A-Z Course Catalog - Professional and Continuing Education

Catalog of classes and certificate courses offered through Oakland University's Professional and Continuing Education Department. Note: PACE courses do not align with the OU academic semesters and all listed courses may not be on the current schedule. Use the "more details" link for additional information.

Accent Reduction (customized program)
This program was designed by a linguist to help non-native English speakers improve pronunciation, decrease misunderstandings, and increase verbal confidence. Unlike an ESL class, Accent Reduction is for learners who already have a great deal of language proficiency. This course is currently offered as a custom tailored program to meet the needs of an organization.
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The Advanced Placement (AP) Summer Institutes
Sponsored by Oakland University and endorsed by the College Board, participation in the AP* Institutes will strengthen your school's academic success. OU will hold two summer sessions for instructors at the main campus in Rochester, Michigan. These four-day conferences offer excellent training for both experienced teachers and those that are new to AP*. The program will offer experienced teachers the opportunity to learn about new and emerging trends in their content areas. For teachers that are new to AP*, the program is a chance to become better informed about the fundamentals of the AP* program. Oakland University's institute is ideally suited for department chairpersons, gifted and talented teachers and curriculum coordinators.
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Animal Assisted Therapy
The use of animal assisted therapy dates back hundreds of years. Oakland University's Animal Assisted Therapy Certificate program addresses several health and social issues, including an increased need for alternative, innovative and holistic practices. Utilizing animal assisted therapy in educational, therapeutic and health care settings benefit at-risk children and adolescents, the elderly and other special-needs populations. The program is completely online with a couple of the assignments involving meeting with people in the field in your area and visiting an animal sanctuary, shelter, farm, etc. Classes in this course include Introduction to Animal Assisted Therapy, Psychology of AAT, AAT for Special Populations, Working with Animals, and the AAT Capstone.
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APTA Credentialed Clinical Instructor Program
The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Credentialed Clinical Instructor Program prepares physical therapy students for clinical education experiences by developing learning experiences,supporting ongoing learning through questioning and effective feedback, discussing performance evaluation skills, and identifying and managing students with exceptional situations. The program closes with a brief look at legal implications for clinical educators, including issues presented by American with Disabilities Act (ADA) legislation.
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Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers & CPR for the Professional Rescuer
Class will cover techniques for adults, children, and infants. BLS certification is required for admission to the LPN, CNA, or PCT programs.
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Career Development Facilitator
A Career Development Facilitator (CDF) is a person who works in any career development setting or who incorporates career development information or skills in their work with students, adults, clients, employees, or the public. A CDF completes at least 120 instructional hours of training which is taught by a nationally trained and qualified instructor. The program is approved by the National Career Development Association (NCDA) which provides individuals with relevant skills and knowledge to assist others in planning careers and obtaining meaningful work. Individuals who provide or will provide career services in business and industry, government agencies, non-profits, veteran employment services, K-12 schools, colleges and universities would all be candidates to obtain this certificate of achievement.
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Certified Nursing Assistant
The Certified Nursing Assistant Program is offered through Oakland University's School of Nursing-Continuing Education. This program is currently being offered at The Riverview Institute of Oakland University; in the heart of downtown Detroit. Riverview is one of the most technologically advanced medical training facilities in the state. This course provides basic fundamental nursing skills, and state certification as a Nursing Assistant. This course will introduce the theory and techniques involved with the role of the Nurse Assistant. After completion of this training program, you will be able to perform various hands-on patient care procedures with supervision in areas ranging from daily care operations (bathing, feeding, dressing) to patient discharge.
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Estate Planning and Advanced Case Study
Newly redesigned, this course combines the estate planning essentials with practical application using the case study method. This course covers the estate planning process, property ownership and implications, lifetime and death-related transfers, legal documents, federal gift and estate tax law, business transfers, estate valuation, and income tax ramifications in estate planning. The case studies integrate all aspects of the financial planning process with an emphasis on estate planning. Students are expected to participate actively in the case presentations. This class is part of the Financial Planning Certificate Course, but can be taken individually.
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Energy Management Certificate
Energy usage and its sustainability are becoming crucially important issues facing many organizations. Firms have to evaluate energy alternatives strategically and manage business processes efficiently to address the broader stakeholder values: environmental, economic, and social. Simultaneously, engineering activities related to processes, products, and services need to adapt to changing regulatory, tax, supply chain and demand environments. To achieve this, management and engineering perspectives need to be integrated for effective energy management. The program supports the transition to a new energy economy by preparing professionals to differentiate themselves in their careers, and help their organizations become sustainable enterprises.
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Financial Planning
Oakland University's Certificate Program in Personal Financial Planning is registered with the CFP Board in Washington, DC, and meets the standards set by CFP Board. Students who complete the OU Financial Planning Program are eligible to sit for the CFP Certification Examination. This quality program, offered through the School of Business Administration, presents the techniques and knowledge necessary to formulate the executive comprehensive financial plans that will assist clients in accumulating, conserving, and transferring personal wealth.
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GMAT Preparation Course
The GMAT Prep Course is a 27-hour course that focuses on both content and test-taking techniques. You'll test your skills with the most realistic GMAT practice tests and get comprehensive prep for the Integrated Reasoning section. The course is designed to be the best GMAT prep course. This program will help you achieve your best score with personalized attention, live office hours, result-driven instruction and realistic testing practice.

