Master of Arts in Communication Studies

at California State University - San Bernardino USA

The Bachelor of Science in Chemistry program is certified by Committee on Professional Training of the American Chemical Society.  It is designed for the student who plans a career in chemistry or a related field upon graduation or plans to go on to graduate school in the chemical sciences.  It is also an option for students interested in medicine, pharmaceutical sciences, clinical laboratory science, forensics, environmental science, as well as industries such as petrochemicals, instrumentation, food, nutraceuticals, or cosmetics.  The program provides foundational course work in the sub-disciplinary areas of organic, inorganic, physical, analytical, and biochemistry with cognate course work in biology, mathematics and physics.  A concentration in biochemistry or chemistry is required.  

The chemistry option requires in-depth courses in instrumental analysis, an inorganic chemistry lab, materials or polymer chemistry, one upper-division chemistry elective, and completion of a senior project.  The biochemistry option requires additional biology and biochemistry course and laboratory work, and may be more appropriate for students interested in the biotech industry, medical, or pharmacy school.

The Bachelor of Arts in Career and Technical Studies (BCTS) is designed to provide candidates with significant occupational and teaching experience the opportunity to have that experience count as partial credit toward a baccalaureate degree.

Occasionally, students with specialized educational or professional objectives may find that the existing degree programs offered at the university do not satisfy personal needs or career plans and that a carefully structured, interdisciplinary program of study is more appropriate.

The B.A. with Special Major is an interdisciplinary program intended for students with unusual interests and abilities who have the initiative and desire to design their own major with the aid of faculty and professional advisors. The purpose of these individually-designed special majors is to provide a carefully controlled opportunity for exceptional students to design, with faculty approval, a flexible interdisciplinary course of study that leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Admission normally is limited to students who can design (with the aid of a faculty committee) individualized programs organized around a coherent topic or cross-disciplinary subject that involves two or more departments. Occasionally, short-term interests in interdisciplinary programs may be served by more structure and degree plans organized by faculty for groups of students.

The B.A. with Special Major is not intended to bypass normal graduation requirements or to avoid certain requirements of a regular major offered at CSUSB or at other nearby institutions. The self-designed major should not substantially duplicate any existing degree offered at CSUSB. Likewise, a Special Major cannot be developed in areas such as architecture, agriculture, or engineering where the campus lacks the necessary faculty expertise to guide the student and supervise the culminating project. Students must have an overall grade point average of 3.0 including work taken at all institutions and must maintain a 3.0 average in the courses required for the self-designed major.

Although the Special Major is a unique program that suits individual goals, has potential to combine fields and functions, and can add distinction to the degree, such an interdisciplinary program may pose professional obstacles and be difficult to explain to graduate schools and employers. Career goals and prerequisites for higher degrees should be reviewed before proceeding with this major. In particular, students who will be seeking a teaching credential should consult with faculty in the College of Education to see how a Special Major might impact subject matter requirements for teachers.

Interested students should contact the Office of Undergraduate Studies to begin the application and screening process. Prospective majors should be prepared to present a one-page description and justification of the program which outlines the concepts, goals and objectives to be fulfilled by the Special Major. If, after discussing the tentative interdisciplinary interests of the student, the Office of Undergraduate Studies believes the student should be encouraged to prepare a formal application and proposal for a Special Major, a packet of information and forms for justifying and submitting the proposed interdisciplinary curriculum will be provided to the student. If the student has not yet found faculty members who are interested in helping the student develop the curriculum and guide their study, the Office of Undergraduate Studies will suggest possible faculty committee members.

Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts

Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field that develops methods and software tools for understanding biological data. As an interdisciplinary field of science, bioinformatics combines computer science, statistics, mathematics, and engineering to analyze and interpret biological data.

The BA in Public History offers undergraduate students an in depth introduction to various fields of public and oral history, including museum management, archival practices, historical archaeology, and oral history. The degree is intended to introduce students to the study and practice of history as presented and made useful to the public in a variety of venues and professional settings, and to prepare students for further professional and academic training and success. As history majors, students receive broad training in the academic discipline of history, and broad content knowledge by surveying courses from around the globe.

The Master of Science in Geology is designed to provide strong preparation in geological sciences, focused directly on geological study and research. The program is designed so that it can potentially be completed in two years of full-time work. This program is intended for students who wish to pursue graduate-level work as a prelude for doctoral studies, or as professional preparation for careers in geological fields.

The culminating experience in the M.S. in Geology is a research thesis and defense of the thesis. Students will be encouraged to publish their work in a peer-reviewed journal.

The M.A. in Psychological Science program provides a broad background in psychology suitable for employment requiring a Master of Arts degree. The program is specially designed to improve the candi­dacy of students who wish to enter doctoral programs in any academic area of psychology. In the past ten years, over two-thirds of students awarded an M.A. degree from CSUSB’s Psychological Science program were subsequently admitted to doctoral programs in the United States and Canada.

We pride ourselves on being a program that emphasizes individual educational mentoring. Thus, admission is competitive; between 10 and 15 students are enrolled each year. All Psychological Science master’s students conduct original research as a thesis project. Research productivity of our students and faculty ranks favorably when compared to that of other M.A. psychology programs across the country.

Fifteen units chosen from philosophy courses. Elective units may include philosophy courses taken to satisfy General Education requirements. No more than 6 elective units from philosophy courses numbered 1005 – 3099. In consultation with the chair, philosophy majors are encouraged to include philosophy courses from study abroad in their elective category. Students with philosophy as a double major may complete the elective requirements for the philosophy major by taking up to nine units in non-philosophy courses that are related to the philosophy major. These customized non-philosophy elective packages need to form a coherent plan of study within the philosophy major and should be constructed in consultation with a faculty advisor; the plan of the elective package then needs to be submitted to and approved by the department chair.   

As prerequisites for acceptance into the B.A. in Child Development, students must complete the following as a "Pre-child development major." Upon completion of the requirements, the student's major will be changed automatically from "Pre-child development" to "Child development" status.

There are two concentrations within the Child Development B.A. These are Early Childhood Education and Child and Adolescent Development. Students must select one of the concentrations when they declare Child Development as their major. These concentrations conform to the Transfer Model for early childhood education and child development degrees.