Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications, Specialization in Journalism

at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville USA

Electrical engineering and computer engineering disciplines are concerned with the development and application of electrical and computer technology to enhance and enrich all life. Electrical and computer engineers, as part of this mission, are engaged in a wide variety of activities that include:

• Space exploration and remote sensing
• Process control and automation
• Automatic control systems for use in robotics, missiles, aircraft and manufacturing plants
• Electric power generation and distribution, environmentally responsible generation and use of energy
• Audio- video- and data-communication systems, and satellite communications
• Digital processing of signals and images using the computer
• Design and manufacturing of faster and more capable microprocessors for the computers of tomorrow
• Applications of technology in the healthcare field through computerized ultrasound, radiology, tomography and imaging systems, computer-aided diagnosis and treatment, and telesurgery

The applications listed above require a solid foundation in mathematics and physics, which requires electrical and computer engineering students to go through a substantial set of courses in these areas. In addition, today’s engineers also must be aware of a wide variety of global, social, ethical, economic and environmental issues that are relevant to the systems they design and build. Our bachelor’s degree programs include courses and projects designed to build this awareness. The electrical and computer engineering program mission is consistent with the mission of the University and the School of Engineering.

What can I do with a degree in Electrical Engineering?
Electrical and computer engineers find employment in a wide variety of manufacturing companies such as aerospace and aircraft, electric manufacturers, computer circuit (a.k.a. “chip”) manufacturers, and medical equipment manufacturers. They are employed in the fields of research, design, manufacturing and sales. Many public utilities, which include power companies and telephone companies, employ both computer engineers and electrical engineers. Other potential employers include oil companies, railroads, food processing plants, chemical and biological laboratories, chemical plants, various branches of federal government, and many consulting engineering companies.

Immediate application of new physics knowledge is not what drives physicists, but rather, an inherent curiosity about everything around them. Physics explores the big questions about the universe, and students who are motivated, curious, mathematical, inventive, and wish to explore these big questions will find their place at SIUE. Students in the College of Arts and Sciences are taught by world-class scholars in state-of-the-art laboratories, with small class sizes to help ensure that students are not just faces in a crowded lecture hall. In the Department of Physics, students are welcomed into a community of faculty committed to providing the best education possible.

What can I do with a degree in Physics?
Earning a bachelor’s degree in physics can open many doors. Throughout the United States, approximately one-third of students graduating with degrees in physics go on to graduate school to continue their education in physics or other science disciplines. Our graduates have recently gone on to pursue their education at the University of Arizona, University of Colorado Boulder, and University of New Mexico, as well as other quality programs. Some students, finding the rigor of physics excellent preparation for professional schools, pursue advanced education opportunities in medicine or law.

The Department of Art and Design, in the College of Arts and Sciences at SIUE, provides an excellent studio art program for its majors, minors and postgraduate students in recently built and renovated facilities offering state-of-the-art technology. While students are encouraged to develop their creative, intellectual and technical potential in the visual arts, they also have the opportunity to pursue minors in diverse areas such as anthropology, business, geography, history and more. Emphasis is placed on the development of conceptual and visual vocabulary, as well as the ability of students to discuss their work within historical and contemporary contexts. At SIUE, the Department of Art and Design offers a core foundation of skills that students can build upon in order to produce meaningful and engaging works with diverse objectives. Our students are challenged to view themselves as professionals on the first day they step into a classroom.

What can I do with a degree in Studio Art?
Students specializing in art studio at SIUE will be prepared for a wide variety of careers, including work in museums, art galleries, cultural institutions, and academia. Our students are also well prepared for graduate school. Some of our recent graduates are pursuing advanced degrees at Indiana University, the University of Nebraska, Maryland Institute College of Art, The State University of New York at Albany, University of Wisconsin at Madison, Syracuse University, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Rhode Island School of Design, among others.

The mission of the environmental sciences graduate program is to cultivate students’ perspectives of environmental issues and provide students with refined knowledge of environmental issues at the local, regional and global scale. The program will increase the student’s technical competence in addressing and analyzing these issues, their origins, ramifications and resolutions. The environmental sciences graduate program at SIUE is designed to enhance and promote professional education and career opportunities in a wide area of interests.