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Income Tax
Designed to enable the professional providing personal financial planning services to recognize many of the income tax planning opportunities and dilemmas that may arise. The course covers the fundamentals of individual income taxation and tax law overview, terminology and computations. Discussion and analysis will focus on practical problems involving tax planning implications of home ownership, property transactions, tax advantage investments, divorce and remarriage, forms of business ownership, accounting methods and periods, life insurance, annuities and securities, intra-family and charitable transfers, and forms and methods of employment compensation. This class is part of the Financial Planning Certificate Course, but can be taken individually.
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Integrating Beekeeping Across the Curriculum
Learn more about curriculum models used to integrate honey bee biology and habitat, beehive management and safety issues, pest management, the importance of honeybees to the human food system, natural environment and culture across the K-16 curriculum while aligning local, state and/or national standards. This course is offered at the Central Michigan University Biological Station on Beaver Island through Oakland University and is open to K-16 teachers and Nature/Environmental Center educators. The biology and ecology of the honey bee will be studied through extensive field work in the apiary. Development of an aligned, cross-subject, curricular unit integrating K-16 student participation is expected following the conclusion of the course.
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Lean Green Belt Certificate Program
Participants in the Green Belt Certificate program will gain the ability to tackle targeted concerns within a company's value stream or operations, apply Lean principles to focused areas of the business and recommend ideas for culture change.
The Green Belt Certificate requires 53 hours of classroom and online coursework. During the course, you will complete a Green Belt-level project that demonstrates the concepts of Lean and makes an impact on the business model. A certified Green Belt should be able to facilitate Lean projects and apply Lean principles that complement your current role in your company. (More details)

Licensed Practical Nurse
The Practical Nurse Program is provided through Continuing Education with the School of Nursing. Students will complete approximately 1100 contact hours and will be eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN). Successful completion of this examination qualifies the graduate for licensure as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and the ability to practice in the State of Michigan. Graduates are also eligible to take the National Association of Practical Nurse Educational Services (NAPNES) Pharmacology Certification Examination, which affords the graduate to administer medications within various employer settings.
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A Millennial Approach to Teaching Writing
This 4-week online course will provide K-12 teachers with the tools to improve and engage student writers. Teachers will explore reading and writing connections, the writing process, and writing with new media. Focusing on the importance of classroom connections and shared best practices, teachers will interact with other teachers as they develop ways to sharpen writing instruction as well as create innovative writing assignments. This course will be led by experienced instructors who will guide informative discussions while modeling effective strategies for improved writing instruction.
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Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy (OMPT) - S1, S2, E1, E2
Featuring updated content and structure, these four courses provide an in-depth and systematic orthopedic manual therapy approach to the examination and treatment of muscles and joints of the trunk, neck and head and upper and lower extremities.
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Paralegal Certificate Program
The Paralegal Program introduces students to the study of law with an emphasis on real-world applications and legal procedures. Classes are taught by attorneys, judges, and qualified professionals who understand the role of the paralegal in modern legal practice. OU's Paralegal Program has maintained the ABA endorsement since its initial recognition in 1976.
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Patient Care Technician

