Master of Arts in History

at California State University - Fresno USA

The B.A. in Integrated Design allows students many unique opportunities in the field of design, helping them acquire skills in specific advanced technologies crucial to the design industry. The program prepares students for diverse design jobs in the industry right after graduation and also prepares students to go into a graduate M.A. or M.F.A. program.

The Bachelor of Science in Biology is a 120-unit program. Of the total, 49 units are required to satisfy the university's General Education Program and 21 units are required by the Department of Biology to satisfy the biology core. The core curriculum is a sequence of courses required for all biology majors. The core curriculum builds the foundation upon which further learning in biology will be based. Additional requirements are listed below.

The biology degree program prepares students for entry into a wide range of careers, for further academic study at the graduate level, including the department's own M.S. in Biology, and for entrance into professional degree programs. Within the scope of the major requirements and electives, students may focus their studies in areas that best meet their future career needs. Students must consult an advisor for help in selecting courses appropriate to their interests and career objectives. An emphasis on cellular and molecular processes prepares students for the department's professional science Master of Biotechnology.

Students planning for graduate and professional schools should be aware that entrance requirements for those programs will often exceed the minimal requirements for a Biology B.S., particularly in the ancillary fields of chemistry, physics, and mathematics. An advisor should be consulted for specific information on graduate and professional school requirements.

The department provides the foundation for graduates in early childhood, special education, bilingual instruction, reading/language arts, and teacher education. Our goal is to provide a foundation for our students to become leaders in education and highly skilled professionals. We hope you find that our faculty are committed to providing quality instruction for you to become a leader at your site and in education as a whole.

The M.F.A. in Creative Writing offers advanced degree training to talented students who wish to gain expertise in the writing of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. It assumes that, as in music or the visual arts, the best education for the artist includes: training in the history and traditions associated with the student's discipline, training in theoretical and formal approaches to the craft, and extensive practice with critique of student work by peers and faculty writers. The program combines studio and academic approaches, providing the student with substantial critical workshop experience and a solid background in theory and literature. In addition to a traditional literature based course of study, we offer the Emphasis in Publishing and Editing for those students who wish to gain professional training and experience in the field.

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences offers graduate courses and research leading to the Master of Science. The graduate courses and research areas are such that several different career goals can be met, including the following: (1) preparation for enrollment in a Ph.D. program in geology or a related field, (2) preparation for employment as a professional geoscientist with industry or government, and (3) advancement of knowledge of the earth sciences and teaching skills of secondary school and junior college teachers.

Graduate research opportunities are available in several fields, including but not restricted to hydrology/hydrogeology/hydrogeochemistry, geophysics, tectonics, engineering geology, geomorphology, structural geology, volcanology/igneous and metamorphic petrology, sedimentology/paleontology/stratigraphy, paleoclimatology and high temperature, and stable isotope geochemistry.

The graduate program also offers research opportunities in applied geology. This curriculum is usually interdisciplinary, involving coursework in geology, civil engineering, chemistry, soil sciences, and other areas. Applied geology emphases include: (1) engineering and environmental geology and (2) hydrogeology. Students of applied geology are encouraged to undertake theses involving support and supervision by professionals in private and public sectors.

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.

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, Literature 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 B.A. in Interior Design allows students many unique opportunities in the field of design. The interior design major is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, formerly FIDER. Students use advanced computer-aided-design (CAD) and animation programs as well as traditional methods in developing sophisticated design solutions for a variety of architectural projects. Interior design students gain an excellent foundation in subjects such as color theory, space planning, presentation techniques, rendering, drawing, building systems and codes, and material and design for special populations. (Internship opportunities are available.)

The Master of Arts degree in Applied Behavior Analysis is a two-year, full-time graduate program that meets the degree, coursework, and experience requirements needed in preparation for national certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Students are required to take 44 units of coursework, including 3 thesis units and 4 practicum units. Students are also able to acquire the required number of supervised experience hours over the two years of the program. Students must apply for admission to the M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis during the graduate application process.

This degree program, particularly the practicum, emphasizes behavior analytic applications with typically developing and developmentally disabled children and adults.

The Management Option develops skills, knowledge, attitudes, and abilities necessary for effective leadership in a wide variety of organizations. Graduates are prepared for entry-level leadership positions in today's rapidly-changing workplace through a dynamic curriculum combining theory, skill development, and practical experience, including internships in the student's area of interest. Courses develop those leadership abilities demanded by employers that include written, oral, analytical, and people skills. The option also provides a strong foundation for the M.B.A. Students may choose one of the following three tracks:

Organizational Leadership - Courses in this track prepare students for positions as project leaders, team leaders, and business managers. Courses emphasize leadership issues such as self-directed work teams, performance improvement, negotiating, vision and goal setting, and change management.

Production/Logistics Management (PLM) - This track provides students with a foundation for a variety of management career opportunities in manufacturing and distribution. With total quality management as a common basis, the PLM curriculum combines the two integrated disciplines of production/operations (transformation of resources into high quality products and services) and logistics (management of supply and distribution activities). Emphasis is placed on complementing the student's knowledge of PLM subject matter with hands-on, industrial experience gained through internship programs with local firms.

Special Management Applications - This track is designed for Management Option students who have a professional interest in a particular industry chosen by the student (agriculture, fashion merchandising, health science, industrial technology, recreation, theater, etc.) Students take business and organizational leadership courses and then, with approval of the department chair, select courses in their specific areas of interest.