New programs include Industrial Operations Management; Rhetoric, Influence, and Civic Engagement; and a One Health Studies major. Two minors and an RHOP pathway in medical nutrition are also new.
Wayne State College kicked off the new academic year with the addition of a new healthcare pathway to the College’s Rural Health Opportunities Program (RHOP), three new programs, and two new minors. Wayne State offers more than 130 programs of study, including pre-professional, nursing, and engineering pathways, along with degrees in education, business, the arts, communication, industrial technology, life sciences, music, criminal justice, social sciences, human services, industrial technology, computer information systems, and more.
WSC’s new programs include Industrial Operations Management; Rhetoric, Influence, and Civic Engagement; and a major in One Health Studies. The College’s two new minors are Film Criticism and Forensic Studies.
Wayne State’s new RHOP pathway was created for students who want to become registered dietitians. This new path is part of the partnership between the Nebraska State Colleges and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC).
"While this career option has been available for students for several years," said Dr. Ron Loggins, Dean of the School of Science, Health, and Criminal Justice, "adding this RHOP pathway provides a clear route from a bachelor's degree to graduate school and finally, to employment."
Students in the program will first earn their Bachelor of Science in Biology at Wayne State College. This prepares them with a strong foundation in the life sciences. From there, they will seamlessly transition to UNMC for their Master's in Medical Nutrition (MMN). This master's program, which takes about 1.5 years to complete, is designed to turn students into food and nutrition experts. Upon completing their master's degree, students are eligible to take the exam to become a Registered Dietitian (RD) or a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).
The RHOP program is designed to support incoming freshmen from rural Nebraska who are committed to returning to their communities to work in healthcare. Students in the program receive several benefits, including early registration for classes, and specialized academic advising to help them navigate their rigorous curriculum.
Industrial Operations Management degree program
Wayne State’s new Industrial Operations Management degree program prepares students to manage the operations of industrial work, including planning and understanding what will make activity run smoothly and efficiently. Managing production processes and resources, coordinating workers and teams, and overseeing it all requires knowledge of business management and industrial technology.
The Industrial Operations Management program combines core business courses with hands‑on manufacturing training - including CNC machining, robotics, safety, and supply chain skills. Designed to meet job growth in logistics and operations, this program equips students for leadership roles in manufacturing, logistics, and process improvement.
Industrial and Operations Management topics include:
- Mechanical and engineering drafting using computer-aided design (CAD)
- Computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) and robotics programming
- CNC machine programming, setup, and operations
- Industrial safety and proper use of machinery and construction tools
- Application of supply chain management theories to real-world settings
- Conflict resolution and negotiations
- Analytical approaches to management issues
- Communication skills for business and industry
- Supervision and project management
- Database planning, management, and query application
Rhetoric, Influence, and Civic Engagement degree program
WSC’s new Rhetoric, Influence, and Civic Engagement degree program provides a helpful path for students interested in a career in leadership and/or civic engagement. This program focuses on the origins of the field of communication, from the Western tradition going back 2,500 years beginning with Socrates, and then extending that foundation of rhetoric to its application of persuasion and civic engagement.
Communication, rhetoric, and influence topics include:
- Ethical and effective techniques in argumentation and rhetoric
- Interpersonal and group communication
- Listening, interviewing, and research
- History and theory of public address
- Relationship between language, thought, and behavior, and effects on culture
- Theories of persuasion, especially in relation to political campaigns, social movements, and advertising
One Health Studies major
One Health Studies is a rigorous major combining an intentionally interdisciplinary core of diverse health, environmental, and social science foundations. A choice of four concentrations prepares students for a variety of professions or post-graduate/professional studies, while gaining a holistic understanding of the synergistic components determining health, skills for fostering health and well-being, and the ability to work collaboratively while addressing complex threats to health, ecosystems, and sustainable development locally and globally.
The One Health Studies major at Wayne State is made up of core courses, plus a concentration. There are four concentrations students may choose from:
- Ecological Health: The Ecological Health concentration will prepare students for work in a variety of agricultural, environmental, wildlife, conservation, zoo, or domestic animal, and public health professions, as well as graduate programs in environmental, public, and animal health sciences.
- Health Analysis: The Health Analysis concentration will prepare students for work with public health departments and governmental and non-governmental agencies. Or, students could pursue graduate studies in epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental analysis, and health mapping.
- Health Behavior and Promotion: The Health Behavior and Promotion concentration will prepare students to work in public health promotion or health-fitness and community wellness professions, or pursue graduate degrees in public health, health behavior, or health promotion.
- Social Health and Wellbeing: The Social Health and Wellbeing concentration will prepare students for work in public health, social services, public policy, law, and governmental and non-governmental agencies.
One Health Studies topics include:
- Principles of biology in the animal kingdom
- Interrelationships of organisms and their environment
- Communication processes, beliefs, practices, and policies of health topics
- Meteorological concepts, especially atmospheric and oceanic processes
- Climate change of the past and future
- Nutritional needs and recommendations throughout the life cycle
- Social, economic, and political activities of human cultures
- Human anatomy and physiological processes related to activity and training
- Principles of personal health and wellness, along with public health disciplines
- Social influences on human behavior
Film Criticism minor
Combining courses in communication arts and English, the Film Criticism minor guides students in examining films as an art form and culture shaper. Students will develop an understanding of the language of cinema, ethnicity, gender and sexuality in film, film history, as well as film theory and criticism. The Film Criticism minor presents cinema in all its diverse forms, from the classical period to the contemporary, from Hollywood cinema to international traditions, and from a variety of historical, aesthetic, and critical approaches.
Forensic Studies minor
The Forensic Studies minor is intended for students with a passion for solving problems, a love of science, and a commitment to justice. For students majoring in Criminal Justice, it offers specialized training and experience to pursue careers as criminalists, or as they're more commonly known, crime scene investigators. For students in other majors, the program introduces the procedural and evidentiary concepts needed to apply their expertise - in fields such as biology, physics, psychology, or computer science - to forensic or investigative careers. The Forensic Studies minor aims to provide students with foundational knowledge and practical skills commonly applied in crime scene investigations such as scene security, photography, evidence collection and documentation, and blood spatter analysis.