The Patient Care Technician program is offered through the Oakland University's School of Nursing-Continuing Education. This program is currently being offered at the Riverview Institute of Oakland University in the heart of downtown Detroit. Riverview is one of the most technologically advanced medical training facilities in the state. This course provides the skills necessary for patient care delivery and can prepare you to work in an expanded role with registered nurses. This course will introduce the theoretical applications and techniques related to the role of the Patient Care Technician. Responsibilities such as diagnostic procedures will be taught; with an emphasis placed on safety, documentation, standard precautions, legal and ethical considerations and OSHA standards.
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Preparatory Course for Actuarial Exam P/1

This is a preparatory class designed to ready Actuarial Science students for the Society of Actuaries (SOA) and Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) Exam P/1 in Probability. The class time will be mostly devoted to problem solving, discussing exam strategies and taking sample exams to assess individual student's state of preparation for the exam.

Project Management Principles and Best Practices
This Project Management Institute-registered certificate program is designed for novices through experienced professionals. The course uses the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) as a text and is led by an instructor with over 30 years experience. It will help those preparing for PMI certification as well as those seeking to better understand the responsibilities of project management, such as creating clear and attainable objectives, building requirements, and managing the triple constraints of cost, time, and scope.
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Quantitative Methods Workshop
This non-credit course is intended to provide the graduate student with a review and/or introduction to many of the mathematical techniques and applications likely to be encountered in the working world, and is useful to professionals who need to brush up on these skills. Successful completion of this workshop satisfies the MBA quantitative methods prerequisite. Classroom attendance is essential. The textbook will be provided, but must be returned at the completion of the workshop.
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Retirement and Employee Benefits
Provides working knowledge of retirement planning tools, terminology and techniques, including the rules, regulations, and taxation of qualified and non-qualified plans: pension, profit sharing, 401(k), SEP, IRA, and deferred compensation. Includes study of the basic characteristics of specific employee benefits such as group life insurance and group health coverage. The financial planning process will be emphasized in class discussions with illustrations from practical experience and actual case histories. This class is part of the Financial Planning Certificate Course, but can be taken individually.
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Risk Management
Survey of risk management, primarily in the areas of life, health, casualty, and liability insurance. Includes analysis of risk exposure, evaluation techniques for various insurance plans, and contract selection criteria from a cost-benefit standpoint. Income and estate taxation laws as related to insurance premiums and benefits, alternative methods of funding insurance premiums, and the role of insurance in retirement and estate planning will also be discussed. This class is part of the Financial Planning Certificate Course, but can be taken individually.
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Startup Lean
Startup Lean is designed to help startups get off on the right foot by learning how to use valuable Lean principles to be as efficient, creative and successful as possible from day one to full business maturity. In this class you will learn: about Lean principles, how they can help startups, how to increase your value-added time, shorten your product development and supply-chain processes, measure actual progress and ask customers what they really value. Attend this class to learn how to leverage human creativity, become agile and make your processes more efficient, which will ensure more value-added time to do what you love to do - being an entrepreneur and helping our great state of Michigan. For the September 2012 series: Michigan Lean Consortium members can save 5% by using coupon code CELD30000M at registration (proof of membership required).
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Vegan Diet Course
"A Lifestyle Change to Improve Health: The Vegan Diet" course is offered through Oakland University's School of Nursing. The seven-week, online course offers a unique self-study module each week Anyone interested in learning about this culinary alternative to improving diet and lifestyle can register. Participants will learn how a vegan diet offers a well-balanced approach that offers benefits beyond the prevention of chronic illnesses that are often caused by poor choices in diet and lifestyles.OU's School of Nursing Vegan Diet course is designed to emphasize health enhancement benefits. Veganism is often a misunderstood lifestyle choice. While some still view it as "new age," researchers are finding evidence that following a balanced vegan diet boasts a host of health benefits while preventing major diseases such as most cancers, heart disease and type II diabetes. Additional benefits include weight reduction, increased energy levels and better health. Those enrolled in the course will enjoy a tasty approach to a wide variety of foods and menus that can eliminate the need for reliance on drugs as well.
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