Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood

at Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff Campus USA

The Bachelor of Science in Sociology program provides students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to enter the world of social and government services, business, industry, and organizations. The sociological perspective is essential for succeeding in today’s multiethnic and multinational work force. Our sociology major stresses an awareness of social factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, education, and social class that both influence and are affected by social structures. This perspective is an excellent preparation for a wide variety of occupations.
 
This degree builds a strong foundational knowledge in the study of social life, social change, diverse communities and their interactions. Our curriculum is designed to ensure that students have a strong substantive understanding in one of our concentration areas: social justice and inequality; culture and community; environment, globalization, and sustainability; or, health. Our curriculum further ensures that students can use scientific methods to find empirical answers to complex social questions. In addition, they will be able to make clear and effective demonstrations of their work orally and in writing. Students will leave this program with an ability to make sense of the shifting social world and contribute solutions to difficult social problems.

Sociology graduates are critically informed, value diversity and equality, and use their knowledge of sociology to pursue careers that promote these ideals.

The Bachelor of Arts in English prepares graduates for any future that demands proficiency in literature, language, and writing, as well as general excellence in resourceful, well-informed communication. Our graduates recognize the close weave of logical thought and effective expression, strive for more persuasive or more creative uses of English, possess the sense and insight to appreciate the value and quality of literature, have developed their historical and cultural imaginations by studying the marks of other times and diverse peoples in language and text, and recognize the global contexts of English as well as the social, civic, and environmental responsibilities that come with a liberal education. Our graduates have attained the high-level literacy skills and have practiced the research methods needed to compete in graduate and professional schools and to succeed in the workplace. With our help, they have prepared themselves to become productive, responsible members of the communities in which they live and work.

The Creative Writing Emphasis provides experience and stimulation to advance students’ writing and reading skills, as well as their discipline and habits. We offer techniques to deepen students’ talents, and we demonstrate how to make writing creatively a part of students’ lives and careers.

The Environmental Science program at NAU constructs an interdisciplinary base of knowledge and skills to explore and develop real-world solutions to environmental problems.

Our program provides a firm grounding in the natural and social sciences to ensure all students understand how chemical, physical and biological processes maintain life, and the complex relationships among humans and the environment. Students work together and individually in the classroom, field and laboratory to practice applying the scientific method to address environmental problems and explore creative solutions that apply cutting-edge technologies.

The broad range of emphases available within our program allows students to delve deeper into a specific knowledge base, then work individually and often together in Environmental Science courses to solve problems by applying the perspectives and knowledge they developed in their emphasis with students from other emphasis areas. To culminate the learning in the program, students develop an individually designed research project or internship addressing an environmental issue of importance to them, which in turn, is expected to further prepare students for a range of professional or graduate opportunities.

Environmental Communication Emphasis

• Understand environmental processes and problems as well as the nature, concepts, and process of communication.
• Learn how to communicate environmental concepts in written and oral form, through diverse media, to audiences of diverse viewpoints, backgrounds, and perspectives.

Chemistry is a diverse discipline that encompasses living processes, inorganic interactions, and analytical methods. Chemistry deals with the basic laws of the physical world and the composition and properties of matter. Students trained in chemistry enter careers in academia, research, pharmacy, forensics, medicine, the environment, space exploration, and national defense. Students can select an emphasis that best prepares them for their chosen career path.

The breadth of the field of chemistry requires a wide range of knowledge and skills. The goal of the NAU chemistry degree program is to ensure that our graduates:

• Are well versed in the fundamental principles of chemistry: the atomic theory of matter, the quantum nature of the atom, and the principle laws of thermodynamics;
• Are knowledgeable about frequently encountered elements, compounds, and reactions;
• Understand biosynthetic pathways and modes of action of biomolecules;
• Understand factors controlling the mechanisms of chemical reactions;
• Are knowledgeable about synthesis strategies and can successfully conduct synthetic sequences in the laboratory;
• Understand the principles of chemical analysis and are proficient at using modern instrumentation to carry out analysis;
• Are adept at solving problems independently and contributing to a team effort;
• Able to communicate their scientific results orally and in writing.

    Available Emphasis Areas:

• Choral Conducting - Emphasis
• Composition - Emphasis
• Instrumental Conducting - Emphasis
• Instrumental Performance - Emphasis
• Musicology/Ethnomusicology - Emphasis
• Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music - Emphasis
• Suzuki Pedagogy (Violin) - Emphasis
• Theory - Emphasis
• Vocal Performance - Emphasis

You can become a highly qualified teacher in a public school setting, compete for a place in the performing world, or continue your education in a doctoral program. Our graduate program will provide you with a distinctive blend of concepts and applications, allowing you to achieve your professional goals and aspirations.

