Master of Arts in English - Rhetoric and Writing Studies 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 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.

Family Science Option. The Family Science program focuses on the scientific study of the family relationship context of child and adult development. Courses correspond with suggested content areas outlined by the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR), including internal dynamics of families, interpersonal relationships, human growth and development, families in society, parent education, family resource management, family law and public policy, and family life education. Graduates pursue opportunities in family life education (e.g., parenting education and relationship enrichment), military family support, and child and family service agencies. It provides an excellent foundation for graduate training in family therapy.

The Master of Arts degree program in Education with an option in reading/language arts is designed to provide professional and specialized preparation for classroom and resource teachers and consultants; diagnosticians and supervisors in reading clinics, schools, and community colleges. It enables graduates to do consulting and editing for publishing companies and to pursue advanced graduate study in universities offering the doctoral degree.

Reading and Language Arts graduate courses are designed to help teachers learn how to make curricular decisions about teaching reading and how to meet the needs of students with varying language communication backgrounds. Students pursuing a degree or credential in Reading and Language Arts also learn to inspire other teachers to upgrade the reading/language abilities of students through demonstrations of effective reading strategies.

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.

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. 

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.

Film and media arts. Have a story to tell? Film and media arts students are creative storytellers who communicate through writing, photography, video, audio, and the web. Graduates are on all the staffs at local television stations and multiple production companies. Some are working on network television shows such as Survivor.

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.

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 Prelaw Option emphasizes analytical skills, ethics, and values courses. Law schools seek a broad general education background and do not recommend any specific major. Students who enjoy philosophy and are interested in law should find this option an excellent way to combine their interests.

The 30-unit Master of Arts degree in Education with an option in Curriculum and Instruction (MAE-C&I) is designed for teachers and other professionals who desire advanced study in curriculum, instruction, educational psychology, research design, and educational statistics. Although a majority of students are teachers, a teaching credential is not a requirement for admission. The program is unique in allowing students to pursue in-depth study in personally relevant areas of curriculum and instruction such as educational technology, reading/language arts, mathematics education, and other specialization areas through elective coursework.

The Master of Science degree program in Computer Science is designed to offer the advanced principles, applications, and current topics in computer science. Students who obtain the M.S. will be ready to do significant developmental work in the computer industry or in an important application area and will also be well qualified to pursue a Ph.D.