Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

at Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff Campus USA

Biology is the study of life and living organisms—their structure & organization, development, evolution, distribution and interactions.  The major offers a modern, balanced, and comprehensive treatment of biology, emphasizing critical analysis of information and integration among its sub-disciplines.  At NAU, all students take foundations courses that address fundamental biological concepts: cellular & molecular processes, genetics & inheritance, and ecological and evolutionary theory.  Then, students complete the major by selecting the courses in biology that best serve their individual interests.  Upper-division biology courses hone into areas of physiology, evolution, ecological systems, genetics or cell theory.  Our graduates attain the high-level scientific inquiry skills and have practiced the research methods needed to compete in graduate and professional schools and to succeed in the workplace.

A Bachelor of Arts 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. To this end, students also acquire proficiency in a language other than English to facilitate interaction with communities different from their own.

The Bachelor of Science in Geography, Environment, and Society (GSP) 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 Chemistry M.S. program prepares students for research-focused professions in the chemical sciences, emphasizing the development of a students' ability to develop experimental approaches that accurately capture information to solve questions and problems in their chemical field of study. Our faculty members conduct research in the many fields of chemistry, from the level of single molecules to whole chemical systems. From the first day of entry into our program, students work closely with their faculty mentor, selecting a course of study suited to their future goals and professional interests. The program enables graduates to contribute to the forefront of knowledge in the scientific community, share their knowledge through teaching, or apply it in public service or industry.
 
This two-year, thesis-based degree program has three distinct emphasis areas: 1) A comprehensive emphasis, (2) an emphasis in Carcinogenesis and Cancer Chemotherapy and (3) an emphasis in Bioorganic and Biomedical Chemistry. All chemistry students work closely with a faculty adviser to design and implement individual thesis research. Students in the Carcinogenesis and Cancer Chemotherapy emphasis generally focus their coursework and research on learning about cancer and its causes and treatments from a chemical perspective. Students in the Bioorganic and Biomedical Chemistry emphasis generally investigate the principles of organic chemistry and biochemistry that serve as a foundation for the medical sciences.

Data science is systematic way to discover, quantify, and understand relationships hidden in data. A data scientist is an expert in acquiring, storing, accessing, and manipulating data; visualizing and modeling relationships in the data; and drawing actionable conclusions from the data. Data science is a tool applied to other areas of study such as biological sciences or business, and emphasizes the holistic process of “thinking with (real) data.”
 
The required course work is in statistics and computer science with the upper-division statistics courses utilizing the program competency acquired. Students are encouraged to pursue a minor in another field of interest in order to gain deep understanding of the challenges and needs that can be addressed by data science.

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 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.

Geospatial Technologies Emphasis
With the successful completion of this emphasis, students will be able to:

• Conduct geospatial analysis through applied project research using primary and secondary sources.  
• Apply geospatial data and technology including GIS to collect, analyze, and present spatial information for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrate competence with, and understanding of, the fundamental principles and processes associated within the primary sub-disciplines of physical geography and human-land interactions

This M.S. in Informatics will prepare you to either enter the informatics workforce or continue on to a doctoral program of study, building core skills that are widely applicable to many areas of science.

Core coursework provides learning opportunities in the foundations of informatics, programming and computer science, structuring large-scale data sets, machine learning, and statistical data analysis. Elective coursework allows students to customize their program of study so that it is maximally aligned with their professional or research interests, with coursework available in many areas of informatics, including epidemiology, bioinformatics, ecological modeling, and remote sensing. Thesis option students will have additional opportunities to engage in informatics research and scholarship under the mentorship of an informatics faculty member as prepare a thesis on their specific research.

This program is designed for students with strong preparation in an area of science, such as biology or ecology, and experience in computer programming and data analysis gained through successful completion of a relevant undergraduate program or other professional experience. The non-thesis option of the program is designed for students seeking professional preparation, while the thesis option is particularly appropriate for students for considering further graduate study in a doctoral program.

As a graduate, you will be prepared to contribute in a wide variety of informatics areas, including population health, bioinformatics, remote sensing, ecological modeling, wearable computing, and machine learning and data science.

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.

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.