Bachelor of Arts in Communication

at Kaplan Group - Arizona State University - Downtown Phoenix Campus USA

The School of Public Affairs offers a BS in public service and public policy with a concentration in parks and recreation management.

Leisure and quality of life are an essential part of U.S. society. This program provides students a transdisciplinary education in the management of parks, protected areas and community-based recreation services.

This top-ranked concentration within our MPA program (#3 in Homeland Security and Emergency Management, U.S. News & World Report) prepares you to be a results-driven leader within the field of emergency management. The program can be completed full-time, part-time, or entirely online.

The MPA is a professional degree program designed to prepare students for public service at all levels of government as well as the nonprofit and private sectors.

The program consists of a core curriculum emphasizing managerial and analytic skills needed in a large range of careers that serve the public good. Through a focused set of electives, the concentration in emergency management provides students with the skills and knowledge to manage and assume positions of leadership in government, private, nonprofit and civic roles, within the field of emergency management. An all-hazards and all-threats orientation, together with an focus on community resilience and communication, provides the student with a generalist perspective, which is critically important for the disaster managers of today and tomorrow.

The core curriculum provides students with the intellectual tools to integrate their concentration areas, engage in transdisciplinary problem-solving and prepare for careers and graduate programs that increasingly cross disciplinary boundaries. An interdisciplinary studies student could choose to integrate concentrations like business and project management, psychology and social welfare, communication and justice studies, public administration and ethics, digital culture and computer gaming or many other unique combinations.

Interdisciplinary studies is an approach to answering questions, solving problems and addressing contemporary social issues from multiple perspectives. Interdisciplinary studies students take an active role in designing their educational plans and defining their career goals. The degree emphasizes written communication, versatility, self-assessment and critical thinking --- essential skills for today's dynamic world.

The BA program in community development equips students with tools to collaborate with, empower and educate diverse community constituents by drawing on grassroots and inclusive frameworks such as sustainable development, social and environmental justice, participatory democracy, social and economic equity and social accounting.

The School of Public Affairs offers a concentration in criminology as part of the BS in public service and public policy.

Criminology continues to be a highly sought-after area and it presents broad policy implications for future public sector professionals. This program introduces students to the fundamental foundations in criminal justice and criminology by preparing them to think critically, contribute to society and enhance public safety.

Students are offered the opportunity to learn best practices from a broad array of industry experts (providers, regulatory agencies, government payers, and others) within the medical industry, giving graduates options from which to channel their career in health care compliance.

This program is ideal for anyone interested in the ethical, regulatory and business sides of the health care industry. Program areas of emphasis include:

• Industry standards for accreditation and auditing
• Data privacy, security, and analysis concepts
• Revenue cycles, including current billing and coding procedures
• Local and federal compliance policies, laws and regulations

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication's 12-month MMC degree program uses the teaching hospital model to immerse students in the practice of journalism and prepare them for careers in today's rapidly evolving media industry.

This 36 credit hour program begins with a multimedia boot camp, teaching students how to report and produce stories for text, photo, video and audio elements. In the second semester, students can dive deeper in a selection of advanced courses, such as those focused on narrative writing, podcasting, advanced broadcast production, documentary production, health reporting, business reporting, Spanish-language news, transborder coverage, strategic communications and digital entrepreneurship.

The program culminates in a professional immersion experience in one of the Cronkite School's strategic communication labs or news bureaus in Los Angeles, Phoenix or Washington, D.C. Working under the guidance of award-winning journalists and strategists, these capstone programs offer real-world experience in a professional news or agency environment.

The MS in community resources and development with a concentration in parks and recreation management is a research-oriented master's degree program. Students learn to analyze and understand critical topics and issues pertinent to the fields of tourism, parks and recreation management, nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations, and sustainable communities.

This highly-ranked concentration within our MPA program (#16 in Public Finance and Budgeting, U.S. News and World Report) will help you turn your desire for public service into a rewarding career in public finance and budgeting. The program can be completed full-time, part-time, or entirely online.

The MPA is a professional degree program designed to prepare students for public service at all levels of government as well as in the nonprofit and private sectors.

The program consists of a core curriculum emphasizing managerial and analytic skills needed in a large range of careers that serve the public good. Through a focused set of electives, the concentration in public finance provides knowledge and skills for students seeking careers or career advancement in areas in which financial management plays an integral role in governance. The concentration deepens knowledge in urban economics, managing money in the public sector, public budgeting, and capital budgeting and financing.

The BS program in community sports management focuses on preparing individuals with an interest in managing sport programs and activities for children, youth, adults and seniors in nonprofit, municipal and for-profit organizations.

The program emphasizes the many roles community sports plays within the community including as a mechanism to improve overall quality of life, youth development, sport tourism and community development. Both program delivery and managerial functions are targeted. Specific areas of opportunity include work with youth sports, adaptive sports, sports tourism, sport events and adult recreational sports.