Bachelor of Arts in Physics

at California State University - East Bay USA

Anthropology is the multifaceted study of humanity from an evolutionary, historical, and global perspective. Students in anthropology learn about their own culture as well as those of other peoples as they are shaped by biological evolution, ecological constraints, political history, and sociological conditioning. The Department of Anthropology, Geography, and Environmental Studies offers ethnographic, theoretical and methodological courses in five sub-disciplines: biological anthropology, prehistory and archaeology, linguistic anthropology, sociocultural anthropology, and applied anthropology. Regional courses on major populations of the world, especially the heritage cultures of North and South America, and Asia, form an important component of the curriculum. The B.A. degree program bridges the sciences, social sciences, and humanities, preparing students for multidimensional careers. Fundamentally, the study of anthropology cultivates an appreciation of what all humans share, as well as how humans differ across time and space.

At the undergraduate level, students in the B.A. degree program may choose to focus on special interests in two combined sub-disciplines:

• Archaeology and Biological Anthropology emphasize the study of human biology, variation, evolution, and the reconstruction of past ways of life and cultural systems from material remains.
• Socio-Cultural and Applied Anthropology emphasize the study of social and cultural systems of more recent historical and contemporary populations, and the application of anthropological insights into present-day problems.

The university offers the B.A. degree in English with three distinct concentrations: literature, creative writing, and English language and literacies.  The student seeking a degree must observe the general university requirements stated elsewhere in this catalog as well as the specific departmental requirements stated here.

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry provides a strong education in chemistry and biochemistry that prepares its students to function and thrive in society. The department attempts to increase the problem solving and critical thinking skills of all students. Non-science students learn about the scientific and chemical aspects of everyday life that allow them to understand issues related to the environment, energy production, disease prevention, and nutrition. Students of the sciences learn the fundamentals of chemistry that control the interactions of elements and molecules. Building on an understanding of mathematics, physics, and biology, biochemistry majors receive a background in the major disciplines of chemistry including inorganic, analytical, organic, and physical, and take in-depth coursework in biochemistry. Students learn the protocols and techniques for working safely with chemicals and biochemicals. The department recognizes the importance of the pursuit of new knowledge in the development of skilled scientists and productive members of society, and encourages its students to participate in research projects and cooperative educational opportunities.

The Biochemistry, B.A. degree prepares students for employment in biochemistry, biotechnology and related fields. It can also serve as preparation for professional health-related programs such as pharmacy or medicine. The Biochemistry, B.A.: Chemistry Education Concentration is designed for students interested in teaching chemistry at the high school level but also prepares graduates to work as biochemists in industry or government. This program prepares students to enter a single subject credential program.

The Recreation degree prepares students for leadership positions in public recreation and leisure services agencies. Such work enhances the quality of life for millions of people each day across the nation. Specializations available in the degree include the Sustainability Concentration, Youth Development Programming Concentration, and a Recreation Therapy Concentration that prepares students to sit for the state RT licensing exam.

Potential jobs in this rewarding field include program coordinators, supervisors and directors in a variety of areas including day camps, sports, youth, teen and older adult activities and classes and naturalist, park ranger positions. Many graduates from our program are leaders in leisure services organizations including Concord, Livermore, Oakland, Pleasanton, San Ramon, and the East Bay Regional Park District.

Psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes. Many psychologists work primarily with people to understand how they think, respond to stress, learn and forget, develop into unique personalities, and interact with one another. Others study the behavior and nervous systems of animals in order to find general principles that apply across species. Psychologists apply their knowledge to do therapy and counseling, to improve practices in schools, prisons, and rehabilitation centers, and to enhance performance in industrial and business settings.

The B.S. programs are designed for more specialized purposes. Students in the B.S. program must select one of the two concentrations in that program: Industrial/Organizational Psychology or Ergonomics and Human Factors. The concentration in Industrial/Organizational Psychology provides preparation for careers related to business, with an emphasis on personnel management. The concentration in Ergonomics and Human Factors provides preparation for careers in the design of work environments to take account of human limitations and strengths, for example, the design of equipment (computers, aircraft, automobiles) or the design of industrial procedures.

