Master of Science in Geology

at California State University - Fresno USA

The Master of Arts degree program in communication is designed to be a comprehensive program reflecting the history and breadth of the communication discipline. Four objectives serve as measures for competent M.A. graduates of the program. First, all graduates will have a comprehensive understanding of the historical and philosophical assumptions of the communication discipline, as well as the various theoretical perspectives underlying scholarship in the discipline. Second, all graduates will recognize and be able to use appropriate communication strategies in formal, informal, professional, and personal contexts. Third, all graduates will understand quantitative, qualitative, and/or rhetorical methods of research in communication. Fourth, all graduates will understand various communication perspectives and will have a clear understanding of their own personal perspective and ideologies.

Chicano and Latin American Studies (CLAS) is an interdisciplinary department that has been successful in presenting a highly informed, active, and challenging view of the Chicanx/Latinx experience in the United States, Latin America, and U.S./Latin American relations. Chicano and Latin American Studies provides an opportunity for a pluralistic exchange of ideas in an interdisciplinary academic setting, where faculty, students, and visiting scholars can share experiences and create a dynamic, intellectual environment.

The Chicano and Latin American Studies Department is designed to meet the following objectives:

1. to promote an awareness of the historical and cultural roots of Chicanx/Latinx people in the United States
2. to enhance an understanding of Latin America
3. to cultivate an appreciation of ethnic and national differences among all people
4.  to critically analyze the Chicanx and the Latin American experience in terms of significant issues, theories, current problems, and solutions, and
5. to provide students with a set of important professional skills to be utilized as they interact creatively and constructively with Chicanx/Latinx communities and multicultural society at large.

The department emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of family life, history, politics, culture, and the arts of Chicano and Latin American communities. The courses reflect an integrated approach in providing students with greater knowledge and understanding of the social reality and diversity of Chicanxs and Latin Americans.

The Biology Department offers a research-intensive Master of Science in Biology with the opportunity for specialization in several areas of study. Among these areas are ecologically oriented field studies in fresh water, terrestrial, and marine environments; molecular, cellular, and developmental biology of plants, animals, and microbes; physiology of microbes, plants, and animals; entomology; microbiology; parasitology; botany; zoology; systematics; and animal behavior. The program also prepares candidates for teaching biological science disciplines at the secondary and community college education levels. The master's program provides a strong foundation for those seeking advanced education at universities offering the research doctorate (Ph.D.) or other professional degrees. The Biology Department has further informational materials available on request.

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is an approach that places women in the center of inquiry. The primary mission of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is to analyze gender. Students acquire both a local and global perspective on gender. Attentiveness to diversity, privilege and power, and women's unique creative contributions to human experience are central aspects of this training. More than simply a body of knowledge, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies encourages students to apply their learning to transform their lives and their communities. Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies offers a vital perspective everywhere gender impacts our world.

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 Criminology major is designed to prepare students for beginning professional work in criminal justice and to provide preparation for graduate work including law school. Criminology courses at the undergraduate level include integration of theoretical and applied materials of an interdisciplinary nature. The corrections option is designed for students interested in careers in probation, parole, correctional institutions, and other affiliated forms of work. The law enforcement option is designed for students interested in careers with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, or law enforcement careers within the private sector. The victimology option is designed for students interested in careers in domestic violence programs, rape counseling programs, victim/witness programs, or other victim-related programs at the local, state, or federal level; these programs can either be criminal justice based or community based. An internship course is required in the corrections, law enforcement, and victimology options. The Forensic Behavioral Sciences major prepares students interested in the application of other behavioral sciences — such as psychology, anthropology, social work, and linguistics — to the criminal justice system. However, it is also designed to prepare students interested in traditional criminal justice careers. 

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 International Business Option introduces students to the fastest growing part of business today. The information and communications revolution - and declining travel costs - have made all businesses aware of global markets. The option stresses the role of global communications and the growth of entrepreneurial opportunities in worldwide markets, with special attention to California and the markets of the Pacific Rim.

History is the study of humanity’s recorded past. It encompasses all aspects of human behavior, social organization, and cultural development. The arts and the sciences, the development of technology, and changing economic forces are as much a part of history as is politics or social conflict.

Students of history are engaged in a journey through time in which they can witness and compare the development of a variety of cultures and the interrelations between people in many different circumstances. Through the study of past events, history provides a great storehouse of experience by which the theories of the other social sciences can be tested. And through its analysis of the development of institutions and cultures, it provides one of our best tools for understanding social phenomena.

History is also one of the broadest and most universal of the humanities. Just as the personalities of individuals are shaped through the totality of their past experiences, so cultures and institutions also develop in time. The study of history can help students understand themselves and their culture better and develop a more tolerant and humane spirit toward others. In this way, as in so many others, a knowledge of the past can help all of us meet the problems of today with greater understanding and compassion.

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.

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.