Masters of Social Work

at San Jose State University USA

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.

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.

Chicana and Chicano Studies is an interdisciplinary program focusing on the racialization, experiences, issues and cultural productions of Chicanas and Chicanos. Chicana and Chicano Studyists examine social realities faced, experienced, and created by Mexican Americans from diverse perspectives. The Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies offers a Master's Degree with three areas of emphasis: Education, Policy and Comparative Ethnic Studies. Students considering this program are encouraged to contact the Graduate Advisor to discuss requirements, options, and opportunities.

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.

The undergraduate degree, offered by the Department of Psychology, assures a broad coverage of the major areas of content and methods in psychology identified by the American Psychological Association as the backbone of a strong degree program. The goal of the breadth part of the degree requirements is to provide a strong background in general psychology. In addition, sufficient flexibility is offered through choices in fulfilling these requirements and through the electives so that students, in consultation with their advisors, can design a program of study which focuses on each student’s particular area of interest.

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 master’s program in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Physiology, offered by the Department of Biological Sciences, offers students training in the pursuit of rigorous scientific investigation with an emphasis on the integrative nature of physiology across levels of organization from molecule to organism. During their research experience, students acquire the skills necessary to successfully address a variety of research questions under the guidance of faculty.

In addition, students with our degree will have gained experience in critical thinking, problem-solving, research methodology (e.g., experimental design, sampling techniques, and analysis), and both written and oral communication. Our alumni are successful applicants for doctoral degree programs and generally attain high level academic and non-academic positions in both the private and public sectors.

The MA Linguistics program provides students with an interdisciplinary education in the scientific study of language. Courses in general linguistics develop the ability to analyze data, to propose and refine theories about how language works. Elective courses in computational linguistics serve students interested in speech technology and natural language processing. Other electives in sociolinguistics, multilingualism, and applied linguistics emphasize the role of language in society, including in education, and language variation and change. Graduates in linguistics offer a set of highly specialized skills to IT companies and to organizations whose work places a premium on communication with linguistically diverse audiences. Many graduates pursue careers with companies specializing in these areas. Other graduates pursue teaching careers in language and linguistics in domestic and overseas institutions. A smaller but significant number of linguistics graduates enter PhD programs for more advanced study.

The Humanities B.A. Comparative Religious Studies Concentration presents scholarly interpretations of the world's religious traditions.  It aims to be as global as possible in covering the great diversity of religions and as inclusive as possible in covering various methodological approaches to the study of religion.

Faculty members of the Comparative Religious Studies Concentration are committed to guiding students in the kinds of learning needed for this task.  In other words, it is our goal to provide students with the key elements of religious literacy: knowledge of the basic data in the study of religions, respect and tolerance for diverse religious perspectives, and critical thinking skills that can be applied to explanations of religion from insiders as well as outsiders.

The Humanities B.A. Comparative Religious Studies Concentration offers a comprehensive preparation for those who plan to undertake graduate education in theology, history of religions, and other related areas.

The Comparative Religious Studies Minor offers a basic understanding of religious beliefs and practices for those whose careers would benefit significantly from a familiarity with various religious traditions.

Chemical Engineers combine science with engineering technology to make an essential contribution to many industries, including biotechnology, semiconductor processing, environmental engineering, manufacturing and industrial chemicals. The Chemical Engineering degree also provides a strong foundation for graduate degrees in a range of disciplines. The Department has excellent laboratory facilities for courses and student research.

We offer specialization in biochemical engineering program which blend traditional engineering and subjects in the biological sciences with specially developed biochemical engineering courses and labs. Please contact Dr. Liat Rosenfeld for more information.

Chemical engineers in biotechnology work on projects related to pharmaceuticals and genetically engineered materials for diagnostics and treatment, and food and chemical processing. Chemical Engineers working in the environmental area are responsible for control of air pollution, remediation of contaminated water, hazardous materials management, waste reduction, industrial health and safety, risk analysis, and regulation. Manufacturing opportunities are in semiconductor fabrication, electronics, analytical equipment, and processing equipment for the production of inorganic and specialty chemicals.

The Chemical Engineering Program at SJSU is designed to provide a solid engineering foundation and then allow the student to develop some specialization in an area of interest.