Bachelor of Arts

at California State University - Fresno USA

The M.P.A. Program builds on the belief that effective leadership of public agencies requires a basic set of abilities and public values irrespective of the particular characteristics of an organization. Courses in the program focus on the development of critical thinking and analytical skills, as well as an appreciation for ethical decision making.

All students in the program complete a core program of 21 units within the 36 units required for the M.P.A. In consultation with their advisers, students will select the remaining units from graduate public administration courses and courses offered by other departments and programs. These units can be used to further develop a general competence in public administration or to provide students with an opportunity to pursue additional topics of interest. The M.P.A. student can meet the university Graduate Writing Requirement by passing the writing component of the course MPA 210. Please see program director for the written policy. To finish the program students may elect to write a thesis or to take a comprehensive examination.

Join the leader in science, technology, and management. The award-winning Agricultural Business Program at California State University, Fresno is a pacesetter -- having been recognized by the Agribusiness Education Project, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and comprised of agricultural industry leaders and higher education scholars from around the country.

The agricultural business curriculum is a comprehensive and integrative program of economic principles and business application with a problem-solving orientation and a practical experience emphasis.

Prepare for the future in agricultural sciences, technology, and management with a degree in agricultural education. The Department of Animal Sciences and Agricultural Education offers options in agricultural communications, teacher preparation, science, and production management. The science option has career specialization in the areas of preprofessional animal science and preveterinary medicine. The production management option offers career specialization in the areas of dairy science, equine science, meat technology and livestock, and poultry management. Courses integrate animal evaluation, behavior, disease, environmental management, genetics, health, marketing, muscle biology, nutrition, physiology, production, and reproduction.

The agricultural education major is designed to equip students for careers as agricultural communication specialists or secondary agriculture teachers. Specializations may be developed in agricultural business, animal sciences, plant sciences, or mechanized agriculture.

Mechanical engineering is the use of basic science in the design and manufacture of components and systems. This requires the application of physical and mechanical principles in the development of machines, energy conversion systems, materials, and equipment for measurement and control. Knowledge of mathematics, physics, and chemistry lies at the core of this field. Application of this knowledge uses engineering technology -- a disciplined way of thinking, modeling, and testing that enables development of new systems despite incomplete information and uncertainty.

The graduate program in mechanical engineering provide basics and advanced studies in design, advanced materials, alternative energy and sustainable systems, thermo-fluids, engineering mechanics, mechatronics and controls. All areas include statics, dynamics, materials, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and experimental methods. Application areas in design include mechanics of materials, applied mechanics, structural and manufacturing aspects of producing equipment, and vibrations. Application areas in thermal and fluid mechanics focus on energy conversion and include combustion, heat engines, refrigeration, and fluid flow.

The Master of Science in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling is a 60-unit professional degree program designed for persons who desire to practice in the field of counseling. The degree may qualify graduates for employment in private or agency counseling practices, county mental health programs, employee assistance programs, drug and alcohol abuse centers, and hospital mental health settings. Completion of the M.S. in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling fulfills the educational requirements for the state of California Marriage and Family Therapist License.

Students seeking licensure should contact their program advisor for information regarding licensing. This degree program is designed to meet the requirements of Division 2, Chapter 13, Section 4980.37 of the California Business and Professions Code. The MFCC degree is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Students are qualified to take the National  Counselor Exam upon graduation, which is used in the professional counselor licensing process in several states and leads to the National Certified Counselor Credential.

On October 11, 2009, the State of California approved a new mental health counseling license by adopting SB 788: Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), which was sponsored by the American Counseling Association (ACA). It has been approved and signed into law by the Governor. At this time, all coursework required for the LPCC license is offered by the Counselor Education Program. Special advising is required to determine exact coursework and sequencing. This special advising coordinates acquisition of LPCC courses while a student is pursing one of the specific counseling degrees offered by the department.

Prepare for the future in agricultural sciences, technology, and management with a degree in animal sciences or agricultural education. The Department of Animal Sciences and Agricultural Education offers options in agricultural communications, teacher preparation, science, and production management. The science option has career specialization in the areas of preprofessional animal science and preveterinary medicine. The production management option offers career specialization in the areas of dairy science, equine science, meat technology and livestock, and poultry management. Courses integrate animal evaluation, behavior, disease, environmental management, genetics, health, marketing, muscle biology, nutrition, physiology, production, and reproduction.

