CAR - Career Development

Professional identity is an important component of an effective job search and advancement in one’s career. In this course, students learn how to establish themselves as experts in their field, create a professional brand for themselves, build a professional presence through targeted résumé revision and professional social networking, identify networking channels and reinforce professional identity through networking, and provide and solicit effective feedback from others. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 2 quarter hours

You the Professional is a foundational career course, designed to help students position themselves for critical, career-building opportunities during college and for sustainable employment after graduation. This course helps students develop their professional network, using LinkedIn and informational interviewing to effectively identify and pursue opportunities and connections. Students will identify their next career-accelerating opportunity such as an internship, job, or specific chance to upskill. Students will then learn to deconstruct a job post, identifying how their skills align to the requirements of a given position and how to tailor key professional artifacts such as the resume and cover letter to a specific professional opportunity. Finally, they will learn and apply successful interviewing strategies to increase both skill and confidence in navigating the job application process. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 3 quarter hours

Your Professional Story has learners harness the most sought after work ready skills to best position themselves as career ready. In this course, learners develop how to be a problem solver, socially aware, reliable, a team player and confident as they navigate and expand on who they are as professionals. They develop a portfolio that communicates their professional story as their unique asset, as well as create critical artifacts for long term career success such as a LinkedIn Profile, resume, and cover letter. Students learn to communicate who they are through the skill of successful networking and interviewing. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): MEDA 100, MEDA 110, MEDA 120, MEDA 130 OR RBT 100, RBT 110, RBT 120. 1-5 quarter hours

Creating and Communicating the Professional Brand is designed to help UGC students position themselves for critical, career-building opportunities during their junior and senior year and strong first jobs after graduation. In this course, participants develop a clear pathway from major to career, set concrete goals, and develop a job portfolio that communicates their unique assets and professional brand, including critical artifacts for employment such as a LinkedIn Profile, resume, and cover letter. Students learn to communicate their brands through the skills of successful networking and interviewing. They are additionally challenged to identify career-accelerating experiences while in college and to develop their existent networks. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 5 quarter hours

Workplace Leadership is one of three intensive career courses designed to help Pathways students position themselves for critical, career-building opportunities during their junior and senior year and for strong first jobs after graduation. In this third course in the career development sequence, students polish their career readiness skills and materials, focusing on the application of their acquired learnings. This course includes workshop style revisions of critical career artifacts and low-stakes applications of interviewing and networking skills, including a career mentor day and a field-specific job shadow. Pre-requisite(s): CAR 215 and CAR 216. Co-requisite(s): None. 2 quarter hours

The course prepares students to identify and acquire a career-accelerating internship that meets the requirements of the CAR 490 internship course. CAR 218 builds on the work completed in CAR 214 and the Braven program by helping students fine-tune their portfolio artifacts such as the resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile and tailor these materials for available internship opportunities. Instructors and Career Bridge field specific specialists will guide students to locate and apply for opportunities that meet institution requirements. CAR 218 will also help students negotiate their salary, complete hiring paperwork, and maneuver workplace successfully. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 0 quarter hour

This course is an introduction to practical, real-life ways to connect the concepts of leadership to the world of work Students learn how to be subject-matter experts in their field and have a comprehensive understanding of how the workplace operates. Students explore a variety of leadership theories and models. Students examine workplace success with an emphasis on decision-making, organization of operations, affecting change regardless of title and how to succeed on a team. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 5 quarter hours

Career Service learning is a hybrid course that is designed to guide students to solve an actionable problem for a local nonprofit. Career and Service Learning as a hybrid will promote student growth and development while meaningfully assisting a partner organization to improve their services. This course creates a meaningful experiential learning opportunity for students as they assess the needs of their partner organization, create an actionable plan for support, and engage in strategic problem solving, service, and reflection. However, the course also provides a vehicle for civic engagement and an opportunity for partner organizations to benefit from student talent. In this course, students will build critical employment skills, observe organizational culture and leadership, expand their knowledge base of professional opportunities in the nonprofit sector, and obtain a deeper understanding of the issues and the communities that the nonprofits serve. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 5 quarter hours

Honors Career Service learning is a hybrid course that is designed to guide students to solve an actionable problem for a local organization. Career and Service Learning as a hybrid will promote student growth and development while meaningfully assisting a partner organization to improve their services. It also provides a vehicle for civic engagement and an opportunity for partner organizations to benefit from student talent. In this course, students will build critical employment skills, observe organizational culture and leadership, expand their knowledge base of professional opportunities in the business world, and obtain a deeper understanding of the issues and the communities that are served. Class time is split between classroom and online work. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 5 quarter hours

The interdisciplinary internship enables students to integrate and apply theory with experiential learning while working in a field related to their program. Students engage in supervised and structured experiences and must complete a coursework per quarter credit hour earned. The equates to 150 quarter hours in total for this course with a minimum of 100 internship hours completed within the term. Pre-requisite(s): Students may enroll in CAR 490 after completing 90 QH or following their Sophomore year and meet the following criteria: Have completed CAR 214 & CAR 217 or BRV 200 & CAR 295 or CAR 202 & CAR 203; Secure an internship which meets all institutional requirements; Submit all required paperwork and if needed, obtain background checks prior to beginning the course; and Receive the approval of the Career Bridge and Department Chair. Co-requisite(s): None. 5 quarter hours

CAR 492 is the culminating capstone course for the Bachelor’s Program in Interdisciplinary Studies. In this course, students will connect course work in their chosen minor or concentration of study into a research project that synthesizes their learning experiences. Students will be able to communicate how this degree has aligned with their professional goals through the creation or revision of their career portfolio. This course will culminate in a presentation that blends theory and practice, requiring academic research and professional application. Pre-requisite(s): None. Co-requisite(s): None. 5 quarter hours