Master of Arts in Psychological Sciences

at Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff Campus USA

The Philosophy, Politics and Law degree is an interdisciplinary study of the intersection of political, legal and economic institutions and the theoretical frameworks within which these institutions are formed and evaluated.  The degree develops and applies logical, mathematical/statistical and economic analytic skills through close examination of philosophical, political, and historical work to study the human condition as manifest in these social institutions.  From the interdisciplinary conceptual foundations combining substance and analytic methods, students may pursue more broadly or in greater depth answers to questions of one or more of these disciplines.  Students completing this degree are better prepared to understand the human condition and the challenges that characterize their various roles in contemporary society.

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 Audio Engineering emphasis take specialized coursework in electrical engineering, computer science, and media production that prepares them to work as an audio engineer or a broadcast engineer. These students learn the foundation broadcast communication theory and engage in actual media production practice that builds on an engineering foundation.  This curriculum is intended to support certification preparation for the society of broadcast engineers.

Bachelor of Science in Fitness WellnessThe purpose of the B.S. degree in Health Sciences Fitness Wellness degree program is to provide focused educational and practical experiences to those interested in a career in the emerging  fitness/health/wellness industry. Students will be able to design and facilitate fitness programs in a variety of recreational, nonprofit, corporate, and health club settings. The Fitness Wellness program is a combination of general education and core coursework to prepare competent entry-level exercise professionals with the knowledge and skills to assist individuals across the lifespan in adopting and maintaining healthy behaviors that lead to increased fitness, wellness, and optimal health. Students engage in a variety of labs, simulations, and other course work and application activities that prepare them to design and implement exercise programs; understand biomechanics and motor development in the physical domain; develop health and wellness programs in the workplace setting; facilitate independent lasting healthy behavior change; teach and demonstrate exercises; and conduct fitness assessment and health screenings. As a culminating experience, students engage in an immersive and hands-on internship in the field of fitness and wellness.

The undergraduate degree programs in Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJ) combine foundational knowledge of criminal justice with a critical understanding of its institutions, processes and operations. CCJ students learn how social forces influence lawmaking, approaches to criminal justice, perceptions and experiences of justice; and how, in turn, criminal justice trends influence society. In accordance with our commitment to promote a more just society, CCJ students develop a firm understanding of the cultural, political, economic and moral complexities surrounding the creation and enforcement of law, and are prepared to become practitioners, advocates and defenders of social justice. CCJ students accomplish this through critical examinations of how power and privilege shape the social realities of criminal justice globally, nationally and locally and by utilizing the latest in legal and social science research to develop critical understandings of how these realities impact diverse groups of people. In addition, CCJ students investigate how social and cultural identities are related to differential experiences of criminalization, victimization, offending, and justice work.

The B.S. in Computer Engineering will prepare you to work with other engineers and scientists to develop innovative consumer electronics, sensors and instrumentation, integrated circuits, communication systems, computers, and control systems.  Computer engineers use digital design and engineering skills to design microcontrollers, microprocessors, and computing systems of all sizes.
 
Coursework and learning experiences in our program provides students with professional preparation in the study and application of the principles of mathematics, computer science, physics, and the natural sciences for the analysis, design, test, manufacture, and maintenance of computing systems.   In addition to the underlying principles of electricity and computing, our curriculum provides you with a solid foundation in problem-solving, analysis, design, project management and preparation for professional licensure.  Students have multiple opportunities to learn and practice design starting with our introductory engineering design class and culminating in a Capstone experience that involves engineering design, project management, teamwork and significant client communication.
 
Our curriculum will help you pursue a career designing and developing the latest smart phone, electronic chips, and products in between that benefit people by connecting, healing, informing, entertaining, defending, and providing the essentials for life.

The Personalized Learning Bachelor’s degree in Management is built around workplace competencies and prepares students to pursue management careers in a broad spectrum of opportunities in corporate, non-profit, public service or military settings. The curriculum is designed in consultation with business leaders and competencies identified by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs and the Society for Human Resource Management to ensure students a comprehensive and relevant educational experience.

 Management Core

• Analyze management principles from a global perspective
• Engage in strategic, critical and innovative thinking
• Examine organizational ethics
• Engage in effective Managerial Communication
• Examine Leadership as it relates to Organizational Management
• Manage financial resources to support the fiscal health and strategic goals of an organization
• Analyze technology management and applications
• Examine the inextricable relationships between operations and the global movement of goods and services-supply chain
• Marketing to a global economy
• Recruit and manage talent as part of a strategic business plan.

This bachelor of science degree in Strategic Communication offers a strong core of advertising, public relations, and communication courses, to engage students in a variety of professional communication environments. Students may pursue one of two emphases to allow deeper skill mastery in advertising or public relations.

Communication develop an understanding of communication theory and how messages are spread among groups of people. They apply analytical skills to the development and evaluation of communication plans. They also master practical skills needed for the implementation of those communication plans.

Upon graduation, students emphasizing one area of strategic communication will often find themselves working closely with other professionals focusing on skills in other areas of Strategic Communication. However, the emphasis areas tend to differentiate from each other in the following broad ways.

Advertising emphasizes the use of paid media in communication efforts and will often focus more on specific calls to action. These students focus on advertising campaigns for digital and heritage media. They will develop skills relevant to planning ad campaigns and important aesthetic concepts in advertising.

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 Master of Public Health prepares students for public health professions emphasizing the planning, implementation, and evaluation of health programs and policies. We aim to prepare public health professionals to address the health needs of diverse and underserved communities in northern Arizona and beyond. Students gain knowledge and skills in biostatistics, epidemiology, public health research, program planning and evaluation, health policy and management, and environmental health. We support student development through offering high quality instruction, which includes opportunities for professional growth and community engagement in public health and nutrition. The Health Promotion concentration addresses chronic disease prevention and epidemiology, social and structural determinants of health, and innovative uses of technology in public health and health promotion. Students in the Health Promotion concentration can tailor their program plan electives to align with their career interests. Students in this concentration also have the option of completing an Indigenous Health track, which prepares students to support public health initiatives relevant to tribal communities. The Health Promotion concentration is designed for students who are interested in public health careers or other allied health fields. With the training, research, and internship experiences offered, graduates are well prepared to address the health needs within their communities.

This degree is for students who are fascinated by questions of how life has evolved and how organisms function in the nature. Students will have the opportunity to apply knowledge of ecology and evolution to environmental and societal problems and to experience fieldwork among the diverse habitats of the Colorado Plateau. Opportunities to specialize include any of the diverse areas of expertise of our faculty from wildlife to plants to microbes and from evolutionary genetics to population ecology to ecosystem ecology.

This degree is offered by the Department of Biological Sciences, ensuring a well-rounded foundation in the understanding life of earth. In the course of this major, students will identify, describe, and apply the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, and empirical findings in ecology and evolution. Students will master the theory of evolution; examine the genetic and environmental bases of variation in organisms; and describe how populations are regulated, species interact in communities, and the major nutrients cycle in natural ecosystems.