Master of Music with Emphasis in Theory

at Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff Campus USA

Vocal Performance Emphasis

Students develop skills in vocal performance that prepare them for professional singing careers or for further vocal study at the doctoral level.

• Apply knowledge of vocal literature within its historical context through successful collaboration in rehearsals and performances.
• Demonstrate proper vocal technical, musicianship, artistry, and interpretation in advanced-level solo-vocal performances.
• Develop a broad range of skills, from refined stage deportment in performance to exemplary understanding of stylistic contrast, in preparation for auditions into performance organizations and/or competitive doctoral programs.
• Listen to and respond thoughtfully and thoroughly to work by other MM vocal performance students in order to hone the critical, intellectual and analytical skills, and practice providing and receiving critique. Use critiques and insights from others to hone one’s performance craft.
• Apply professional standards in oral and written communication such as utilizing proper etiquette for phone interviews or video consultation and composing well-designed letters of inquiry regarding job opportunities.
• Investigate the world of the performance industry in order to discover suitable venues to perform.
• Actively participate and network in a community of musicians and cultivate a professional identity through performing one’s work frequently in recitals and master classes.

The Bachelor of Arts in Spanish provides students with a socio-cultural and historical background as well as linguistic abilities to engage with Spanish-speaking populations from around the world in a variety of social and cultural contexts. Through linguistic, literary and cultural approaches to the study of the Spanish language, out students develop speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills that allow them to understand and interact effectively with diverse Hispanic cultures. Throughout this process the students develop cognitive skills in critical thinking and analysis and recognize the importance of being able to function in a global society. With their linguistic abilities in Spanish they are better able to compete for career opportunities in the domestic and global job markets and are prepared to become productive, responsible members of the local, national and international communities in which they live and work.

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.

Chemistry Emphasis

• Understand the composition of air, water, and soil to determine how chemicals enter and cycle through the environment, what effects they have, and how human activity affects their cycling.
• Explore natural phenomena that may transport and alter chemicals from human sources including processes causing as air, soil, and water pollution, which result in environmental contamination, ozone depletion, and ocean acidification.
• Understand the sources and extent of pollution, and ways to promote sustainability, conservation, and protection of public health and the environment in the private and public sectors.

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 Literature Emphasis engages students in the study of the literary arts. Students gain an understanding of the sociohistorical context of literary production and reception and have the opportunity to study specific eras, cultural traditions, genres, and critical and interpretative methods, while simultaneously refining their skills in literary analysis. Students become well-versed in historical and contemporary discourse within the field and in the terminology used in literary studies. This work deepens their knowledge of how various texts (film, comics, video games, novels, poems, drama, etc.) evince meaning by using particular language structures, forms, and rhetorical strategies. Among other widely transferable skills, students learn how to write fluently and eloquently. They also learn how to make effective use of primary textual sources in their analyses and develop a repertoire of skills that includes the search for and incorporation of scholarly sources in support of their own analytical arguments.

The B.A. in Comparative Cultural Studies is a 49-58 credit degree whose aim is to provide students with a comparative, integrative and global approach to the study of human culture in its diversity and interconnections. The different emphases in the CCS B.A. degree introduce students to the complexities of diverse human cultures, both past and present; in the process, they develop the skills of analysis, interpretation and communication crucial to both their academic and professional development.

The purpose of the Northern Arizona University Bachelor of Business Administration Program is to provide excellent business management and related higher education using the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award standards for education as applied through the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) accreditation. We seek to be a premier provider of Baldrige-Quality business management and related higher education with an emphasis on value and accessibility. We focus on core business competencies within a global context.

Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to:

• Think creatively, analyze and synthesize data from multiple perspectives
• Analyze and use financial information
• Solve problems using decision-making tools and theories,
• Engage others through effective interpersonal skills
• Communicate effectively in oral and written formats,
• Work well in team settings
• Design and implement effective strategies for the global marketplace, and
• Discern the underpinning ethical issues in local and global business decision-making, including those involving social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and profitability.

The global context for the core competencies will be addressed in all relevant classes across the curriculum. We provide online and hybrid classes for learning through the application of technology, as well as opportunities to study as part-time students. We provide opportunities for students to apply leadership skills through Phi Beta Lamda, as well as competitive challenges involving other business programs in Arizona and nationally. We collaborate with other universities globally and within the region to provide direct international experience. We facilitate regional business development through our innovative incubator program.

This program offers students the opportunity to explore such topics as: data mining (through the Center for Data Insight), parallel algorithms, distributed systems, artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic, neural networks, evolutionary programming, and modeling reactive systems as well as foundation work in programming languages, software engineering, virtual collaborative environments, and user interfaces.

This degree in Applied Indigenous Studies explores issues of concern to indigenous peoples both in the Americas and around the globe. The curriculum grounds students in tribal histories and cultures, governmental policies, sustainable economic development, indigenous entrepreneurship, and contemporary conditions on native lands and reservations.

The Applied Indigenous Studies department also offers four minors to expand students understanding of Indigenous issues: Applied Indigenous Studies, Native American Studies, Indigenous Health Studies and Tribal Public Administration.

If you have completed or will complete an associate degree from a community college, you may pursue the Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) at Northern Arizona University.

Our goal in offering the BAS 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.

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.