Master of Science in Physics

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.

Advertising/public relations. Ready to grab the attention of your audience? Want to use strategic communication to help an organization succeed? The department’s advertising and public relations students work for such agencies as J. Walter Thompson, Chiat/Day, Publicis and Hal Riney, American Airlines, Google, Facebook, Twitter, FleishmanHillard, Salvation Army, Valley Children’s Hospital, Coca Cola, and Orbitz.

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.

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior -- including human thought, emotion, and action -- and the application of scientific knowledge to the solution of real-world problems. It includes a wide variety of topics, including perception, learning, memory, thinking, emotion, personality, social interaction, development, and abnormal behavior. Psychologists recognize that understanding behavior in all its complexity requires studying it from multiple perspectives. A thorough understanding of memory, for example, requires knowledge ranging from the neural structures and processes that underlie it to the social and cultural forces that influence it.

Students majoring in psychology take core courses in general psychology, statistics, and research methodology, along with additional courses in each of the primary areas of the discipline. There are also numerous opportunities for students to supplement their coursework with hands-on experience in faculty research labs and in the field under faculty supervision. Advanced and well-qualified students can participate in our senior honors program. These students design, conduct, and present an original research project as a senior thesis.

Psychology majors learn to think critically, write and speak clearly, identify and solve problems, and work effectively both individually and in groups. As a result, the study of psychology provides excellent preparation for graduate study and careers in a variety of fields.

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.

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.

Prepare for the future in agricultural sciences, technology, and management with a degree in 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 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 program in History is designed to extend the competence of persons engaged in a wide variety of fields requiring a broad grasp of historical knowledge, techniques, and interpretation. Within this degree program, students may choose to complete either a traditional track or a teaching option. The traditional track, which offers both thesis and examination as possible culminating experiences, best satisfies the needs of those interested in public service, teaching at the community college level, or pursuing advanced graduate study in history. The teaching option best satisfies the needs of those interested in enhancing their teaching of history primarily at the secondary level.

The Graduate Certificate program is most suitable for those teachers who would like to update their professional credentials, those seeking supplemental certification, those seeking to prepare for the CSET, and/or those who would simply like to continue their study of history but who do not require an M.A.

Anthropology is concerned with everything that is human, in all parts of the world, both present and past. It is unique among the social sciences in its scope. Most disciplines focus only on modern civilization or concentrate on single aspects of life, such as government or the economy. Anthropology is interested in all human societies and views life as a complexly integrated whole that is more than the sum of its parts. It is the human experience as a whole that anthropology seeks to understand.

The breadth of anthropology is reflected in its four subfields. Biophysical anthropology concerns the biological aspects of humanity, including human evolution, genetics, forensic anthropology, and primatology. Cultural anthropology explores the diversity of human culture to understand both differences and similarities among human groups. Archaeology explores the human past far beyond the range of written records, using specialized techniques to probe human prehistory. Linguistic anthropology investigates the nature of language and the critical role it has played in the development of human behavior. The central concept in anthropology is "culture," and it is this vital idea which binds the subfields into an integrated discipline.

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:

• To promote an awareness of the historical and cultural roots of Chicanx/Latinx people in the United States
• To enhance an understanding of Latin America
• To cultivate an appreciation of ethnic and national differences among all people
• To critically analyze the Chicanx and the Latin American experience in terms of significant issues, theories, current problems, and solutions, and
• 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.