Master of Arts in English

at San Jose State University USA

Anthropology is the study of humankind's past, present, and future. Our department provides students with an integrated anthropological experience through coursework in archeology, cultural anthropology, and physical anthropology. This broad training prepares our students for a wide range of careers in diverse fields including project management, health care, education, immigrant services, heritage management, museum curation, business and industry, and much more. Anthropology majors learn many useful skills including cultural competency, critical thinking, research design, and professional writing--skills that are increasing in demand in private, public, and non-profit organizations. In fact, USA Today recently rated anthropology as one of today's best science careers. There's never been a better time to be an anthropologist!

The field of packaging includes disciplines of engineering, graphic design, project management, advertising, and material science. Every product manufactured from health care and beauty products to washing machines and drugs require packages to protect and sell the product.

Almost every firm that makes a physical product has a packaging department with 20-40 individuals engaged specifically in packaging technology and applied engineering. A huge multinational like Johnson and Johnson can employ hundreds of individuals involved with some area of packaging their products.

SJSU's Packaging Program is one of a handful of programs in the USA providing technical expertise in the multidisciplinary field. The number of potential jobs for graduates and careers available with a background in packaging is driven by not only the uniqueness of the skills learned by the students but also by the fact that there are very few places to learn the skills necessary to design and develop package systems.

The number of positions available combined with the fact that there are only a handful of schools in the USA teaching Packaging creates a situation where Packaging has a 100% placement rate. In fact there are more jobs available than candidates available to fill them. This has been the fact for the last 60+ years since Michigan State University began the first Packaging program at the request of an Industry looking for people with package design skill sets.

Career development is another key advantage of an individual involved with packaging. Packaging professionals engage with almost every group in an organization, marketing, production purchasing, legal, product development, and graphics. A firm values individuals that have a broad picture of the operations and packaging interacts with these groups as part of their daily tasks. This makes individuals with packaging backgrounds valuable to a company as they understand how all of the operations combine and work together to accomplish corporate goals.

Program Learning Objectives

• Assess a package’s functional properties
• Demonstrate knowledge of package material properties to meet particular physical needs.
• Describe a package production system in order to present design and develop cost comparisons between various package configurations.
• Assess a distribution channel to identify particular stresses incurred.
• Design a package system (primary, secondary and tertiary) to contain, protect and transport products from manufacturer to consumer.
• Develop reproducible test methodologies for evaluating particular properties in a package/material.
• Organize and assemble presentations describing package systems, operations, designs, and cost comparisons.

Behavioral science majors develop an interdisciplinary perspective on human behavior and an understanding of the psychological, social and cultural dimensions to being human in a complex society. Offered cooperatively by the Departments of Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology, the Behavioral Science Program is housed in the Department of Anthropology, which oversees academic advising. The program prepares graduates for a variety of jobs that require working with social science data and with people. Many of our alumni have pursued careers in human resources, social work, counseling, sales and marketing, and law enforcement. By earning a degree in behavioral science, you'll get the best of three worlds!

The BS Meteorology degree program, offered by the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, is designed to develop meteorologists who, upon graduation, are ready to begin professional practice in the private sector or in government, or are ready to enter graduate programs in atmospheric science.

The Bachelor of Arts in Dance offers a well rounded education in dance technique, theory, choreography, and performance. With concentrations offered in modern and jazz, students are encouraged to pursue their own unique talents and grow as artists, supported by professionally active faculty and special guest artists. The BA program strives to challenge students with technical practice in various dance techniques, theoretical study in several areas, and ample performance opportunities.

The Master of Arts in Art History and Visual Culture offers a broad education in art history, including preparation for a Ph.D. degree program. It also prepares students for a graduate library degree with specialization in art history, as well training for a variety of positions including community college professor, researcher, museum curator, arts administrator, conservator, and visual resources librarian. Our program is especially strong in modern and contemporary art, architecture and design, and the art of the Renaissance. We also feature a variety of special-topic courses such as Art and Architecture of Islam, History of Photography, German Art, and “Fashionology.” Students have the opportunity to study with experts in these fields and to work within a dynamic department that includes a strong M.F.A. program located in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Besides featuring a wide array of courses we host a number of activities during the academic year. These include the Art History and Visual Culture Colloquium, the Art History Association Symposium, the Tuesday Night Lecture Series and a range of exhibitions in the Thompson Gallery. The department website offers information about our courses, faculty, facilities, and events.

The Master of Science program gives students the opportunity to further their knowledge in foundational and applied topics, preparing them for advanced industrial or research positions. Students are expected to complete six graduate level courses, two electives, and two semesters of project work. Full-time students generally take two years to complete the program. The program is available to students with a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related discipline. In order to ensure small class sizes and individual supervision of projects, the size of the program is limited and applications are competitive.

Students in the MSAE Program can specialize in sustainable aviation concepts, aerospace structural design, astrodynamics, space systems engineering, hypersonics or propulsion.  They have opportunities to work with AE faculty and NASA engineers to design, build, test, and launch microsatellites like the TechEdSat, participate in the design, building, and testing of our brand new hypersonic facility, learn how to use machine/deep learning for structural health monitoring, optimize spacecraft trajectories or explore the potential of electric and hybrid propulsion systems for general aviation, commuter, and large air transports.  In addition, students can participate in exciting extra-curricular projects, such as the High-Altitude Rocket Project (HARP). MSAE students present their work in professional conferences such as the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics SciTech, the International Planetary Probe Workshop, and the International Symposium on Sustainable Aviation.

Students select a faculty advisor who helps structure a program of study that meets individual needs and addresses areas of interest. While working closely with a faculty advisor, each student completes a thesis or a project that results from an in-depth study of a particular research topic of interest.

At the core of all science, physics helps us understand chemical reactions, protein folding, the Earth’s interior, and the life cycle of stars. Physicists invented the semiconductor, the laser, and the electron microscope. They play key roles in the design and operation of spacecraft and in the development of electronic and optical instrumentation. The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers a Master of Science in Physics and two concentrations: Computational Physics and Modern Optics. Our faculty are experts in lasers and optics, computational physics, condensed matter, astrophysics, and physics education research. The department receives on average approximately $1.8 million annually in external funding for sponsored research.

The Digital Media Art (DMA) program at San Jose State University is a multidisciplinary degree offering a digital art and design curriculum in the areas of computer graphics, web development, programming, physical computing, fabrication, prototyping, interactivity and computer games. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the DMA program is dedicated to the advancement of contemporary technologies through research and experimentation at the intersection of art and science.

The BFA Concentration in Digital Media Art teaches technical, creative, and critical thinking skills to empower our students as problem solvers and innovators in the field of digital technology. Students graduating from the program develop real-world skills in graphics, programming, digital video, interaction design, and computer game design using a wide range of tools, technologies, and techniques. Our curriculum is hands-on, providing project-oriented learning in collaborative workshop environments.

DMA operates several labs including the CADRE Physical Computing Lab and the DMA Game Design Lab providing research based pedagogy in microcircuits, fabrication and prototyping, computer games and interactive programming. We offer fabrication facilities through our comprehensive wood and metal shops including laser cutters, CNC routers, and vacuform, in addition to metal and large-scale sculpture fabrication through the Spatial Art Program.