Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Management

at Northwest Missouri State University USA

The art education major is designed for students who want to teach in schools, museums or community centers. This interdisciplinary program focuses on children’s artistic development, skills-based learning with two- and three-dimensional art, critical thinking regarding images in pop culture including logos, advertisements, television shows and memes; and issues-based learning that promotes problem-solving.

Comprehensive communication majors emphasizing in rhetoric at Northwest learn to research, create and deliver persuasive messages and listen critically to these messages. In this major, students study the core areas of communication theory, public speaking, writing, group behavior, persuasion and interpersonal communication. Additional areas of study include intercultural communication, argumentation and classical, modern and postmodern rhetorical theory and method as applied to an American issue.

Professionals in the field are civically engaged, critically analyze how people develop persuasive messages as well as how those messages affect public perception of the subject. They identify logical and ethical problems within persuasive messages, or with their effects on particular groups or communities and intervene to increase awareness and understanding.

Students majoring in mass media with an emphasis in sports media gain knowledge of information gathering, radio, recording and editing. Faculty focus on ensuring students receive knowledge that covers sports, basic journalism, use of audio and video as well as an emphasis on quality, clear writing skills.

The Applied Health Science major at Northwest prepares students for careers in the health, fitness, and wellness industry and for graduate studies in areas such as athletic training, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Students graduating from the program are prepared to develop and deliver comprehensive health and wellness programs that enhance physical, cognitive, and psychosocial well-being of individuals and the community as a whole.

Courses in the Applied Health Science program include content such as human anatomy, the positioning and function of bones, and muscles, and their relationships within the human body; human physiology, the study of the interrelationship between organs and organ systems; exercise science, how the body reacts and performs with physical activity; promoting health, teaching health-related and disease prevention concepts to the general public.

Writing majors at Northwest learn skills and techniques in composing content that inspires, communicates, solves problems and seeks truth. Students in Northwest’s writing majors work across the spectrum of writing studies—from writing professional reports to writing poems. Northwest students are not canalized strictly into writing for news media like in a journalism program, to courses in fiction and poetry like in creative writing programs or to vocationally focused genres like technical writing programs. Rather, we’ve designed a major to help and challenge students to grow into flexible, effective, communicative writers.

When employers make hiring decisions, they seek smart people who write well. Northwest’s writing major is like cross-training for today’s job market. You will receive professional training without an expiration date—a liberal arts degree that prepares you for your first job after college and every job you decide to do after. We think studying writing is excellent preparation for life as an artist, scholar, citizen and professional—all the things that you should be when you finish a rigorous undergraduate education at a supportive university, and all the things you need to succeed in contemporary life.

Students may choose to earn a bachelor's degree in writing with an emphasis in professional writing or creative writing and publishing

A major in Agricultural Media with an emphasis in production and broadcasting is designed for students with a strong interest in agriculture and radio or television. The major is designed to give students a foundation in communication practices which can be applied in the agriculture community. Students will gain hands-on learning experiences including techniques for pre- and post-production, recording methods, microphone and camera operation and script and story writing. Coursework includes classes in agricultural science, advertising, marketing, journalism and media.

Our graduate program in English is unique to the region in that most of our literature, writing, and creative writing classes are broadly conceived "umbrella" classes. The specific content of these courses change each time the class is offered. This system allows students the variety and depth of experience that characterize effective Master's level programs in English.

M.A. in English with Speech Emphasis
Students in the M.A. program may elect to take a concentration in Speech by declaring their intention to do so when filing for candidacy. They will be advised to take their six hours of unspecified electives in Speech, and, depending on their backgrounds in English, they may elect to take up to an additional six hours in Speech. In no case will a student take fewer than 14 hours of English.

Students seeking the M.A. in English with a Speech emphasis will complete a Department of Language, Literature, and Writing portfolio and oral defense and will complete a comprehensive examination in the area of Speech. Each department will be responsible for constructing and evaluating its part of the final assessment.

The math education major is an accredited program primarily focused on the skills needed for teaching secondary education. Students take both mathematics and education classes to help understand the concept behind mathematical formulas and develop the tools necessary to teach future students on those concepts.

Class sizes are small and follow a cohort model. Students learn the latest techniques and technology to effectively teach high school students, using tablets, smartboards and software programs.

A degree in History prepares students for careers in government, public service, business industry, archives, museums and historical preservation as well as writing and research.

As a history major at Northwest, students become familiar with the human experience and determine how history fits into the context of the world. Students will study the evolution of the earliest man to the present day, as well as events and values as well as causes and effects that determine how the world has been shaped. At Northwest, students are taught to become critical thinkers who study evidence in order to obtain a conclusion and communicate that information in clear, concise methods.  

Professors offer relatively small classes and close interaction with students. Additionally, all upper-level courses are taught by University instructors rather than graduate assistants.

Art majors with an emphasis in ceramics gain hands-on experiences through the study of clay and making it functional. Faculty focus on hand-building techniques, processes of making glaze with earth materials, the history of ceramics, wheel throwing, kiln theory and assisting students in defining a broader approaches.