BUAD 252

Strategies for Professional Development

Fall 2014
Professor: Kirk Snyder
Office: ACC 215 F Office Hours 12:00 to 2:00 T/TH
Office Phone: 213-740-0500 Cell Phone/Text: 949-633-0778
E-mail: kirks@marshall.usc.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course examines both major theoretical principles and applied concepts of professional
development practices and strategies, contemporary workplace issues, and employment trends that
impact the career decision making process for college students in the 21st century. This course is
designed to prepare students with specialized knowledge and practical tools to better understand the
impact of the relationship between their Marshall education and their own professional development
across diverse fields and industries in both the immediate future and over a lifetime.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Global Learning Objectives:

Gain an understanding of both theoretical and applied models of professional development

frameworks to support strategic individual professional exploration, goal setting, and personal
achievement in the contemporary world of work.

Learn about best practices of professional development in todays changing business landscape
including the impact of new and evolving contemporary communication channels on the
professional development process.

Identify individual professional competencies, prioritize professional values, and develop a lifelong systems-based approach to the career decision making process across diverse fields and
industries.

Detailed Learning Objectives:

Each student will develop an individual systems-based professional development plan over the
semester to fit his or her unique individuality, abilities (talents and skills), and professional values
and needs that align with the context and realities of a global workplace.

Understand the past, present and future trends of career development theories and their impact on
the career decision-making process in todays ever-changing professional landscape through
readings, exercises, experiential research, and team projects.
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Introduce the role that assessment tools and resources are used in the professional development
process and how to access these tools and resources within the University.

Critically evaluate the impact of technology and globalization as a colleague, manager and leader
across diverse fields and industries as playing a key role in professional development.

Connect to the knowledge-base of working professionals in a variety of fields to increase the

connection between majors and identified professional goals and outcomes.

REQUIRED MATERIALS
Bronson, Po. What Should I Do With My Life? The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate
Question, Ballentine Books, 2005.
OPTIONAL:

Patton, Wendy. Career Development and Systems Theory: Connecting Theory and
Practice, Sense Publishers, 2006.
Swanson, Jane. Career Theory and Practice: Learning Through Case Studies, Sage
Publishing, 2010
Harrington, Brad & Hall, Douglas. Career Management & Work-Life Integration:
Using Self-Assessment to Navigate Contemporary Careers, Sage Publications, 2007

PREREQUISITES AND/OR RECOMMENDED PREPARATION

BUAD 252 is targeted to sophomores but is open to everyone seeking practical knowledge and tools to
assist in their individual professional development. Because the learning objectives of this course may
potentially impact the selection of majors/minors, elective coursework and external internships, taking
this course during the sophomore year is highly recommended.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Attend and participate in all classroom discussions, activities, and panels.

One Mid-Term examination. (Based on theoretical principles and course readings)
One group project and presentation. (Collectively each team will identify key professional
development strategies based on individual experiential research and provide learning outcomes
based on this research)
One written term paper. (My Model Fit)
Contribute to the Discussion Board following each in-class professional panel. (On-Going)
Individual Professional Development Plan. (Final Paper)
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GRADING SUMMARY
Strategies for Professional Development is a CR/NC two unit course. Students will be evaluated on a
600 point scale. To receive credit for the course, students must receive a final grade of C or better.

Assignments

Points

Discussion Board Posts (On-Going)

50

Mid-Term (Short Essay Questions)

75

Term Paper (My Model Fit)

100

Group Project

125

Final Career Development Plan Paper

150

Professionalism/Engagement

100

Total

600 Points

Assignment Details
Discussion Board Posts: A course discussion forum will be created at the beginning of the
semester to facilitate online discussion and interaction between students about various course topics
and panels. Topics will be posted on BB and discussed in class. Students must post responses to at
least 4 questions over the course of the semester to receive credit for Discussion Board Posts.

Mid-Term: The mid-term will consist of short essay questions based on relating course readings
and material presented in class to each students individual professional development. These
questions will provide foundational material that will be used in both the term paper and final paper.

Term Paper (My Model Fit): Each student will describe in a 3 page single-spaced paper what their
model professional fit is in the contemporary world of work. Serving as a prototype for each
students model fit this paper provides students with tangible criteria to use as guidelines and
benchmarks as they evaluate potential corporate and organizational environments across diverse
industries and fields. The criteria will range from the desired personalities of their colleagues to
salary to organizational structure to what you wear to work and what kind of a boss you have in
their model professional fit. Through this paper students will be able to begin to adapt their ideal
model fit to identify key criteria that contribute to higher levels of job engagement, satisfaction and
productivity. This assignment also serves as a building block for the final career development plan
paper as students begin to identify important elements of their professional identity.

