Full Description

The Medical Assisting undergraduate certificate prepares graduates to gain knowledge needed for the national certification examinations. Medical assistants work alongside physicians, mainly in outpatient or ambulatory care facilities, such as medical offices and clinics. They perform administrative and clinical duties in addition to serving as a patient liaison and a member of the Patient-Centered Medical Home team.

The program is delivered in a blended format, combining asynchronous and synchronous online learning with traditional in-person laboratory practice, competency validation and supervised practicum experiences, consistent with CAAHEP accreditation standards. This blended delivery approach integrates online didactic coursework with hands-on laboratory instruction and supervised clinical experiences to ensure students develop both theoretical knowledge and practical skills.

The certificate's curriculum is guided by national standards and covers 12 content areas: anatomy and physiology, applied mathematics, infection control, nutrition, communication, administrative functions, basic practices finances, third-party reimbursement, procedural and diagnostic coding, legal implications, ethical considerations and protective practices.

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

Kent State campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, and the Twinsburg Academic Center, have open enrollment admission for students who hold a high school diploma, GED or equivalent.

Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the Coursework tab.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning a minimum 71 TOEFL iBT score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score, minimum 47 PTE score or minimum 100 DET score, or by completing the ELS level 112 Intensive English Program. For more information on international admission visit the admissions website for international students.

For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

Transfer students or current Kent State students declaring the program must have a minimum 2.000 GPA for admission.

Prior to acceptance into the program, each applicant must meet with the program director to review program prerequisites and requirements.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Identify, administer and document medications safely utilizing the six rights.
2. Collect and process and diagnostic specimens with appropriate documentation and follow up.
3. Apply current up-to-date quality control and safety principles in the workplace.
4. Skillfully perform and document routine clinical procedures.
5. Perform and document routine administrative procedures.
6. Effectively utilize verbal, nonverbal and written communication principles and skills in the workplace.
7. Maintain ethical and legal standards and maintain confidentiality and patient privacy.
8. Communicate with professionalism in the medical assistant role and function as a valued member of the health care team.
9. Effectively utilize the electronic health record for documentation and insurance purposes.
10. Identify medical law and regulatory guidelines as it pertains to the ambulatory setting.

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

• Delivery:
  • Mostly online
• Location:
  • Ashtabula Campus
  • Geauga Campus

Full Description

The Associate of Applied Science degree in Early Years Education and Care prepares students with the knowledge and skills needed to plan and implement developmentally appropriate practices as they engage with young children. Coursework focuses on the unique needs and development of infants, toddlers and preschool children. Students who wish to pursue this degree program must possess a commitment to valuing all children, regardless of ability or background. In addition, they must have the ability to work collaboratively with the child's home and community.

Graduates of the degree program are eligible to apply for pre-kindergarten licensure through the State of Ohio. Graduates will be qualified for job positions as teacher assistants, child caregivers and family child-care providers in a variety of settings; including child-care centers, early intervention programs, hospitals, Head Start programs, home-based early childhood programs, private schools and public preschool and special needs programs.

The degree program articulates to the B.S.E. degree in Early Childhood Education, from which graduates are eligible to apply for Ohio licensure to teach children in preschool to grade five. Completion of the associate degree does not guarantee admission to the bachelor's degree. Admission to the B.S.E. degree is selective.

Professional Licensure Disclosure

This program is designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure or certification and contact information for state licensing boards at Kent State's website for professional licensure disclosure.

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

Kent State campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, and the Twinsburg Academic Center, have open enrollment admission for students who hold a high school diploma, GED or equivalent.

Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the Coursework tab.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning a minimum 71 TOEFL iBT score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score, minimum 47 PTE score or minimum 100 DET score, or by completing the ELS level 112 Intensive English Program. For more information on international admission visit the admissions website for international students.

For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Demonstrate skills in self-assessment, reflection and self-advocacy; mastery and application of foundational concepts from general education; and written and verbal communication skills.
2. Apply prior knowledge/experience to new learning environments.
3. Identify and use professional resources.
4. Integrate reflective and critical self-assessment with one’s own practice in early education.
5. Engage in informed advocacy for children and families.
6. Describe strategies to build positive, respectful and supportive relationships with families.
7. Support self-advocacy of the families in their communities through respectful and reciprocal relationships.
8. Identify young children’s typical and atypical developmental characteristics and needs.
9. Describe the multiple influences on child development and learning.
10. Create a healthy, respectful and challenging learning environment to meet the educational needs of all students in an equitable manner so all students may achieve their full potential.
11. Develop plans that build positive relationships and supportive interactions with children and their families.
12. Practice positive interpersonal communication with all constituencies involved in the education, development and care of young children.
13. Identify the goals, benefits and appropriate uses of various informal and formal assessment tools and approaches.
14. Identify and practice responsible assessment of learning and development.
15. Discuss the importance of core knowledge in the academic disciplines and how this relates to the education, development and care of young children.
16. Identify ways to engage in self-reflection in continuous and purposeful professional development.
17. Identify and uphold confidentiality, ethical standards and other professional and regulatory guidelines.
18. Engage in ongoing and collaborative relationships to enhance one’s own learning and practice.

