Master of Science, Major in Physics with Concentration in Computational Physics

at San Jose State University USA

In the world of competitive business, companies are always looking to gain an edge for their products or services. Advertising gets them that edge. Successful modern advertising takes creativity and innovation. The School of Journalism and Mass Communications can give you the skills to make a difference in this dynamic field.

The Master of Science in Bioinformatics at San José State University features  an interdisciplinary curriculum in bioinformatics, biology, computer science, and mathematics. Questions in many areas of biology, including genomics, molecular biology, neuroscience, physiology, microbiology, ecology, and evolution, must now be answered using mathematical and computational methods. New techniques allow the acquisition of many thousands or millions of biological measurements, and the field of bioinformatics has developed to address this need. The MS Bioinformatics program will provide students with an understanding of biological questions, a background in mathematics, and the computational skills necessary to address complex problems in the biological sciences. Students will also gain experience utilizing these skills to answer biological questions, including those with biomedical applications. The goal of the MS in Bioinformatics program is to prepare students for careers in the growing field of bioinformatics both in academia and in the biotechnology industry.

The mission of the department is to be a recognized leader in translational biomedical research; to provide hands-on education focused on solving real world biomedical problems; and to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in the service of human well being.

The Masters Program is designed to produce graduates who:

• Are able to solve complex engineering problems and tasks, and use engineering, science and statistics principles to justify recommendations.
• Are able to evaluate the impact of their work on society, including ethical, economic, global and environmental aspects.
• Can deliver effective presentations of engineering results in written and oral formats.
• Have life-long learning skills and are able to apply their engineering knowledge to critically evaluate relevant literature and new technologies or systems.
• Are effective leaders, capable of working in diverse environments.
• Are able to apply their engineering education to a variety of career paths.

The MS Biomedical Engineering program has been designed, in consultation with potential employers, to prepare graduates for the wide variety of emerging interdisciplinary careers at the interfaces between engineering and the life sciences. The coursework has been designed to build upon the student’s background in engineering, biology, chemistry or physics.  Students will take courses that uniquely prepare them to function effectively in a Food and Drug Administration-regulated global environment in which they will develop health-related medical products and techniques that improve the quality of life.  Technical elective courses may be taken from the list of electives provided on the department website, with approval of the academic advisor.  The electives, in combination with the required thesis or project research, will enable the student to develop depth in one of the many areas that biomedical engineering encompasses.

The Conservation and Organismal Biology Program at San Jose State University is designed to provide Biology majors with a diversified curriculum in conservation and wildlife management, entomology, zoology, and plant biology. Our students are provided with intensive, one-on-one attention from an outstanding faculty specializing in each emphasis. In addition, our students participate in several hands-on, field-oriented classes, which prepare them with practical experiences in the field. Destinations include Bodega Bay, Rancho Del Oso, Big Basin, the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Diablo Range, the San Francisco Bay Area Wildlife Refuge, the Central Coast, Death Valley, and the Sierra Nevada. We also provide students with opportunities to participate in research in Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Costa Rica, West Africa, Guatemala, Belize, and Japan.

Our graduate program mission statement is the graduate Program Educational Objectives (PEOs), which objectives are broad statements that describe the career and professional accomplishments that the program is preparing the graduates to achieve.

Program Educational Objectives
The graduate program’s educational objectives (PEOs) for Civil Engineering are to

• Prepare students for their professional careers and licensure by strengthening their knowledge in their specialization (depth) and extending their skills and knowledge base (breadth);
• Provide students advanced proficiencies for professional practice to enable them to advance in the licensing process and equip them for advancement in their career;
• Improve students’ research skills and prepare them for further graduate study;
• Provide students with experience and skills for multi-disciplinary and cross-CE disciplinary practice.

Four Graduate Program Outcomes (POs) are aligned with the PEOs and are assessed in individual graduate courses. By the end of the program, students should be able to

• Apply advanced concepts, theory and analysis for problem solving;
• Synthesize and integrate necessary engineering concepts into engineering solution process;
• Apply modern tools for computations, simulations, analysis and design;
• Communicate effectively.

The Organizational Studies major is an interdisciplinary major designed to help students develop skills for careers in a variety of organizations including small businesses, multinational corporations, non-profit organizations, and local, state, and national government agencies. Organizational Studies courses are designed to give students skills for real-world problem solving. Students have the opportunity to take courses across a wide range of social science disciplines including anthropology, communications studies, economics, political science, psychology, and sociology. Organizational studies is ideally suited for students who want careers in business, government, or the non-profit sector, where knowing how organizations work is a key to success.

