Master of Arts in Classic Liberal Education and Leadership

at Kaplan Group - Arizona State University - Tempe Campus USA

The BA in philosophy teaches students how to think well, which in turn lays the foundation for personal and professional success.

Philosophy students learn how to structure arguments, write precisely and clearly, and communicate their ideas in an orderly, persuasive and unambiguous way. Many philosophical texts are complicated, and philosophy courses teach students how to read, comprehend and summarize conceptually difficult material. In short, studying philosophy trains one to be a better, clearer thinker.

Coursework includes the major subfields of philosophy, such as metaphysics, epistemology and ethics, and electives that connect philosophy to other areas of inquiry, emphasizing the social relevance of philosophy.

Philosophy alumni are well prepared for leadership roles whatever path they take, whether it be in business, law, politics, medicine or education.

Industrial engineering pertains to the design, improvement, installation and operation of integrated systems of people, materials, information, equipment and energy with the purpose of determining efficient ways to make a product or provide a service. Industrial engineering draws upon specialized knowledge and skill in the mathematical, physical and social sciences and the principles and methods of engineering analysis and design.

The underlying concepts for the BSE program in industrial engineering include certain business principles but emphasize the use of mathematics and information technology to build models to describe, understand and optimize system performance. Depending on the subspecialties involved and the intended application, industrial engineering may also be known as operations management, management science, operations research, systems engineering or manufacturing engineering.

The MA program in English allows for a variety of transdisciplinary studies within five distinct tracks. Comparative literature --- Students interpret cultural productions in English and at least one other language, and they explore approaches ranging from textual criticism, critical theory and translation to cultural studies and the social sciences.

Creative writing -- Students in the accelerated BA/MA creative writing track strengthen their artistic practice by participating in intensive creative writing workshops in either fiction or poetry, alongside the study of contemporary literature and innovative creative techniques.

English studies --- Students in this track learn how to interpret and articulate complex cultural, historical, literary and language related ideas into accessible material for general audiences through a series of courses from across disciplinary areas of study.

Literature --- Students develop and hone skills in oral presentation, writing and critical thinking while exploring social, historical and cultural contexts.

Writing, rhetorics and literacies --- This program offers students a wide array of courses encompassing the history, theory and practice of rhetoric and pedagogy of writing.

The BA program in Asia studies offers students the opportunity for in-depth study of East Asia, South Asia or Southeast Asia through a coherent concentration of academic study across a number of disciplines. The transdisciplinary approach provides students with a variety of intellectual tools that enable them to address contemporary political, social and cultural issues in Asia and apply their knowledge in various academic and practical settings.

Acquire a deep and broad understanding of the field of language pedagogy so that you can teach at the elementary, high school or collegiate level.

The MA program in language teaching prepares both current and aspiring language teachers with the tools they need to effectively teach languages in the secondary schools and in higher education. This program provides professional development to practicing language teachers in K-12, community colleges or at the university level.

Teachers in Arizona who are interested in continuing their professional development in both language pedagogy and language proficiency can pursue this degree. Teachers receive training in teaching methodologies, second language acquisition, heritage language pedagogy, computer-assisted language teaching, applied linguistics, and the teaching of literature and culture. In addition, this program may also interest other individuals who wish to become highly proficient bilinguals.

The Master of Computer Science program affords an opportunity for students employed in industry to seek a breadth of advanced education in computer science.

The program reflects the dual nature of computer science as a scientific and engineering discipline by allowing emphasis on theory as well as practical applications. Students can study topics such as:

• Artificial intelligence
• Big data
• Cloud and distributed computing
• Cybersecurity
• Database management and information retrieval
• Database systems
• Data mining and machine learning
• Distributed computing and operating systems
• Imaging, graphics and visualization
• Simulation modeling and systems

The dance program welcomes a diversity of applicants, including returning professionals, who have experience and interest in choreography, dance science and somatics, dance teaching praxis, dance and technology, community engagement, practices of equity and inclusion, professional partnerships and dance scholarship and theory. Students whose approaches are interdisciplinary, cross-cultural in nature, and who are self-motivated, have clear and demonstrated objectives, and are willing to explore new possibilities in the field of dance and beyond are ideal for this program.

Each graduate student will develop their potential as a creator, performer, teacher, thinker and art advocate. Frequent showings, a final Master of Fine Arts project, a written document and oral defense are required for degree completion.

The School of Arts, Media and Engineering educates the next generation of learners and empowers them with technofluency --- its development, application and implications. The School of Arts, Media and Engineering prepares students to be socially aware, critically thinking global citizens who strive to bring about positive change in a society that will be increasingly shaped by new technologies.

The BA program in digital culture equips students with the knowledge, abilities and technical skills they need for creating computational media.

Students learn to create computational media, which is computation combined with objects, sound, video, time, space, culture and bodies; breathe behavior into media, objects or systems by programming; think critically about how computation impacts lives and how culture makes a difference in how people experience computational media, a critical skill in this dynamic age.

Armed with skills and reasoned judgment, graduates work in cultural communication, marketing, design, social media, health, education, entertainment and creative arts, and all areas in which culture is shaped by technology and computational media. All students gain techniques to change the world and communicate using contemporary computational media, a vital power in the 21st century. Some go on to invent fresh techniques.

Graduates interested in continuing their education are well prepared to apply for the top interdisciplinary new media programs in the nation.

Digital Culture - Music Concentration

In the digital culture program with a concentration in music, students complement their knowledge of digital culture with discipline-specific courses in the School of Music. These courses focus on understanding the foundations and historical and theoretical structures of commercial and popular music and the principles of electronic music composition and digital sound.

The MS in American Indian studies is a transdisciplinary program that provides students with an intellectual and practical understanding of the issues facing American Indian populations and the ability to apply that knowledge. Students acquire problem-solving skills useful in a range of professional arenas, including governmental, private and nonprofit agencies.

The program focuses on languages, cultures, arts, activism, histories, legal policy and education from an American Indian studies paradigm and perspective. Delivery is through in-person courses.

The tribal leadership and governance concentration explores traditional and modern concepts of Indian education leadership, tribal government leadership, tribal governments, decision-making and legislation, constitutional reform, planning, economic development, community development, nation rebuilding, tribal courts, administration and planning.

The BS program in computer science focuses on the design of computers, computational processes for problem-solving and information transfer and transformation with an emphasis on improving software and system quality, security, performance and usability. The program supports the evolution of the computing and informatics disciplines: the integration of computer and information sciences with engineering, science and other disciplines.

Computer science professionals design, analyze and improve the quality of computer software and systems for a variety of applications, including:

• Artificial intelligence
• Computer vision
• Cybersecurity
• Graphics
• Information management
• Multimedia
• Networking