Bachelor of Arts in Spanish

at Northwest Missouri State University USA

The Middle School Education major at Northwest is a state-certified program that prepares students to teach grades five through nine. Faculty focus on ensuring students are proficient and highly qualified in content areas and understand how kids learn. Graduates of the program are equipped with the best methods to incorporating technology into the classroom, understand the development and psychology of middle school students, and know how to use assessment to improve learning outcomes.

Earning a Political Science degree at Northwest prepares students for multiple employment opportunities in public service and private sectors including federal, state and local government, law, criminal justice system, municipal planning, city management, urban affairs, education, non-profit administration, campaigns and elections, public policy analysis and internal development and relations.

The major has three areas of emphasis: the american institutions (formerly criminal justice) emphasis provides an understanding of legislatures, police prosecutors, public offenders and courts and corrections; the public administration emphasis focuses on the decision making process and job opportunities in public organizations and local, state, federal and international agencies; and the global affairs emphasis studies the global trends and events, and enhances intercultural understanding.

As a cybersecurity major, students learn skills and techniques that will prepare them for success in their careers or graduate studies. Cybersecurity is the protection of infrastructure, systems, devices, networks, information, and applications from attacks, damage, loss, or unauthorized access through appropriate technologies, practices, and techniques. The program will focus on general computer science skills, and the necessary skills to create, develop, and deploy secure computer-based systems.

The Bachelor of Art in Theater major combines the knowledge from both theatre performance and technical theater as well as design majors. Faculty focus ensuring students have access to participate in the four mainstage productions as well as four to six student-directed productions per year. Additionally, students have access to professional-level control councils, intelligent lighting fixtures and cutting-edge LED and color changing equipment. Students also learn the fundamentals of modern acting techniques, a range of historical and physical styles to include Greek, Elizabethan, restoration and 20th century “isms”, and writing skills for the stage through scene structure, dramatic tension, theme, action and dialogue.

The curriculum is designed to provide the additional education necessary for students with vocational or technical non-transferable certificate/degrees to earn a bachelor's degree.

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Music (comprehensive) is for students who desire a broad approach to their Music education, including applied study, ensemble experiences, music composition, history and theory.

The B.A. in Music can also be paired with an emphasis area, which can include Audio Production, Business or Wellness. The B.A. in Music with Emphasis is intended to provide students with the same broad experience in Music that, when paired with the emphasis area, can lead to careers in Music Production, Arts Management/Administration, Entrepreneurship, Counseling, Studio Teaching and other Music-enhanced careers.

Recreation majors at Northwest is the study of play and leisure in an individual’s life and methods to improve quality of life. Student can emphasize in:

• Recreation and Park Management which prepares students for program leadership and development, and budget and facility management;
• Corporation Recreation/Wellness which involve programs related to a person’s physical well-being;
• Therapeutic Recreation which prepares students with the skills to assess and evaluate the needs for individuals with special needs; and
• Sport Management prepares students for leadership roles in professional, collegiate and community sports organizations.

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.

Accounting majors at Northwest have the choice of two accounting tracks, one for students who wish to become Certified Public Accountants (CPA) and the other for students wishing to work in managerial accounting. The courses offer the highest quality education to prepare students for employment in public accounting, managerial accounting, financial services and corporate finance.

Depending on the state in which students reside, legislation has made it mandatory for students to complete a minimum of 150 credit hours prior to taking the CPA exam. Most states, including Missouri, have passed this legislation, known as the 150-hour requirement. At Northwest, however, students are not required to complete 150 credit hours to obtain an accounting degree.

Northwest recognizes that public accounting isn’t for all students and therefore you may tailor classes toward your own interests through the private industry track as an alternative. Many accountants have chosen careers outside public accounting (income tax, auditing and management services), which prove to be extremely successful, rewarding and satisfying. However, students interested in public accounting, you are encouraged to fulfill the 150-hour requirement.

The Emergency and Disaster Management major is a multidisciplinary, customizable program that focuses on three core areas: emergency management (preparation, mitigation, response and recovery), humanitarian relief in conjunction with homeland security, and defense. Within these key areas, you become an expert in leadership, followership and working under extreme pressure while developing critical thinking and problem solving skills.