Bachelor of Science in Agriculture - Plant and Soil Science

at Arkansas State University USA

The Plant and Soil Science area has a tradition of research and education in crop production, horticulture, soil management and precision agriculture technologies. We have an outstanding faculty who are developing management strategies for crop production, environmental protections, horticultural production, landscape management and maintenance, as well as preparing the future generation of land managers and agricultural professionals.

Emphasis Areas:

• Agronomy
• Environmental Horticulture

Prerequisites
Students majoring in Plant and Soil Science must complete specific courses as part of their general education coursework. This list of courses, as well as other curriculum and degree requirements, can be found in the most current Undergraduate Bulletin.

The Bachelors of Science in Information Systems and Business Analytics (ISBA) is designed to prepare students for careers as IT professionals.  Our graduates hold positions as network administrators, application programmers, website developers, database architects, operations schedulers, and technical support specialists, to name a few.  

Of particular interest to potential students who already have practical IT experience should be the alignment of many ISBA courses with industry certifications. Consequently, students can simultaneously complete their major requirements and prepare for industry certification exams.  This further makes it possible for students to receive course credit for certifications already earned.

The Department of ISBA, provides instruction and conducts research addressing information systems and the technology supporting those systems. We are involved also, through technology transfer, in assisting the University with its economic development mission for the Delta Region and beyond. In addition, as consultants, we serve other constituents within the University and around the local community.

As an interdisciplinary degree with content focused on life science, this program is amenable for those in teaching, medical technology, nursing, museum curatorial and other professions.

 Advising committees are formed to assist students in developing a program tailored to their long term professional goals and interests.

Mass Communication is the study of sharing information through media outlets to reach large population segments. The primary focus of the M.S. in Mass Communications is on the fundamentals of communication theories enabling students to acquire the ability to understand and use basic methods of communication research.

You can emphasize your studies in one of these areas:

• Journalism
• Radio/TV

The Electrical Engineering Programs at Arkansas State University are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET

The A-State EE program is a strong and growing component of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and has made major strides in development since its inception in 1982. The program offers a full and diverse undergraduate curriculum in both lecture and well-equipped laboratory courses, and is heavily committed to the total education, scholarship, and success of all of its students, and service to other constituents.

Faculty and Student Interaction

• The EE Program consists of four Ph.D. professors and approximately 50-75 students, both domestic and international, who work together in a cordial atmosphere conducive to excellence in education and scholarship. Class enrollments are usually in the range of 10-25 students, with laboratory course enrollments usually less than 20. These small classes promote frequent, direct interaction between professors and students, greatly enhancing the learning process.
• Laboratory courses in several electrical engineering areas provide intensive experience in experiment/data design, methodology, measurement, analysis, and communication. Students receive design experience not only through EE courses, but also through multidisciplinary Senior Design I and II courses required for all engineering majors.
• The EE program and college are also committed to preparing students for eventual licensing as Professional Engineers, and require students to take the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination during their senior year as the first step in the process. Most of the engineering faculty are themselves licensed Professional Engineers.

As does the entire College of Engineering, the Electrical Engineering Program has a mechanism in place to periodically assess its effectiveness in meeting its educational objectives and student learning outcomes (see below). This assessment process results in periodic modification to specific courses and the overall degree plan so as to better promote the achievement of the objectives and outcomes, themselves periodically formulated and revised, with the assistance of the Electrical Engineering Advisory Council, in relation to the evolving mission and resource base of the Program. This occurs within the context of the evolving needs of the region and nation, and the current state-of-the profession.

The specific educational objectives of the BSEE degree program are:

• Graduates have successfully advanced in electrical/computer engineering or related relevant practice as evidenced by contributions to their employers and the greater professional community.
• Graduates have pursued graduate degrees or completed professional development activities in continuing to advance their knowledge base in electrical engineering or related professional fields.
• Graduates have made a broader contribution by providing an engineering or otherwise technical or objective perspective to the challenges and opportunities of society.

The Electrical Engineering Program’s outcomes define the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors that program graduates are expected to have by the time of graduation from the Program.

The Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies focuses on the ways that people make use of both verbal and nonverbal messages to generate meanings within various contexts, cultures, and media.
Why major in communication studies?

75% of a person's day is spent communicating in some way, so the importance of being able to communicate clearly cannot be overemphasized.  Communication skills are essential to personal satisfaction and academic success, as well as employment.

Coursework Overview
Courses provide a strong theoretical foundation in communication as well as an emphasis on improvement in practical communication skills.  Majors in Communication Studies have the flexibility to focus on specific areas of interest while obtaining a thorough understanding of communications.

The Civil Engineering Programs at Arkansas State University are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.  Civil engineering is the application of math, science, and engineering fundamentals for the benefit of society and the supporting infrastructure systems.

Civil engineers are involved in the following areas:

• Environmental Engineering (pollution control including the design of water and waste water facilities)
• Water Resources (study of the flow of water over land, under ground and storage)
• Transportation Engineering (design of highways and studies of traffic flow)
• Structural Engineering (design of building, bridges and other related structures)
• Geotechnical Engineering (study of soil behaviors, land slides and other topics)

Civil Engineering at A-State
The civil engineering program of ASU offers courses in all areas of civil engineering with a strong general education component. The faculty is involved in research, solving engineering problems in the community, consulting work. These experiences are brought into the classroom so students receive a well-rounded educational experience. This includes learning the engineering theory as well as the practical application of the theory to real world problems.

Program Educational Objectives

The program educational objectives for the civil engineering program, which pertain to program graduates 3 to 5 years after completing the program, are:

• Graduates have successfully advanced in civil engineering practice as evidenced by their achievements and contributions to their employers and the greater engineering community.
• Graduates have pursued graduate degrees, obtained professional licensure, and/or completed professional development activities in continuing to advance their knowledge base in civil engineering or related professional fields.
• Graduates are actively working to improve their community and society in general by utilizing and sharing their engineering expertise.

Student Outcomes
The Student Outcomes for each of the undergraduate engineering programs are:

• An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics;
• An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors;
• An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences;
• An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts;
• An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives;
• An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions; and
• An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

The Department of Biological Sciences serves students desiring to gain a broad background in biology, botany, environmental biology, zoology, or wildlife ecology and management. This preparation qualifies students for professional work in health professions, teaching, research, industry, or for graduate study.

Emphasis Areas:

• Biology
• Botany
• Pre-professional Studies
• Zoology

The Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Science focuses on the basics of computer problem solving applicable to the science disciplines.  The program builds a strong foundation in programming, software development, algorithms, computer organization, operating systems, networking, and database systems.  

In addition, a broad exposure to mathematics and the sciences provide an understanding of problem solving using the scientific method.  Students will gain skills in several programming environments and software applications through laboratories and classroom assignments.  Electives are part of the program and allow students to explore various topics in artificial intelligence, distributed systems, graphics, compilers, and advanced programming.

The strategic communications program prepares students to use advertising, public relations, social media, and organizational communication to build mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and its key stakeholders.

Students graduating from this program will know and understand how to use advertising, public relations, social media, branding, crisis communication, media relations, research methods and evaluation tools to help organizations communicate and build relationships with their publics.  They will be prepared to work for advertising and public relations agencies, companies big and small, governmental agencies, and nonprofit organizations such as universities, hospitals, museums and NGOs.

Degree Emphasis
You can emphasize your studies in one of these areas:

• Advertising
• Public Relations
• Social Media Management