Undergraduate Academic Accelerator Pathway (2-Term) - Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies

at Shorelight Group - Cleveland State University USA

The ability to adapt and thrive in diverse business environments is more crucial than ever before in today’s increasingly interdependent global economy.

Studying international business provides students an opportunity to learn and think about the world of business on a global scale. Students gain knowledge and skills required for international business careers while developing an understanding of the political, cultural and regulatory environments that shape international business and trade. International business students learn necessary accounting, finance, supply chain, marketing and management skills that prepare them to succeed in managing multi-national corporations as well as large national firms, medium- and small-sized business expand into international markets.

Biology is a diverse discipline, ranging from the molecular biology and biochemistry of individual cells to the functioning of organisms and entire ecosystems. The Biology major at Cleveland State University provides education in the fundamentals of all the major areas of modern Biology and training in current laboratory skills, while at the same time allowing students some freedom to tailor an individual plan of study.

History is the essential foundation of knowledge. It provides the context for a liberal education, the tools to understand ourselves and our contemporary world, and the skills for an educated person to live a more fulfilled and gratifying life in a wide range of careers.

Because of these various functions, we study history for many reasons:

• To better understand our society and the times in which we live
• To better understand ourselves; to place our own society in historical perspective
• To balance present-mindedness with historical memory
• To acquire skills such as conducting research, communicating effectively through writing or oral communication, critical thinking, evaluating evidence, and problem-solving
• To understand the roles which individuals and groups have played in shaping their worlds
• For the enjoyment of examining societies very different or very similar to our own

This is possible because history at the university level is far more than a collection of facts, names, and dates. The emphasis is on accessing and analyzing information, the critical use of historical sources, learning to communicate the results, and the excitement which comes from exploring important ideas. To study history is to enter a time machine to explore the far reaches of the human experience from classical times to the present; from the lives of great thinkers and kings to that of average people; from dramatic moments such as the Civil War to the routine. The past becomes the universe, all corners of which can be explored.

The department offers coursework in European, U.S., African, Latin-American, and East Asian history and thematic foci on social and urban history and the History of the African Diaspora. The major program not only prepares students for teaching and for graduate study in history but many students have found history an appropriate preparatory foundation for careers in law, library science, international work, the foreign service, the ministry, business, government and archival and museum work.

This major is designed to give students the opportunity to engage in a multidisciplinary study of the variety of subjects concerned with international affairs. International Relations is the study of interactions among the various actors that participate in international politics, including states, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and multinational corporations. Career opportunities include employment in government, think tanks, global businesses, and nongovernmental organizations. An International Relations major also provides excellent preparation for graduate school in the field or in law.

Several traits distinguish the B.A. in Liberal Studies from majors in specialized disciplines:

• Broad-based liberal education across the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities
• Academic (rather than technical or training) emphasis
• Maximum flexibility in choosing courses across the University curriculum (including technical electives)
• Breadth rather than specialized depth of intellectual experience
• Appropriateness for students who wish to take an active role in shaping their studies

Students majoring in Liberal Studies may create programs that suit their own academic, professional, or other personal goals. For example, some use this undergraduate degree as a foundation for graduate study in Business, Education, or Philosophy. Others use it to take specific prerequisites for professional training in Law, Medicine, or Physical Therapy. Still others pursue Liberal Studies to explore educational experiences for their inherent value and satisfaction.

What do we know when we know a language? How do we learn it? What does language reveal about our culture and identity? These are the central questions explored by linguists. The goal is to gain a scientific understanding of the nature of language that can be applied in many areas, such as linguistics, anthropology, speech & hearing, language teaching, computational linguistics, and cognitive science. Linguists also systematically compare human language to animal communication systems. Linguistics majors will get a thorough training in the core areas of linguistics, such as Phonetics, Phonology, Morphology and Syntax; and learn how linguists find evidence for their hypotheses and what are the cutting edge topics in the field today.

