Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Government

at Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff Campus USA

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.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts degree encompasses knowledge, skills, and dispositions that are in demand from an array of creative fields—including but not limited to medical, entertainment, and design—in addition to the skills needed to be studio artists. Studio artists work in a variety of different occupations that require a combination of hand skills, an understanding of a variety of material applications, and creative problem solving. Upon graduation, students are expected to exhibit the strong critical thinking, aesthetic design, and conceptual thinking skills needed to participate effectively in a competitive creative arts market.
 
Beyond the skills of artistic creation, students develop business practices for artists including graduate school application, grant application, gallery representation, self-promotion through web and print media, and maintaining a sustainable and safe studio practice. Studio Arts students learn how to apply their skills beyond traditional studio art applications to other industrial and non-industrial fields outside the world of art.

School of Art faculty teach students to apply critical thinking and analysis, innovation and creative solutions, as well as technical artistic processes towards the production of art while building an open mind to criticism respect for public opinion. All Studio Arts majors are required to complete a Foundation year which includes drawing and basic 2D, 3D, and 4D design coursework. Eventually, students work primarily in one of five emphases: Ceramics, New Media, Painting, Printmaking, or Sculpture.  Classes are studio-based and include classroom critiques and discussions about work produced in class, review of professional artwork and artists, and professional practices of an artistic practice. Each Studio Arts student works towards a senior thesis which reflects the student’s experiences and research the student has completed throughout the program.

Emphases Learning Outcomes  
Sculpture
The BFA Sculpture emphasis focuses on 3D physical and spatial design. Students begin with learning basic metal working and welding techniques. Over time students also learn to create 3D artworks with wood, cast metal, plastics, and other composite materials. Students develop their building and fabrication skills in service of developing 3D art. These skills can be applied in a variety of occupations and opportunities like architectural theming and product prototyping in addition to studio art

The Northern Arizona University Dental Hygiene Department offers the only Bachelor’s Degree in Dental Hygiene in the State of Arizona. With a national reputation for educating dental hygiene professionals since its inception in 1973, the program offers a high-quality education. Students complete two years of prerequisite didactic instruction in preparatory areas such as human anatomy and physiology, chemistry, microbiology, nutrition, human behavior and statistics and then apply to the program. Once students enter the program, a strong emphasis is placed on gaining extensive clinical experience.  Regular clinic rotations require students to provide dental hygiene care at the NAU Dental Hygiene Clinic, the Hopi Health Care Facility, the Yavapai Apache Dental Clinic, Flagstaff Medical Center, and at North Country Healthcare. Faculty connect these field experiences to coursework, so students actively apply their knowledge of Oral Pathology, Oral Medicine, Pharmacology and Periodontics to their work with patients in the clinic.  In addition to regular clinical rotations, students must complete a minimum two-week summer externship in a dental public health facility serving American Indian, military, or underserved populations throughout Arizona, in selected sites outside Arizona,  or Internationally. Graduates are prepared to practice in diverse settings with special emphasis on rural communities and other underserved populations through a curriculum centered in public health. Their capstone project requires the origination of a public health project that requires exhaustive assessment and planning. Projects are then implemented and outcomes are evaluated in a final written report.  This public health emphasis specifically prepares graduates to write grant proposals and serve in public health administrative roles. The future of dentistry is moving towards the development of a dental therapist; a new Masters prepared dental midlevel provider. Students graduating from NAU’s Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene are optimally poised to enter advanced dental therapy programs, work in independent practice, and/or work in affiliated practice.

The Geology Program offers a thesis-based, multidisciplinary MS degree in Geology with the objective of educating students for success in the private sector, government employment, or further pursuit of graduate studies.  During the two-year program, students use geological, geobiological, geophysical, geochemical, and numerical-modeling techniques to examine geological problems and develop explanations for the processes that produced them.  Students learn to study what is known about a subject and then identify what is not yet understood.  Based upon observations, they develop testable hypotheses about a poorly understood geological  process, design a study to test these, and then carry this study out, learning new analytical techniques along the way. They then write this work into a thesis and present and defend their work in a public session.  In many cases, the thesis is then turned into a published journal article.

