Master of Science in Computer Management and Information Systems, Specialization in Business Analytics (STEM)

at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville USA

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 study of communication involves the development of theories and research tools to analyze, explain and improve human interaction. The applied communication studies program is offered in the College of Arts and Sciences through the Department of Applied Communication Studies. Departmental courses focus on two-person interaction, small-group decision making, communication patterns in organizations and other complex systems, public relations, and speaker-audience interaction in public speaking.

What can I do with a degree in Applied Communication Studies?
In America, employers increasingly recognize the need for more effective communication. As a result, job opportunities for graduates trained in applied communication studies are prevalent in business and industry, government agencies, educational systems, nonprofit organizations, and community-based resource centers. Graduates often have several career choices. Examples of communication careers departmental graduates have entered are: teaching and administration; management, training and consulting in organizations; public relations; human relations and employee assistance programs; sales; and government service. Graduates find employment in various types of for-profit and nonprofit organizations locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Applied communication is also an in-demand minor for students majoring in areas such as, business, mass communications, political science and sociology. Our graduates are also well-prepared for graduate school.

Track Option: Public Relations
Students in the public relations track will study under a model program, designed to meet and exceed national guidelines for undergraduate public relations education described in Public Relations Education for the 21st Century: A Port of Entry, sponsored by the Commission on Public Relations Education. This track stresses written, oral, graphic, and technological applications of communication skills. Elements of the program are designed to keep entry-level students in touch with upper-division students, and past graduates in touch with all students. In addition, students will experience the "paired course" concept, an idea that helps students integrate materials across their sequence of study. And finally, students may join SIUE's award-winning chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), which is affiliated with the national professional association, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

At SIUE, we take our students out into the world and bring the world to our students. Our program curriculum includes subject areas focusing on the languages, literatures, cultures and histories of diverse regions and countries. Our K-12 teacher certification program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (CAEP/ACTFL).

Language learners are brought together in a variety of settings including classroom, language lab, study abroad destinations, language conversation hours and student organizations. While offering opportunities to study many different languages from around the world, we provide a balance between delivering courses to students majoring in foreign languages and literature, and contributing to general education course requirements. Study abroad opportunities are offered in countries all around the world.

In addition to our concentration areas in French, German and Spanish, language courses are offered in Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Italian, Latin and Yoruba. Interdisciplinary minors are available in African studies, Asian studies, classical studies, European studies and Latin American studies.

What can I do with a degree in Foreign Languages and Literature?
Increasing diversity in the United States requires more professionals have diverse language skills and cultural awareness. Students graduating with knowledge of one or more foreign languages will have a competitive edge in today’s high level of globalization in the world economy. Some recent graduates from the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature hold positions with companies such as Alloy Holdings, Boeing, Express Scripts, Deloitte Tohmatsu, Anheuser-Busch, the AIDS Foundation and Wells Fargo.

If you have diverse academic interests that span the disciplines and would like to turn these interests into a cohesive program, then the integrative studies program could be for you! Working professionals can also earn a baccalaureate degree to better position them for opportunities for advancement where a baccalaureate degree is required.

Integrative studies is an interdisciplinary program geared toward meeting each student’s personal, academic and career goals, as well as providing knowledge and skills to meet the needs of emerging professions. This program provides students the opportunity to embrace their individuality and widen their perspectives by exploring and making connections between different fields of study. Students design their own program of study, in consultation with a professional advisor and a faculty mentor, and in doing so take responsibility for their education and career planning.

What can I do with a degree in Integrative Studies?
Students graduating with an undergraduate degree in integrative studies will be well prepared to pursue career opportunities in a variety of professional settings, such as advertising, public service, military, sales, human services, ministry, sports promotion, higher education, public relations, and youth development, among others. Graduates will also be prepared to pursue a master’s or professional degree in various fields.

The fast change of pace in our society is creating new career opportunities for individuals trained in multiple disciplines. The Master of Science in integrative studies allows students to access expertise from two or three areas and integrate courses into a degree that meets the needs of an emerging career field.

Consider integrative studies if:

• You have diverse interests that span two or three academic disciplines and you want to blend these interests into one cohesive program
• You have a career interest in an emerging field that crosses academic disciplines, such as cultural heritage and resources management or marketing communications
• You want to advance in a non-traditional sector or start your own business

What can I do with a degree in Integrative Studies?
A Master of Science in integrative studies can lead to a multitude of career paths as well as entry into doctoral programs. The degree will meet the needs of students seeking knowledge for advancement in a specific industry, looking to move to an emerging field that is multidisciplinary or starting their own business. Employment outlook and salary information for these careers vary widely. A carefully designed plan of study will provide students with a unique combination of skills and knowledge that will be advantageous in the job market.

Applied Communication Studies and Marketing
In the increasingly changing national and international markets, professionals in marketing and communication studies are in high demand, especially if their knowledge and skills cut across industry and specialization areas. A Master of Science in integrative studies with a focus in applied communication studies and marketing from SIUE will equip you with cutting-edge knowledge and skills that will position you for various careers that meld marketing and communication in both the corporate and the nonprofit realms. Effectively managing marketing campaigns is essential for organizations as they seek to solidify and expand market share.

The mass communications program in the College of Arts and Sciences at SIUE prepares students to succeed in careers in one of the fastest growing and most dynamic areas: the mass media.

