Master of Science in Womens and Gender Studies with Concentration in Women in an International Context

at Shorelight Group - Towson University USA

The interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary graduate program in Women’s and Gender Studies provides students with a solid academic foundation to pursue their unique goals. As the only applied master’s program in Women’s and Gender Studies in Maryland and the only Women’s and Gender Studies master’s program in Baltimore, the program emphasizes applied research methods and skills, preparing students for careers in a variety of public and private organizations both national and international, for-profit and nonprofit. It also prepares students to enter doctoral programs in a variety of fields.

The constantly changing nature of public policy provides an opportunity to study the role that interest groups, government leaders, the media and others play in framing policy debates that affect women. In this concentration, focus on a particular policy area and/or look at that area from a comparative perspective.

• Students will demonstrate a fundamental knowledge of the history of art, including artists, titles, and dates of key works, as well as knowledge of the broader artistic circumstances from which those works emerged, and of the interrelationship of those circumstances.
• Students will demonstrate visual literacy (the ability to interpret the visual, formal aspects of an artwork) in the perception and discussion of art.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the cultural contexts from which art has emerged.
• Students will demonstrate knowledge of the cross-cultural and multicultural interaction that has influenced the development of artistic forms throughout the history of art and up to the present day.
• Students will prepare for career fields specific to art history, such as teaching, curatorship and preservation.

The program provides advanced study in the theory of writing, writing techniques and style, principles/techniques of editing, and the functions of written communication within the professional/occupational setting. Courses aim to develop the communication skills of people seeking to enter or to advance in occupations requiring extensive writing and/or the analysis and reporting of data. Students choose from tracks in writing for the public and private sectors, technical writing and information design, teaching writing, journalistic writing, scientific writing and creative writing.

The field of Health Education and Promotion (HEP) explores the complexities of human behavior and identifies ways to promote healthy behaviors. Health Education and Promotion prepares students to educate and empower the public to understand their health, to make healthy choices, to improve their quality of life, and to reduce disease and disability. Health educators design, market, implement and/or evaluate health education and health promotion programs. The settings in which community health educators work include, but are not limited to health departments, voluntary health agencies, hospitals, universities, nonprofit organizations, government agencies and schools.

The Health Education and Promotion major gives students the foundation needed to be effective health professionals based on principles from the behavioral, biomedical and social sciences. Through coursework and a 12-unit internship, students will graduate with a solid foundation in a variety of health topic areas including public health, health education theory and practice, and program planning and evaluation.

• Students will demonstrate competency in written communication and oral communication.
• Students will use knowledge acquired in family studies and human services courses in field experiences (community service and internship placements) and capstone courses.
• Students will demonstrate comprehensive research skills related to the discipline. Students will demonstrate informational literacy and technological competency.

Students interested in teaching Middle School students (Grades 4-9) should contact the Department of Secondary & Middle School Education. Middle School Education majors must select two content areas from the following: English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies/History, which leads to Maryland State Teacher Certification in Middle School in both of the content areas selected. The Pass (PS) grading option may not be used for any of the courses listed below. 

Foreign Languages majors in the French Education Concentration are eligible to apply for certification to teach French in Maryland upon graduation.  In addition to the Core Curriculum requirements and the requirements specified by the Department of Secondary and Middle School Education, students must complete 30 units. Students must contact the Department of Secondary and Middle School Education about admission to the Teacher Education Program.

Students who decide not to complete all education requirements must select and complete a different concentration/track in the major in order to graduate.

Majors who are in the Teacher Education Program are required to take Advanced Grammar and Method of Teaching a Foreign Language before internship. Students are also required to complete the Oral Proficiency Interview and the Writing Proficiency Test. They are required to achieve a level of “Advanced Low" in the Oral Proficiency Interview. 

The interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary graduate program in Women’s and Gender Studies provides students with a solid academic foundation to pursue their unique goals. As the only applied master’s program in Women’s and Gender Studies in Maryland and the only Women’s and Gender Studies master’s program in Baltimore, the program emphasizes applied research methods and skills, preparing students for careers in a variety of public and private organizations both national and international, for-profit and nonprofit. It also prepares students to enter doctoral programs in a variety of fields.

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Business Administration (BUAD) requires a minimum of 120 earned units, which must include successful completion of the Core Curriculum requirements, the BUAD requirements and electives. BUAD requirements include 50-51 units of required business courses and 21-24 units in one of the following concentrations or tracks: Economics, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Human Resource Management, International Business, Leadership and Management, Marketing, or Project Management and Business Analysis. The electives may include the units required for a minor or specialization program, or in a foreign language for the B.A.

The M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education is an advanced degree program designed to prepare the degree candidate for a future professional role, to increase competence in a current career role or to provide a step toward further study in the field of early childhood education. It is not an initial teaching certification or licensure program, but an opportunity for increased professional development at the graduate level. The M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education is recommended for practitioners in a wide range of programs for children from birth through age 8 in a variety of community settings. Their roles may include administration, supervision and mentoring in early childhood programs; pre-elementary or primary grade teaching; family/community support; early intervention; resource and referral; program licensing; infants and toddlers specialist; and many others. Guiding principles include an interdisciplinary perspective, collaboration, mentoring and advocacy, with a foundation of the most current knowledge base in early childhood and best practice for all young children and families.

The M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education is aligned with National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation in Advanced Programs. The 33-unit program consists of seven required courses and four elective courses that are designed to provide each student with a deeper understanding of the knowledge base in the field, while supporting individual areas of professional specialization and academic interest. The faculty in the Department of Early Childhood Education has developed specific courses to support students in their professional development and in their future contributions to the field of early childhood education through their chosen career paths.