Master of Arts Religious Studies

at Kaplan Group - Arizona State University - Tempe Campus USA

The BA program in English with a concentration in writing, rhetorics and literacies teaches students strategies for inquiry.

Students explore the ways in which communication creates knowledge and action. Students study how communication is constructed, circulated, reacted to and repurposed through time and place. Through differing tools of inquiry, students investigate the history, theories and methods of inquiry as well as pragmatic and social actions of rhetoric, writing and literacies.

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 and computation combined with objects, sound, video, time, space, culture and bodies; breathe behavior into media, objects or systems by programming; and to 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 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.

Digital culture --- theatre concentration

The digital culture program in theatre is for students who desire to integrate principles of design and production with digital culture. Students complement their knowledge of digital culture with discipline-specific courses in the School of Music, Dance and Theatre that focus on understanding the fundamentals and principles of theatre design, including scene, lighting, sound, costume and multimedia design, while developing art and technical direction and digital design skills.

The MA program in political science offers a variety of areas of specialization within and between the four main subfields of political science -- American politics, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory -- with particular strengths in ethno-religious dynamics, women and politics, conflict and human rights, and Latino politics.*

Faculty also conduct research and teach in the areas of political psychology and political economy, and many are active in collaborative interdisciplinary research at ASU and with scholars at other universities; many have won major grants and awards. The school is host to the Center on the Future of War, the Center for Latina/os and American Politics Research and an experimental lab.

This Master of Arts program may be taken as a terminal program or as a step toward eventual fulfillment of the requirements for the doctorate. Students who plan to obtain the doctorate at ASU should apply directly to the doctoral program.

*Students interested in a political theory specialization should consult with the academic unit prior to application prior to application.

Physics is concerned with the nature, structure and interactions of matter and radiation. The BA program in physics provides a flexible and efficient option for students who are interested in a liberal arts degree with broad knowledge of physics. This degree program also is ideal for students seeking to complete two degrees, with physics as the second degree.

The program combines innovative learning methods with time-tested classroom and laboratory experiences for an education that is thorough in physics training and flexible enough to encourage interdisciplinary opportunities in areas such as chemistry, biology and materials science.

The BA in art history is a dynamic program that investigates visual culture and engages students in a rich and diverse curriculum. Inherently interdisciplinary, art history intersects with a variety of fields including history, literature and economics.

Faculty members emphasize critical concepts in their teaching, including the close study of artists, objects and technologies. Students explore art's history in economic, social and political contexts and the relationship of visual art to other disciplines such as literature, science, anthropology, media and performance studies. In addition to art history courses, the program includes interdisciplinary coursework from disciplines across the university.

Internships are available at a wide range of arts organizations. The program is enriched by partnerships with the ASU Art Museum and museums throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area and beyond, including an affiliation with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Geological science is the study of earth and other planets with an emphasis on the processes that have shaped them since the origin of the solar system. Students explore topics such as the co-evolution of life, oceans, atmosphere and the earth's climate system, and the record of that evolution encoded in rocks, soil, ice and isotopes.

The BS program in earth and space exploration with a concentration in geological sciences educates students in the fundamentals of geological sciences, providing a solid background in chemistry, mathematics and physics as well as mineralogy, structural geology, field geology and a variety of geologic subdisciplines.

Students gain a strong understanding of field methods as well as modern computing, remote sensing and instrumentation to effectively study the natural environment and earth's resources. Graduates of the program can apply their knowledge for the benefit of Arizona, the nation and society in general.

The MSTP program uniquely prepares its graduates to have an impact in today's science and technology decision-making. It is designed to train future leaders, policymakers and analysts in tackling diverse and complex policy issues such as climate change and artificial intelligence in ways that are socially responsible and that contribute to a more just and vibrant future.

This cohort-based program attracts students of the highest caliber and can be completed in one year or over an extended period on a part-time basis. It is suited to anyone interested in a career in which they work to ensure, through responsive and effective policy development and implementation, that science and technology serve society. Students come from a wide range of backgrounds.

The program provides students with knowledge and tools to analyze and answer complex questions around science and technology policy issues, including:

• How are science and technology influenced by the policy process?
• What is the rightful place of scientific expertise in public policymaking?
• What values and assumptions underlie society's current understanding of science and technology?
• Who should make decisions about science and technology policy? Only experts? Or should lay people also have a voice?
• How should policymakers deal with the risks and uncertainties that come from new science and technology (e.g., biotechnology, nanotechnology, geoengineering, information technology)?
• How can policymakers balance concerns about science and technology, while maintaining innovation and international competitiveness?

Students work on topics as varied as responsible innovation, technological convergence, social and environmental sustainability, health and well-being, energy, equity, security, data privacy, infrastructure, democracy, STEM education, the role of science, and space exploration and policy. They are able to describe the historical, social and institutional foundations of science and technology policy; discuss the complexities of science and technology policy decisions, decision-making under uncertainty and the role of experts; employ effective policy communications skills and techniques; and work collaboratively and effectively with experts from different backgrounds, including scientists, engineers and elected officials.

Graduates are able to apply critical skills and methods to science and technology policy analysis, apply cutting-edge approaches to ensuring socially responsive and responsible technology innovation, and contribute to developing and implementing creative solutions to many of today's most complex challenges.

The MA program in learning sciences proceeds from an understanding that learning happens in many places, not just in schools.

This program focuses on the power of design thinking to improve educational systems and provides students with a blend of theoretical insights and practical tools that prepare them to shape learning environments and experiences. The systems-level approach includes cognitive, social and contextual factors and the interactions among them.

Graduates of the program are equipped to design effective learning and teaching systems in a broad range of formal and informal settings that include museums, libraries, workplaces and schools and are well-prepared to become leaders in the development, integration and improvement of these systems.

The MLA program is designed to enable students to work with communities in planning and design projects for improving the ecological and social health of their built environments, with emphasis on sustainable environments for community resilience. ASU's Master of Landscape Architecture program provides students with the ecological literacy and fluency to lead socially just urban transformations in areas of greening, decolonizing and healing places. These urban transformations are urgently needed to build better and more just neighborhoods, cities and regions.

The curriculum in this accredited degree program is designed to prepare future leaders in landscape architecture practice and for advanced study at the doctoral level. In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. This Master of Landscape Architecture degree is qualified as a STEM-designated degree program in the U.S. education designation.

The MM program in music therapy provides students with graduate-level study in the theory, practice and research of music therapy. There is a two-year track for those who have completed either the undergraduate music therapy degree or its equivalent and who are board-certified or hold a similar international music therapy credential. Additionally, a three-year track is offered for those who have an undergraduate degree in music but not in music therapy.

The master's degree program fosters an expanded research perspective in music therapy, emphasizing community partnerships and program development with a concentration in the student's area of choice, drawing from a number of possible options. Cognate areas include counseling and counseling psychology, special education, gerontology, social work, audiology and speech-language or other areas of choice from the many options.