Division of Professional Studies
Areas of study within the Division of Professional Studies include topics such as business, elementary education, music education, marketing, law, sports and recreation, as well as sustainability.
Academic programs in Division of Professional Studies
Education field and clinical experiences
Strong partnerships with local schools ensure outstanding field and clinical options emphasizing the personal touch with experienced and caring classroom teachers. Experiences are also provided in a wide variety of classroom settings to ensure students have opportunities to work with a wide range of diverse students. Observation experiences are completed during the introductory courses, practicum experiences are completed during block or methods courses, and student teaching serves as a capstone experience for a certification program.
Observations serve as a valuable means of exploring the different certification areas available to students and help students determine if teaching is a viable career choice. Practicum experiences provide candidates with valuable real-world experience in planning and carrying out classroom instruction, while student teaching requires that candidates actually carry out the responsibilities of a classroom teacher.
All Young Harris College Teacher Preparation Program field and clinical experiences are provided in a caring, supportive environment with the intent of providing the greatest possible chance for successful completion of programs and entrance into teaching careers.
Candidates for Early Childhood certification complete field experiences in grades PK-K, 1-3 and 4-5. Candidates for Middle Grades certification complete field experiences in grades 4-5 and 6-8. Candidates for P-12 certification complete field experiences in grades PK-K, 1-3, 4-5, 6-8 and 9-12. Candidates for certification in secondary fields complete field experiences in their fields of certification in grades 6-8 and 9-12.
Candidate requirements
All candidates are required to complete field and clinical experiences within diverse settings including, but not limited to socioeconomic, exceptionalities, ethnic and racial backgrounds, students with special needs and English language learners.
Proof of liability insurance and a current criminal records check are necessary for candidates before placement in field and clinical experiences.
Professional Studies faculty
Institute for Leadership, Business and Public Policy
Young Harris College established the Institute for Leadership, Business and Public Policy in the Fall of 2015 to benefit business and public policy students, faculty, and partners in the private sector.
The Institute, under the direction of Associate Professor and Dean of Professional Studies Dr. Todd Jones, provides a mechanism for expanding the College’s ability to better prepare students for careers in business and government and increase competitiveness for graduate school acceptance.
The Institute also provides organizational development, executive coaching and succession planning consulting services to public and private sector organizations. These real-world examples help students understand the everyday challenges facing organizations and learn about innovative approaches to solving tough issues using change management strategies, human resource development approaches to increase supervisory and leadership performance, and applying techniques that build a talent pipeline to support organizational sustainability and growth for the long term.
Institute mission
- The Institute will provide opportunities to pursue research grants offering YHC’s business and public policy faculty the ability to pursue research efforts.
- Students will have the opportunity to work with a faculty member who serves as the principle investigator, providing them with research experience in further preparation for graduate study.
- Provide opportunities to create collaborations with other subject matter experts on current topics.
- Provide public and private sector clients with consulting services to deliver the latest concepts and ideas to solve real-world problems or build and deliver leadership development programs to expand a firm’s human capital leadership pipeline.
For more information about the Institute for Leadership, Business and Public Policy, contact Associate Professor and Dean of Professional Studies Dr. Todd Jones by email or call (706) 379-5213.