What can I do with a degree in Environmental Sciences?
Students completing the graduate program in environmental sciences have career opportunities with governmental agencies, private industries, consulting firms and educational institutions. Areas of responsibility may include environmental field or laboratory research and analysis, environmental policy and law, environmental remediation, solid and hazardous waste management, groundwater pollution control, water management, air quality management, environmental and ecological risk assessments, and restoration environmental engineering.

The biological sciences encompass the study of all life on Earth. Biological sciences programs are offered through the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. At SIUE, our diverse programs of study include specializations that allow students the opportunity to pursue any areas that are of interest to them. Students can customize their academic program in order to better prepare them for their chosen career.

What can I do with a degree in Biological Sciences?
Many careers are available for people with basic or advanced training in biology. There are opportunities in botany, ecology, education, fisheries, forensics, forestry, genetic engineering, horticulture, medical technology, microbiology, molecular biology, parasitology, physiology, wildlife management and zoology. Technical and supervisory positions are available in federal, state, industrial and university laboratories. Environment and health-related occupations almost always require sound, basic training in biology. Most students entering schools of medicine, dentistry, optometry, osteopathy, veterinary science, chiropractic and podiatry are biology majors. Basic training in biology is essential for careers in allied health sciences, including nutrition, pharmacy, occupational therapy and physical therapy.

Genetics and Cellular Biology
Genetic engineering and cellular biology are rapidly expanding fields in biology. Genetic engineering is a defined method for producing genetic changes in a variety or organisms in the laboratory. Cellular biology is a field that studies all aspects of gene regulation, protein trafficking, cell physiology, and apoptosis. A large number of industrial companies and many research laboratories use genetic engineering and cell biology techniques in their work. Job opportunities are numerous and growing in number. Students with training in genetic engineering and cellular biology may be employed in diverse laboratory settings including plant breeding, insecticide development, and the production of pharmaceuticals.

The undergraduate social work program in the College of Arts and Sciences focuses on the knowledge, values and skills needed for social work practice. Its primary purpose is to prepare graduates for entry-level direct practice in social work. The Department of Social Work prepares BSW students for advanced standing in MSW programs. The undergraduate program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

The social work program prepares generalist social workers for many types of practice, and offers opportunities to explore specific interests through the selection of electives and the field placement setting. The primary professional purpose of social work is to promote social functioning and enhance social development at all system levels. The social worker acts as a facilitator of change with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities; promotes improvement in social conditions; serves as an advocate for people who are subject to discrimination or social or economic injustice; and provides individuals access to needed resources and services. In addition to completing on-campus course work, social work students engage in field work in local social service agencies in several courses.

What can I do with a degree in Social Work?
The bachelor’s degree in social work qualifies graduates for practice in entry-level positions in a wide range of social service settings. Most graduates work in child welfare, family service, mental health or health agencies. The bachelor’s degree from a CSWE-accredited program qualifies graduates to take the licensed social worker (LSW) examination, as stipulated by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. In addition, many graduate social work programs offer advanced standing to qualified students with a bachelor’s degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program.

The environmental sciences undergraduate program, in the College of Arts and Sciences at SIUE, is interdisciplinary, and is designed to cultivate students' perspectives of environmental issues, and to provide them with refined knowledge of environmental issues on a local, regional and global scale. The curriculum within the Department of Environmental Sciences will increase students’ technical competence in addressing these environmental issues, their origins, ramifications and resolutions. The program will promote experiential learning and professional education to prepare students for career opportunities in a wide variety of workplaces.

What can I do with a degree in Environmental Sciences?
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment of environmental scientists and specialists is projected to grow 8% through 2028, which is faster than the average for all occupations in the U.S. Graduates with a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts with specializations in environmental health, environmental toxicology and environmental management will have career opportunities in their areas of interest. For example, a licensed environmental health practitioner can be employed for inspection, sampling and reporting for sanitary, food safety, sewage and waste disposal, drinking water, pest control, or industrial hygiene.

