Pathway Bachelor Degree Completion

Curriculum

Program Overview

Curriculum

Tuition

Transfer Credits

Online Learning & Support

Choose Courses Based on Your Interests and Goals

With the help of your Personal Academic Advisor and your Personal Success Coach, you can choose the right courses for you throughout the program. You will need a minimum of 124 credits to complete the program which fall into four categories:

Bachelor of Arts

APPLIED ARTS & SCIENCES
124 CREDITS

PROFESSIONAL
CORE
12 CREDITS

ARTS & SCIENCES
CORE
40 CREDITS

OPEN
ELECTIVES
68 CREDITS

CAPSTONE
EXPERIENCE
4 CREDITS

FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED

Pathway Bachelor Degree Completion Program

Professional Core (12 credits)

The Professional Core features three courses designed to help students find their career path. These are the only required courses for all Pathway Bachelor Degree Completion students:

  • Fundamentals of Health and Well-being
  • Life, Meaning, Work
  • Psychology of Happiness

Arts & Sciences Core (40 credits)

Choose your courses based on your interests and goals. Students must complete five courses (20 credits) to earn a specialization. The remaining 20 credits allow students to choose more courses in their specialization area, explore other areas of study, or earn a second specialization. Your Personal Success Coach and Personal Academic Advisor will help you choose the right courses for you throughout the program.

Current Specialization Areas:

In this specialization, you’ll explore child growth and development, leadership in early childhood settings, and gain real-world insights that will prepare you to be an advocate for children and families across diverse populations. Choose from courses, including:

  • Child, Growth and Development (0-8)
  • Family and Community Engagement
  • Social Policies and Human Services in the Community
  • Child Psychopathology and Treatment
  • Administration of Early Childhood Programs
  • Developing Social Maturity and Emotional Competency in Youth Foundations of Social Emotional Development
  • Leadership and Human Resource Development in Early Childhood Programs
  • Early Childhood Curriculum Instruction and Assessment

In this specialization, you will learn the fundamentals of business operations including accounting, marketing, and effective management. Students can tailor their coursework to specific areas of interest. Choose from courses, including:

  • Introduction to Business
  • Accounting for Business
  • Principles of Marketing
  • Management Info Systems
  • Personal Financial Planning
  • Organizational Behavior
  • Ethics and Social Responsibility
  • Legal Environment of Business
  • Human Resource Management
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Gender and Diversity in Leadership

In this specialization, you will learn how to research and analyze information and how to clearly communicate topics through writing, speaking and mediated communication. research and analyze information and how to clearly communicate topics through writing and speaking. Choose from courses, including:

  • Public Communication
  • Introduction to Communication
  • Principles of Public Relations
  • Conflict Management
  • Communication & Non-Profit Organizations
  • Communication & Advocacy
  • Persuasion and Social Influence
  • Gender and Communication
  • Intercultural Communication
  • Gender, Race, and the Media

In this specialization, you will learn about healthy lifestyles, nutrition, and develop administrative, ethical, and professional skills to educate individuals and communities. Choose from courses, including:

  • Applied Anatomy and Physiology
  • Nutrition: Personal and Community Wellness
  • Foundations of Health Policy
  • Foundations of Health Literacy
  • Principles of Physical Activity
  • Cultural Competence in Healthcare Administration
  • Intro to Public Health
  • Health Behavior and Promotions
  • New Science of Stress

In this specialization, you will learn the foundations and theories of leadership, effective leadership styles, the role of diversity in leadership locally and globally, and the challenges of leading in times of crisis. You will also have a chance to develop the leadership and team-building skills needed to be an effective leader in the public, private, or nonprofit sectors. Choose from courses, including:

  • Foundations in Leadership (required)
  • Leaders as Change Agents
  • Leading Teams
  • Leadership: Principles, Powers, and Persuasion
  • Leadership in Times of Crisis
  • Effective Leader-Follower Models
  • Ethical Leadership
  • Gender and Diversity in Leadership
  • Organizational Behavior
  • Ethics and Social Responsibility
  • Intercultural Communication

In this specialization, you will develop a broad understanding of human behaviors as well as the skills to understand and interpret research findings concerning human behaviors. Choose from courses, including:

  • Introduction to Psychology
  • Applied Psychology Research
  • Social Psychology
  • Group Dynamics
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Personality
  • Cognitive Psychology (Non lab)
  • Cultural Psychology
  • Abnormal Psychology

Open Electives (68 Credits)

Students can explore any area of interest in the curriculum with these credits. This is also where your transfer credits will be allocated. You can transfer up to 90 credits from prior college coursework or prior learning (work experience or job training). If you don’t know how many transfer credits you have, don’t worry. Give us a call or start an application and we will help you request transcripts from any prior colleges or universities you attended.

Capstone (4 Credits)

Once you’ve completed 93 credits, you can register for the Capstone Experience (required). In your Capstone, you will create a Professional Development Plan, Market Analysis of a chosen industry, or self-designed research-project. In all Capstones, students will work closely with a faculty member. Examples of Capstone projects include:

  • Professional Development Plan in Healthcare Administration
  • Market Analysis on Autonomous Vehicles for Business Delivery
  • Research Project: Post-Covid Effective Hybrid Workplace Strategies

Merrimack College Accolades

At Merrimack College, we’re proud of our long history of providing quality degrees to students entering the job market. Our faculty are more than just teachers. We are committed to helping you grow — academically, personally and spiritually — so that you may graduate as a confident, well-prepared citizen of the world.

  • U.S. News & World Report 2022 #34 Best Regional Universities North
  • U.S. News & World Report 2022 #41 Best Value Schools
  • U.S. News & World Report 2022 #3 Most Innovative Schools
  • Money Magazine’s Best Colleges 2020
  • The Princeton Review 2021 Best Northeastern Regional College
  • Apple Inc., Apple Distinguished School

FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED

Pathway Bachelor Degree Completion Program