Master of Arts in Communication

at California State University - Fresno USA

The Master of Biotechnology offers students who are fundamentally educated in varied scientific disciplines the opportunities to advance their scientific skills. It allows them to acquire the business knowledge and skills necessary to commercialize emerging technologies or their products. Offered as a two-year program, it is representative of a unique interdisciplinary degree concept, the Professional Science Master's (PSM) degree, designed for students interested in entering the workforce in leadership roles to promote the development and production of new products and processes.

The world of the 21st century is a place where there are very complex interactions between an increasingly fragile environment and the people who make up the many varied and diverse cultures on it. Geographers are uniquely trained to "see the big picture" so that they can more fully understand these complex interactions of the environment and the many cultures of humankind.

The Geography Department offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography, a minor in geography, a minor in meteorology, and an interdisciplinary minor in urban studies. The geography course offerings support undergraduate preparation for careers in environmental study, teaching, weather, regional and urban planning, and preparation for graduate work.

Central to geographic inquiry is a concern with the human occupancy of the earth, the character of the human environment, and the interrelationships that link humans and the physical world. In sum, geography seeks to provide a broad understanding of the world, its people, and its problems. Geography seeks to provide applied specializations and technical skills that can address economic, social, and environmental problems at scales that range from local to global by employing a spatial framework for organizational purposes analogous to the chronological framework employed in history.

Geography integrates much information from the natural and social sciences and because of the diversity of subject matter from which it obtains data, offers a broad, liberal education applicable to many fields of employment.

The department offers a variety of courses that allow students to address different objectives. First, we provide, for both majors and non-majors alike, a greater understanding of the world as an element of a liberal education which has become an increasingly important component of a complete university education. Second, we provide courses that assure a depth of knowledge in subject matter and technique for majors and minors in geography. Third, we serve those students in related disciplines who wish to strengthen programs of study through a selection of courses in geography. 

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.

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.

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.

The Master of Arts program in History is designed to extend the competence of persons engaged in a wide variety of fields requiring a broad grasp of historical knowledge, techniques, and interpretation. Within this degree program, students may choose to complete either a traditional track or a teaching option. The traditional track, which offers both thesis and examination as possible culminating experiences, best satisfies the needs of those interested in public service, teaching at the community college level, or pursuing advanced graduate study in history. The teaching option best satisfies the needs of those interested in enhancing their teaching of history primarily at the secondary level.

The Graduate Certificate program is most suitable for those teachers who would like to update their professional credentials, those seeking supplemental certification, those seeking to prepare for the CSET, and/or those who would simply like to continue their study of history but who do not require an M.A.

The theatre arts major and dance major offer you the opportunity to develop your skills in acting, directing, dance theory, research and performance, choreography, playwriting, children's theatre, technical production, scene design, costume design, sound design, stage management, lighting design, history, literature, and teaching. After completing our program, you will have the background that will enhance your ability to pursue either a teaching credential, advanced degree or a professional career.

Our professionally trained instructors will guide you through a program that is not only educational but fascinating. A major or minor in theatre or dance can be one of the more exciting times in your life because it will develop communication and performing skills that will aid you no matter what career you finally decide to pursue. If theatre or dance is what you want, then the California State University, Fresno Theatre Arts Department is ready to serve you.

Join the leader in science, technology, and management. Students majoring within the Department of Food Science and Nutrition are prepared for a wide range of professions in the food industry — the largest single industry in the United States. California State University, Fresno is centered in the greatest food production and processing area in the world.

Some of the largest and best dairy and food companies cooperate with the university to provide students with a view of commercial realities in this industry. There is strong demand for dietitians and nutritionists by the health care and food­ service industries.

Courses offered by the Department of Political Science are intended to help all students become more effective participants in a democratic society, both as makers of public policy and as individuals affected by those policies. Students study voting, elections, the structures of government institutions, and how governments around the world differ and interact. They also explore local, national, and global issues.  We prepare our majors for a wide variety of careers in government, education, business, journalism, the nonprofit sector, and international affairs, as well as law school and graduate school.

Students may elect to concentrate within political science on American government and politics, international politics, legal studies, or public policy. Detailed course and career information on each of these optional tracks is available. For those who achieve a high measure of proficiency in their undergraduate program, the department offers advanced work leading to the master’s degree in public administration.

Sociology majors receive strong grounding in traditional and contemporary social theory, methods of conducting social research, and techniques of analyzing social data. Courses with a service-learning component provide students with an opportunity to engage in participant-observation studies, while the Social Research Laboratory (SRL) gives them a chance to participate in survey research. Encouraging student research is one of the hallmarks of sociology at Fresno State.

The program also offers advanced courses on topics ranging from medical sociology, religion, and family to popular culture, deviance, and social movements and social change.