Bachelor of Arts in Theatre

at Shorelight Group - University of Kansas USA

The department offers a broad range of courses that provide a basic understanding of human language and communication. Linguistics courses examine features of language that underlie the human capacity to express concepts and communicate ideas. The courses address the connections between language, brain, culture, mind, and history. The major gives students a basic understanding of the human capacity to acquire, perceive, and produce language and of language’s role in contemporary society.

Linguistics is a superb preparation for careers that require expertise in the use of language as a means of communication, e.g., business, communications, personnel administration, teaching, health care, and social service. Many majors pursue graduate study in education, law, psychology, computer science, speech and hearing sciences and languages.

Biotechnology is the use of biological systems to solve scientific challenges and positively impact our society. Biotech scientists foster creativity and innovation in a variety of fields, using a toolbox of science and technology expertise to put biological molecules such as DNA or proteins to work in useful and groundbreaking ways. This program can also put you on a pre-health or pre-med path.

A biotech scientist’s duties might include:

• Creating vaccines to combat debilitating diseases
• Discover novel antibiotics from biological sources
• Developing assays to diagnose complex clinical diseases
• Developing drought and pesticide resistant crops to aid in food production
• Using forensic science to analyze samples to help solve criminal investigation
• Helping reduce industrial waste by creating cleaner manufacturing processes

Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Since all human behavior is social, few fields have such broad scope and relevance for research, theory, and the application of knowledge.

A sociology major can give you the knowledge of social relations and society that will enhance your career opportunities. Depending on your interests, the sociology courses you’ve taken, and your second major, this degree opens doors to entry-level positions. The department’s graduates work in personnel administration, social service agencies, and business. They are journalists, researchers, social workers, and statisticians. Your sociology degree is excellent preparation for graduate studies in sociology as well as in areas such as social welfare, public administration.

Marketing combines both analytical capabilities and creativity, preparing you for job opportunities across a range of industries.

As a marketing major, you will prepare to take on a fast-paced, ever-changing field. Jobs in marketing require interpersonal skills, strategy, flexibility and creativity.

Through coursework and experiential activities, we train our graduates to become proficient in identifying target segments and designing high-impact marketing campaigns that include the elements of product, price, place, and promotion.

The study of economics offers students insight into some of the most fundamental questions facing societies today: what goods and services should we produce? How should we produce them ? How should we distribute them? Economics offers an outstanding preparation for careers in policy analysis, international relations, business, and other careers that require rigorous analytic thinking. Economics also makes an excellent foundation for graduate study in economics, business, law, political science, or public administration.

Undergraduates in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences and Disorders study the basic processes of human communication. Programs are designed for the student who seeks a career in speech, language, or hearing or is interested in normal communication development and communication disorders.

Beginning with the undergraduate experience, you'll find stimulating course work, clinical observation, and a variety of hands-on laboratory projects. To practice as a speech-language pathologist, you will need to earn a master’s degree. Plan to pursue doctoral studies if you want to practice audiology or do research in speech, language, and hearing processes and disorders.

A much more specialized degree, there are fewer general education requirements and a much more concentrated specialization in one of two aspects of Geography. There are two B.S. degree options:

Physical Geography Option- Students prepare for a career in environmental assessment and problem solving. Basic requirements include preparation in chemistry, biology, physics and mathematics. Advanced course work includes the study of the processes that affect the physical environment (soils, vegetation, climate and geomorphology), and techniques for performing statistical and computational analysis of these processes (statistics, GIS and remote sensing).

Geographical Information and Analysis Option- Students prepare for a career in the area of geographic information science and problem solving using a variety of spatial analysis techniques. Basic requirements include preparation in mathematics, science and computer science. Advanced course work includes work in cartography, GIS, remote sensing, spatial statistics, spatial analysis and data presentation and visualization. In addition, students are expected to take some coursework in one of the other areas of geography (physical, human, and regional).

The B.A. in the Department of Religious Studies is a research, analytic, and writing intensive program that features close work with faculty in small classroom settings. It seeks to develop a foundational knowledge of the world’s diversity of religious cultures and critical awareness of the ways in which religion shapes how we see and act toward ourselves, others, and the environment around us. Through the study of specific religious traditions and settings, students come away with a background that is invaluable to understanding and working with people of other cultures, whether in international business or simply as an informed global citizen. Through hands-on training in research and academic writing, students also acquire substantial communication and critical thinking skills that translate easily into most any profession. As a department that encompasses multiple disciplinary and area studies expertises, we share synergies with units across the university that allow students to nurture all manner of specialized interests when it comes to the study of religions, from pan-regional traditions to localized indigenous religions, from gender, ritual, and material religion to textual studies.

Biochemistry focuses on the structure and function of biomolecules—proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids—and encompasses all the chemical processes of organisms.  The B.S. Biochemistry major includes one year of biochemistry with laboratories, a semester of analytical chemistry with a laboratory, a semester of biological physical chemistry, as well as upper-division courses in gene expression and related elective courses.

Civil engineering, the oldest and broadest of the divisions of engineering, implements a range of public and private projects for improving society’s physical infrastructure and the environment. Civil engineers specializing in environmental engineering integrates scientific principles with engineering experience to plan, design, and construct environmental pollution control systems, storm water systems, and  water purification and distribution systems that maintain, protect, and enhance the quality of life. Like all civil engineers,  those specializing in environmental engineering are trained to consider the societal effects as well as the physical and environmental factors that constrain the planning, design, construction, and operation of their projects. 

The undergraduate program gives students the theoretical background, instruction in the engineering application of scientific principles, and professional attitude to serve the public. It typically leads to entry-level positions or to graduate work in technical specialties, business administration, or other professions.

In addition to environmental pollution control and water resources systems, courses that address the behavior and design of steel and reinforced concrete structures, foundations, and surface transportation systems are integrated into the curriculum, culminating in a series of senior-level professional design courses. These simulate the design processes used in the major areas of civil engineering and prepare students for entry-level positions. Most faculty members are licensed professional engineers. KU graduates have successful records in professional practice, research in academic institutions, government and private laboratories, and in managing firms and corporations of all sizes.