2024-2025 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Professional Innovation
To be admitted, students need to meet Grand Valley State University's minimum requirements for transfer student admissions and have completed or be in the last semester of an associate of applied science degree, associate of general studies, an associate of applied arts and science degree, an associate in business degree, or similar technical applied degrees. Contact us to learn if the bachelor of applied science could be the right degree for you.
- If your associate degree is still in progress, we encourage you to apply and meet with an advisor to discuss your transfer plan.
- If you do not have an applied degree, but possess an associate degree, our online accelerated degree completion program is a great alternative that can help you get to where you want to be. Visit our LEADS page for details.
The professional innovation major allows students to pursue a flexible array of customizable emphases as part of a Bachelor of Applied Science degree (B.A.S.), whether they are preparing to advance in their current profession or preparing for future employment opportunities. It is designed for students who have completed an Applied Associates Degree (A.A.D.) or the equivalent. This degree recognizes the value of technical skills earned at the associate level while guiding students to build interdisciplinary knowledge and strengthen core academic skills like critical thinking, ethical reasoning, quantitative and qualitative literacies, creative and complex problem-solving, and oral and written communication within their chosen career path.
Students wishing to earn the Professional Innovation Major choose an emphasis in one of the following areas:
- Completion of the minor requirements in one of the following programs: Digital Studies, Environmental & Sustainability Studies, Geospatial Technology, Healthcare Information Systems, Hospitality & Tourism Management, Information Security Systems, Nonprofit Administration, Languages (including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, or Spanish), Occupational Safety & Health, or Public Administration.
- Completion of one or more stackable credentials, such as certificates or badges, for a minimum of 18 credits. Students may choose from any of the undergraduate certificates and/or badges available through GVSU. Fully online options include: Applied Data Analytics, Business Fundamentals, Cannabis Operations & Community Planning, Intercultural Communications, Leadership, Project Management, Safety & Security, and Sport Coaching.
- Completion of 18 credits (15+ at the 300-level or higher) designed around a specialization of your choosing, with the permission of the Professional Innovation major program director.
Emphases and stackable credentials are reflected on a student's transcript.
Some emphases and all degree requirements within this program are offered in fully online, six-week accelerated formats. Please contact the GVSU Center for Adult and Continuing Studies for more information about these programs and to plan your path of study: (616) 331-7180 or email [email protected] or make an online appointment.
Website: gvsu.edu/appliedstudies
Accreditation
The Professional Innovation Major (B.A.S) is fully accredited through the Higher Learning Commission and Michigan Association of State Colleges and Universities.
Participating Programs:
The professional innovation major is housed in the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies. We partner with programs across the university, supporting students to pursue a major emphasis that meets their unique needs and career aspirations in the context of a Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) degree. Participating programs include:
Applied Data Analytics (gvsu.edu/acad/applied-data-analytics-undergraduate-certificate.htm)
The applied data analytics certificate at Grand Valley State University focuses on understanding how to interpret, use, and apply data and statistics in the workplace. Offered fully online and in accelerated formats.
Business Fundamentals (gvsu.edu/acad/business-fundamentals-undergraduate-certificate.htm)
The business fundamentals certificate helps you develop financial and accounting acumen, as well as better understand the fundamentals of the human side of business and organizational operations. You will build the knowledge and skills necessary to better understand business operations and manage others. Skills developed include analyzing financial statements and performance, creating operating budgets, managing and motivating others, and analyzing and using marketing information. The courses in this program are designed to give specific skills within business and cannot substitute for courses in the B.B.A. Offered fully online and in accelerated formats.
Cannabis Operations and Community Planning (gvsu.edu/acad/cannabis-operations-and-community-planning-undergraduate-certificate.htm)
The cannabis operations and community planning certificate prepares students to work in the retail cannabis industry or ancillary fields. Those interested in nonprofit and/or governmental intersections with cannabis operations, as well as efforts at achieving social equity, will also gain a wider understanding of this developing industry. Offered fully online.
Digital Studies (gvsu.edu/ds)
The widespread influence of digital media in almost every aspect of contemporary life requires new literacy skills for understanding and using digital technologies. Regardless of their specialized major program, students will work and evolve in environments that increasingly rely on digital tools and platforms to create and share information. To address this need, the digital studies minor provides ways for students from all disciplines to explore the role of digital tools and to become productive and ethical digital citizens. Focused on theory and practice, the digital studies curriculum helps students gain experience using digital tools and develop a complex understanding of digital cultures.
Environmental and Sustainability Studies (gvsu.edu/ens)
The environmental and sustainability studies minor draws upon a variety of disciplines to develop a holistic, place-based, and solutions-oriented understanding of environmental and sustainability challenges. The program emphasizes a practical approach to environmental issues through collaborative problem-solving, involvement in faculty-led research projects, internships, practicums, and community engagement projects. Students gain an understanding of the way interconnected physical, institutional, and cultural systems shape our attitudes and behavior toward the environment.
