semester.
“These changes represent PennWest at its best,” Fisher said. “We are shaping modern learning experiences, responding to workforce and community needs and ensuring that every student can see – and seize – a future within reach.”
