October  2, 2018

Delta College recently created four new degree programs that will greatly serve the local and regional community and Delta students. The four new programs are a degree in Journalism and Integrated Media, degree in Digital Forensics, a certificate in Office Professions - Virtual Assistant and a certificate in Medical Office Professions - Medical Scribe.

"Most of our new programs come from faculty and businesses working together to say 'how can we sell this need'," says Virginia Przygocki, the Dean of Career Education/Learning Partnership and Director of Academic Support at Delta. "We look to discover what new skills and competencies are being expected."

These new programs provide new and exciting opportunities for Delta students, as they unlock new career pathways, allowing students to pursue a degree in one of these fields that will help them to become employed after graduating.

"The number one thing that we want for our students is to give them a valuable, quality education in order to be employed," says Przygocki. "At Delta, you can get a degree in two years or under that will get you employed."

Journalism & Integrated Media
This new associate's in applied arts degree was created to help align Delta's offering to meet the needs and demands of the new journalism landscape. This 62-credit, two-year program, designed in consultation with Central Michigan University (CMU), will provide you with a way to further your education and earn your bachelor’s degree. Jobs in this field are projected to have a four percent growth in the region, but this is expected to increase as 26 percent of current workers in this field are 55 years of age or older.

Digital Forensics
This associate's in applied science is now under the supervision of the Criminal Justice discipline. This new degree can be earned in two different areas. The first one is in Digital Forensics, which is a two-year, 62-credit degree, and the other is in Corporate Digital Forensics, which is also a two-year program and is 63 total credits. The career field for this degree is estimated to experience a 17-20 percent growth in Michigan with an estimated 130 new jobs available in the Great Lakes Bay Region over the next six years.

Office Professions – Virtual Assistant
This program is offered 100 percent online, creating educational and employment opportunities for you regardless of where you live. It is set up as a 26-credit advanced certificate program that runs through two fall semesters and a winter semester. In the Great Lakes Bay Region there are estimated to be 691 job openings in this field with a long-term growth of 1.8 percent. This career field also has a current job fill for open positions of 100 percent. In other words, every new employee has landed a job.

Medical Office Professions – Medical Scribe
The Medical Scribe program is a 36-credit advanced certificate program that runs through two fall semesters and a winter semester. This is a valued career field with an estimated 20 unfilled positions each year in the Mid-Michigan area and a 10 percent national growth. Plus, certificates in this field are currently listed in the top 10 for the greatest demand in Michigan.

Delta is always looking to the future and is currently looking into new programs that will match developing needs of the workforce in the Great Lakes Bay Region.

"When an idea is presented we start looking at need, and we do research to make sure that it is a need that is sustainable, because we build these programs for student success," says Przygocki.

Some of the new programs that are currently being looked into are hospitality, supply chain and robotics, a division of mechatronics that will focus solely on robotics. Another one that is being researched for the near future is Medical Clinical Assistant. This is an entry-level program that will satisfy the need that health agencies have been expressing recently.

"We had a local health agency come to us with a need. We had been watching the need, we did a little research and made sure that Delta really needed to get involved in this field," says Przygocki. "We like to have these pathways for our students."

If you are interested in attending Delta, today is the perfect time to apply and discover the opportunities awaiting you.

If you are currently enrolled at Delta, but need some scheduling assistance, contact the Registrar's Office at 989-686-9305 or Academic Advising at 989-686-9330.