Bachelor of Science in Journalism

at Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff Campus USA

Theory Emphasis
Students develop skills in music theory that prepare them for further study of music theory at the doctoral level.

• Develop music research and writing skills (including the ability to locate, assess, and synthesize a wide range of research materials related to music), compile a comprehensive bibliography of existing research in the field, and write effective expository prose on music and related topics.
• Acquire advanced skills for analyzing traditional tonal music, including the ability to create Schenkerian graphs of musical excerpts and pieces.
• Learn advanced methodologies for analyzing post-tonal music, including pitch-class set theory and twelve-tone theory.
• Increase analytical writing skills, including the ability to formulate an original interpretation of a musical work, elucidate this interpretation in prose, supported by detailed musical observations, and in relation to existing secondary literature.
• Produce a master’s thesis displaying research of a caliber that could be presented at a regional music theory conference. This thesis will:
• Present an original, sustained, and coherent argument.
• Involve detailed musical analysis of the work of a particular composer or a specific repertoire of musical works.
• Summarize, respond to, and/or build upon the prior secondary analytical literature on that composer or repertoire.
• Employ a methodology that is more detailed, specific, and/or advanced than the approaches taught at the level of the basic undergraduate music theory course sequence.
• Be orally defended by the student in front of a defense committee.
• Acquire knowledge of music theory pedagogy, including diverse techniques and strategies for teaching musical fundamentals, tonal harmony, and ear-training at the high school and college levels.

Our goal in offering the B.A.S. degree is to provide you with a general knowledge of management, organizational, and policy issues and to advance your communication, computer, and quantitative skills. This degree also offers you the opportunity to complete a specialization that will broaden your career horizons, promote life-long learning, and enrich your life. Northern Arizona University offers this degree at selected campuses throughout Arizona.

The BSBA in Management program at NAU prepares graduates for entry-level business professional positions with the intention of providing a foundation to transition into managerial positions. Graduates’ skills include proficient analysis, skillful decision-making, and effective communication. Our graduates will add value to their organizations through competent management of relationships, processes, and projects to achieve results for improved performance. The Management Area’s vision for the NAU Franke College of Business undergraduate Management degree is to build students’ identities as leaders and decision makers. The AACSB-accredited management degree develops students’ knowledge and expertise in managing both complex and simple organizational forms (including both for-profit and not-for-profit ventures; in both the manufacturing and service sectors), and provides students with a comprehensive overview of the skills necessary to compete effectively in business and to become successful managers. The Management Area faculty seeks to build on the strengths of a NAU liberal arts foundation and the core of the business program, by further developing analytical skills, problem-solving skills, strategic thinking abilities, effective oral and written communication abilities, and effective leadership and teamwork skills. The program emphasizes behavioral dynamics, decision making skills, ethics and corporate social responsibility, entrepreneurial skills, leadership skills, project management, international relations, and human resources skills for students of traditional age (often minority and/or first generation students), who likely have little to no previous work experience.

The Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Government follows the Liberal Arts tradition, designed to appeal to students who are interested in many different aspects of politics and international affairs, and want to gain strong training across the different sub-fields of political science.

With this degree, students will be prepared to move into a number of careers that require a breadth and depth of knowledge of politics and government.  

They will be able to write clearly, understand and work within a variety of different political areas, and apply their knowledge in the education, professional, and governmental realms. Graduates of this program will benefit from these critical thinking and writing skills as both citizens and members of the workforce regardless of their eventual career path.

Our goal is to train students to be active, engaged, and informed participants in the global system who cannot only understand the world around them but also shape and influence it.

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 Bachelor of Science in Sociology program provides students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to enter the world of social and government services, business, industry, and organizations. The sociological perspective is essential for succeeding in today’s multiethnic and multinational work force. Our sociology major stresses an awareness of social factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, education, and social class that both influence and are affected by social structures. This perspective is an excellent preparation for a wide variety of occupations.
 
This degree builds a strong foundational knowledge in the study of social life, social change, diverse communities and their interactions. Our curriculum is designed to ensure that students have a strong substantive understanding in one of our concentration areas: social justice and inequality; culture and community; environment, globalization, and sustainability; or, health. Our curriculum further ensures that students can use scientific methods to find empirical answers to complex social questions. In addition, they will be able to make clear and effective demonstrations of their work orally and in writing. Students will leave this program with an ability to make sense of the shifting social world and contribute solutions to difficult social problems.

Sociology graduates are critically informed, value diversity and equality, and use their knowledge of sociology to pursue careers that promote these ideals.

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 Sustainable Engineering emphasis take specialized coursework in civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and environmental sciences, which allows them to engage in environmental engineering practice that focuses on sustainability.  This emphasis is intended to support students who are interested in working at the intersection of environmental engineering and environmental science and practice with a focus on sustainable systems.

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 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.

The Geology program in SESES develops an interdisciplinary base of knowledge that students use to understand the physical and biological history of the Earth and the evidence for that history. A distinguishing characteristic of geology is that it includes deep time in its understanding of terrestrial and solar system processes.

The Geology program is based on a strong foundation of physics, chemistry, and mathematics that provides an underpinning for the students as they move through the program and start to develop an appreciation for the complexities of interconnected Earth systems and their physical and chemical processes. Students work in field and lab environments, using the scientific method to develop an understanding of Earth materials and to synthesize information from diverse sources and methods to interpret the geological history of the Earth and the processes that occur on and below its surface. This includes the analysis of topographic maps 40 and remote sensing images using GIS tools to study the three-dimensional geometry of rock units, as well as geochemical and geophysical data obtained in the field and laboratory.

The three emphases within the program allow the students to develop a deeper understanding of specific fields within the subject and to prepare themselves for a range of professional opportunities. These enable them to explore the use of a range of geophysical and geochemical data and understand how to apply it to solve environmental and geotechnical problems. The program also provides experience in studying the interactions of humans with Earth systems using mathematical, physical, and chemical methods.

Paleontology Emphasis

• Explore core aspects of paleontology including phylogenetic analysis and the use of taphofacies, ichnofacies, and fossil assemblages to determine sedimentary depositional environments.
• Apply an understanding of the evolution of organisms through time to problems of dating geological sequences.