Professional degree programs lead to careers in performance, composition, jazz studies, and music education including a fifth year credential program. We highlight core courses in our curriculum that include experience in performance, music systems (theory), technology and improvisation. Beyond the core courses, individual contracts or concentrations within the BA and BM degree address professional opportunities that include:

• Credentialed school instruction
• Private school instruction
• Vocalists or instrumentalists for the concert stage, opera, musical theater, jazz
• Composers and/or arrangers for film, television, multimedia
• Sound engineering and music technology
• Conductors in all performance areas
• Arts and education administration
• Writer/scholar in Music or Dance

This is a flexible program of general studies with minimum performance requirements that allows students to combine studies in music with other fields of interest. An entrance audition is required. All students must complete the core classes and then consult the Music Advisor to design a Capstone that includes elective coursework from at least three different areas. BA students wishing to participate in private lessons must also be enrolled in an ensemble.

The EE department is committed to fulfilling the following Program Learning Outcomes in its Master of Science in Electrical Engineering program:

•  Graduates will be able to base analysis, problem-solving, and design on core advanced EE theory
• Graduates will be able to demonstrate a high level of expertise and competence in an area of concentration in electrical engineering
• Graduates will be able to apply modern tools for research, computation, simulations, analysis, and design
• Graduates will be able to demonstrate leadership skills in the workplace, to function professionally in a globally competitive world, and to communicate engineering results effectively

Student Learning Outcomes
 Graduate Students in Electrical Engineering at San José State University will be able to:

•  Identify, formulate, and solve problems using advanced engineering principles, methodologies, and tools
• Design, implement, validate and deploy a component, device, system, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints
• Understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, societal, and ethical context, including political, health, safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
• Understand contemporary issues in electrical engineering practice
• Communicate professionally and effectively

The MS Materials Engineering program provides advanced study of materials engineering topics with emphasis on both the fundamental and applied aspects. A multi-disciplinary approach to education is evident in the materials engineering program’s specialization areas of semiconductor processing, structural materials, and biomaterials. Elective courses are also available in science, business, and other engineering fields. This broad-based, multi-disciplinary education has proven to be an important factor for a student’s future success, either at leading Silicon Valley companies or in Ph.D. programs. Class schedules are designed for the convenience of employed engineers who wish to pursue graduate work on a part-time basis.

The faculty are actively involved in research in a number of areas including electronic and magnetic materials, semiconductor processing, MEMS, microelectronic packaging, polymers, composites, nanotechnology, and biomaterials. Research activity is sponsored by local industries as well as by government funding agencies.

The Materials Engineering program welcomes students with undergraduate degrees in a variety of other engineering and science disciplines.

Spatial Art is an interdisciplinary program that encompasses a broad range of media including Sculpture, Ceramics, Glass, Installation Art, Small Metals, Metal Fabrication and Casting, Multimedia, Performance Art. It provides excellent facilities and resources for students who wish to realize their ideas in three-dimensional form. The area is guided by a faculty with varying philosophical approaches and technical expertise and a common concern for spatial issues.

Technical facilities include well-equipped shops in a variety of areas. The jewelry lab allows for smithing and casting of small metal works. The large ceramics facility has a 3D printer, complete clay mixing capacity and eighteen kilns which can serve almost any purpose, including a fifty cubic foot gas kiln. The glass area is a modern lab with heat recuperative furnaces, as well as slumping and casting facilities. A large foundry and outdoor sculpture yard provide for the realization of ideas in cast and fabricated metal, stone and mixed media, including large scale work, with all the major welding equipment, vacuum casting capability, two 285 lb casting crucibles, a 140 cubic foot burnout kiln, and a fork lift. The wood shop is fully equipped for furniture making and construction of sculpture in wood, foam and plastics. The machine shop has mills and lathes, and metal-cutting bandsaws. Other shop facilities include a laser cutter, plastic vacuum former, spray booth, sandblaster, and sheet-metal working machines.

Many Spatial Art students work in the area of installation. There are seven galleries of varying size within the Art building that can be used on a weekly basis for such projects. There are also two brand new shipping containers, known as the Freight and Cargo Galleries, for installation projects. Students also have access to University and School digital and video equipment that may be needed as a part of installation work. Graduate students are encouraged to explore and utilize any and all of these facilities as resources. As they grow in their abilities to visualize and express the form and content of their ideas in three-dimensional terms, they may see each concept dictating its own technique and material. The resources of the Department of Art and Art History faculty and laboratories offer rich critical and technical support.