The agricultural education major is designed to equip students for careers as agricultural communication specialists or secondary agriculture teachers. Specializations may be developed in agricultural business, animal sciences, plant sciences, or mechanized agriculture.

Chicano and Latin American Studies (CLAS) is an interdisciplinary department that has been successful in presenting a highly informed, active, and challenging view of the Chicanx/Latinx experience in the United States, Latin America, and U.S./Latin American relations. Chicano and Latin American Studies provides an opportunity for a pluralistic exchange of ideas in an interdisciplinary academic setting, where faculty, students, and visiting scholars can share experiences and create a dynamic, intellectual environment.

The Chicano and Latin American Studies Department is designed to meet the following objectives:

1. to promote an awareness of the historical and cultural roots of Chicanx/Latinx people in the United States
2. to enhance an understanding of Latin America
3. to cultivate an appreciation of ethnic and national differences among all people
4.  to critically analyze the Chicanx and the Latin American experience in terms of significant issues, theories, current problems, and solutions, and
5. to provide students with a set of important professional skills to be utilized as they interact creatively and constructively with Chicanx/Latinx communities and multicultural society at large.

The department emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of family life, history, politics, culture, and the arts of Chicano and Latin American communities. The courses reflect an integrated approach in providing students with greater knowledge and understanding of the social reality and diversity of Chicanxs and Latin Americans.

A major in music is designed to prepare students for careers in teaching, performance, or music-related fields. It enhances their knowledge of the musical art and increases their sensitivity to the musical world around them.

The Department of Music provides the following:

• undergraduate instruction in music for those planning professional careers as performers, composers, and studio teachers, as well as those preparing for advanced degrees in performance and composition
• state-approved subject matter preparation required for a California teaching credential in music
• graduate education for students planning professional and academic careers or seeking professional growth as K-12 teachers or junior college instructors
• broad acquaintance with music for the community and non-music majors

Economics is the social science that studies the way in which societies are organized to produce the goods and services that sustain and enhance the life processes of the community. As a fundamental scientific discipline, economics employs systematic analysis in the study of the production and distribution of income within and among nations. Since all social policy issues in modern societies have an economic dimension, the study of economics offers the student an opportunity to investigate the most important and exciting problems of political economy facing the world today.

Such topics as inflation, unemployment, business cycles, international trade, finance, and development have long been within the province of economics. More recently, the economic way of thinking has been extended to other areas. Economic theories have been used to explain crime rates, birth rates, class conflict, pollution, marriage decisions, migration, and many other topics involving human behavior.

Economics majors acquire skills in critical and analytical thinking that contribute to an individual's intellectual independence and self-confidence in the problem-solving processes. In addition, economics majors confront the necessity of developing a broad view of the options facing humankind in organizing the production and distribution of income. The literature of economics presents widely diverse systems of political economic philosophy. The department offers a well-developed and balanced curriculum.

The program in economics is designed to give the student maximum flexibility. A typical economics major might take courses in intermediate macroeconomic theory and statistics while also learning about global corporations in the third world, or the regional economy, or pursue an independent study project on the foundations of supply-side economics. The economics major is designed to permit the student to pursue a broad liberal arts undergraduate degree, integrating the study of economics with other social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, and business administration.

Audiology, speech-language pathology, deaf education and interpreting are concerned with many issues related to speech, healing, and language. Professionals in audiology and speech-language pathology ?elds are devoted to providing diagnostic, rehabilitative, and educational services to children and adults with communicative challenges. Professionals in deaf education and interpreting ?elds are devoted to providing educational services and community-related services to children and adults who communicate in American Sign Language and/or other communication modalities.

Bachelor of Arts
The Bachelor of Arts degree in Communicative Sciences provides the students with a liberal arts foundation integrated with courses designed to provide a basic understanding of speech, language, and hearing development and communicative problems. Students pursuing deaf studies have three options: deaf education, deaf studies, and sign language interpretation. Students majoring in deaf education and speech-language pathology can continue their options in our graduate program.

Deaf Education. Our deaf education program gives you a broad background in bilingual-bicultural education, total communication, and cued speech philosophies along with speech, language, auditory training, deaf culture, and American Sign Language. This program includes all of the essential elements of a good education for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. The program is nationally accredited by the Council of Education of the Deaf (CED).