Environmental Health
The environmental health specialization provides students with the education necessary to identify, evaluate and control (prevent or mitigate) environmental conditions which may have significant impacts on human health. Examples of the problem areas requiring environmental health expertise are:

• Maintaining adequate quality and quantities of food and drinking water.
• Safe treatment and disposal of domestic and industrial waste materials.
• Limiting or reducing air and noise pollution.
• Reducing occupational exposure to hazardous substances and unsafe conditions.
• Assuring safe and healthful housing.
• Controlling the spread of insect and rodent-borne illnesses.
• Proper selection and use of pesticides.
• Understanding the effects of global climate changes on human health.

At SIUE, a Bachelor of Fine Arts prepares students to be lifelong practitioners of the studio arts who can demonstrate professional competencies, conceptual, technical and visual; in one specialized area within the department’s studio offerings.

Students in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program can take coursework in:

• Ceramics
• Drawing
• Graphic Design
• Metalsmithing
• Painting
• Photography
• Printmaking
• Sculpture
• Textiles

Art and design students at SIUE study in newly built and renovated facilities offering state-of-the-art technology, and are challenged to view themselves as professionals on the first day they step into a classroom.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts, offered through the Department of Art and Design in the College of Arts and Sciences, is considered the professional degree in visual arts. It is the entry-level degree by which students enter the professional field of graphic design, and is considered the necessary degree for a student interested in becoming a lifelong professional artist. Students will also be well prepared to pursue graduate studies.

What can I do with a degree in Art and Design?
An undergraduate degree in art and design prepares majors for a wide variety of careers, including work in museums, art galleries, cultural institutions and academia. Our students are also well-prepared for graduate school. Some of our recent graduates are pursuing advanced degrees at Indiana University, University of Nebraska, Maryland Institute College of Art, The State University of New York at Albany, University of Wisconsin at Madison, Syracuse University, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Rhode Island School of Design, among others.

Students who like solving problems creatively and expressing their point of view should think about pursuing a degree in theater and dance at SIUE. Theater is the study of literature, history and production of live theatrical performances. Students pursuing a degree in theater and dance from SIUE will complete an intense curriculum that will prepare them to take the next step in their professional careers or go on to graduate school. Students explore and build on their artistic talents - not only as actors and dancers, but as casting agents, box office managers, choreographers, set and lighting designers, and theater managers.

The theater and dance program in the College of Arts and Sciences at SIUE is known for its small class sizes and the artistic freedom afforded to its students. Faculty members encourage students to take risks to discover their creativity, and performance opportunities are ample. Each year, the department offers four theater productions, a dance concert, two student productions, a one-act festival, summer stock theater productions, an annual dance festival and a four-day experimental theater festival in the spring. The Department of Theater and Dance encourages a diverse mix of students and a well-rounded education with a solid liberal arts foundation.

What can I do with a degree in Theater and Dance?
Students with a degree in theater and dance find careers as actors, playwrights, screenwriters, directors, production designers, dancers, choreographers and critics. Theater and dance students obtain the skills to pursue a wide range of career paths within and outside the arts.

Design/Technical
The specialization in design and technology offers a curriculum that enables students to develop skills as designers, technicians and craftspeople, as well as the visual communication skills necessary in the collaborative world of the theater. While students are enrolled in introductory courses, they are also working backstage and in the shops putting learned skills to practical use as technicians and crew on departmental productions.

The master’s in art therapy counseling program, combines classroom instruction, practicum experience and research. Our mission is to provide experiential learning to foster socio-culturally attuned, creative practices in the theory, reflection and application of art therapy counseling. Our vision is that art therapy counselors cultivate creative, just and healthy communities. The SIUE art therapy counseling program goal is to prepare competent, entry-level art therapists in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills) and affective (behavior) learning domains as per ACATE Educational Standards.

What can I do with a degree in art Therapy Counseling?
Art therapy counseling combines the therapeutic uses of art-making with the skills of a professional counselor. Art therapy counselors are able to help people work through trauma, mental health issues, illness and challenges in living, as well as help those who seek personal insight and change.