The Department of Statistics and Biostatistics offers graduate study leading to the degree Master of Science in Statistics. The program is flexible in order to serve the needs of students with varying backgrounds (including statistics, mathematics, computer science, engineering, business, economics and other quantitative fields) and with different career objectives. The program includes concentrations in in Actuarial Science, Applied Statistics, Data Science, and Mathematical Statistics. All students are expected to master a wide variety of applied statistical, computational, and probabilistic techniques and the theoretical foundations upon which these techniques are based. Students are expected to be familiar with recent developments in the field and to be able to use the statistical literature to learn new techniques and theories throughout their professional careers. In addition to the general requirements stated elsewhere in this catalog, students must satisfy the departmental requirements stated in the following paragraphs.

The Environmental Studies Undergraduate Major is characterized by its focus on equitable, just, and sustainable environmental solutions. Environmental professionals who emerge from the program are generalists who can identify and synthesize the ecological, social, ethical, economic, technical, and behavioral dimensions of critical environmental problems. Using qualitative and quantitative problem-solving concepts, approaches, and tools, our students are prepared to synthesize and communicate appropriate environmental solutions.

Majors are typically involved in campus and community sustainability projects such as greenhouse gas assessment, water resource and sustainability assessment, climate action and sustainability planning, and urban restoration projects. The program engages actively in collaborations across the campus, locally, and internationally. The Major benefits by close association with the Geography Program, providing students access to training in the spatial analytical tools that can greatly leverage their expertise for careers as sustainability directors and environmental resource managers. The program also benefits from aggressive regional and state programs to promote environmental sustainability and social justice that make the San Francisco Bay Area a national hotspot for environmental careers.

The Department of Philosophy at Cal State East Bay seeks to promote the exploration of enduring human concerns - concerns, for example, about the nature of knowledge, ethics, truth, and God. In addition to emphasizing classical philosophy, the department encourages students to think critically about contemporary debates, particularly in the areas of law, human rights, and social justice; science, technology, and values; and religion. The department’s faculty strive to instill in students lifelong habits of questioning, of exploring views contrary to their own, and of engaging in reasoned and honest dialogue. By their focus on analysis, comprehension and communication, they aim to develop qualities that are essential to personal fulfillment, civic responsibility, and career success.

Many different kinds of students choose the major in philosophy. Some intend to do graduate work in philosophy, often with the intention of becoming philosophy professors who research and teach in philosophy. Others take philosophy as a preparation for another professional area. Traditionally, for example, philosophy has been one of the chief roads to professional law schools. Philosophy also serves as a good general liberal arts education, since many of the long-established university disciplines are founded on philosophical principles: political science, sociology, education, aesthetics, physics, and other subjects. Finally, many students major in philosophy in order to prepare for careers that require clarity of thought, analytical ability, good writing skills, and the ability to present a reasoned argument.

The BS in Economics trains students in the tools of economic analysis and exposes them to a great breadth of areas in which those tools can be used to tackle problems, including international trade and finance, labor markets, industry structure, firms’ business strategy and competition, public policy and management, the environment, health care, economic development and income inequality, corporate governance and entrepreneurship, money markets and Federal Reserve policy, and law. The program provides rigorous analytical training and quantitative and programming skills that equip students to correctly formulate (and solve) complex problems in the preceding areas and in the daily decision-making and financial planning of their everyday lives. Economics students learn techniques for critically analyzing and correctly evaluating key issues in public policy, and those skills can also be applied outside the public sector (e.g., to business).

This program is designed to prepare teachers and educational professionals advanced training and integrated competencies in the area of Curriculum and Instruction. The program is committed to the philosophy that teachers are dedicated to the academic achievement of all students in the T-K-12 arena and beyond. National, state and local documents are analyzed in coursework to promote inclusive and diverse instruction. Evidenced-based pedagogies, inquiry-based learning and social justice are examined through a critical lens. This 3-semester program caters to the working practitioner and classes are offered at convenient times. Students take a series of classes designed to prepare them to become creators and consumers of curriculum and implement an action-research project in an educational setting. This degree is intended for the T-K-12 teacher and other instructors.