Cedar Crest College is a liberal arts college primarily for women dedicated to the education of the next generation of leaders. Cedar Crest College prepares students for life in a global community by educating the whole student at all stages of life and experience.

Philosophy of Graduate Education

Building on a foundation of teaching excellence, our graduate education provides all students with the tools necessary to serve as industry leaders and advanced practitioners in their chosen field.  Our programs emphasize expertise, judgment, and the vision to serve as dynamic and responsible role models within diverse and inclusive communities.  They provide pathways for professional knowledge creation and implementation for the advancement of society.  Cedar Crest’s philosophy of graduate education consists of four key values: scholarship, innovation, collaboration, and professionalism.

Scholarship:  Graduate students learn the theories, methods, and practices necessary to create knowledge within their chosen disciplines. This includes the integration, dissemination, and application of information by advanced practitioners bringing the latest research into active practice.  Scholarship requires honest engagement, ethical integrity, openness to work across disciplines, and a healthy respect for what is true and verifiable.

Innovation: Graduate study requires a commitment to exploring new ideas, methods, and approaches in order to advance knowledge and practice.  Innovation begins from honest engagement in the scholarly process and the curiosity to address unresolved opportunities in a particular field.  It requires critical and analytic inquiry as the foundation of an ethical development of knowledge.

Collaboration: Individuals and organizations exist in local, national, and global contexts, and it is within these structures that they can develop strategies to address emerging societal, cultural, and scientific challenges.  Graduate study should prepare students to communicate effectively and collaborate inclusively with a variety of partners inside and outside of a given organization via spoken, written, and digital platforms.

Professionalism:  Graduate programs prepare students with a set of expectations for professional skills and behavior in the workplace, including appropriate communication and ethical documentation of materials and processes. Advanced learners commit to continual self-development to keep up with industry and scientific innovation in any field of knowledge.  Professionalism also requires understanding the unique needs of key stakeholder groups and presenting inclusive solutions that build equity in communities.