Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences with Emphasis in Climate

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 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.

The Documentary Studies emphasis
The Documentary Studies emphasis provides a solid grounding in the theoretical, critical, and practical traditions that inform documentary work.  Students engage in intensive research and fieldwork, professional production skills in storytelling, and learn to critically analyze media in terms of both content and craft.   Particular attention is given to the role of documentary as social critique and bringing untold, under-reported, and under-represented issues and peoples into the public eye.  The program is ideally suited to prepare students for today's world of cutting-edge multimedia journalism, documentary work, as well as preparation for PhD programs in cinema and media studies.

The B.A. in Comparative Cultural Studies is a 49-58 credit degree whose aim is to provide students with a comparative, integrative and global approach to the study of human culture in its diversity and interconnections. The different emphases in the CCS B.A. degree introduce students to the complexities of diverse human cultures, both past and present; in the process, they develop the skills of analysis, interpretation and communication crucial to both their academic and professional development.

This undergraduate degree provides a solid foundation for students planning to pursue a variety of accounting careers in industry, government, or public accounting.  Students completing this academic plan may apply for the competitive MBA-ACC program, one of several avenues for a student to complete the 150 units needed for the CPA exam.

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 Bachelor of Science in Multidisciplinary Engineering provides students learning opportunities in multiple engineering disciplines and complemented by other disciplines across campus. The program supports a customizable curriculum that includes a capstone experience focused on multi- and inter-disciplinary teamwork. Specific combinations of coursework are formulated in several named emphases that provide unique opportunities and inspires students to build their own unique engineering pathways.

The core of the program is a design sequence with loose commonality across most of NAU’s engineering programs.  All students, regardless of emphasis, engage in contextualized engineering design and project management courses. This core is supported by foundational math, computer science, and physics coursework.  The design sequence also becomes the scaffolding for integrating and synthesizing coursework across several disciplines and content areas.

Students who do not select an emphasis area may work with either an advisor or a faculty mentor to select course work in the plan that supports their own personal engineering aspirations and interests. Students who get an MDE degree have many general engineering career opportunities.  This includes areas such as engineering sales, engineering management, engineering communication, or an engineering technician.

Students who select the Engineering Design emphasis take specialized coursework in engineering design and art.  This allows students to learn how to design for practical specification and utility while also learning the aesthetic foundations of design and creativity.  This emphasis is intended to support students interested in becoming product or industrial design engineers.

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 Performance

• 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.
  • Recognize the literary, theoretical, and historical practices of performance in the 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, and be able to articulate their own stances on the global stage of Theatre.
  • Identify a variety of disciplines within the art of Theatre, and the impacts they have on performance by successfully completing  coursework from a wide variety of Theatrical sub-fields.
  • Demonstrate a depth and breadth of knowledge about the numerous facets of Theatre by successfully participating in various areas (or Theatrical positions) in the process of making Theatre, and applying this experience to performance.
  • Critique, perform, and synthesize their understandings of texts from the global stage through in-class assignments and mainstage or second stage projects, thereby expanding their awareness of the larger impact of Theatre.
• Value and apply an understanding of and experience with Theatre as a collaborative art to the scholarship and practice of Theatre.
  • Implement an understanding of the collaborative processes of Theatre through the successful completion of courses in directing, and through the practical applications of rehearsal and performance.
  • Practice effective communication within a collaborative environment through the practical applications of rehearsal and performance.
  • Value and understand professional and ethical boundaries within the collaborative Theatrical process through coursework and the practical application of rehearsal and performance .
  • Application of active listening skills in class, in the rehearsal hall, and in performance.
  • Apply appreciation of the different areas of Theatre to effectively perform a role or direct a text.
  • Recognize and implement successful practices of ensemble development in the creation of Theatre through successful completion of course work and practical application in the rehearsal hall and on stage.
• Apply knowledge of theory to practical work in Theatre.
  • Identify and engage in professional practices of performance through successful completion of courses in performance, and through practical application on stage.
  • Recognize, characterize and implement an understanding of the human body and voice and its relationship to narrative and expression through successful completion of performance courses and through application on stage.
  • Identify, implement, and evaluate knowledge and correct application of discipline-based language, terminology, and vernacular.
  • Identify and engage in the professional practices of the Theatre through successful completion of courses in either Stage Management or Theatre Management.
  • Identify, implement, and critique the technologies and processes used in the professional Theatre, both historically and contemporarily, through the successful completion of courses in Technical Theatre and Design.
  • Implement effective storytelling practices.
  • Identify and utilize the interaction of Theatrical elements, and employ this knowledge in analysis and implementation of Theatrical choices.
  • Recognize and implement an understanding of dramatic structure in playmaking and playwriting in order to tell a story or create a role.
  • Practice effective research and documentation of research in a performance process.
  • Demonstrate growth through audition, and successful completion of departmental performance opportunities.
• 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.
  • Articulate the creative process using digital, oral and written communication skills through the successful completion of a Capstone defense.
  • Practice effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills through successful completion of performance courses, and through practical application on stage.
  • Articulate dramatic structure in the rehearsal and performance processes.
  • Recognize and implement effective written communication of dramatic structure, research, and analysis through the successful completion of course work in Modern and Contemporary Drama and Script Analysis.
  • Communicate and implement an understanding of  dramatic structure, research, and analysis through the medium of live Theatre.
  • Implement effective verbal communication skills through correct usage of Theatrical terminology.
  • Articulate and implement effective verbal communication skills through exploration and discovery in the rehearsal hall and coursework.
• Apply effective problem solving through creative and critical thinking.
  • Demonstrate effective and creative problem solving by synthesizing research and coursework, and applying this knowledge to the rehearsal hall and performance.
  • Demonstrate creative problem solving by effective and diverse application of the tools of Theatre to meet the challenges of a role, a play, or a scene.
  • Implement active and critical thinking by proactively approaching a role or a project.
  • Demonstrate autonomy in the successful completion of a Senior Capstone project.
• 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 to a critically analysis their own processes as performers.
  • Integrate university course work to create roles or tell stories.
  • Apply knowledge from Liberal Studies coursework in creative ways.
  • Comprehend, analyze and apply the diversity of stories found in the Liberal Studies curriculum in regard to performance challenges.
  • 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 the Theatrical practices of always being on time, prepared, and ready to work, through successful their completion of coursework as well as in the rehearsal hall and on stage.
  • Recognize, describe, and implement effective warm-up and preparation exercises.
  • Apply continual preparation tactics, research, and practical habits in performance.
  • 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 opportunity for graduate students to develop independent research and projects, to conduct original research toward the development of a final anthropological master's thesis or project provides graduate students a strong foundation in the discipline. Research and applied projects are encouraged in the fields of archaeology and sociocultural anthropology with research.

