What can I study?

Charles Thomson, Jr., BA

Charles Thomson, Jr., BA
"My kids are very busy with sports. My wife is very busy with work, so it made it real easy for me..."
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Yolanda Soto, BA

Yolanda Soto, BA
"Just because I decided to take that leap of faith to finish my degree, all these doors opened up..."
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Corinne Rao, BSBA

Corinne Rao, BSBA
"It was a 24-year course overall, but I've succeeded and it is the most important thing. It shows my children that I can do it, it shows my self that I can do it..."
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James Hooper, BA

James Hooper, BA
"It seems like I have been going to school for 25 years. Thomas Edison was such a great thing for me because I was able to transfer so many credits..."
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Farzana Haider, BA

Farzana Haider, BA
"I feel I am more competent now and that I can show my children how valuable education is. I'm setting the example for them..."
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Herbert Coleman, BA

Herbert Coleman, BA
"I was amazed to see how many credits this college accepted... I had amassed quite a few over the years...It means the world to me..."
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Barbara Becker, AAS & BSBA

Barbara Becker, AAS & BSBA
"My experience as a student at the college was very fulfilling. It was a nontraditional way..."
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Robey Reed, BSAST

Robey Reed, BSAST
"I looked at a lot of schools when I was in the military, and from what I saw..."
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Maureen Hennessey, BA

Maureen Hennessey, BA
"I don't like leaving things unfinished... and I've gone back to college a number of times..."
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Tanvi Kothari, BA

Tanvi Kothari, BA
"Thomas Edison State College made getting a degree very convenient. Thomas Edison also offered..."
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Jim Harrington, BA

Jim Harrington, BA
"I never dreamed I would have my degree at this age. I thought it was something..."
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Helene Loeb, BSHS

Helene Loeb, BSHS
"Thomas Edison really prepared me to become a leader and interact as well as instruct and support the nurses that are out on the unit.."
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Holly Pitti, BSBA

Holly Pitti, BSBA
"I wanted to show my kids that education was important. I have five children and the flexibility..."
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Maryanne Spatola, BS

Maryanne Spatola, BS
"Finishing my degree was a tremendous leg up for me in terms of marketability..."
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James V. McGuire IV, BSHS

James V. McGuire IV, BSHS
"My father always told me he wanted me to go to college. My father never finished high school..."
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Kristina Romero, BA

Kristina Romero, BA
"...the best thing about Thomas Edison... your workload is whatever you want to make it..."
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Ashley Pistorio, BSAST

Ashley Pistorio, BSAST
"I wasn't really sure what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I knew I needed a degree to go anywhere...."
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Rolondo Gorostiza, BSAST

Rolondo Gorostiza, BSAST
"My experiences as a student were nothing short of wonderful..."
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Michael Mendes, MAEdL

Michael Mendes, MAEdL
"I can tell my expectations were exceeded. The school did so much for me. It helped me get where I am now..."
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Irving Cintron, AAS

Irving Cintron, AAS
"I have done everything online which to me was exceptional..."
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Dailys Cintron, AA

Dailys Cintron, AA
"Thomas Edison State College accepted more of my credits from my other university..."
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Adam Bernstein, BA

Adam Bernstein, BA
"I was able to complete my degree in about a year… It’s been a good experience..."
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Rachel Moore, MSHRM

Rachel Moore, MSHRM
"I work in New York and have a long commute so the ability to work on my classwork when I had the time provided a good work-life balance..."
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Pedro Amaro, BSAST

Pedro Amaro, BSAST
"I have a demanding job and a family… Thomas Edison allowed me to pick me courses and that was best way for me to finish a little faster than if I went to a more traditional school..."
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Tiffany Jenkins, BSHS

Tiffany Jenkins, BSHS
"The mentors were awesome. They were always available. It really defied my stereotype of what it would be like to go to school online..."
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Dean Clemente, BSOL

Dean Clemente, BSOL
"You come across a lot of different people geographically… that interaction added a great deal of value because I was able to obtain a different dimension and perspective from other professionals..."
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Brian Fogarty, BSAST

Brian Fogarty, BSAST
"When I looked at schools, Thomas Edison really had the edge over all the other schools, even looking at private schools near my home outside of Philadelphia..."
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Vietthi Nguyen, BSAST

Vietthi Nguyen, BSAST
"As a military member, I am busy serving our country, protecting our freedom and serving my family… TESC was the number one pick for me because it offers flexibility..."
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Fakera Nazneen, MSM

Fakera Nazneen, MSM
"I liked the flexibility it offered and that the whole school is supportive of your goal..."
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Winfried Dzandu-Hedidor, BA

Winfried Dzandu-Hedidor, BA
"Some of the courses I took included Intercultural Relationships… for an organization like the UN, that lesson of how to communicate with people of varied back-ground assisted me a lot..."
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Jessica Vaz, BA