The MEng in mechanical engineering trains students to become engineers who are capable of finding solutions to complex mechanical and interdisciplinary engineering problems. This program is designed for students with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or in a related field. Students in this program will have the opportunity to take courses and perform a practice-oriented design project in topics ranging from renewable energy to smart materials and structures to biomechanics to robotics.  Students will be trained in advanced applied mathematics, computational tools in engineering, evaluating of the literature in mechanical engineering, designing complex mechanical engineering systems or components, and communicating mechanical engineering theories, methodologies, and solutions.  Graduates of this program will be well prepared to work in a broad range of industries, including but not limited to aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, biomedical, etc., or pursue higher education.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts degree encompasses knowledge, skills, and dispositions that are in demand from an array of creative fields—including but not limited to medical, entertainment, and design—in addition to the skills needed to be studio artists. Studio artists work in a variety of different occupations that require a combination of hand skills, an understanding of a variety of material applications, and creative problem solving. Upon graduation, students are expected to exhibit the strong critical thinking, aesthetic design, and conceptual thinking skills needed to participate effectively in a competitive creative arts market.
 
Beyond the skills of artistic creation, students develop business practices for artists including graduate school application, grant application, gallery representation, self-promotion through web and print media, and maintaining a sustainable and safe studio practice. Studio Arts students learn how to apply their skills beyond traditional studio art applications to other industrial and non-industrial fields outside the world of art.

School of Art faculty teach students to apply critical thinking and analysis, innovation and creative solutions, as well as technical artistic processes towards the production of art while building an open mind to criticism respect for public opinion. All Studio Arts majors are required to complete a Foundation year which includes drawing and basic 2D, 3D, and 4D design coursework. Eventually, students work primarily in one of five emphases: Ceramics, New Media, Painting, Printmaking, or Sculpture.  Classes are studio-based and include classroom critiques and discussions about work produced in class, review of professional artwork and artists, and professional practices of an artistic practice. Each Studio Arts student works towards a senior thesis which reflects the student’s experiences and research the student has completed throughout the program.

Emphases Learning Outcomes  
Printmaking
Building upon the observational and design skills learned in the Foundation program, students in the printmaking program explore a variety of different image making technique including but not limited to lithography, intaglio, silk-screen, wood cut, and bookmaking. What distinguishes the Print Making program from the other emphases is the focus on multiple copies of images.

This degree attracts students who desire the knowledge and skills needed to serve as professional emergency managers in the public, non-profit and private sectors.  Students are exposed to the latest information in Emergency Planning (including COOP), Incident Management Systems (IMS), Disaster Recovery and Homeland Security that prepare them to be effective and ethical emergency managers and to protect their communities from emergency events. This plan features a transfer block route designed to aid community-college graduates towards the completion of a bachelor's degree in a concise time frame.

Society’s demand for essentials such as clean air, food and water, sustainable land use and consumer products pose large-scale, practical problems.  Environmental engineers use engineering, biological and chemical principles to design and operate pollution control and impact mitigation systems.  Environmental engineering is a newer engineering discipline, growing out of civil and chemical engineering.  This exciting engineering field requires a solid understanding of core concepts including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, statics, thermodynamics, surveying, and fluid hydraulics.  These courses serve as a basis for advanced content in:

• Air quality, emissions and pollution control (sampling, modeling and the design of devices to remove particulate and gaseous pollutants)
• Water and wastewater quality and treatment (sampling, modeling and the design of biological/chemical/physical treatment methods for large and small communities)
• Hazardous and solid waste engineering (site assessment, risk assessment, remediation methods, landfill design)
• Environmental health (toxicology, industrial hygiene, ecological impacts)

In addition to this content, our environmental engineering curriculum will provide you with a solid foundation in design, project management and preparation for professional licensure.

The study of Theatre Arts is an integral part of a liberal arts education. As such, Northern Arizona University Department of Theatre seeks to give the undergraduate theatre student the broadest possible understanding of the art and craft of theatre through the creative, critical, and applied practice of theatre, and provide opportunity through performance and production for the student to learn their art by doing their art in a learner centered environment. The program seeks to prepare students for the global society by creating an awareness of the “other”, practicing empathetical thinking, and sustainability with a global perspective.

