SUNY Oswego launches master’s degree in workforce education and development

SUNY Oswego recently announced the addition of a master’s degree in workforce education and development connected with new jobs and industries coming with Micron Technology’s historic investment in Central New York and other growth opportunities.

“With the arrival of Micron and all of the associated supporting industry that will follow, there will be an increasing need for those in the industry and the areas of education that support it to provide training to those they hire,” said Jan Woodworth, chair of the Career and Technical Education Department that will deliver the program.

Micron’s state-of-the-art microchip fabrication plant is currently rising in the town of Clay, just three miles from the Oswego County line and supported by Micron’s $100 billion in the region over the next two decades. Beyond the plant itself, many related businesses and industries supporting its operations will create additional jobs and economic development.

The new master’s degree is an all-online non-certification program that will prepare educators for careers in industry, postsecondary (universities, community colleges, skills acquisition institutions, apprenticeship programs) programs and other workplace training roles. 

This program leads to a master of science degree aimed at workplace trainers and faculty and staff of postsecondary institutions who do not need teaching certification. Students enrolled in the program will enhance their expertise through coursework in adult education principles, research methodologies and specialized electives focusing on instructional strategies in career and technical education. 

“Every industry has its own vocabulary, its own skill sets and its own knowledge base; training those employees falls upon trainers and others within those corporations/businesses and upon many in the college sector,” Woodworth explained. “Though they may have the expertise in their topic area, many do not have the pedagogy (teaching skills) to do the most effective job of teaching/training these employees. That's what this program will deliver to those who enroll.” 

The degree program offers two research courses focused on solving educational challenges and creating more diverse and inclusive training environments. The program prepares students for professional employment, advancement and leadership in various careers including post-secondary educational settings, out-of-school skills-acquisition programs (provided by public, private and non-profit organizations), workplace human resource departments and workforce development consulting firms. 

All full-time students (who can complete the degree in three to four semesters) and part-time students will complete a 21-credit core curriculum plus nine credits of elective requirements tailored to individual interests and career needs. 

Delivering this program aligns with Oswego’s traditional strengths dated back to the institution’s 1861 founding by Edward Austin Sheldon as the Oswego Primary Teachers Training School.

“SUNY Oswego has a long history of being a premier teacher preparation institution,” Woodworth noted. “For over 165 years, there have been education programs at this university that have prepared teachers in all areas of content. I can't think of a better place than SUNY Oswego to prepare those who will be in workforce education in this region and beyond.”

The ideal students for this new master’s degree would include people “for whom teaching, training or educating others is part of their role, but for whom having a certification is not required,” Woodworth said. “This would include college instructors and professors, industry trainers and educators, and those in non-profits who are in educator roles.”

Successful graduates can find greater fulfillment in their roles as educators, but success for the program will have an even wider impact, “fulfilled by the growth and success that businesses and colleges have through the people that they train and teach,” Woodworth said. “I see education as the first step in the process to success; education of educators results in a trickle-down effect to those they teach and the businesses and industries that employ them.”

For more information or to apply for the program, visit the master’s in workforce education and development website.