Jessica Vaz, BA
"I loved the flexibility the school offered and that is what made me chose Thomas Edison..."
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Arthur J. Pellerin, BA

Arthur J. Pellerin, BA
"I wanted to progress and show my kids that anyone can do it and prove the point to my soldiers as well..."
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Karen Hatcher, BA

Karen Hatcher, BA
"The prior learning assessment option for me was really amazing..."
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Joshua A. Grimm, MSM

Joshua A. Grimm, MSM
"Without the degree I would have been passed over for the management position..."
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Lauren Centrella, BA

Lauren Centrella, BA
"I've always worked and gone to school part-time at other universities...and I wanted to finally finish up my degree..."
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Sudesh Joshi-Chhibbar, BSN

Sudesh Joshi-Chhibbar, BSN
"Online courses are very helpful for busy nurses because we don't have to leave our home..."
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Jason Didomenico, BA

Jason Didomenico, BA
"I liked the curriculum and I liked this school is regionally accredited versus nationally..."
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Barbara A. Hare, BSBA

Barbara A. Hare, BSBA
"I was determined to remove an obstacle to success by actually starting to complete my bachelor's degree..."
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Bill Benson, BSAST

Bill Benson, BSAST
"Once I talked with the people here at Thomas Edison, they guided my through the process..."
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Annevictoria Palumbo, BSHS

Annevictoria Palumbo, BSHS
"The online was nice because it was flexible it gave me the flexibility of doing it when it was convenient for me..."
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John Kurzenberger, BA

John Kurzenberger, BA
"Coming to Thomas Edison State College was the only way I could complete my degree..."
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Cheryl Jefferson, MSM

Cheryl Jefferson, MSM
"The experience developed my leadership skills much more than I already had..."
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Saher Malik, BA

Saher Malik, BA
"Thomas Edison was very flexible and the professors were very accommodating and very helpful..."
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Dexter Trotter, BA

Dexter Trotter, BA
"My inspiration for going back and finishing my degree was my daughter and my family..."
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Towanda Edwards, BA

Towanda Edwards, BA
"I didn't want to be one of those parents who says you must to go to college but hadn't done so..."
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Julio Hoyos, BSBA

Julio Hoyos, BSBA
"I wanted to show my kids that no matter what, you can do it..."
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Benjamin Vonderreith, BSAST

Benjamin Vonderreith, BSAST
"One of the reasons I went to Thomas Edison is that they accepted so much of my Navy training..."
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Angela Gibson, BSBA

Angela Gibson, BSBA
"In order to get back out into the workforce, I had to complete my degree..."
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Anne Rudolph, BA

Anne Rudolph, BA
"I finally found a profession I was interested in and I had to have a degree within that field, so that was what inspired me to comeback..."
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Joyce Serdinsky, BA

Joyce Serdinsky, BA
"I had to say no to certain things and yes to my books, and it was worth it 100 percent..."
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Jennifer Consuegra, BS

Jennifer Consuegra, BS
"I think what I liked best about it was that I could make my own schedule..."
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Joan Martins, BA

Joan Martins, BA
"My inspiration for returning to college to finish my degree was a personal one. I needed to finish something I started before I had a family..."
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Patricia Stevens, BSN

Patricia Stevens, BSN
"I finally had the opportunity after my children were grown to fulfill my dream..."
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Kyle Robertson, BSBA

Kyle Robertson, BSBA
"My target was to graduate before my first child and he just turned 13, so I made it with some spare time..."
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Michele DeNoia, MSM

Michele DeNoia, MSM
"It was a wonderful experience..."
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Tambra Butler, BA

Tambra Butler, BA
"It was a goal of mine ever since I graduating high school 20 years ago...for my parents, and my dad especially..."
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Keisha Patrick, BSBA

Keisha Patrick, BSBA
"Pretty much I wanted to get my bachelor's degree to pursue other opportunities and because I have two teenage boys so I wanted for them to see that this is possible..."
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Mia Keay, BSBA

Mia Keay, BSBA
"I always wanted to get my degree but I started working right after high school and a certain point I realized I would probably not be able to advance in my career unless I had a four-year degree..."
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Tina Smith-Jeffries, BA

Tina Smith-Jeffries, BA
"it was challenging at times... There were long nights, large cups of coffee but it paid off in the end..."
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Hazel Gordon-Suppa, BSN

Hazel Gordon-Suppa, BSN
"It's about getting the patient care possible; the more knowledge you have, the better equipped you are to take care of the patients..."
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Daniel Palermo, BA

Daniel Palermo, BA
"I had to take the time for my children to go college, which they have successfully done, and I felt it was time with the military's assistance for me to return to school and accomplish my degree..."
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Victor Dent, BA

