script

Themed Certificates & Credentials

Drury University > Undergraduate Admission > Themed Certificates & Credentials

Ancients Alive: The Classics In Context

Dr. Shelley Wolbrink, Director

The Classics Certificate introduces students to the enduring impact of ancient Mediterranean civilizations, particularly Greece and Rome. In their myths, path-breaking political experiments, histories, inquisitive natures, and art and architecture, the ancients experimented with radical and transformational ways of understanding their world. The Classics remain deeply embedded in today’s culture and society; indeed, the Classics are infused in today’s languages, literature, politics, architecture, and popular culture. In the capstone, students collaborate with the Classics Everywhere Initiative, analyze film and popular culture, and curate material culture and/or produce urban plans for ancient Athens, Rome, or Pompeii. Students may choose to apply the Classics to their own majors and minors or integrate a study abroad experience into their final project. The study of ancient culture is sure to amaze, entertain, and provide a template for negotiating contemporary issues.

Real-World Experience

In the capstone course, you will participate in projects that demonstrate how the classics remain deeply imbedded in today’s culture and society. You will gain hands-on experience in digital curation through a project involving ancient artifacts or urban planning, participate in a film and popular culture project, and strategize and collaborate on a project through the Classics Everywhere Initiative. In these capstone projects, students might:

  • Design a philosophical dialogue around a central issue in the ancient world
  • Implement a medical plan based on ancient medical theorists
  • Create a work of art or architecture using classical inspiration
  • Produce a digital journal of your study abroad experience as related to the classics
  • Study the influence of the classics on individuals such as Michelangelo, Shakespeare,
    Jefferson, and others
  • Create historical fiction or update and perform a tragedy or comedy

Cybersecurity Fundamentals

Dr. Shannon McMurtrey, Director

Cybersecurity has risen to top of mind awareness for individuals all around the world. Issues such as data privacy, ransomware, and cyberwar have become more relevant for all members of our society. This certificate will take the mystery out of technology and enable graduates to feel confident in their understanding of what it means to transact safely and securely in our ever increasingly connected world.

Different is the New Normal: Celebrating Neurodiversity

Dr. Laurie Edmondson, Director

Neurodiversity is about recognizing differences in people as human variation rather than disabilities. Many people experience some type of neurodiversity in their lives today. These differences may include Attention Deficit Disorder, Autistic Spectrum, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Anxiety Disorder, Depression and other neurological disorders. This certificate aims to help students understand how to acknowledge and appreciate these differences. The goal is to understand neurodiversity and mental health issues and to create future workplaces that are inclusive and supportive of every human being.

Real-World Experience

You will apply your knowledge of neurodiversity in the capstone course by going into the community to raise awareness and inform professional practice. In these capstone projects, students might:

  • Create a video about personal experiences with neurodiversity to share with local schools or community groups
  • Collaborate with businesses or nonprofits to create position statements and policies on working with a neuro-diverse workforce
  • Plan and implement a training session for nonprofit groups regarding neurodiversity
  • Design a project for a targeted audience in the community to embrace neurodiversity


Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Dr. Rich Schur, Director

Skills and expertise in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are essential for success in professional life. Organizations, no matter their size or focus, need to work with people from all backgrounds and create inclusive cultures that value all stakeholders. This certificate helps students gain insight into historical inequities and develop the social, cultural, and legal skills to build inclusive and diverse institutions. Students will work through various case studies and projects and gain skills in community-building, coalition building, policy development, and inclusive media representations. It is the perfect complement to any major.

FUSE 205         Lasting Scars and Open Wounds:  Media Depictions of Under-represented Groups


FUSE 305         Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Capstone   

Ethical Leadership

Dr. Ted Vaggalis & Dr. Chris Panza, Co-Directors

The certificate in Ethical Leadership provides students with a highly focused and robust understanding of the central components of ethics as they are expressed in philosophical theory, enriched by literature, broadened by religion, and complicated by perspectives from nonWestern cultures. Students will work to bring together the understanding gained from the certificate courses and apply it in the capstone applied ethics course. In the capstone course students will engage in a sustained study of one ethical issue (topics will rotate year to year), in addition each student will develop, in conjunction with a faculty sponsor, a sustained research project on an important ethical problem of the student’s own choosing. All students are required to jointly present their research in a public symposium at the conclusion of the year.

REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE

In these capstone projects, students might:

  • Engage in a sustained study of one ethical issue in the area of life or profession
  • Work with a faculty member to research a community organization, a local business, a hospital, or a government agency in order to determine its ethical outlook and policies that shape its mission, policies, and actions
  • Present your research in a public symposium at the conclusion of the academic year

Get Out, Plug In: Intercultural Connections

Dr. Elizabeth Nichols, Director

The certificate in Get Out, Plug In: Intercultural Connections develops foundation skills in speaking a foreign language and understanding cultural diversity. Students will begin their language and cultural studies by taking an interdisciplinary course that covers education, political science, business, prelaw in diverse international contexts. Students will complete the certificate with a study abroad experience that prepares them for an official, externally administered Oral Proficiency Interview. Upon successful completion of the interview, students will be certified at the level of “Intermediate Mid” the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages’’ recommended minimum level of foreign language skill in the workplace.

Real-World Experience

Using your foreign language ability, you will engage with citizens, texts, and resources of that nation to complete work on a project that is related to your future career. In these capstone projects, students might:

  • Conduct interviews with citizens of the country you are visiting who work in your field of study, and then report your findings in a blog or at a professional conference
  • Intern and job shadow with in-country professional organizations in your chosen field and then report your findings in a research paper 
  • Compile a business plan for a specific industry or service in the country you visit, providing data analysis, marketing plans and other information gathered while in country
  • Archival research and data collection and analysis that could involve archival research in a national library

XXX 102          Any foreign language course
XXX 201          Any foreign language course

Graphic Storytelling

Jo Van Arkel, Director

The certificate in Graphic Storytelling develops foundation skills in creative process, sequential thinking, visual narrative and graphic design as it relates to the practice of illustrated storytelling. Students will enhance skills in drawing, storyboarding, and shaping narrative structure with an understanding of the history of visual narrative as an opportunity for creative expression, informational and technical writing related to professional fields and/or social commentary. Upon successful completion of the first three courses, students will create a capstone comic or visual narrative publication.

Real-World Experience

Upon successful completion of the first three courses, students will create a capstone comic or visual narrative publication. In these capstone projects, students might: 

  • Research and interface with comic con communities
  • Design and publish a comic book
  • Launch a cartoon series or stop action video comic through social media
  • Create a web-comic


* Please note several sessions of ENGL 200 are offered. Only History and Theory Of Visual Narrative of Graphic Storytelling will meet this certificate requirement.

Holistic Health and Well-Being

Dr. Vickie Luttrell, Director

The certificate in Holistic Health and Well-Being provides students with a set of skills to help them live a better life. The certificate introduces holistic health practices and explores the ways in which social factors such as race, class, gender, and physical environment affect individual and community wellness. Students also investigate the ways in which technology has both enriched and impaired their lives. In the capstone, students implement a holistic self-intervention strategy to promote a healthier lifestyle and design a community-focused health intervention to improve the lives of others.

Real-World Experience

In the capstone course, you will participate in two intervention projects, one self-focused and one community-focused. In these capstone projects, students might:

  • Create a digital detox plan to increase face-to-face interaction and reduce stress
  • Implement a behavioral strategy to promote a plant-based lifestyle
  • Develop an intervention to eradicate cyberbullying within the local school systems
  • Design a public health campaign to promote awareness of at-risk adolescent suicide

International Immersion

Dr. Robert Weddle, Director

International study has a unique ability to provide immersive learning experiences that heighten students’ knowledge of and sensitivity to other cultures. Drury faculty offer a broad range of international experiences, from short-term summer or winter programs to full-semester opportunities. Some of these programs qualify students for the International Immersion Certificate, which recognizes the integrative experiences of students who study abroad in significant and focused ways.

The courses in this certificate will vary depending on the specific study-abroad program. A list of approved and currently scheduled programs (along with required courses for those programs) can be found on the Themed Certificates section of Drury’s website and at the International Programs Office.

Programs are approved by the faculty’s Academic Affairs Committee, and must contain the following components, including a minimum of 6 hours of coursework taken at the study-abroad location:

Understanding Place

Two courses taken at the study-abroad location, covering issues relevant to the location of the study-abroad experience and emphasizing acquisition of intercultural understanding and analysis.

Interdisciplinary Contexts

One course determined by the study-abroad program organizer(s), taken either abroad or on campus, and providing context, depth, and interdisciplinary perspectives and approaches relevant to the study-abroad experience.

Place-Based Project

One course taken either abroad or on campus, providing an integrative capstone to the study-abroad experience through a project-based application of ideas and skills, to specific place-based problems, challenges, or issues.

