Master of Science in Geology

at California State University - Fresno USA

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.

Broadcast journalism. Broadcast journalism students learn the importance of producing responsible news coverage while maintaining strong ethical standards. Our program’s core focuses on teaching the principles of storytelling through video, audio, and powerful writing. Our students learn through their experiences, which include producing content for television, radio, and digital platforms in English and Spanish. Broadcast journalism graduates are now reporters, producers, and anchors at local and national radio and television stations. Other alumni have embarked on careers at technology and social media companies including Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Banjo.

The faculty members continue to be recognized for quality hands-on education as well as scholarly contributions to their academic disciplines. Each student is assigned to a faculty adviser to maximize the student's educational experience at California State University, Fresno. The faculty are noted for cooperation and activity within each industry to prepare and place graduates in their chosen career.

Master of Arts is a very effective strategy for career advancement. At the master's level, the Department of Kinesiology offers options in Exercise Science, Sport Administration, and Sport Psychology, and curricular emphases in physical education. There are 13 graduate faculty members in the department. The exercise science and sport psychology labs are fully equipped with research-standard technology. Graduates of this program have achieved remarkable success in professional careers as well as in doctoral programs in prestigious universities.

A degree in kinesiology can lead to very bright career prospects in health care, sports and athletics, education, and other professional avocations.

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.

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 in Viticulture and Enology is a 30-unit program designed to provide advanced studies and in-depth knowledge in the fundamentals of plant physiology, microbiology, and grape and wine chemistry, as well as technical writing and formal presentation of research reports.

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 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.

The special option for the Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration provides an opportunity for students who are well grounded in the core areas of study required for the undergraduate degree in Business Administration to individualize a course of study not accommodated by any of the ten standard areas of specialization.

The Department of Information Systems and Decision Sciences prepares students for the rapidly growing fields of Information Systems and Technology and Data Analytics for Decision-Making. Producing new intelligence from raw data, collected by computer-based information systems, can help businesses enhance products and services, and organizations to meet their strategic goals. Computer-based data analysis and information-sharing lead to better, more informed decisions. In addition to traditional methods of classroom instruction and guest speakers, students in these options are exposed through hands-on experiences to new developments in computer technology, software, and applications.

Computer Information Systems (CIS) is the practice of developing and maintaining systems to support operations, management, and decision-making. It combines technology, people, and business organizations in a single field. An information system can collect, store, process, analyze, and distribute information with an enterprise-wide view and make it available to all users across functional departments and across organizations to support their business operation and decision-making processes. Topics covered in this option include computer programming, database design, systems analysis and design, computer networks, project management, cloud computing, cybersecurity, mobile and Web application development, business intelligence, and artificial intelligence.