Bachelor of Science in Informatics with Emphasis in Astroinformatics

at Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff Campus USA

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.

The program is designed to provide the foundational skills for continuous learning and to adapt to the fast changing information technology environment.  This program also includes competency-based and hands-on learning modules to enhance acquired business skills.  Parts of the curriculum are designed around highly valued certifications.  Students will also augment their IT skills.

The Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences: Nutrition and Foods prepares students to understand and apply physical, biological, and chemical makeup of food (nutrients), how the body uses nutrients to impact health and disease, and, the process of food selection and preparation for maintenance or improvement of overall health, wellness, and performance.

The degree program is designed for students with diverse health career interests with a functional health emphasis: the integration of fitness and performance, wellness, clinical and public health programming is foundational to broad professional application. Students will learn, evidence-based methods and develop experience-based knowledge that supports an overall holistic approach to health.

Through practical application, students will be prepared to: evaluate and apply nutrition research to design interventions, counsel individuals and the public, facilitate and support behavior change; advocate for sustainable food practice; and serve as community nutrition resources.

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  
Ceramics
Through a detailed curriculum, students learn all of the making and firing processes in ceramics, to understand sound craftsmanship, and to think critically in design decisions. The curriculum also provides a thorough education in the technical aspects of ceramics, such as an understanding of ceramic materials through glaze calculation and the practical knowledge of kiln design and construction.

The Master of Arts in History prepares students for careers in academia as well as the public and private sectors. Many of our students have continued for the PhD and now serve on university faculties across the country. Others have pursued careers as foundation or government historians.  Still others have used their degree to excel as public historians, including museum curators and cultural interpretation specialists at historic sites and parks.

The Master of Forestry (MF) is a course-work-based non-thesis degree intended for students pursuing professional careers in the management of forest resources for public, private, and non-profit sectors.  The degree prepares students for positions in governmental or non-governmental agencies such as forest manager, policy analyst, silviculturist, or wildlife manager.  This degree is for you if you desire advanced training in Forestry with a focus on forest management and policy instead of original scholarly research.

The MF is appropriate for students with a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry or closely related disciplines.  The MF is integral to the School of Forestry’s Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Program that facilitates completion of both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in five years.  The degree is also suitable for students with Bachelor’s degrees outside Forestry who seek training to facilitate a career change to Forestry.  In addition, the MF is part of the Western Regional Graduate Program that provides reduced tuition for students who are residents of other participating western U.S. states.

The MF emphasizes core training in forest management, ecosystem, and forest social sciences; professional presentations; emerging issues in forestry; electives that provide advanced training in specific skills; and a capstone professional paper that showcases student skills in research/knowledge synthesis and understanding, professional writing, and professional ethnics.

The Bachelor of Science in Geographic Science and Community Planning integrates geographic knowledge and GIS mapping technologies with the problem-solving fields of community planning and urban design. This educational framework prepares students for careers in creating more livable and sustainable communities, while contributing to a better world.
 
Coursework for this degree provides a strong foundation in geography and an option to select one of three available emphases. Geospatial Technologies engages students in the analysis of spatial data through geographic information systems and remote sensing. The Community Planning and Development emphasis introduces students to the professional field of land use planning including the development review process, comprehensive plans and ordinances, environmental impact studies and law and ethics. Human-Environmental Systems explores the interrelationships between natural and social systems to solve pressing societal-environmental issues.

Human-Environmental Systems
With the successful completion of this emphasis, students will be able to:

• Critically analyze human-environmental relationships, identify causes of social and environmental problems and evaluate solutions.
• Understand and explain the economic and social processes of development and globalization.
• Communicate effectively to diverse audiences through written, oral and graphic means

Earning a journalism degree at Northern Arizona University will help students develop tangible skills and theoretical knowledge. Students gain competence in written, oral, and visual communication as their foundation, adding specialized professional skills in ethics, environmental issues, reporting and editing, and communication and publication law.

A Bachelor of Science in History provides students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to succeed in civic life, in graduate study, and in a variety of careers.  Our program emphasizes the complex tensions and synergies between human agency and larger historical forces in order to inform honest debate on past and current events as members of engaged, critical, and dynamic communities.  Historical perspective is an essential component of responsible and informed citizenship and provides significant advantages to students in a multicultural world and workplace. Our graduates attain the writing skills, research methods, and critical and analytical thinking necessary not only for history professions, but for a wide variety of career paths, such as management, law, and education in both academic and public settings.
 
Our curriculum trains students to find, evaluate, and employ primary and secondary sources as evidence to frame and answer questions through analysis, interpretation, and critical engagement. Students therefore learn to reach sound judgments and construct persuasive arguments through research rather than by relying on hearsay or presumptions. Students further develop appreciation for the diversity of the human experience and consciousness of how local and global histories inform one another in both past and present, and how historical research can transform those relations. In addition, students gain expertise in another discipline to complement the practice of historical inquiry with an interdisciplinary approach.

The Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Policy (MS ES&P) is an interdisciplinary degree program that combines natural and social science core courses with a breadth of specialized classes from across the University. Lasting solutions to most environmental problems are likely to be found at the nexus of the natural and social sciences. The MS ES&P program provides applied, cross-disciplinary training to prepare students to solve environmental problems using the scientific method combined with an in-depth knowledge of relevant socio-political systems. Students gain this knowledge through their individual thesis research and coursework in quantitative research methods, natural sciences and social sciences.

Paleoenvironment Emphasis Learning Outcomes

• Develop an interdisciplinary understanding of paleoenvironmental systems through coursework and thesis research.
• Examine Quaternary geology including glaciation, hydrology, stratigraphy, geomorphology, and paleoclimatology.
• Elucidate major theories and methods in reconstructing terrestrial and aquatic biotic communities of the past.
• Examine and understand how and why the climate system responds to natural changes and human impacts.
• Use archeological analysis to examine the impacts of humans on past climate and environments.