The MM program offers candidates a wide range of academically rigorous and inspiring courses; high-level solo performing and ensemble opportunities; and personal attention from distinguished faculty. Many graduate students enjoy teaching and conducting opportunities that are rarely offered at the Master's level.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology consists of a series of Life Science foundation courses followed by advanced courses that survey a range of microbiological sub-disciplines.  These include courses focused on the interaction between microorganisms and human disease, such as infectious diseases, medical microbiology, and immunology but also courses that investigate the role of microbes in the environment including environmental microbiology, microbial ecology and industrial microbiology and biotechnology. From bioremediation to virology, students will develop an understanding of biological and chemical systems of microorganisms — and develop a foundation for a career in a range of professions that involve microbiology.
 
The Life Sciences Core is designed to provide the student with a strong grounding in biology, chemistry and mathematics. The student, in consultation with an academic advisor and using a basic course schedule as a guideline, may select from elective microbiology courses relevant to a range of disciplinary areas and career fields, such as Immunobiology, Medical Microbiology, Microbial Ecology, Bioinformatics, and Virology; or design his or her own set of electives approved by one of the program academic advisors.

The Environmental and Sustainability Studies program at NAU constructs an interdisciplinary base of knowledge and skills that integrates humanistic disciplines and perspectives with natural and social scientific approaches to develop real-world solutions to our environmental and sustainability challenges, from the local to the global.

Our BS degree program begins with a firm grounding in natural systems, to ensure all students understand how physical and biological processes maintain life, and how humans are affecting, and are affected by, the natural world. In addition to the natural sciences, students will also obtain a solid understanding of the environment through focusing on the social sciences and humanities in order to develop a critical appreciation of the historical, political, economic and ethical forces that have shaped our current environmental issues. This will prepare students for work in non-profit, government and community-action organizations.

Students will work together in field and lab environments to apply rigorous qualitative and quantitative methods to environmental and sustainability issues, exploring interdisciplinary impacts and solutions that range across space and time. Interdisciplinary experience is centered around focus areas or specific environmental problems, rather than disciplines. This structure produces students well-trained in both the fundamentals of multiple disciplines as well as specific knowledge needed to understand, analyze and become engaged in particular issues and professions. Additionally for the BA degree, students will attain foreign language competency and experience with cross-cultural communication to better understand the impact of environmental issues on global communities.

Our construction management curriculum is founded on a general education in liberal studies, communications, mathematics and the physical sciences.  Graduates will have applied basic principles in construction science topics including materials and methods, analysis and design of systems, design theory, graphics and geomatics. They will have also gained an understanding of fundamental  business topics including accounting, economics, business law and principles of management.
 
These foundations lead to higher-level courses in which such knowledge is applied to construction topics in the areas of estimating, scheduling, accounting, finance, law, safety, ethics, and project management. Throughout their academic career, students will apply the knowledge and skills that they learn in the classroom to an integrated construction project in a laboratory environment.

The Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages provides students with a socio-cultural and historical background as well as linguistic abilities to engage with French, German, Japanese, and Spanish speaking populations from around the world in a variety of social and cultural contexts. Through linguistic, literary and cultural approaches to the study of the French, German, Japanese, and Spanish language, our students develop speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills that allow them to understand and interact effectively with diverse cultures. Throughout this process the students develop cognitive skills in critical thinking and analysis and recognize the importance of being able to function in a global society. With their linguistic abilities in French, German, Japanese, and Spanish, they are better able to compete for career opportunities in the domestic and global job markets and are prepared to become productive, responsible members of the local, national and international communities in which they live and work.

The mission of the Master of Arts in Sustainable Communities is to provide interdisciplinary face-to-face graduate education on the complex issues of sustainability and social justice, encouraging students to pursue important social and environmental issues concurrently. The program seeks to educate students as critical thinkers for community leadership and to enable its graduates to contribute to the well-being of communities. At the same time, the program aims to push students intellectually, looking to produce thoughtful and critical graduates who can think theoretically. The curriculum is student-centered; students bring their intellectual, ethical, and practical concerns to bear on their particular academic inquiry. These skills are sharpened in collective collaborations between students and different communities through praxis.