Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences with Emphasis in Environmental Administration and Policy

at Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff Campus USA

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.

Climate Change Emphasis

• Examine and understand how climate has changed in the past and how climate is anticipated to change into the future in response to both natural and human factors.
• Understand and be able to explain natural climate dynamics and the modes of variability within the climate system.
• Explore and understand the social, political, and/or cultural factors that shape how society understands and responds to climate change.
• Explore and analyze potential pathways to mitigate climate change and minimize the impacts of a changing climate system.

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.

Vocal Performance Emphasis

Students develop skills in vocal performance that prepare them for professional singing careers or for further vocal study at the doctoral level.

• Apply knowledge of vocal literature within its historical context through successful collaboration in rehearsals and performances.
• Demonstrate proper vocal technical, musicianship, artistry, and interpretation in advanced-level solo-vocal performances.
• Develop a broad range of skills, from refined stage deportment in performance to exemplary understanding of stylistic contrast, in preparation for auditions into performance organizations and/or competitive doctoral programs.
• Listen to and respond thoughtfully and thoroughly to work by other MM vocal performance students in order to hone the critical, intellectual and analytical skills, and practice providing and receiving critique. Use critiques and insights from others to hone one’s performance craft.
• Apply professional standards in oral and written communication such as utilizing proper etiquette for phone interviews or video consultation and composing well-designed letters of inquiry regarding job opportunities.
• Investigate the world of the performance industry in order to discover suitable venues to perform.
• Actively participate and network in a community of musicians and cultivate a professional identity through performing one’s work frequently in recitals and master classes.

Statistics forms the backbone of a multitude of research endeavors and is essential in the design of experiments and analysis of experimental data—in disciplines old, new, and cutting edge. This non-thesis advanced degree concludes with a comprehensive exam conducted by the student's advisory committee.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Graduates will demonstrate breadth and depth of knowledge of statistics at the graduate level.
  • Graduates will understand a wide range of statistical theory, especially Probability, Mathematical Statistics, and Linear Models, which are central to advanced studies in statistics. This foundation provides the primary mathematical framework for understanding and applying advanced statistical methods.
  • Graduates will understand and be able to apply advanced statistical models and inference methods and how they relate to the core statistical theory.
  • Graduates will demonstrate mastery by successfully completing a comprehensive oral exam covering an approved set of three courses encompassing topics in both theoretical and applied statistics. This exam is administered by a committee of the faculty with expertise in these courses from the Department of Mathematics & Statistics.
• Graduates will demonstrate statistical reasoning skills at the graduate level.
  • Graduates will be able to select data collection methodologies based on relevant scientific questions and practicality constraints.
  • Graduates will be able to choose and implement analysis methods based on the constraints of a study design and the scientific questions of interest.
  • Graduates will be able to assess statistical significance of aspects of a proposed model and interpret  the results in the situational context.
  • Graduates will have the theoretical and applied knowledge to understand and critique new statistical methodology and its relevance to a particular study or scientific problem.
  • Graduates will possess the creativity and intuition to apply known statistical methodology in new situations.
• Graduates will communicate statistics effectively in preparation for careers in industry, with government agencies, or in education.
  • By both written and oral means, graduates will be able to explain statistical methodology, assumptions, and results.
  • Graduates will be proficient in the use of numerical, graphical, and narrative methods for conveying statistical information.
  • By tailoring the level of complexity and detail to the audience, graduates will be able to communicate effectively with statisticians, non--statistician researchers, and the community at large.

The overall purpose of the Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders program is to provide students with foundational knowledge of the biological, physical, behavioral and cognitive aspects of human communication. Courses cover anatomical and physiological aspects of speech and hearing, development of cognitive and linguistic communicative functions and related disorders, and aspects of professional practice.
 
Students who complete the program will be prepared for graduate studies in speech-language pathology, audiology, speech and hearing sciences, or related disciplines 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.

Biology Emphasis

• Quantify selected aspects of biological systems using foundations of mathematics and physics.
• Explore core concepts in biological sciences such as the unifying molecular, cellular, ecological and evolutionary principles for life on Earth. Gain appreciation for the importance of multiple scales of biological diversity. Understand the foundations of ecology and the principles of conservation biology. Practice collaborations with those of other disciplines and viewpoints, apply this information to generate sustainable solutions to environmental problems.

The mission of Northern Arizona University Social Work Program, grounded in the history, purpose, and values of the profession, is to educate competent generalist social workers for practice with diverse populations and multi-level social systems in local, regional and global contexts.

The generalist practice for which we educate is based on social work knowledge, values, and skills; geared to practice with rural and Indigenous populations of the Southwest; and, focused on addressing poverty, structural racism, and oppression; providing leadership in promoting human rights and social and economic justice; and service with vulnerable and underserved populations locally, regionally, and globally.

The mission of our social work program to educate competent generalist social workers is expressed in the following goals:

• To prepare competent generalist social workers with the knowledge, values, and skills for engaging in individual, family, group, organization, and community planned change processes with diverse rural, vulnerable, and underserved populations locally, regionally, and globally;
• To promote identification with the profession, continued professional development, and enhancement of knowledge, values, and skills for generalist social work practice; and
• To provide service to the community and promote social and economic justice.

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.

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.

The MFA in Creative Writing at NAU is an interdisciplinary, full-time, two-year program in fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry. Students participate in writing workshops, undertake coursework in literature, and study critical theory. MFA candidates present a creative thesis of between 45 to 120 pages, depending on genre. Our program’s vibrant literary culture includes the literary journal Thin Air and the robust weekly Narrow Chimney Reading Series. Graduate teaching assistantships are available to a select number of students.