The Sociocultural concentration trains students in ethnographic methods and collaborative research approaches, providing opportunities to work with communities at the local, regional, national, and international levels. Opportunities exist in the areas of medical, development, environmental, and educational anthropology.

The Archaeology concentration trains students in theory, methods, advanced archaeological computing applications, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), lithic, ceramic, rock art, and a number of other materials specialties, as well as cultural resource management.

Software engineering consists of the principled application of repeatable processes and methods for the design, development, maintenance, and evolution of software systems. The field is distinguished from programming and computer science by its emphasis on practical techniques supporting the team-based development of large-scale and long-lived software systems that are required to operate reliably and within specified functional and non-functional constraints.

Students in the BSSE will be provided with skills in software engineering processes, including requirements analysis, software design and architecture, software testing, multiple programming languages and libraries, cloud computing technologies, project management, and foundational areas such as data structures and algorithmic complexity. Elective selections will permit students to specialize in other application areas, including human-computer interaction, socio-technical computing, computer networks, high-performance computing, and cybersecurity. A capstone project will allow students to exercise the full breadth of their skillset by working with clients on real-world projects.

A distinctive characteristic of this program, and one that exemplifies its emphasis on workforce development, is the inclusion of required and industry-recognized professional certifications. All graduates of this program will be required to complete the Professional Software Developer (PSD) Certification offered by the IEEE Computer Society. In addition to the IEEE certification, students will have the opportunity to earn the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certified Solutions Architect Professional (CSAP) certification.

Our ability to efficiently support the BSSE program is strengthened by our roster of related programs, including our computer science and applied computer science programs, which share many core programming courses with software engineering, and our cybersecurity programs.  This program also expands on the existing options for our students to pursue computer science related degrees, with a focus on industry career opportunities.

Criminal justice in Indian Country is a unique, complex, and specialized field that is presently not taught at any university in the United States. To be proficient, a professional working in this field must know and understand how to analyze essential facets and challenges of the field, such as: 1) the parameters of Indian Country; 2) the process to determine who is an American Indian; 3) the distinction between an American Indian person’s “political status” and “racial status” and within the context of enrolled membership; 4) whether federal law, American Indian nation law, state law, or a combination of the laws of two jurisdictions applies; 5) whether the criminal procedure rights of the U.S. Constitution, the Indian Civil Rights Act, or the American Indian nation’s Bill of Rights apply; and 6) which court – federal, American Indian nation, or state – would have jurisdiction over the matter. Throughout the program, these analyses are undertaken based upon the fundamental principle that American Indian nations are self-governing sovereigns and that current federal Indian policy promotes self-determination, self-government, and nation-building. The major in Indian Country Criminal Justice educates students with accurate, current knowledge about criminal justice and culturally-appropriate justice services on Indigenous lands, and helps students develop the unique skills they need to pursue criminal justice careers on and around Indigenous lands, with Indigenous peoples, in Indigenous communities, and with justice institutions of self-governing Indigenous nations.