Bachelor of Arts in Black Studies

at State University of New York at New Paltz USA

Black Studies is a multi-disciplinary major devoted to the exploration and analysis of the history and culture of African people in the United States, Caribbean, and Africa.  It seeks to define the Black experience from an African and Afro-American centered perspective rather than Euro-centric perspective, to illuminate the contribution of African people to world culture and to correct a traditional approach to the study of world history that tended to bypass the Black Diaspora experience.

Psychology is an empirically based science. Therefore, it is desirable for psychology majors to have the skills to interpret and generate new information. To that end, courses in statistics and research methodology are required of all majors. In addition, psychology majors take a writing-intensive capstone seminar in which they demonstrate their mastery of the techniques and the content areas of the discipline. Students majoring in psychology are advised to acquire a broad range of training in the Liberal Arts. Taking a variety of elective courses in other disciplines is strongly recommended.

The Ceramics program cultivates the conceptual, technical, and professional growth of its graduate students by providing an environment balanced among pragmatic skill development, critical and theoretical dialogue, and intensive studio research geared toward a process of making and thinking, resulting in innovative and dynamic outcomes. We encourage students to have a strong sense of responsibility, self-reliance, and confidence. Faculty guide students in independent research and individual approaches to their practice. The curricular structure challenges students to critically evaluate their work within a material-specific and an interdisciplinary framework, as well as in theoretical and professional contexts. Students are encouraged to work with methodologies that explore the boundaries of the field while demonstrating an understanding of historic and contemporary ecologies. With private graduate studios within the program's expansive 10,000 square foot facility and access to a broad range of traditional and contemporary technologies, the program provides students with the resources and the latitude necessary to develop an authentic, significant contribution to the field.

Environmental Geochemical Science is an interdisciplinary undergraduate degree program leading to a Bachelor of Science. The program is administered by the Department of Geology and focuses on the environmental aspects of Geology and Chemistry. Through formal courses, laboratories, and research projects, students develop an awareness of the geological and chemical processes that impact society and the environment. Both a major and a minor in Environmental Geochemical Science are offered.

The nationally accredited MFA program offers varied and extensive opportunities for graduate study in a unique setting. Our location is just 90 minutes north of New York City in the historic Hudson River Valley, allowing access to cutting edge artists, historians, critics, and curators. The campus features expansive facilities, private and semi-private secure studios, and extensive computer labs and digital fabrication technologies. Additional exhibition spaces complement the prestigious Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art.

Photography & Related Media - Specialization
The Photography program engages students in an expanded field of artistic lens-based practice to critically interrogate and deepen their creative research within a vibrant community of artists. Photography is an ever-changing field with a short and tumultuous history and immense and growing relevance in today’s shifting cultural and social context. We support our students in their process of independent experimentation as they hone their critical awareness, skills, and concept, and position themselves with their unique voice and vision in the field. The Photography program offers a range of state-of-the-art digital and analog facilities and equipment.

Anthropology, the study of human diversity across geographic space and evolutionary time, takes on these far-reaching questions. Courses in the Department of Anthropology deal with three areas:

• Physical anthropology is concerned with the evolution of human beings as biological organisms and with the physical variation within contemporary human populations.
• Archaeology and prehistory explore the extinct cultures of the past and attempt to elucidate the processes involved in their development.
• Sociocultural anthropology is involved with the comparative analysis of socially learned behavior patterns and institutions of contemporary populations from all areas of the world.

The Department of Mathematics offers undergraduate majors in Mathematics, Adolescence Education Mathematics and Early Childhood & Childhood Education Mathematics. Graduates with the Mathematics major go on to do graduate work in mathematics and other fields requiring strong quantitative and reasoning skills. Those graduating from the Adolescence Education program have a depth of knowledge that underlies the courses they will teach. Early Childhood & Childhood Education majors go on to become mathematics specialists within the primary schools.

This program designed specifically for college graduates holding an appropriate liberal arts degree in Biology, Chemistry, English, Geology, History, or Mathematics who have not had a formal background in education and who wish to prepare for a teaching career in adolescence education grades 7-12.

Upon successful completion of the program, candidates will be recommended to the New York State Education Department for Initial/Professional Certification.

The MBA in Public Accountancy includes eleven core courses and one elective. Core courses are designed to provide students with key concepts and strategies that pervade the functional areas of business management today. They constitute the major common body of knowledge with which students develop critical thinking and analytical abilities in the business world. The courses in the core reflect our commitment to a well-rounded business background.
The elective courses provide flexibility in customizing the degree program to suit career goals. Electives are offered in the areas of accounting, project management, finance, international business, marketing, and management. Students may also participate in an internship, independent study, or the Business Plan Contest to fulfill one elective course requirement.

In addition, all MBA students must take a zero-credit Business Workshop at the beginning of the first semester at SUNY New Paltz, which consists of a general orientation, business writing session, and an ethics test.

Geology offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Through formal courses, field work, and research projects, students develop an awareness of the geological processes that shape our planet, and their impact on society and the environment. The undergraduate major in geology offers concentrations in General Geology and Environmental Geoscience and leads to either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree. The BS degree in Geology is licensure qualifying: its coursework meets the education requirements for Professional Geologist licensure in New York State.