Theatre: Emphasis in Theatre Studies

• Evaluate, analyze and apply a depth and breadth of knowledge about the global impact of Theatre history, literature, and practices to the scholarship and practice of Theatre.
  • Demonstrate a depth and breadth of knowledge about the numerous facets of Theatre by successfully participating in various positions in the process of making Theatre.
  • Successfully complete coursework from a wide variety of Theatrical sub-fields
  • Apply knowledge of select Theatrical positions in theory and practice.
  • Recognize the literary, theoretical, and historical practices of global Theatre by taking courses in Script Analysis, Modern Drama, and Theatre History.
  • Synthesize knowledge acquired through the study of Theatrical history, theory and criticism in order to articulate their own stances on the global stage of Theatre.
• Value and apply an understanding of and experience with Theatre as a collaborative art to the scholarship and practice of Theatre.
  • Practice effective communication within a collaborative environment through the hands-on process of Theatre-making.
  • Value and understand professional and ethical boundaries within the collaborative Theatrical process.
  • Apply active listening skills.
  • Evaluate and apply an appreciation of various areas of Theatre to effectively work in a specific area.
• Apply knowledge of theory to practical work in Theatre.
  • Identify and engage in the professional practices of the Theatre through successful completion of courses in either Stage Management or Theatre Management.
  • Recognize, characterize and implement an understanding of the human body and its relationship to narrative and expression through successful completion of performance courses.
  • Identify, implement, and critique the technology and processes used in the professional Theatre, both historically and contemporarily, through the successful completion of courses in Technical Theatre and Design.
• Articulate an understanding of sustainability in Theatre, in all its manifestations.
  • Identify and discuss current professional Theatrical practices aimed at increasing sustainability.
  • Recognize, discuss, and analyze the sustainability of storytelling as an art form that is socially, culturally, and historically contextualized.
• Effectively communicate the theory and practice of Theatre in the following modes: digital, literary, verbal, and non-verbal.
  • Engage in effective digital communication practices through successful completion of course work and practical work in the making of Theatre.
  • Demonstrate understanding and practice of effective written communication and research skills in the literary, theoretical, and historical practices of global Theatre by successfully completing courses in Script Analysis, Modern Drama, and Theatre History.
  • Practice effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills through successful completion of performance courses as well as practical application on stage.
  • Implement effective visual communication skills through the successful completion of courses in Technical Theatre and Design.
• Apply effective problem solving through creative and critical thinking.
  • Articulate the creative process through the successful completion of a Capstone defense.
  • Demonstrate the facility to synthesize and apply their liberal studies to the practice of Theatre.
  • Recognize and analyze Western and non-Western Theatrical practices through coursework and practical application.
  • Apply culturally-aware comparative critical analysis of diverse practices and theories.
  • Synthesize knowledge acquired throughout their academic experiences on and off of the stage.
  • Articulate personal positions on the global state of Theatre.
• Demonstrate the facility to synthesize and apply their liberal studies to the practice of Theatre.
  • Apply awareness and comprehension of the scope of university coursework taken in order to critically analyze historical and contemporary texts and practices.
  • Integrate university course work into analysis and discussion of historical, social, aesthetic, and political contexts for Theatrical practices and texts.
  • Aarticulate arguments about and analysis of the diversity of stories found in the Liberal studies curriculum.
  • Synthesize and apply their knowledge of all areas of Theatre and the liberal arts to effectively complete a capstone project.
• Practice an effective system of preparation and working habits.
  • Implement effective classroom strategies such as active discussion participation, engagement with course materials, and asking relevant questions.
  • Practice effective and efficient writing techniques, including outlining, peer reviewing, and revision.
  • Collaborate within groups to prepare and present course material.

The mission of the FCB marketing program is to educate and develop students to be capable of meeting their individual potential, as well as meeting the needs of employers and society. Students of the marketing program will be able to contribute to organizations with knowledge of marketing tactics and strategy for non-profit and for-profit companies. In NAU’s marketing program, students will learn how to develop a marketing plan including:  

• Understanding consumer behavior and the buying process
• Conducting market research
• Developing communication strategies
• How best to make products and services accessible to customers
• Leveraging technology to manage data and improve business decision making

We will foster an environment that allows students to thrive through accessible and knowledgeable faculty, interactions with business professionals, and challenging coursework.