Master of Arts in Education - Curriculum and Instruction Option

at California State University - Fresno USA

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.

The Child and Family Science Department is dedicated to improving the quality of life for children and families through education, research, and service. The department offers two degree options toward this end: (1) Child Development and (2) Family Science.

The department is housed in the Family and Food Sciences (FFS) Building on the west side of campus. The department maintains laboratory facilities that support our academic programs. These include a child and family observation lab and two child care labs serving infants, toddlers, and preschool children, where students study child behavior and development under the supervision of faculty and laboratory teaching staff.

Child Development Option. The Child Development program provides breadth and depth in the scientific study of child development, along with practical applications in disciplines that require direct interaction with children. It provides an excellent foundation for careers in child care, program administration, or work in health settings and other human services with children. It prepares students for post-graduate work toward a teaching credential, school psychology, or social work.

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.

The Master of Science degree in Criminology is a 30-unit, flexible program which provides a solid core in the field of criminology while permitting students to pursue specialized areas of interest. The master’s program is designed to prepare students for service and responsible administrative and professional positions in agencies in the criminal justice system. The master’s program also prepares students for a wide variety of occupations including in-service education; administrative education and management; community college teaching; predoctoral studies; and research.

The B.A. Option in Interdisciplinary Language Studies is for those students interested in combining the study of a particular language or languages with the core areas of linguistics.

The Department of Art and Design offers many exciting and creative opportunities for students to nurture and expand their artistic and design senses. Entering the 21st century, the department provides a broad range of experiences that prepare its graduates for art- and design-related career opportunities and artistic endeavors. Students study and produce works that include state-of-the-art computer applications, conceptual art, graphic design, and interior design. The department has fine arts as its core and foundation, while offering areas of study that allow for occupational preparation in a variety of areas. The award-winning faculty is committed to the idea that a foundation in the crafts of art and design is an essential prerequisite to the production of works that show sophistication both conceptually and visually.

The Department of Educational Leadership offers a graduate program leading to a Master of Arts degree in Higher Education Administration and Leadership. The program prepares individuals interested in careers in higher education settings and agencies. The mission of the Higher Education Administration and Leadership (HEAL) program is to develop ethical leaders whose practice relies on critical thinking and is informed by research and theory to work in colleges, universities, and other educational agencies as a means of advancing social justice and diversity.

HEAL attracts individuals interested in careers in colleges, universities, and other related educational settings. During a 30-unit, four-semester, program of study, HEAL students delve into a curriculum that examines policies, practices, theories, and current issues related to the post-secondary education pipeline. Students acquire valuable analytical skills while developing their philosophies in social justice and leadership. The HEAL curriculum and the relationships with faculty lead to learning experiences that offer students the essential knowledge and skills required for exemplary practice in a variety of roles in higher education and student affairs.

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.

Philosophy is one of the fundamental domains of human thought. It grows out of basic life questions, including questions of ethics, religion, politics, and science. The study of philosophy has had an historic role in the core of sound education, because it helps sharpen skills of careful, independent thinking and aids people of all ages in defining their most important values and beliefs. The examination of great philosophical ideas, and the emphasis on clear reasoning and personal development that are involved in philosophy serve as a strong foundation for life, regardless of one's career objectives.

The Department of Philosophy offers students the following opportunities for a rich and rewarding undergraduate experience: the traditional B.A. philosophy major, the prelaw option, the religious studies option, and the philosophy minor. The department provides ample opportunity for individual attention and student participation in its activities, e.g., student Philosophy Club, symposia, colloquia, etc.

The Bachelor of Arts in Natural Sciences serves as a waiver program for the Single Subject Teaching Credential in Science. With the Science Credential, students are able to teach any introductory science class, i.e. earth, general, life, or physical science along with the courses in their chosen emphasis.