The Department of Mass Communications at SIUE is accredited by the highly selective Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC). This means our students get one-on-one attention from their instructors due to small class sizes and curriculum that keeps with changes in the media industry. Our students have access to state-of-the-art facilities and faculty members who dedicate themselves to serving the professional and intellectual needs of the students.

The Department of Mass Communications offers three sequences: journalism, media production, and advertising and strategic media. While most of the curriculum is a shared experience by all majors, students take advanced courses specific to their chosen sequence. This approach is in keeping with the converged nature of today’s media industries. At its heart, our department is all about teaching students how to tell stories, whether in the form of advertising campaigns, news stories, documentaries, or any of an almost limitless use of this major. Students who major in mass communications but choose not to enter the media industry will be well-prepared, thoughtful and effective communicators.

What can I do with a degree in Mass Communications?
Graduates of the Department of Mass Communications choose various career paths. Our graduates have become reporters, editors and photojournalists for newspapers, magazines, and online publications. Others work in radio and television, for advertising agencies, and in marketing and communications positions at major corporations and non-profits; many become the social media experts in their positions. Some graduates take an entrepreneurial approach and create careers as independent videographers, event planners, graphic designers, web developers, and freelance communications specialists.

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 fast change of pace in our society is creating new career opportunities for individuals trained in multiple disciplines. The Master of Science in integrative studies allows students to access expertise from two or three areas and integrate courses into a degree that meets the needs of an emerging career field.

Consider integrative studies if:

• You have diverse interests that span two or three academic disciplines and you want to blend these interests into one cohesive program
• You have a career interest in an emerging field that crosses academic disciplines, such as cultural heritage and resources management or marketing communications
• You want to advance in a non-traditional sector or start your own business

What can I do with a degree in Integrative Studies?
A Master of Science in integrative studies can lead to a multitude of career paths as well as entry into doctoral programs. The degree will meet the needs of students seeking knowledge for advancement in a specific industry, looking to move to an emerging field that is multidisciplinary or starting their own business. Employment outlook and salary information for these careers vary widely. A carefully designed plan of study will provide students with a unique combination of skills and knowledge that will be advantageous in the job market.

GIS Development and Database Administration
In order to function effectively, every organization needs to make sure its database is always secure, available and performing at maximum capacity. A database administrator is a central figure in securing, maintaining and fine-tuning databases. A Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database stores geospatial information consisting of a combination of maps, 3D images, and space or time coordinates, among others. A database administrator who is trained to handle the complexities of large volumes of GIS data will be a sought after asset to any organization.

Philosophy is the attempt to think carefully, critically and systematically about the most challenging questions that face humanity. Philosophy is the oldest academic discipline, with roots that trace to ancient Greece and to thinkers who asked probing questions about themselves and the world around them. Philosophy is called, “the queen of the sciences” because every major academic discipline—from math to psychology—was part of philosophy at one time. Philosophy continues to spawn new cutting-edge fields, such as cognitive science.

At SIUE, pursuing a degree in philosophy allows you to follow your interests. Classes are centered on discussion so you can be an active participant every day. In order to develop your abilities to solve complex problems, generate ideas, communicate clearly, respond to others, adapt to change, and think creatively, faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Philosophy will challenge you throughout your course of study. Being challenged helps students develop deep analytical skills that will translate into everyday life, as well as their chosen profession.

Law
Students are admitted to law school from a wide variety of academic disciplines, and no specific major is required for entrance. The American Bar Association (ABA) recommends pursuing an area of study that interests you and helps you develop a strong skill set in problem solving, critical reading, writing, oral communication and research. Law schools judge applicants based on their diversity of experiences, GPA and LSAT scores.

The philosophy major offers excellent preparation for law school because it excels at teaching the skills needed for law school and in legal professions. On average, philosophy majors tend to excel on the LSAT, and philosophy majors have a high law school admission rate. The Department of Philosophy offers a BA in philosophy with a specialization in law that specifies 15 hours of 33 required credit hours to complete the philosophy major. By including this coursework, the BA in philosophy with a law specialization is designed to guide students toward curricular decisions that will facilitate their future success in law school and in subsequent legal professions.

How does a statistician design an experiment to test a new drug? What is an efficient algorithm to solve a differential equation, and when does it work? How do you determine a fair price for an annuity? Given a complex network of nodes and edges, what is the shortest path from one vertex to another? How can you teach problem solving in a diverse high school classroom?

These are only some of the questions to be explored in our five undergraduate study options in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. In the College of Arts and Sciences at SIUE, we have a faculty-to-undergraduate major student ratio of five to one, so our students receive personalized attention from faculty recognized for outstanding teaching and excellent research.

What can I do with a degree in Math?
Professionals holding positions in the mathematics field as mathematicians, statisticians, and actuaries consistently rank their careers at the top of surveys on job satisfaction and security. According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook in these fields remains strong, and growth is projected at 25% over the next 10 years.

Statistics
Election polls, economic trends, product design, market research and social behaviors. Statistics is an ideal concentration for those interested in analysis and interpretation of data as a fundamental process in decision-making. Statistics uses the scientific application of mathematics to collect and analyze information in such a way that a conclusion can be developed.

The relevance of statistics cannot be understated, as it touches virtually every career field. Statisticians develop consumer surveys, study purchasing behaviors, measure the cost of living, and analyze market trends for potential business growth.