Geography and Sustainable Planning (gvsu.edu/geography)
Both the geospatial technology minor and the geographic information science (GIS) and technology certificate programs are great options for students in the context of the professional innovation major. Geographic information systems (GIS) are used to map, model, query, synthesize, and analyze big spatial data according to their location. GIS benefits organizations in almost every industry. The certificate program is designed for GVSU students who want to add geospatial technology skills to their major. Students learn practical applications of geospatial technologies and develop a working competency in GIS software, such as ESRI ArcGIS, Business Analyst, and Edras Imagine. The program is open to all majors. The geospatial technology minor provides core skills in GIS, digital image processing (remote sensing), and computer cartography. Emphasize environmental, business, urban planning, and community development applications. This minor helps prepare students for jobs in the private and the public sectors.
Health Care Information Systems (gvsu.edu/acad/health-care-information-systems-minor.htm)
Information systems studies the use of computers in collecting, organizing, storing, retrieving, processing, and analyzing information in response to the ever-changing challenges faced by organizations. The health care information systems (HIS) minor is a combination of technology and health care that is in high demand in West Michigan and across the country. Offered fully online.
Hospitality and Tourism Management (gvsu.edu/htm)
The hospitality and tourism management minor program expands career opportunities while allowing students to customize a plan centered on a functional area or industry such as food and beverage, lodging, meetings and events, recreation and leisure, and tourism.
Information Security Systems (gvsu.edu/acad/information-security-systems-minor.htm)
The information security systems minor is offered by the College of Computing and the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Legal Studies and is designed to provide you with a foundation related to the principles of information security in a theoretical and practical application related to how a comprehensive information security program will contribute to protecting organizational information assets. Students can further tailor their degrees to fit their individual interests and career goals related to systems security.
Intercultural Competence and Communication (gvsu.edu/itc)
The intercultural communications certificate is housed within the Integrative, Religious, and Intercultural Studies Department (IRIS) and includes an eight-credit badge in Intercultural Competence. Core courses ground students in cultural competency, written and spoken discourse, and experiential learning. Graduates of this program will demonstrate effective multimodal persuasion and messaging that can be applied within a range of workplace, digital, and societal settings. Skills development is enhanced through interdisciplinary electives that situate global communication skills within particular job sectors and/or contexts. Available fully online and in accelerated formats.
Modern Languages and Literature (gvsu.edu/mll)
Language learning skills are high demand across a range of professions, including business, nursing, engineering and other STEM fields, national security, and other government positions among others. In addition, multiple studies link the benefits of language learning to enhanced cognitive ability and flexibility, improved learning outcomes in other subjects, empathy and effective interpersonal skills, among others. Options for professional innovation majors include minors in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, and Spanish.
Leadership (gvsu.edu/leadershipcert)
The leadership certificate focuses on social change and business communication and includes further exploration into organizational theory, team building, design thinking, and grant writing. Students will be developing professional skills that employers are looking for such as team building and ethics. Available fully online and in accelerated formats.
Project Management (gvsu.edu/acad/project-management-undergraduate-adult-online-certificate.htm)
The project management certificate at Grand Valley State University integrates industry-proven project management practices with agile principles. Students work in small teams to effectively initiate, plan, execute, control, and bring closure to real-world projects using MS Project and other enterprise project management software. Available fully online and in accelerated formats.
Public and Nonprofit Administration (gvsu.edu/acad/nonprofit-administration-and-public-administration-minors.htm)
The public and nonprofit administration minor programs focus on the management processes of public and nonprofit organizations that serve and improve our communities. Students of the public and nonprofit administration programs learn how to serve the public interest ethically, effectively, and efficiently.
Occupational Safety and Health (gvsu.edu/osh/programs-in-occupational-safety-health-management-7.htm)
The occupational safety and health management minor curriculum is designed to fulfill the undergraduate educational requirements of those wishing to enter the professional safety field. Considerable federal and state legislation enacted during the past half century has firmly established safety as a fundamental goal for improving the quality of work life in this country. These laws are extensive and profoundly affect every element of our society. The demand for competent, fully qualified safety professionals to assume positions within government, industry, and community agencies is increasing.
Sustainable Food Systems (gvsu.edu/acad/sustainable-food-systems-undergraduate-certificate.htm)
Strong local food systems are essential for healthy communities. Working professionals as well as students preparing for careers in local food enterprises, health care, sustainability, education, business, nonprofit administration, social work, and many other fields will benefit from the skills and experience necessary to address the role of food in community life provided by the Sustainable Food Systems Certificate.
Sport Coaching (gvsu.edu/acad/sport-coaching-undergraduate-certificate.htm)
The focused coursework for the sport coaching certificate stresses the importance of developing an athlete-centered coaching philosophy and a scientifically based understanding of current issues in sports medicine, motor learning and coaching theory.