Bachelor of Science in Biological and Natural Resource Sciences

at Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff Campus USA

The MA in Communication provides students with advanced skills in communication analysis, problem solving, critical thinking, research, theoretical application, argumentation, and written communication.  Students choose from either the MA in Communication (with no emphasis) or the MA in Communication with an emphasis in Documentary Studies.

The MA in Communication provides a foundation of the basic research methods, theories, and standards of argument in the academic study of communication.  Students explore theories and research in a variety of communicative contexts with an emphasis on the application of concepts, theories, and research to real-world issues.  Students will be able to access, understand, evaluate, and apply research, concepts, and theories.  Students will engage in original research and/or the application of existing research, concepts, and theories to specific situations for the purpose of problem-solving and/or evaluation, including effective message design.  Students will learn the expectations of academic argument in communication as well as how to effectively communicate their findings to diverse audiences.  The MA in Communication (with no emphasis) will be of relevance to working professionals in a variety of fields, educators, activists, and those preparing to pursue a PhD in Communication, Communication Studies, Rhetoric, or related disciplines.

Strategic Communication Emphasis
The Strategic Communication Emphasis will equip you with the strong communication skills, applied experience and in-depth understanding of consumer/audience behavior needed to achieve business communication goals and manage company reputations and retail purchases. The Strategic Communication Emphasis expands on undergraduate studies in public relations, advertising and merchandising, designed to lead to greater leadership opportunities, broader responsibilities and scholarly pursuits in these fields. Jobs related to your degree are available in nonprofit, for-profit and government organizations, academic and entrepreneurial ventures:

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/BA 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.

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.

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.

Applied Statistics Emphasis

• Apply statistical techniques to find innovative ways of understanding environmental problems.
• Explore advanced math, computer programming, bioinformatics, and geographic information systems, and through collaborations with those of other disciplines and viewpoints, apply this information to generate solutions to environmental problems.

The interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science in Informatics integrates cutting-edge tools and skills from data analytics, data science, computing, statistical analysis, and modeling with fundamental knowledge from emphasis areas in biology, health, ecology, environmental science, and/ or astronomy. Gain the skills you need to thrive in today’s information-centric professional workplace and follow your passion for the environment, biology, or astronomy (and related fields).

Informatics is data science (a combination of programming with statistics) plus a scientific discipline (environmental science, biology, or astronomy).

 A student graduating with a degree in informatics will be prepared for a range of data science jobs or scientific jobs that require great numeracy.  

All students will take classes in informatics, computer science and statistics.  All students will also participate in the four-class research intensive series teaching research methods.  Ecoinformatics students will also take core classes in environmental science.  Bioinformatics students will also take core classes in biology.  Astroinformatics students will also take core classes in astronomy.

The purpose of the Northern Arizona University Bachelor of Business Administration Program is to provide excellent business management and related higher education using the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award standards for education as applied through the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) accreditation. We seek to be a premier provider of Baldrige-Quality business management and related higher education with an emphasis on value and accessibility. We focus on core business competencies within a global context.

Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to:

• Think creatively, analyze and synthesize data from multiple perspectives
• Analyze and use financial information
• Solve problems using decision-making tools and theories,
• Engage others through effective interpersonal skills
• Communicate effectively in oral and written formats,
• Work well in team settings
• Design and implement effective strategies for the global marketplace, and
• Discern the underpinning ethical issues in local and global business decision-making, including those involving social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and profitability.

The global context for the core competencies will be addressed in all relevant classes across the curriculum. We provide online and hybrid classes for learning through the application of technology, as well as opportunities to study as part-time students. We provide opportunities for students to apply leadership skills through Phi Beta Lamda, as well as competitive challenges involving other business programs in Arizona and nationally. We collaborate with other universities globally and within the region to provide direct international experience. We facilitate regional business development through our innovative incubator program.

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.

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 Science degree in Exercise Science consists of core studies in areas such as chemistry, physics, anatomy and physiology, and general biology, as well as more advanced courses specific to the study of physiology and movement during exercise. Students will develop an understanding of human physiology, human movement, and the biological and chemical responses of the body to acute and chronic (training) exercise in the core Exercise Science classes; Introduction to Exercise Science, Exercise Physiology and its lab, Functional Anatomy and Kinesiology, Exercise Testing and Prescription and its lab, and in their senior capstone.  With the help of advisors, students choose approved Exercise Science electives, which cover a wide range of disciplinary areas and are selected based on the individual student’s career or graduate school goals.  These include courses in psychology, microbiology, genetics, pathology, cell and molecular biology, amongst many others.
 
Research opportunities are available for students in individual faculty’s research labs, as well as in NAU’s research centers and institutes, such as the Center for Bioengineering Innovation (CBI).  Exercise Science students also have the option of completing an internship in sports performance or cardiac rehabilitation if they are considering a career in clinical exercise physiology.
 
Students graduating with an Exercise Science degree will be well prepared for careers in clinical exercise physiology, for admission into graduate programs in exercise science and for admission into professional programs such as physical therapy, physician’s assistant, occupational therapy, athletic training, and medicine.

For more than four decades, Northern Arizona University has been developing and refining a distinctive forest management major designed to instill in you an awareness of the complexities inherent in contemporary wildland management and to help you develop as an involved citizen as well as a professional land manager. Our program helps you become well qualified to address the impacts that management decisions and practices have on all resources, including timber, wildlife, range, water, recreation, and scenic beauty.