The Linguistics program is an undergraduate interdisciplinary program of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, offering a MAJOR and a MINOR in Linguistics. The areas of Anthropology, English, and Speech & Hearing are well represented in the program, and students majoring in any of these fields would be able to “double count” many credits toward Linguistics and their other majors. The program also includes courses from Communication, Education, Modern Languages and Psychology.

The Art History concentration exposes students to a wide range of artistic forms and traditions and to a broad diversity of cultures and issues. Art History students begin with introductory survey courses in Western, Asian, and African Art, and continue with courses in these areas along with Modern, American, AfricanAmerican, and Islamic Art. Advanced seminars in Art History draw on the faculty’s research interests: recent topics include Jewish-American Artists, Medieval Artistic Materials and Processes of Making, and Center and Periphery in African Art. As well as preparing students for graduate study in Art History and related fields, the Art History program provides students with the skills that employers want in college graduates including critical thinking, problem solving, information gathering, and effective oral and written communication.

The Urban and Regional Studies major entails the study of America's cities, metropolitan areas, and their people. Students learn about the cultural, political, and historical aspects of urban living and the influence of these factors on the growth and decline of businesses and neighborhoods. Urban Studies is an interdisciplinary program that includes a foundation in urban geography, urban economic and political systems, and social issues.

Concentrations are offered in:

Urban and Regional Planning
Urban planners use their skills in research, design, and development to effect social goals in cities. The urban and regional planning track helps students use the heritage of urban planning to influence urban and regional development. Planners analyze a range of data regarding an area—the economic base, the needs of the people, the available resources, and the effects of change—and make recommendations for action.

Public Management
Public managers develop budgets, strategic plans, policies, and programs for a variety of public and private organizations. The public management track gives students basic management techniques and analytic skills necessary to manage effectively in an urban environment.

Environmental Policy and Management
This track is designed to give students an understanding of the economic, political, and social changes necessary for improving the quality of the physical environment in cities. Courses focus on domestic environmental policies and programs, environmental design, and issues related to sustainable development.

Geographic Information System
A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computerized database management system used for the capture, storage, retrieval, analysis, and display of spatial data. GIS is useful to every discipline that utilizes geographic data and is one of the most exciting and rapidly growing computer technologies.

GIS has spread widely into fields such as land use, transportation, utility management, emergency services, natural resource management, environment, demographics, public safety and public health, market and business location, housing, and real estate. With digital representation of spatial entities and their spatial relationships in GIS database, GIS are used to improve services, assist in managing resources, and provide support for better decision-making and policy-planning activities.

The primary goal of the Economic Development program is to provide students with a firm, evidence-based grounding in economic development principles and public policy issues.  In gaining this critical knowledge individuals will be better equipped to address the various issues and problems they will encounter in their economic development professions.  The curriculum provides a direct path for degree completion in a timely fashion through a rigorous course of study.

Cleveland State University's Mechanical Engineering Department offers a program leading to the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Major areas of specialization within the department are: 1.) Thermal-Fluid Mechanics and Energy Systems, 2.) Dynamics, Vibrations, and Machine Design, 3.) Robotics, Controls, and Mechatronics, 4.) Biomechanics, and 5.) Manufacturing.

Courses are organized in the above five tracks, however students have the flexibility to choose their own courses according to their individual interests and career goals. Numerous and continuous opportunities exist for exposure to engineering problems and developments within the industrial/research complex of Northeastern Ohio. In addition to substantial interdisciplinary research activities in the College of Engineering, faculty and students participate in research programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the NASA Glenn Research Center, and industrial partners like Parker-Hannifin, General Electric and Philips Medical Systems, to name a few. The program is designed to stimulate creativity, to provide a deep understanding of the basic physical phenomena involved in mechanical systems, and to provide an ability to use modern techniques in the analysis, control, and design of mechanisms machines, mechatronic and robotic systems and fluid/thermal systems.