Master of Arts in Sustainable Communities

at Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff Campus USA

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.

 Human Resources Emphasis

• Evaluate strategic roles in human resource management
• Examine advanced concepts in employment law and regulatory environments
• Assess effective total employee compensation plans
• Review human resource management’s role in organizational training
• Integrate knowledge of strategic human resource management
• Examine statistical methods used to inform management decisions
• Integrate and apply learning through a Capstone project

  The study of Theatre Arts is an integral part of a liberal arts education. As such, Northern Arizona University Department of Theatre seeks to give the undergraduate theatre student the broadest possible understanding of the art and craft of theatre through the creative, critical, and applied practice of theatre, and provide opportunity through performance and production for the student to learn their art by doing their art in a learner centered environment. The program seeks to prepare students for the global society by creating an awareness of the “other”, practicing empathetical thinking, and sustainability with a global perspective.

Theatre: Emphasis in Design/Technology

• Evaluate, analyze and apply a depth and breadth of knowledge about the global impact of Theatre history, literature, and practices to the scholarship and practice of the art and craft of Theatre.
  • Synthesize knowledge acquired through the study of Theatre history, theory and criticism, and articulate their own stances on the global stage of Theatre.
  • Analyze knowledge of the history and development of modern design techniques and apply to their own Theatre design.
  • Articulate the cultural relationships and diversity of all aspects of Theatre.
• Value and apply understanding of and experience with Theatre as a collaborative art to the scholarship and practice of Theatre.
  • Practice effective communication within a collaborative environment.
  • Effectively engage in the design and build process with other Theatre practitioners.
  • Value and understand professional and ethical boundaries within the collaborative Theatrical process.
  • Apply active listening skills.
  • Evaluate and apply an appreciation of the different areas of technical Theatre to effectively work in their chosen areas.
  • Practice non-verbal skills to effectively communicate their intentions.
• Apply knowledge of theory to practical work in Theatre.
  • Apply modern design tools and skill sets to various positions in Theatre through the actual practice of Theatre.  
  • Demonstrate knowledge and correct application of discipline-based language, terminology, and vernacular.
  • Effectively communicate with Theatre professionals.
  • Practice effective drafting, drawing, model building, and other practical methods of non-verbal technical communication.
  • Practice effective research and documentation of research in the design process.
• Articulate an understanding of sustainability in Theatre, in all its manifestations.
  • Identify and discuss current professional Theatrical practices aimed at increasing sustainability.
  • Recognize, discuss, and analyze the sustainability of storytelling as an art form that is socially, culturally, and historically contextualized.
• Effectively communicate the theory and practice of Theatre in the following modes: digital, literary, verbal, and non-verbal.
  • Articulate knowledge of the fundamentals of multiple areas of Technical Theatre in various modes of discipline-based communication—in particular digital, verbal, and written forms.
  • Demonstrate comprehension, evaluation, and analysis of modern design tools for various positions in Theatre.  
  • Analyze and evaluate their places in their chosen Design/Technical field
• Apply effective problem solving through creative and critical thinking.
  • Articulate the creative process through the successful completion of a Capstone defense.
  • Critically analyze their own processes.
  • Integrate design challenges to a process in order to find creative solutions.
  • Articulate their processes in relation to production challenges.
• Demonstrate the facility to synthesize and apply their liberal studies to the practice of Theatre.
  • Apply awareness and comprehension of the scope of university course work taken in order to critically analyze their own processes as Theatre artists.
  • Integrate university course work to meet design difficulties and apply this knowledge in creative ways.
  • Articulate process in relation to production challenges by comprehending, analyzing, and synthesizing a diversity of stories, which are the basis of the art of Theatre.
  • Synthesize and apply their knowledge of all areas of Theatre and the liberal arts to effectively complete a capstone project.
• Practice an effective system of preparation and working habits.
  • Implement the Theatrical practice of always being on time, prepared, and ready to work, through successful completion of coursework and practical application in the shops and backstage.
  • Recognize, describe, and implement effective preparation practices for a designer or technician.
  • Apply and recognize the importance of continual preparation, research, and practice in design and technology.
  • Implement effective classroom strategies such as active discussion participation, engagement with course materials, and asking relevant questions.
  • Practice effective and efficient writing techniques, including outlining, peer reviewing, and revision.
  • Collaborate within groups to prepare and present course material.

The Bachelor of Arts in English prepares graduates for any future that demands proficiency in literature, language, and writing, as well as general excellence in resourceful, well-informed communication. Our graduates recognize the close weave of logical thought and effective expression, strive for more persuasive or more creative uses of English, possess the sense and insight to appreciate the value and quality of literature, have developed their historical and cultural imaginations by studying the marks of other times and diverse peoples in language and text, and recognize the global contexts of English as well as the social, civic, and environmental responsibilities that come with a liberal education. Our graduates have attained the high-level literacy skills and have practiced the research methods needed to compete in graduate and professional schools and to succeed in the workplace. With our help, they have prepared themselves to become productive, responsible members of the communities in which they live and work.

