Associate in Science - Geographic Information Systems Technology

at Foothill College USA

The study of Japanese is an excellent choice for students in the Bay Area since a considerable amount of business and trade occurs with Japan by California industries. The electronics industry is especially interested in employing persons who speak Japanese and are familiar with Japanese customs. It is an excellent major or minor for those who plan graduate work in business, electronics or law.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• The student will be able to communicate with native speakers of Japanese, using the appropriate language, styles, sensitivity and level of respectfulness in various situations.
• The student will demonstrate knowledge of Japanese society, culture and history, and will be able to analyze and discuss cultural differences and similarities.

Engineers apply the theories and principles of science and mathematics to practical technical problems. The engineering major provides a solid foundation in what is normally referred to as the "engineering core" at most colleges and universities. Mathematics, physics, chemistry and introductory engineering courses such as circuit analysis and statics make up the bulk of this core. The major is intended to provide, in most cases, all of the basic subjects necessary for a smooth transfer to the candidate's chosen college or university.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students will be able to formulate logical problem-solving approaches, generate solutions, and assess the reasonableness of the solutions for engineering-type analysis problems.
• Students will be able to design, construct, and produce creative solutions to engineering problems by applying the engineering design process and identifying pertinent design parameters based on the fundamental physics governing a system.
• Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of the fundamental knowledge necessary for the practice of, or for advanced study in, engineering, including scientific principles, rigorous analysis, and problem-solving.
• Students will be able to demonstrate clear communication skills, responsible teamwork, professional attitudes and ethics.
• Students will be able to demonstrate a preparation for the complex work environment and continuous learning.

Accounting is the language of business. Accountants measure business activities, process that data into reports and communicate the results to decision-makers. The accounting curriculum focuses on preparing students to transfer to four-year institutions, sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam and seek employment. Areas of study include accounting for decision making, accounting for internal and external use, financial statement analysis, review of financial accounting standards, payroll and business taxes, individual and advanced taxation, computerized accounting software, auditing and forensic accounting, governmental and not-for-profit accounting and ethics in accounting.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students will be able to explain accounting terminology, concepts, principles, and frameworks.
• Students will be able to perform accounting-related calculations and demonstrate the ability to use methods and/or procedures to solve accounting problems.

The Art program offers an Associate in Arts degree and a Certificate of Achievement and provides beginning through intermediate level studio art and art history classes with an emphasis in practical techniques, artistic expression and art theory. This guided program assists students in developing specialized artistic techniques and skills necessary to apply and transfer to art programs at local universities. The program offers a range of ceramics, drawing, painting, color theory, digital arts and art history classes. We offer art classes on weekdays, weeknights, weekends, on-campus, hybrid or online to fit students' needs.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students will be able to create two- and three-dimensional artwork and designs using appropriate tools, materials, methods and techniques.
• Students will be able to analyze and critically evaluate two- and three-dimensional creative projects using the current principles and language of art and design.

Physics, the fundamental science, conceptualizes the basic principles of the universe and establishes the foundation for astronomy, chemistry and geology. The beauty of physics lies in a small number of powerful concepts which expand our view of the world around us and which lead to many engineering applications from which we derive many benefits.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students will know basic physics principles.
• Students will be able to apply their knowledge to practical, theoretical and experimental problems.
• Students will be prepared to advance to the next step in careers in science, industry and education.

The major in English is excellent preparation for careers in law, teaching, advertising, journalism, communications and business administration. Most positions in modern institutions and industries require excellent skills in writing and reading. This major provides students with those skills along with a breadth of cultural and historical knowledge through the study of great literature.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students will be able to compose a thesis-based essay that clearly communicates a logical, evidence-supported argument.
• Students will demonstrate, in writing, comprehension and critical analysis of college-level texts.

Environmental Horticulture & Design is a broad field encompassing the functional, aesthetic, and environmentally sound creation and care of our landscapes. Students learn to combine principles of environmental design, construction and maintenance practices for urban, rural and natural landscapes. The green industry is one of the largest employers in the United States.

The Environmental Horticulture & Design department offers an Associate in Science degree and two Certificates of Achievement. Students may also take courses in preparation for transfer to four-year institutions where they may continue their studies in horticulture, landscape architecture, and other related disciplines. We also encourage people currently working in the field to attend classes to supplement or update their knowledge and to work toward certification in the field. For the homeowner or the landscape professional, short courses from two to four weeks are available.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students will demonstrate skills necessary to design residential landscapes.
• Students will be able to identify plant material.

Economics is the study of how society allocates scarce resources (land, labor, capital) in an attempt to satisfy unlimited wants. It is broadly divided into two branches: Macroeconomics and Microeconomics. Macroeconomics is concerned with the workings of the economy as a whole. It is the study of broad measures of economic performance: Gross Domestic Product (GDP), unemployment, and inflation. Given these measures, it considers the role of the government in guiding the macroeconomy. Microeconomics focuses on the role of individual decision-makers--consumers and firms--and analyzes the efficiencies and failures of a market system. The potential role of government to wholly or partially correct market failures is then considered. The two branches approach the fundamental questions of resource allocation from opposite sides: one from the perspective of the economy as a whole (macroeconomics) and one from the perspective of the individual agents in the economy (microeconomics).

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Have a working understanding of the role of prices in a market economy, trade, economic growth, competition, market failures and the economic role of government.
• Employ economic reasoning and logic to explain the world and make better decisions.

The Humanities degree provides students with interdisciplinary perspectives on the existential questions of who we are as human beings, where we come from and where we are headed. This degree emphasizes the principles and concepts in interdisciplinary thinking and problem solving that will transfer across disciplines and enrich professional careers in areas as varied as lawyers, Public Relations managers, journalists, educators, systems analysts and Foreign Service employees. A Humanities degree enables students to better see the interconnectedness of all areas of knowledge, develop a global perspective as a result of having studied the ideas and cultural products of cultures throughout the world, clarify one's values by comparing and contrasting them to what others have thought and deepen one's sources of wisdom by learning how others have dealt with failures, success, adversities and triumphs.

Program Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to synthesize their critical thinking, imaginative, cooperative and emphatic abilities as whole persons in order to:

• Contextualize knowledge
• Interpret and communicate meaning in both written and oral form
• Cultivate their capacity for personal as well as social change.

The Social Science major is recommended for transfer students as it provides a basic foundation for subsequent specialization in many liberal arts fields of study. The value of the degree is now recognized by business and industry as it requires a variety of skills demanded in business, education, health, law and government, as well as the social services.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students will be able to identify connections and linkages between specific fields of study, events and ideas and larger studies of specific themes, developments and topics in anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology.
• Students will be able to critically analyze a variety of primary and secondary sources in the fields of anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology and draw scholarly interpretations from them.