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Salem Campus
  • Tuscarawas Campus

Full Description

The Associate of Applied Business in Cybersecurity delivers an applied foundation in protecting information assets and business operations. Students learn to analyze threats, assess risk, conduct security testing and monitoring, and support enterprise risk management. Building on core IT knowledge in networking, hardware and operating systems, the curriculum adds project management and collaboration for incident workflows and introductory database skills for data-driven investigations. Students are introduced to artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted workflows, including responsible use of AI for log triage, reporting and documentation, with attention to privacy, bias and verification. Graduates are prepared for entry-level roles in security operations and IT support with a security emphasis.

The degree program articulates with Kent State's Bachelor of Science in Information Technology.

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

Kent State campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, and the Twinsburg Academic Center, have open enrollment admission for students who hold a high school diploma, GED or equivalent.

Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the Coursework tab.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning a minimum 71 TOEFL iBT score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score, minimum 47 PTE score or minimum 100 DET score, or by completing the ELS level 112 Intensive English Program. For more information on international admission visit the admissions website for international students.

For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Apply core cybersecurity principles and tools to protect information assets and IT infrastructure in real-world organizational contexts.
2. Identify, analyze and mitigate security risks and vulnerabilities in organizational environments using appropriate methods, frameworks and industry standards.
3. Display professional, legal and ethical behavior in cybersecurity practice while communicating technical information clearly to diverse audiences and collaborating with team members.
4. Exhibit career readiness by curating a small portfolio of cybersecurity artifacts and brief reflections that connect coursework to workplace roles and skills.

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

• Delivery:
  • ​Fully online

Full Description

The Bachelor of Science in Information Technology provides an applied, hands-on education focused on supporting end users and organizations across a variety of workplace settings. Students learn to administer computing and network infrastructures; develop desktop, web and mobile applications; integrate databases and data-driven interfaces; and build and deploy solutions in modern cloud environments. Foundational coursework includes project management and collaboration practices and an introduction to relational databases. Across the curriculum, students also learn when and how to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools responsibly for tasks like code assistance, documentation, testing, data analysis and troubleshooting.

Graduates are prepared for roles across business, education, manufacturing, healthcare, non-profit, and government, including web or software developer; systems, network or cloud administrator; cybersecurity or digital forensics analyst; database administrator; IT support specialist or consultant; and IT project coordinator or manager.

The Information Technology major offers concentrations in Application Development, Cloud and Virtualization Technologies, Cybersecurity and Forensics, Database Design and Administration, Health Information Technology, Integrated Information Technology, Networking (including systems administration) and Web Development.

The Information Technology major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Application Development concentration prepares students to design and build software for desktop, web, and mobile; apply testing and deployment practices; incorporate AI thoughtfully for code review, refactoring and documentation.
• The Cloud and Virtualization Technologies concentration prepares students to plan, deploy, and administer virtualized and cloud resources; use automation and scripting; learn when to apply AI for documentation and capacity insights.
• The Cybersecurity and Forensics concentration prepares students to secure systems and networks and support digital investigations; practice incident response and evidence handling; leverage AI carefully for monitoring, logging, triage and reporting.
• The Database Design and Administration concentration prepares students to design, implement, secure, and administer relational databases; write SQL for queries and reporting; explore AI-assisted query drafting and documentation with verification.
• The Health Information Technology concentration prepares students to manage and secure IT systems in healthcare environments, including EHR support and compliance; discuss responsible AI uses in documentation and data review with privacy safeguards.
• The Integrated Information Technology concentration allows students to create a flexible plan spanning multiple IT domains tailored to career goals; encourages cross-functional projects and measured use of AI tools across disciplines.
• The Networking concentration prepares students to plan, configure, and maintain network infrastructures across on-prem and cloud; practice systems administration, identity, and security hardening; introduce AI-assisted monitoring where appropriate.
• The Web Development concentration prepares students to create dynamic, data-driven web applications with client- and server-side frameworks, APIs and deployment practices; evaluate AI for design ideation, code review and content drafts.

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students.

First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.