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Group Project: This assignment is segmented into two parts:

Part A: In teams of 4-5 students, each student will individually interview one professional in a
position of interest. Students will be tasked with finding out key facts about their interview subject
(including criteria identified in their model professional fit). These key facts will also include the
positives and negatives about this particular field/industry and position as seen through the eyes of
their interviewee and the success factors needed to flourish in the field. In these interviews, students
will also be tasked to learn about domestic and global trends that are changing or may change this
particular career path, as well as those career decisions the interviewee has made that have been
successful as well as not successful.
Part B: Each team will synthesize through their collective findings and present what they
determine to be the most valuable takeaways that people entering each field need to know. This
group presentation will be an opportunity to provide other students as well as you and your team
with valuable information about the realities of a variety of career fields. A detailed prompt will be
posted describing a suggested outline for the group presentation. Note: It is fine to have more than
one person on the team assess the same or similar field.
Final Career Development Plan Paper: Based on the systems theory model of career
development, students will develop their own professional development plan for the next five years
including internships, education to enhance abilities, and strategic actions for entry into the
contemporary world of work as full-time employees after graduation. As a systems-based
framework for career development, students will identify in this paper how their professional
identity aligns with the internal reality of an organization, how their abilities (talents and skills)
aligns with the success factors of a position, and how their personal image aligns with the external
image of the employer. This paper brings together and leverages the work students have done to
date in the class through the other assignments to create a unique professional roadmap for each
student.
Professionalism/Engagement: Throughout the semester, you will participate in classroom
discussions as well as online discussions that will be included in this part of your grade. This part
of your grade will be evaluated based on how active a role you take in these discussions,
camaraderie and supportiveness in team activities/assignments, attending office hours, bringing
relevant ideas or topical news items to discuss with the class based on topics we are covering in the
course, level of commitment in the individual student meetings, etc. Multiple absences, lateness
and lack of overall engagement will negatively affect your grade as will not paying attention to the
professor, classroom guests or your peers when they are speaking or presenting.
Career Panels: Due to scheduling of guests, the larger career panels may be scheduled either on
Tuesday or Thursday during the same class timeframe.

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Course Schedule
Please note that the dates below reflect both Tuesday and Thursday sections.
Session One:
8/25-27/14

Session Two:
9/2-4/14

Course Introduction

What Does Work Mean to Me? Where do I Want to Go?

Session Three:
9/9-11/14

Session Four:
9/16-18/14

Review Syllabus and Deliverables.

Individual introductions and course goals.
The foundation of a systems theory approach to professional
development: Why it makes sense in a changing world.

Networking Roundtable: What do I want to do with my life?

Identifying individual talents, skills, professional values and personal
goals.
Professional assessments: What they are, What do they mean, How to use
them
In-class exercise: Talents vs. SkillsWhat am I really good at and how
can that create value for me in the workplace?

Career Development: Motivation and Engagement

Talents and Skills

Defining my Professional Identity
MBTI
What are my key workplace values?
In-class group interviews: My Ideal Job
For next class -- Consider this question: What does success mean to me?

Creating a System for Success

My Model Fit Assignment (Introduction and Discussion)

Career Development/Theories have always been about fit
Defining Success: Why are we seeking our professional passion?
Discussion of assigned readings per BB (Accenture Study, Articles as
posted)

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Session Five:
9/23-25/14

Session Six:
9/30 & 10/2

Career Panel: Finding my Way Connecting the dots between your

professional identity and the world of work.

The Work Life Balance: Individual, Social and Environmental Systems

Session Seven
10/7-9/14

Session Eight:
10/14-16/14

Session Ten:
10/28-30/14

Ask the experts: Come prepared with questions!

The Professional Impact of Technology, Transparency, and Connection

10/21-23/14

Roundtable review of last weeks panel

How the professional development process is impacted by each system
that makes up our lives.
Review for Midterm
Discussion of assigned readings (Bronson, pp.111-142)

Mid Term (Due at beginning of class)

Session Nine:

Ask the experts: Come prepared with questions!

Semester Check-in/Update: Defining my own professional development

plan
How is technology changing the workplace in the future and how will it
impact me?
Bricks and mortar vs. virtual offices and team communication
Introduction of Team Project and Team Meetings (Begin brainstorming
on Part A of this assignment interviewing professionals in a targeted
position of interest)

Career Panel: Finding my Way Connecting the dots between your

professional identity and the world of work.

Ask the experts: Come prepared with questions!

My Plan for Success

Term Paper Due -- My Model Fit

Connecting my professional identity to different career paths
In-Class Exercise: How do I fit in?
Creating my plan for success (final paper)
Team Assignments for Group Project

DELIVERABLE: Term Paper (My Model Fit)

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Session Eleven:
11/4-6-/14
Session Twelve:
11/11-13/14

Career Panel: Finding my Way Connecting the dots between your

professional identity and the world of work.

Personal Branding and Professional Development

Session Thirteen:
11/18-20/14

Ask the experts: Come prepared with questions!

Team Project Meetings (Developing a plan to interview professionals in a

targeted position of interest)
Discussion of assigned readings about personal branding and achieving
professional goals (Posted on Blackboard)
Creating your brand as a professional commodity in 2014

Group Project Presentations

Each team will present their own professional development strategies

based on each team members individual research interviewing
professionals in fields of individual interest.
Review for Final Papers and Individual Briefings

11/25-27/14

THANKSGIVING

Session Fifteen:
12/2-4/14

Taking the Next Step

Final Papers Due: My Plan for Success

Individual Briefings: Highlights of my professional development plan
Course Wrap up and Next Steps

DELIVERABLE: Final Paper

INTERNSHIP CREDIT
Students enrolled in BUAD 252, Strategies for Professional Development, may also receive
academic credit through this course for a current internship. This is not viewed as extra credit or as
a substitute for other required assignments. It is offered as a developmental courtesy to those
students currently engaged in an internship. In order to be eligible, you will need to provide a
completed internship form to the instructor by week 3 and your internship supervisor will be
required to complete an evaluation form at the end of the semester. In addition, you will be asked to
complete an additional written deliverable for the course in the form of an experiential journal based
on your workplace experience over the course of the semester. Not completing this deliverable in
exchange for receiving academic credit for your current internship will negatively impact your
professionalism/engagement grade.