Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics - General Linguistics Option

at California State University - Fresno USA

The Department of Finance and Business Law offers three options (areas of emphasis) within the Bachelor of Science in the Business Administration degree program.

The Finance Option stresses the financial structure of businesses through a common set of courses and specialized courses directed at various applications. It is designed to provide students with the basic skills required to plan, supervise, and control the financial activities of business organizations. These include understanding the trade-off between risk and return, the time value of money, and the magnifying effect of leverage. Students also gain the skills related to evaluating the financial needs of a business, obtaining the funds required by the firm, and using these funds in such a way that the company's goals are met.

The mission of the Liberal Studies Program is to provide rigorous and relevant subject matter preparation for elementary teaching that is committed to equity and social justice.

The Liberal Studies Program has received an Elementary Subject Matter Authorization from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. This authorization permits graduates from the program to satisfy the Subject Matter Proficiency requirement for the Multiple Subject Credential Program through completion of required coursework.

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.

English is a general major or minor designed to give proficiency in skills that traditionally have been among the most highly prized by society: an ability to read with comprehension and critical judgment; to communicate accurately and clearly both orally and in writing; to grasp difficult ideas and think logically; to do research and organize materials; to make ethical and moral judgments from an historical and humanistic framework; and to appreciate literature and the arts.

The Master of Arts program in English, Rhetoric and Writing Studies Option, serves several categories of students: those teaching high school and community college, those anticipating doctoral studies, those studying creative or expository writing, and those simply interested in extending and intensifying the knowledge acquired in their undergraduate studies.

The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences offers an interdisciplinary approach to the natural sciences with an emphasis on biology, chemistry, and geology. This degree is designed for students interested in areas such as pollution abatement, water resources, ecosystem protection, restoration, or management.

Because of increasing mobility in our modern world, it takes no time at all to travel to places where people speak a language other than English. If you visit or go to work in another country you will quickly learn the fallacy of the phrase, "Everyone speaks English there; don't worry!" Even in California, scarcely a day goes by that you do not hear people conversing in a language other than English, because the United States has a wealth of different heritage languages. Whether you travel overseas or stay in the United States, you will be more culturally sensitive if you are bilingual and bicultural. For example, agricultural, health, and music professionals benefit from knowing another language. It is never too late to acquire another culture and language.

The goal of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures is to encourage multiculturalism and multilingualism in the Central Valley. That includes preparing students for communication in some of the important heritage languages of the area: German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. These are also important languages of Mexico, Central and South America, and the European Union, so students are able to travel or work overseas with greater ease. The department also offers Greek and Latin, as well as Classical Studies and Humanities.

The department has programs for those who wish to be middle and high school teachers of French and Spanish. We offer courses to prepare those who wish to be bilingual/ cross-cultural teachers in elementary schools. We also offer courses in Italian, Portuguese, and other languages to the surrounding community. The department offers a major and a minor in French and Spanish, a minor in German, a minor in Humanities, and a minor in Classical Studies. We collaborate with the Department of Linguistics to offer the B.A. Option in Language Studies.

The Department of Linguistics offers an M.A. in Linguistics with an option in General Linguistics and an M.A. in Linguistics with an option in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. At California State University, Fresno, students may also get a Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Computational Linguistics or Cognitive Science. Department faculty will assist students in planning such a program. For specific requirements, see Degree Requirements below; for general requirements see Division of Research and Graduate Studies.

The Master of Arts degree program in Linguistics assumes a baccalaureate degree major in an appropriate field and at least three upper-division courses in linguistics as prerequisites. Graduate students are required to complete at least 30 units of courses with a minimum of 21 units of graduate level courses, and to pass a comprehensive examination or complete a thesis.

The Africana Studies program (AFRS) at California State University, Fresno offers an interdisciplinary curriculum that illuminates the connectedness of the human experience and provides culturally-appropriate knowledge and skills. This helps students understand the experiences of African peoples all over the world and other ethnic groups in the United States. The program also involves its faculty and students in research, experiential learning, career counseling, computer technology, curriculum development, conference participation, and extended day, evening, and weekend courses.

Africana Studies emphasizes the study of the history and culture of African Americans as they relate to the experiences of Africans on the continent and other peoples of African descent in the Diaspora. The major in Africana Studies provides an epistemological basis for understanding issues that pertain to the experiences of African peoples and other minority ethnic groups in the American society. The curriculum promotes an awareness of the African heritage of African Americans and others throughout the Americas. Opportunities are provided for students to engage in study abroad and service-learning in Africa and the Caribbean to stimulate intellectual interest in, and linkage to, contemporary Africa and the African Diaspora while enhancing global understanding of the varied social realities of the human experience.

California boasts the largest number of sports organizations in the entire U.S. In California's Central Valley alone, semi-professional or professional teams are well represented, in all the major sports, including the increasingly popular motor racing industry. Additionally, the Central Valley offers a plethora of university, community college, high school, and community sports programs. It is also home to sporting goods manufacturers. The global sports industry is rapidly growing, with the United States sports industry contributing more than $213 billion to the economy, outpacing agriculture and motor vehicle sales combined. In addition, more than 75% of the jobs being created in sports in the U.S. are marketing-related. The proliferation of sports-related businesses in California offers a wide variety of career opportunities for students prepared to enter the market after completion of a bachelor's degree program in sports marketing. The openings for sports marketing and recreation professionals are growing faster on average than for all other professions. The industry needs educators and managers who can create and manage programs to meet the ever-growing demand for leadership in sports and recreation. Graduates who earn bachelor's degrees in sports marketing will be prepared for positions such as sports marketing account managers, event planning and conference managers, facility managers, ticket operations directors, sporting goods marketing and sales managers, and sponsorship sales managers. The list of potential employers includes, but is not limited to, all professional (MLB, NHL, NBA, NFL, etc.), and semi-professional sports, collegiate sports (NCAA, NAIA, etc.), sporting event management, and sports agency.

Contemplating a vibrant career in media, communications or journalism? Check out the MCJ Department. An exciting array of options awaits students, including advertising, broadcast journalism, film and media arts, digital journalism and public relations.

Graduates of the MCJ Department work for many of America’s leading print and digital news outlets, radio and television stations, broadcast and film production companies, advertising agencies, public relations firms, corporations, government agencies, and community-based organizations.

Digital journalism. The written word remains one of the most powerful forms of human communication, both in physical publications and on the web. Digital journalism graduates are working for leading news outlets, including The New York Times, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle and The Fresno Bee, along with TV stations running their online operations. Alumni have also embarked on literary careers and include award-winning non-fiction authors. The Collegian, Fresno State’s award-winning student-run news organization, serves as a key laboratory classroom and allows students to get hands-on experience covering local news.