Master of Fine Arts, Major in Art with Concentration in Pictorial Art

at San Jose State University USA

This program prepares students for intellectually and aesthetically challenging careers in Graphic Design by providing courses that emphasize theory and professional practice. The curriculum concentrates on the organization and visual communication of information and includes typography, form and image, information architecture, user interface, interactive design, and motion graphics. Additionally, students have the opportunity to attend special classes and workshops led by studio professionals and faculty members.

To be admitted to the program, students must pass two portfolio reviews. To advance to the BFA GD program, students must pass two Junior and two Senior Reviews.

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 in Data Science program, offered by the College of Science’s Department of Computer Science and Department of Mathematics and Statistics, provides students with a Bachelor’s degree in the sciences or engineering with foundational knowledge, experience, and skills that are crucial for a data science career. It features a multidisciplinary curriculum in applied math, statistics, computer science, and their intersection - machine learning. Its rigorous, balanced coursework provides students with strong mathematical, computing, and data skills, as well as project experience. Graduates of this program will have the necessary theoretical knowledge, practical data analysis and coding skills for solving complex real-world problems based on massive amounts of data and also meet the qualifications for various data scientist positions in industry and government.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Students will be able to:

• Apply computer science knowledge and tools to assist in performing data science tasks.
• Summarize and evaluate statistical and machine learning concepts, models, and techniques.
• Integrate multidisciplinary knowledge and software to tackle challenging, complex data science tasks.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, data science concepts, algorithms, and results to a broad audience.
• Identify ways in which data scientists can contribute to the cultural and economic well-being of diverse societies in local, national, and global scopes. 

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.

The History Department at San José State University offers a standard M.A. program with specializations, or primary fields of study, in United States history Modern European history, and World history. Many of the faculty hold advanced degrees from the nation's most prestigious universities and have distinguished publication records.

The History Department also offers an M.A. program with a concentration in history education, which is reserved for public and private middle and secondary school teachers, who already are teaching or have entered (or plan to enter) the social science teacher education program at SJSU. This program is specially designed for teachers who have, or will soon have, credentials. Since this is strictly a terminal degree, anyone intending to pursue a higher degree should enroll in the standard M.A. program.

The diverse participants in the M.A. program at San José State University include active and prospective teachers, Silicon Valley business people pursuing a personal interest or looking for a career change, and Ph.D.-bound historians. Because many of the approximately 75 actively enrolled M.A. students are working full-time, graduate courses are scheduled in the evenings (Monday–Thursday), and occasionally on Saturdays or in summer. Usually about five graduate-level courses are offered each semester. Some applicable upper division courses are also offered in the evening, as well as a few during summer sessions.

The B.A. in Earth Science provides a broad background in the Earth Sciences. It is a path for students planning on teaching science in middle schools and high schools, or who are interested in interdisciplinary fields such as environmental and sustainability issues.

This degree provides a foundation for taking the relevant California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET), which? is required by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) to verify subject matter competency in the Earth and Space Sciences. Students interested in becoming teachers must meet credential program standards and undergo screening for admission. See SJSU's Secondary Education homepage for information on application and admission to credential programs.

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.

Materials Engineers design, characterize and manufacture the "stuff" of our everyday world. Semiconductors, metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites are examples of the materials used to make everything around you - from your computer to the chair you are sitting in, from artificial body parts to the skin of the space shuttle. Materials scientists and engineers work in nanotechnology, biotechnology, aerospace, alternative energy, microelectronics and virtually every industry sector.

Major areas of study are the relationships between materials' structure, properties, processing, and performance. The MatE programs stress the roles of design, development, and process engineering, and also prepare the exceptional student for research and graduate study. The Department has excellent laboratory facilities for courses and student research.

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 School of Journalism and Mass Communications embraces the innovative spirit of Silicon Valley, emphasizing cultural and intellectual diversity, the First Amendment, and the free flow of ideas.
Students pursuing a Master's in Mass Communication are eligible for graduate assistantships within JMC. These positions are competitive and priority is given to new graduate students. They will spend the semester supporting one or two professors with a variety of projects. Each professor will have unique tasks for their student assistant. The graduate assistantship is an opportunity for the student to gain professional experience in an area of interest and supplement their academic development.