Real-World Experience

This certificate concludes with a place-based project that will allow you to merge creative, communication, and problem-solving skills, applying your new knowledge and intercultural awareness in hands-on ways that
offer something back to the places you have visited and learned about. In these capstone projects, students might:

  • Propose solutions for reducing the impact of cruise-ship tourism on Venice’s delicate ecology
  • Address issues of migration and refugee settlement in Athens or Rome
  • Design floating structures for Amsterdam’s below-sea-level neighborhoods

 

Life in Close-Up: Film, History and Society

Dr. Kevin Henderson, Director

The certificate in Film, History and Society will introduce students to the study of film, with an emphasis on how film reflects, distorts and challenges our ideas of historical eras, gender identities and political events. Students will learn how to read films in order to question how film represents and misrepresents the “true stories” of historical figures, cultural ideas, and our sense of what really happened. Across four connected courses, students will develop skills in writing, visual literacy, textural analysis of film, and questioning the sources of historical knowledge. In the capstone course, students will have the option of pursuing either a critical or creative final project, which will be presented on campus or in coordination with The Moxie Cinema in downtown Springfield.

Real-World Experience

In the capstone course, you will apply what you have learned to complete one of two projects – develop a critical review of an existing film or create your own short film. Both written and visual works will be uploaded to a digital portfolio and presented on campus or at The Moxie cinema in downtown Springfield. In these capstone projects, students might:

  • Write an analysis of the cinematic representation of a historical or political event, historical figure, or gender identity
  • Develop a short script or collaborate on a video that displays the subjectivity of representation
  • Produce a fake deleted scene from a classic movie and use this scene to make commentary on how either history, culture, or gender is represented in the original film

The Activist’s Toolkit: Transforming Society through Civic Engagement

Dr. Jeff VanDenBerg, Director

The Activist’s Toolkit certificate develops practical skills in advocacy, social mobilization, political engagement, and community leadership. Students in the certificate will gain hands-on experience through partnership projects with local non-profit and civic organizations.

Real-World Experience

In the capstone course, you will analyze policy and advocate for changes on important issues in the local community in partnership with non-profit and civic organizations. The Springfield Community Focus Report will serve as our guiding text. In these projects, students might:

  • Work with community groups and civic leaders seeking practical policy solutions to issues of unsheltered people and housing challenges in Springfield
  • Partner with groups promoting voter registration and civic participation among young people
  • Analyze zoning issues in Springfield through meetings with City Council, neighborhood associations, environmental groups, and property developers
  • Learn from civic organizations such as the Mayor’s Commission on Human Rights and others advocating for policies promoting diversity and inclusion in our community

 


Data Analytics: Big Problems, Big Data Solutions

Dr. Shannon McMurtrey, Director

Our world has many problems in every field imaginable that require data analysis to develop solutions. The rapid growth in technology has led to enormous amounts of data available. Journalism, sociology, marketing, biology – name the field and there is an opportunity to use data to inform the users of trends and relationships that could help the world solve big problems.

Real-World Experience

In partnership with an advisory team, you will work with live data sets from organizations, companies, or the government to work on a problem closely related to their major field. In these capstone projects, students might:

  • Identify cultural trends through analysis of phrases and words used in various media
  • Develop a crime prediction model using historical crime data
  • Determine the impact of the most recent income tax legislation on household savings
  • Understand the impact of climate change on Missouri wildlife habitat, health, and numbers


Designing Solutions for Environmental Problems

Dr. Justin Leinaweaver, Director

The long-term success of any society is inextricably linked to its ability to maintain the health of its environment. Environmental problems arise as unintended side-effects of consumers seeking to provide for themselves, business owners seeking to earn profits, and government representatives seeking to stay in power. Therefore, solving environmental problems can only be successful over time if policies are carefully designed to ensure the sustainability of the resource and the community that depends on it in equal measure. This certificate aims to provide students with the skills necessary to understand and address complex environmental problems in this way.

Real-World Experience

You will identify, evaluate, and propose the solution for an environmental problem that is implementable in the short-to-medium term, feasible in terms of the community’s resources, and sensitive to the needs of the key interests in the society whose buy-in will be required to achieve long-term success. In these capstone projects, students might:

  • Create a plan to strengthen Missouri’s Renewable Portfolio Standards
  • Implement stronger standards governing the use of waterways in the Ozarks
  • Propose new standards for the city of Springfield to require greater use of renewable energy by consumers or corporations
  • Propose new funding mechanisms for the city of Springfield in order to facilitate specific environmental objectives
  • Design city ordinances to change Springfield land use policies related to siting of locally undesirable land uses

 


Interactive Design

Dr. Chris Branton, Director

This certificate develops skills in design and development with emphasis on current and future trends. The skills will translate to professional roles in interaction design, visual design, software development and product design.