The Comprehensive Emphasis encourages students to explore multiple exciting fields of English study. Students practice creative, linguistic, literary, and rhetorical modes of analysis, and they have opportunities to engage with digital media studies and professional and technical writing. The Comprehensive Emphasis offers a well-rounded undergraduate experience and allows students to select their own path of study.

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.

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.

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.

Applied Geology Emphasis

• Explore the use of geologic, geophysical, geochemical, and geomorphic data and apply it to develop solutions to environmental and geotechnical problems.
• Study the interactions of humans with Earth systems using mathematical, physical, and chemical methods.

The mission of the Public Health Program is to prepare students to promote and protect the health of the public using appropriate processes, concepts, and principles.
 
Public health protects and improves the health of individuals, families, communities, and populations, locally, regionally, and globally. Public health professionals focus on preventing disease and injury by promoting healthy lifestyles. They confront global health issues, such as improving equitable access to health care, controlling infectious disease, and reducing environmental hazards, violence, substance abuse, and injury. Our graduates are prepared to plan, implement, and evaluate educational programs; act as a resource person; administer services; and communicate and advocate for health equity. They pursue graduate degrees in health-related fields and obtain employment in a variety of settings, including government agencies, non-profit organizations, hospitals, schools, and research institutions.

The Northern Arizona University Dental Hygiene Department offers the only Bachelor’s Degree in Dental Hygiene in the State of Arizona. With a national reputation for educating dental hygiene professionals since its inception in 1973, the program offers a high-quality education. Students complete two years of prerequisite didactic instruction in preparatory areas such as human anatomy and physiology, chemistry, microbiology, nutrition, human behavior and statistics and then apply to the program. Once students enter the program, a strong emphasis is placed on gaining extensive clinical experience.  Regular clinic rotations require students to provide dental hygiene care at the NAU Dental Hygiene Clinic, the Hopi Health Care Facility, the Yavapai Apache Dental Clinic, Flagstaff Medical Center, and at North Country Healthcare. Faculty connect these field experiences to coursework, so students actively apply their knowledge of Oral Pathology, Oral Medicine, Pharmacology and Periodontics to their work with patients in the clinic.  In addition to regular clinical rotations, students must complete a minimum two-week summer externship in a dental public health facility serving American Indian, military, or underserved populations throughout Arizona, in selected sites outside Arizona,  or Internationally. Graduates are prepared to practice in diverse settings with special emphasis on rural communities and other underserved populations through a curriculum centered in public health. Their capstone project requires the origination of a public health project that requires exhaustive assessment and planning. Projects are then implemented and outcomes are evaluated in a final written report.  This public health emphasis specifically prepares graduates to write grant proposals and serve in public health administrative roles. The future of dentistry is moving towards the development of a dental therapist; a new Masters prepared dental midlevel provider. Students graduating from NAU’s Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene are optimally poised to enter advanced dental therapy programs, work in independent practice, and/or work in affiliated practice.

The Bachelor of Science in Political Science degrees provide students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to understand and participate in the political systems of the United States and the world. This degree provides a broad perspective on experiences, international and domestic, from both theory and practice.

These degrees build a strong foundation in the basic knowledge of the political world, including contemporary political thought and public policies, and enables students to be able to use key concepts and analytical approaches from Political Theory, U.S. Government and Politics, Comparative Politics and International relations.

Building upon this fundamental knowledge, our curriculum ensures that students can define, design, and implement effective research projects in political science.  In addition, they will be able to make clear and effective demonstrations of their work in writing and in public presentations.  Students will also leave this program ready to understand, and be able to meet, the expectations of professionalism and citizenship.  Students in the BA degree will also leave with an ability speak, read, and write in a second language.

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.

Musicology Emphasis

Students develop skills in the area of musicology and/or ethnomusicology that prepare them for further study at the doctoral level.

• Demonstrate advanced historical knowledge of music from the Western tradition as well as music from around the world.
• Demonstrate advanced analytical skills in interpreting music within historical and cultural contexts.
• Participate in the intellectual discourse on music, drawing from their historical, practical, and theoretical knowledge.
• Develop appropriate research questions and arguments and integrate musicological/ethnomusicological methods for the purposes of answering the developed questions and supporting the developed arguments.
• Demonstrate understanding and breadth of critical approaches to music in preparation for researching and writing a master’s level thesis.
• Produce a master’s thesis displaying research of a caliber that could be presented at a regional music 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 history course sequence.