First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of proficiency of the English language (unless they meet specific exceptions) through the submission of an English language proficiency test score or by completing English language classes at Kent State’s English as a Second Language Center before entering their program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Former Students: Former Kent State students who have not attended another institution since Kent State and were not academically dismissed will complete the re-enrollment process through the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center. Former students who attended another college or university since leaving Kent State must apply for admissions as a transfer or post-undergraduate student.

Transfer Students: Students who attended an educational institution after graduating from high school or earning their GED must apply as transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's Academic Policies.

Students may be required to meet certain criteria to progress in their program. Any progression requirements will be listed on the program's Coursework tab

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Analyze emerging and existing information technologies and design integrated IT solutions that address individual, organizational, and societal needs.
2. Manage and optimize IT infrastructures, applications, and services to meet requirements for performance, reliability, security, and scalability.
3. Communicate and collaborate effectively as a member or leader of multidisciplinary teams, using appropriate documentation, standards, and project management practices to deliver IT initiatives.
4. Apply professional, ethical, legal, and social principles, and engage in research and lifelong learning, to guide the responsible adoption, governance, and evaluation of information technologies.
5. Exhibit career readiness by curating a professional portfolio of authentic IT artifacts, experiential learning evidence, and reflections that showcase technical proficiency, impact, and readiness for employment or advancement.

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

• Delivery:
  • Fully online

Full Description

The Associate of Applied Business in Information Technology provides a core foundation in programming, operating systems and networking, web development, hardware, security fundamentals, project management and collaboration and introductory database concepts. Courses introduce appropriate uses of artificial intelligence (AI) for productivity and learning support, such as code and content assistance, documentation and basic analytics, with an emphasis on ethics and accuracy. The major offers concentrations in Application Development Technology, General Technology, Network Technology (with systems administration) and Web Development.

The degree program articulates to the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology degree and the certificate in Computer Forensics and Information Security.

The Information Technology major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Application Development technology concentration prepares students to design and build software using industry-standard languages and tools; introduces responsible use of AI for code suggestions, tests and documentation.
• The General Technology concentration allows students to create a broad, multi-domain skill set in hardware, operating systems, networking, web fundamentals, teamwork and customer support, with selective use of AI for troubleshooting and documentation.
• The Network Technology concentration prepares students to install, configure, secure, and troubleshoot networked systems; practice systems administration and identity services; explore AI-assisted monitoring and ticket notes where appropriate.
• The Web Development concentration prepares students to build modern, user-friendly websites and basic web applications with attention to accessibility and data integration; responsibly use AI for wireframes, content drafts and test cases.

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

Kent State campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, and the Twinsburg Academic Center, have open enrollment admission for students who hold a high school diploma, GED or equivalent.

Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the Coursework tab.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning a minimum 71 TOEFL iBT score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score, minimum 47 PTE score or minimum 100 DET score, or by completing the ELS level 112 Intensive English Program. For more information on international admission visit the admissions website for international students.

For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Apply core IT concepts and skills in areas such as networking, operating systems, databases and application development to analyze and solve real-world technical problems.
2. Communicate and collaborate effectively in multidisciplinary teams, interpreting and presenting technical information clearly to technical and nontechnical audiences using appropriate tools.
3. Display professional, ethical, legal, and business-aware practice by evaluating new technologies, using basic project management approaches and supporting organizational goals.
4. Exhibit career readiness by assembling a portfolio of representative IT artifacts and reflections that connect academic work to workplace expectations and future study.

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

• Delivery:
  • Fully online

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Multi-modal communication: Participate in effective written, oral and digital communication skills in multiple contexts, for a variety of audiences.
2. Cultural awareness: Develop self-awareness about identity, culture, perspectives and respect for differences.
3. Applied integration: Integrate applied skills with academic knowledge in core or elective courses that enhance the preparation and implementation of student career goals in the chosen field of focus or study.

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

Kent State campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, and the Twinsburg Academic Center, have open enrollment admission for students who hold a high school diploma, GED or equivalent.

Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the Coursework tab.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning a minimum 71 TOEFL iBT score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score, minimum 47 PTE score or minimum 100 DET score, or by completing the ELS level 112 Intensive English Program. For more information on international admission visit the admissions website for international students.

For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

This degree program may not be earned as a double major or dual degree with another major and cannot be earned as an additional degree after another degree at the same or higher level has been earned previously.

• Delivery:
  • Fully online
  • Mostly online
  • In person
• Location:
  • Ashtabula Campus
  • East Liverpool Campus
  • Geauga Campus
  • Salem Campus
  • Stark Campus
  • Trumbull Campus
  • Tuscarawas Campus
  • Twinsburg Academic Center