Victor Dent, BA
"It is very convenient taking classes online. You can do your studies over the weekend, at night or in the wee hours of the morning..."
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Master of Arts in Liberal Studies course descriptions

LAP-500: THE LIBERAL ARTS AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE (3 credits)
This course seeks to define the liberal arts and explore their relevance in today's world. Proceeding from the past to modern times, the course provides a broad overview of the liberal arts throughout the world, including history, the arts and sciences, literature, the social sciences and philosophy/religion. With graduate mentor guidance, students will conduct independent research and will relate their findings to workplace or community experiences. Throughout the course, students will relate learning to their professional lives through an interactive process such as a week by week portfolio or regular journal entries. (offered every term)
SAM-501: SENSE OF COMMUNITY I - ART AND MORALITY (3 credits)
This course examines art and morality through the unique perspective that "reading" artifacts can give to a true understanding of the development of communities in time. The course explores how art gives us access to commune with those here before us as well as those who exist with us, thus enhancing our senses of community and communications. Through this phenomenological approach, the course raises questions about the nature of what we create as both an expression of who we are and an influence that transforms us as new values (including morals and ethics) and realms of experience are created. The course defines "culture" as the interactive growth that brings out and develops uniquely human possibilities and develops sensitivity to the development of ideas and institutions as creative projects. Students will explore selected cultures that coexist with us in time as well as those that may have existed before us and are no more. The course emphasizes how this approach allows us to nurture our own possibilities out of the limitless depths of imagination and expressions as well as the magic power of art to produce understanding. Students will be prepared to incorporate their own imaginative abilities in the creation of individualized projects. (offered every term)
SAM-502: SENSE OF COMMUNITY II - FAITH AND REASON (3 credits)
This course explores the character and quality of human discourse as it tries to describe what it means to be human in the great dialogues between faith and reason. This course is designed to help overcome perceptual obstacles to cross-cultural understanding through comparing and contrasting philosophical, scientific and religious texts of Eastern, Western and Native American cultures. Thus, students will gain a greater sense of being part of a larger global community while attaining a better understanding of their own cultural influences. Students will identify examples and case studies in their professional lives that relate to issues arising from the discussions of the texts and will use the lessons of human discourse as a platform to broaden their vision and create practical applications in the workplace and community. During this process of exploration, students will be expected to articulate their own values and beliefs with an understanding of how these may be influenced by their own cultural biases and perceptions. (offered every term)
CCR-610: CHANGE, CONFLICT AND RESOLUTION (3 credits)
This course examines change, conflict and resolution in both historic and contemporary contexts and invites students to apply these concepts to their personal and professional lives while reflecting on their local, national and global significance. Through readings and online discussions in politics, literature and applied ethics, students will develop understandings of change, conflict and resolution as they relate to diverse cultures and eras, including the civil rights movement, women's rights, civil disobedience, working within the system and revolution. The course will provide students with practical insights culled from a deep understanding of global change and will empower them with tools to steer and manage change in the workplace and community. (offered every term)
SIC-520: THE SPECIES, THE INDIVIDUAL AND COMMUNITY (3 credits)
In this interdisciplinary course, students explore "human nature" using theories and tools from biology and from many of the social sciences, including archeology, economics, political science, psychology and sociology. Students will learn the theories by reading both classic texts and recent scholarly works, including a novel about human evolution set in the Ice Age, and by watching videos, visiting Web sites and writing several short papers. Ultimately, students will be asked to formulate their own understanding of "human nature" and to apply their insights to social situations at home, school, work or the wider community. (offered every term)
THC-625: TECHNOLOGY AND THE HUMAN COMMUNITY: CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES (3 credits)
Students explore the role of technology as it relates to society, community and the individual, with particular emphasis on its impact on workplace issues. Students will explore humanity's love-hate relationship with technology over the millennia, will debate ethical issues such as cloning and irradiated food, and will anticipate technology's impact on cultures, communities and individual persons in the future. Students will use their own workplace or community to test theories and draw informed conclusions. (offered every term)
MLS-700; MLS-710: FINAL CAPSTONE PROJECT (6 credits)
The Capstone Project is a 6-credit course that is completed over two terms at the end of the MALS program. It requires the student to demonstrate the depth and breadth of knowledge acquired in the program and to apply this knowledge to the workplace or the community. The project is interdisciplinary in nature. It is a supervised, hands-on experience that displays the student’s ability to go beyond the mere collection of information and into a synthesis of accumulated knowledge and skills. The Capstone Project may be in the form of a research project, a creative project, or an applied project. A final grade will be issued when the requirements of the Capstone Project are fulfilled by the submission and approval of a final project and the satisfactory oral presentation of the project. Students must have completed the core requirements and 10 of 12 required elective credits for the MALS degree before enrolling in MLS 630. (offered every term)