Master of Science in Integrative Studies - Diplomacy and Communication

at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville USA

The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a terminal studio degree designed to further the individual development of degree candidates and to provide them with professional competency in the studio arts. Areas of concentration in the Department of Art and Design include:

• Ceramics
• Drawing
• Graphic Design
• Metalsmithing
• Painting
• Photography and Digital Imaging
• Printmaking
• Sculpture
• Textiles

At SIUE, all areas of study are taught by College of Arts and Sciences faculty who are practicing art professionals who, maintaining vigorous national exhibition schedules, make SIUE one of the most comprehensive studio art programs in the region.

What can I do with a degree in Art and Design?
A graduate degree in art studio is intended to prepare students for a wide variety of careers, including work in museums, art galleries, cultural institutions and academia.

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.

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.

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 business administration program is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International, and provides a broad education in the functional areas of modern business, the behavior of organizations and decision-making processes, as well as analytical methods for solving basic problems affecting commerce and business practices. Our students find that the combination of knowledge acquisition and skill development is appealing and rewarding. Students in the School of Business will also learn about the ethical and global issues facing today’s businesses, while refining their communication skills and abilities. They will also learn to make leadership decisions based on quantitative data using analytical tools.

What can I do with a degree in Business Administration?
Graduates of the business administration program are well prepared to become business professionals who understand the environment in which business operates, and can analyze how business operations are impacted by economic, social, political and legal environments. Graduates of the program are prepared for careers in administration or management of business firms, in banking and insurance, and in federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as a variety of other settings where knowledge of business functions and practices is required. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in business and financial operations occupations is projected to grow 5% through 2029.

Marketing
The marketing specialization is designed to enable students to analyze the problems of providing consumer and industrial goods and services to a wide variety of markets. The curriculum prepares students for positions in sales, advertising, promotion, research, product management, and marketing management. Further, the study of dynamic problems that affect all enterprises in communicating with their constituencies prepares students for careers in commercial, governmental, and service organizations that serve the public in ways other than producing tangible goods

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 graduate curricula provide advanced preparation for professional work as a teacher and/or performer. Students must successfully complete placement examinations in music theory and music history/literature (or the review courses MUS 500a, b) and a performance audition (if required for the student’s specialization). Certificate degrees are designed to appeal to teachers seeking additional professional training and career opportunities. Many students choose to pursue a certificate alongside an MM, with certain courses counting toward both degrees.

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.

Integrative Biology
The curriculum in this program is designed to provide a firm basis in biological sciences for students with a variety of goals. It is an attractive major for students planning to enter graduate school or for students pursuing careers in biological research or in applied work in areas such as agriculture, conservation, and wildlife management. Students in this program may elect to concentrate in such specific disciplines as botany, microbiology, physiology, cellular and molecular biology, genetics, and zoology by completing their electives through courses in these areas. Some disciplines require chemistry courses beyond the minimum requirements.

The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) allows students who have an undergraduate degree in areas other than education the opportunity to earn a master's degree, as well as gain certification to teach special education to students in kindergarten through age 21. Students can earn state licensure and a master's degree in just two years. The MAT program provides integrated coursework focused on diverse learners, as well as field experiences that require theoretical and practical knowledge application.

Offered through the Department of Teaching and Learning, the MAT prepares candidates for Learning Behavior Specialist I licensure, which requires teachers to build a knowledge base to identify and intervene with students who exhibit a wide range of disabilities, including learning disabilities, cognitive impairments, autism, social/emotional disabilities and physical disabilities or other health impairments. Students with undergraduate degrees in teacher education are not eligible for this program.

At SIUE, the anthropology program emphasizes real-world applications of anthropology, with expertise in community engagement, sustainability, globalization issues, race and processes of racialization, cultural resources and heritage, museology, bioarchaeology, and forensic anthropology. Anthropology develops knowledge of and respect for the biological and cultural diversity of humankind. At SIUE, our students conduct independent research, travel internationally, participate in field work, complete internships and are involved in anthropology-related student organizations and honor societies.

What can I do with a degree in Anthropology?
Students graduating with a bachelor’s in anthropology find employment in secondary education, private business and industry, cultural resource management, contract archaeology, environmental studies, museums, health and human services, nongovernmental organizations, and legal and government agencies. Many students go on to earn master's or doctoral degrees which lead to careers in basic and applied research, international policy and development, or the museum, heritage and tourism industries. Due to the diversity of subjects and methods in anthropology, students frequently combine anthropology with other disciplines such as history, sociology, geography, earth science, biology, psychology, medicine, law, and the arts. These interdisciplinary approaches enable students to better understand issues in local and international communities in order to expand their opportunities for rewarding careers.