Master of Science in Innovation and Management

at Montana State University - Bozeman USA

In the graduate Animal & Range Sciences program at Montana State, candidates pursue research projects across a wide variety of subject matter, including livestock nutrition, livestock breeding and genetics, meat science, production systems, rangeland management, land-use planning, wildlife management and more. Graduate candidates choose between Animal or Range Sciences for their research emphasis, with projects that open up opportunities to conduct research with cooperating ranches, the USDA, federal and state agencies, and research laboratories across the Mountain West.

Students in the Studio Arts program at Montana State begin their undergraduate artistic journey with Foundations courses, which aim to introduce students to the design thinking and visual literacy skills needed for the rest of their years in the program. From there, Studio Arts students have the opportunity to focus their creative personal vision in one of six areas of study: painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture + extended media, metalsmithing or ceramics.

The History program at Montana State allows students to specialize in the study of the American West, U.S. history, environmental history and the history of science and technology. History students participate in original research projects and student-centered learning activities, as well as internships at historical societies, museums and Yellowstone National Park, among other organizations.

Students in the English Writing program at Montana State are expected to become skilled readers and writers through the study of language and literature. This option is also ideal for students who wish to double-major both in writing and another academic field. The study of literature and effective writing is useful in the areas of publishing, journalism, creative media and many other fields as various industries continue to seek people who are exceptionally literate and articulate.

In the Organismal Biology program at Montana State, students enter a rigorous program of study will the goal of understanding plant or animal biology from the inner-most workings of internal biological systems to those organisms’ interaction with their immediate ecosystem on a communal level. With the option to tailor their plan of study to their personal interests, Organismal Biology students are able to specialize their degrees based on career interests in either the job market or advanced education.

Students within the Agricultural Education – Communications, Leadership and Extension program at Montana State develop professional skills to advocate for the agriculture industry and educate diverse audiences on emerging agricultural issues. Depending on the students’ interests, they can focus on agricultural communications, agricultural extension, or agricultural leadership as part of their course of studies. Regardless of their track, every Agricultural Education – Communications, Leadership and Extension student completes a Leadership Fellows certificate, as well as an internship with an agricultural agency, Extension office or agricultural organization.

Financial engineers combine economic theory and engineering problem-solving skills to assist businesses with risk management strategies, which is an increasingly important role in today’s globalized economy. In the Financial Engineering program at Montana State, students undergo rigorous training in economics, engineering mathematics and actuarial methods that are at the core of the financial industry.

Candidates within the Earth Sciences graduate program at Montana State are encouraged to dive into independent thesis research across a variety of specializations within the fields of geography and geology. Faculty and advisor expertise spans many subfields of the discipline, including settlement geography, bioclimatology, GIS, planning, snow science, volcanology, paleobiology, dinosaur taphonomy, stratigraphy and geomorphology. Recent M.S. students have produced groundbreaking research and have expanded our knowledge of issues from GIS-based assessment of landslide hazards to exotic species assessment in Grand Teton National Park.

Students within the Art History program at Montana State engage with comprehensive and innovative coursework that investigates the conditions, environments and methods of art-making from the ancient time to present day. With the option to travel abroad and engage in immersive learning experiences, working with leading academics in the field, writing in The BOZetto: The Undergraduate Journal of Art History or gaining hands-on experience at the Museum of the Rockies, students gain the opportunity to break the traditional boundaries of art history scholarship to engage with a variety of new perspectives.

In the Sustainable Food Systems graduate program at Montana State, candidates dig further into special topics on sustainability and the food industry to better understand the relation between food systems and public health. Sustainable Food Systems graduate student projects can potentially cover a broad range of topics, including but not limited to food system education and public awareness, how local food systems can localize diets, institutional purchasing of local foods, food policies, community supported agriculture, food processing and distribution, community food security, community-based food and nutrition assistance and more. Additionally, students are able to tailor the program to their specific interests by taking coursework connected to health promotion and education, political science, economics, business, Native American Studies, agriculture and food science.