by Dave Best – Galin Education College Counselor
Can college prepare you to travel into outer space? Become a stand up comedian? Play on the PGA Golf Tour? Be that next great innovator who will combine design and technology to change the world? You can open the doors to these exciting careers if you consider one of these unique college programs I will share with you below.
Many young children have big dreams. They want to become astronauts, pro athletes, entertainers or inventors. As parents we encourage our kids to follow their passion and develop their talents. The Bank of Mom and Dad funds lessons, uniforms, teams, travel, events and emotional support.
One of those dreamers is my friend Allan Wieland’s son, Tristan. He was featured on the Golf Channel’s “The Morning Drive,” representing the young golfers (boy’s 7 to 9 years old division) who qualified for the Drive, Chip and Putt Final at Augusta National. Tristan was the youngest competitor in the field. He started swinging a plastic club around the house when he was just one year old. At three years old, he played in his first tournament (four holes) and won. Tristan has competed in more than 100 golf tournaments and has won more than 75 percent of them.
Now imagine as Tristan grows up and completes high school, he could actually select a college where he could earn a degree to prepare to be a pro golfer? And sorry, Allan, although you bleed orange and blue, that school is not the University of Florida.
Let me share with you a few of the unique college programs that truly are available for students today including school supplied program descriptions and links to their websites.
Emerson College
Emerson’s BFA degree in Comedic Arts is the first of its kind in the country. It integrates writing, performance and production with new studies courses that examine comedy from a variety of perspectives. Immersive and hands-on in its approach, this major draws its faculty and courses from Emerson’s departments of Visual and Media Arts, Performing Arts, Writing, Literature & Publishing, and the Institute for the Liberal Arts & Interdisciplinary Studies. In addition to learning and practicing the craft of comedy across arts disciplines, you will explore the historical, cultural and theoretical dimensions of comedy as a global art form. You will develop your individual comedic voice in a creative, collaborative, and supportive environment.
There’s no better place to study and perform comedy than in Boston, a city internationally recognized as an incubator for comedy that has launched countless successful careers. You can also choose to spend a semester at our Los Angeles campus and take advantage of a broad range of internships with studios, production companies, publications, and agencies. The College’s partnerships with groups like The Upright Citizens Brigade bring added value to your experience. At both campuses, you will interact with distinguished comedy professionals in workshops, lectures, and master classes.
Clemson University
The PGA Golf Management Program in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management Department (PRTM) at Clemson University provides a unique educational background for students who desire to become PGA professionals. Students obtain specialized knowledge and preparation to be leaders in the golf industry. The PGA golf management curriculum provides an academic program that develops well-rounded, service-oriented golf professionals who can meet and respond to the personal as well as business management requirements of golf facilities. The combination of skills and knowledge acquired in the program augment the golf professional’s success as a manager and advocate for the game. Further, because of the unique resources of Clemson University, graduates will have a greater understanding of environmental and recreational issues as they relate to golf operations, and the ability to promote and expand golf to youth, women, minorities and those with disabilities.
A student seeking admission into the PGA golf management program must first meet all Clemson University entrance requirements. Clemson University has a sliding admission requirement involving a combination of a student’s SAT/ACT scores, high school GPA, and high school rank. The PGA Golf Management Program will then accept approximately 20-25 students per year. To be admitted into the program, each applicant also must demonstrate evidence of a playing proficiency reflected in a handicap of eight or better.
Students must pass the PGA Playing Ability Test (PAT) and to prepare there is a Player Development Program that includes a full-swing evaluation, a tailored practice program and individual instruction to best serve each student.
Purdue University
The EAPS Planetary Science major is a rapidly-growing, multidisciplinary program that incorporates geology, astrobiology, physics, atmospheric science, and engineering. This major is attractive to students who want to learn more about other planets, as well as studying impact craters, asteroids, and meteorites. Our students have the opportunity to learn about the formation of bodies in space, geologic structures on other planets, and/or the mechanics of orbits.
This program is a step towards careers at organizations such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and is also a strong foundation for graduate school. Career paths include Astronaut, Surface/Planetary Geology, Remote Sensing, Planetary Chemistry, Space Exploration, Astrobiology and Education.
University of Southern California
Conceived as a collaborative environment that brings exceptional students together with visionary faculty and professional mentors, the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation is a transformational presence on one of the nation’s most dynamic university campuses.
The undergraduate degree program focuses on nurturing and developing original thought, leading to breakthrough products, systems, technologies and more. Drawing on the talents and experiences of industry leaders from a vast array of fields and driven by passionate, committed faculty, the Academy empowers the next generation of disruptors to change the face of society.
This Bachelor of Science in Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation degree offers a highly select group of students an integrated, four-year course of study that provides in-depth learning in three areas: art and design, engineering and computer science, and business and venture management. Throughout the program, students are taught to think seamlessly across multiple disciplines and to apply a vast array of relevant technologies and techniques toward innovative problem solving.
The degree requires a total of 128 units, including 56 units in the Core and 32 units in Emphases. Through the Academy’s Core, students learn applied skills and gain understanding of the theories, concepts and vocabulary of each field. Academy Emphases serve to customize students’ experience to their individual strengths or desired focus. Students must select two emphases from the Academy’s offerings in Visual Design, Technology, Venture Management, Audio Design, and Communication. In consultation with their academic advisor, students may petition to create unique emphases by selecting courses from across all of the Academy’s offerings or from academic units or disciplines outside of the Academy. The fourth-year “Garage Experience” moves student teams from concept to creation, vision to prototype.
