FISHER COLLEGE Course Catalog 2017-2018 Table of Contents General Information.............................................................................3 College Policies...................................................................................7 Academic Information.........................................................................15 Admissions, Financial Information, and Aid ...........................................44 Student Services................................................................................58 Student Life.......................................................................................63 Program Requirements.......................................................................66 Minors.............................................................................................133 Course Descriptions..........................................................................136 Directory..........................................................................................235 Index..............................................................................................243 1 General Information General Information Mission Fisher College improves lives by providing students with the knowl- edge and skills necessary for a lifetime of intellectual and professional pursuits. Motto Ubique Fidelis: “Everywhere Faithful” Purposes • Fisher College enables students to earn a degree and seek a job upon graduation. • Fisher College provides access to an education to students seek- ing the tools they need to achieve their goals. • Dedicated, experienced, and caring educators allow Fisher Col- lege to accomplish its mission. • Campus life enriches the Fisher community by offering students social and educational opportunities. • The Fisher experience activates students to take ownership of their learning by preparing them to overcome challenges and pursue opportunities. • Fisher’s small-school setting allows students to form enduring and influential bonds with each other and with their professors. • The Fisher community brings cultures and perspectives together in a dynamic arena. • Fisher views ethical and moral development and public service as imperatives. • Alumni hold an honored place in the life of the College and support their alma mater. Historical Background For more than a century, Fisher College has met its founders’ call to move lives forward through education. Firmly established in the great collegiate center of Boston, Massachusetts, Fisher College provides opportunities for students of all ages and experiences. The hallmark 2 General Information of the Fisher story is its embrace of change. The College is keenly aware of developments in instruction and technology as well as the evolving role of higher education institutions. Fisher has continually responded by delivering pragmatic and focused programs. Rein- forced by a unique student-centered philosophy, Fisher endures, and serves this and future generations. College-Wide Learning Outcomes Because of its commitment to academic excellence, the College requires that its graduates have demonstrated competencies in written and oral communication; computational skills; critical thinking and research skills; technological literacy; civic responsibil- ity; and racial, ethnic, and cross-cultural understanding. Toward this end, each student is provided the opportunity to demonstrate the following competencies, abilities, and interests: • Effective communication skills, including the abilities to speak and write cogently, and to conduct research demonstrating information literacy. • The ability to understand and apply basic analytic-mathematical operations and to make logical inferences from quantitative data. • Critical-thinking skills to organize and process information and to formulate effectively reasoned conclusions. • Self-awareness and confidence, and the recognition of one’s role and responsibility in an individual, social, civic, and moral con- text. • An understanding of the multicultural values within a diverse American and global society sufficient to enable the student to interact collaboratively with others of a different culture. • Learning skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development. Accreditation Status Fisher College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. In the Division of Accelerated and Professional Studies, the Health Information Technology program and the Health Information Management program are both accredited by the Com- mission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Man- agement Education (CAHIIM). The college is in candidacy status with the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE). 3 General Information Nonprofit Status Founded in 1903, Fisher College is a nonprofit educational institution approved by The Department of Higher Education of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and authorized to grant the de- grees of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Associate in Arts, Asso- ciate in Science, and various certificates. Division of Accelerated and Professional Studies Fisher’s Division of Accelerated and Professional Studies (DAPS) was established in January 1975 to help men and women improve their occupational skills and prepare for positions of increased responsibil- ity and stature. Today, Fisher offers programs at various locations in Massachusetts as well as online. Fisher College actively recruits instructors who are practicing in their area of expertise. This allows them to bring real life challenges to the classroom. DAPS students may enroll either full-time or part-time in a program. Qualified individuals receive an Associate in Science degree or an As- sociate in Arts degree within two years, or a bachelor’s degree in four years, by attending full time. A certificate may be earned in one year by attending full time. Online education is offered to meet the needs of busy adults either unable to attend classroom courses due to distance, or by those who choose to use our highest level of convenience to meet their personal choices, busy lives, and time constraints. Online courses require no classroom-based meetings to complete and are delivered on the Internet using the widely accepted and user-friendly academic learn- ing system, Blackboard®, and the synchronous learning tool Collaborate. Alumni Relations Current students are the next generation of alumni leaders. The Office of Alumni Relations supports the Alumni Association, which maintains connections with 13,000 Fisher graduates who live in nearly every state and several countries – and work in virtually every field and industry. As alumni-in-training, students find many opportunities to be engaged with the College and with Fisher alumni. Students show their loyalty to and appreciation for Fisher at the Phone-a-thon and through their Class Gift, attending alumni panels, and participating on the Alumni Board. This alumni community ensures that graduates maintain a lifelong relationship with each other and with the College. 4 College Policies Alumni are welcome to use the library and our Office of Career Ser- vices at any time. Other facilities are limited to current student use. Day and DAPS Contact Information Day Division: 118 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02116 617-236-8800 Division of Accelerated and Professional Studies: Boston 617-670-4403 [email protected] Brockton 774-296-7650 [email protected] New Bedford 508-998-3254 [email protected] North Attleboro 508-699-6200 [email protected] Online 866-309-6539 [email protected] 5 College Policies College Policies 1. Student Conduct Fisher College holds its students to a high standard and requires that students comply with all federal and state laws on- and off- campus. Students who violate these laws and/or College policies will be subject to disciplinary action. Additionally, students might also be subject to criminal or civil prosecution. All students are responsible for complying with the Student Code of Conduct. Please refer to the College website for a full version of the Code of Conduct. 2. Anti-Harassment Policy It is the College’s policy to prohibit harassment of one student by another student, College employee, and/or a contractual worker contracted by the College, or vice-versa. This policy is consistent with state and federal law, which is enforced by the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, One Congress Street, Room 1001, Boston, MA 02114, 617-565-3200 and the Massachu- setts Commission Against Discrimination, One Ashburton Place, Boston, MA 02108, 617-727-3990. The purpose of this policy is not to regulate our students’ or employees’ morality, speech or conduct. Rather it is to ensure that, in our academic setting, no one harasses another individual or otherwise interferes with his or her pursuit of knowledge, job duties and responsibilities. Violation of our anti-harassment policy may result in discipline up to and including dismissal from the College. Per Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 258E, Section 1, “Ha- rassment” is defined as three or more acts of willful and malicious conduct aimed at a specific person with the intent to cause fear, in- timidation, abuse or damage to property; or an act by force, threat or duress causes another to involuntarily engage in sexual relations or constitutes a violation of the following: assault and battery, rape, rape and abuse of a child, assault with intent to commit rape, entic- ing a child under