Real-World Experience

In the capstone course, you will design and realize an interactive experience in an area relevant to your major, minor, or other area of interest. In these capstone projects, students might:

  • Design a virtual reality experience to explore a specific time and place in history
  • Create a smartphone app to help manage your social events, school assignments, and exercise routines
  • Teach your smart speaker a new conversational skill or task
  • Build a digital assistant to curate your favorite music and videos

 


Justice Denied: Wrongful Convictions

Dr. Jennie Long, Director

One of the greatest tragedies in the criminal justice system is the conviction of a person for a crime he or she did not commit. The themed certificate in Wrongful Convictions will provide the opportunity for students to gain an in-depth understanding of the legal process used to process criminal cases, evaluate the ways in which ethics and social justice issues impact conviction rates, and critically analyze real-life examples of wrongful conviction, as well as state and federal post-conviction remedies.

Real-World Experience

You will use the knowledge gained in your certificate coursework to design projects. In these capstone projects, students might:

  • Develop strategies to reduce instances of wrongful convictions and share those recommendations with criminal justice officials, legal scholars, and/or forensic scientists
  • Analyze specific instances of wrongful conviction and identify the primary factors leading to the erroneous outcomes in such cases
  • Develop recommendations for how to better provide remedies to individuals incarcerated for crimes they did not commit


Learning to Lead and Leading to Learn: Facilitating Learning in the Professional Setting

Dr. Natalie Precise, Director

This certificate will prepare students to be the developers and providers of the organizational training employers are looking for in today’s work environment. Completers of this certificate will understand the importance of ongoing professional learning within any profession and how being a facilitator that can lead the learning and development of others can set them apart from their colleagues. Students will learn facilitation techniques for delivering training and workshops, how to be a work-place mentor, how to lead process changes, and how to develop employee soft skills in the workplace.

Please note: In fall 2022, MGMT 204: Organizational Behavior will be replaced by new course MGMT 300

Real-World Experience

You will have the opportunity to showcase the skills you have developed in a capstone project specifically related to your major. In these capstone projects, students might:

  • Develop a workshop on a topic specific to your major and deliver to a target audience within the field
  • Design an engaging presentation to be delivered at a professional conference specific to your field of study
  • Facilitate a group discussion or work session centered on an organizational change process or consideration of a new process
  • Identify an area of needed learning/development within an organization and design a program to meet that need

 

Designing a Personal Brand for a Multimedia World

Dr. Robin Soster, Director

This certificate will introduce students to marketing, storytelling, and branding. Students enrolled in this certificate will be encouraged to apply course content to the development of their personal brand/image. In the capstone course, student projects will be oriented toward the development of a reflective or creative representation of the image they would like to project across various media. Capstone projects should also consider consistencies across and contradictions between their actual and (various) digital self(ves).

Professional and Visual Communication

Matt Noblett, Director

A certificate that develops professional presentation skills, utilization of visual design tools and basic communication and design philosophy. This will prepare the student for professional, design and communications-oriented leadership and support roles. Students will explore standard professional guidelines, brand identity and variety of techniques to engage and persuade audiences.

Real-World Experience

The capstone course continues your development of practical presentation technical skills and incorporates a community-focused research and final presentation projects. In these capstone projects, students might:

  • Create a variety of physical and digital visual communication materials
  • Develop and respond to contemporary challenges while engaging onsite and remote audiences
  • Work on a community-focused research project to design, develop, and present a point of view and strategy

 


Sports Leadership: Going Beyond the Game

Dr. Jonathan Groves, Director

The Sports Leadership certificate introduces students interested in coaching or leadership positions to key ideas in communication, management, and sociology. The coursework will provide a foundation for understanding how teams interact, evolve, and thrive.

Real-World Experience

For your capstone, you will participate in a sports-related internship to shadow coaches and players to see the communication and sociological concepts at work beyond the classroom. In these capstone projects, students might:

  • Spend a semester working with the Springfield Cardinals behind the scenes to understand the inner workings of a minor league baseball team
  • Work with the Drury Panthers swim team as a coaching assistant to see firsthand how a national champion coach inspires and prepares the team
  • Connect with a club league to learn how to organizers confront the financial realities of creating a vibrant sustainable league

 


Study Abroad: Multicultural Perspectives

Dr. Tom Russo, Director

We live in a society in which globalization, the processes of interaction among people, corporations and cultures around the world, continues to accelerate and impact our lives. Studying abroad for a full semester at a foreign institution provides a deep understanding of such intercultural connections. This certificate gives students the opportunity to increase their cultural capital through developing personal and professional abilities such as independence, time management, organization, self-confidence, flexibility and creative problem solving. Through this certificate, students add value to their Drury education and to their career prospects as employers today increasingly value such international experience.

REQUIRED COURSES

FUSE 3XX: Semester Abroad Capstone
Int’l Transfer Course 1
Int’l Transfer Course 2
Int’l Transfer Course 3
Int’l Transfer Course 4