Bachelor of Arts, Major in Communication

at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth USA

Explore the lives, voices, histories, roles, and ideas of women. Learn how the social construction of gender affects women’s and men’s lives. When you major in Women's and Gender Studies, you'll place women's and men's experiences at the center of inquiry—as subjects rather than objects.

Your studies will be interdisciplinary, with classes in crime and justice studies, history, literature, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology/anthropology. These classes are taught by WGS faculty or faculty affiliated with WGS. You'll consider the influences of gender in contemporary society, discover the historical factors that have shaped the current status of women, and explore paths to achieve equality for all people.

With a degree in Women's and Gender Studies, you can pursue careers in advocacy, business, communications, education, family services, human resources, journalism, law, marketing and sales, nonprofit organizations, politics, and publishing. You'll also be well prepared for graduate study in a variety of disciplines.

The Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology (BMEBT) program is a nationally recognized program at the intersection of biology and engineering that:

• Is suitable for individuals with an undergraduate degree in a wide range of life science or engineering/physical science fields
• Addresses contemporary biomedical/health research problems
• Prepares you to work in the biomedical and healthcare industry

The BMEBT is an interdisciplinary program that includes coursework from the following disciplines: bioengineering, biology, chemistry, biochemistry, computer information science, electrical and computer engineering, mathematics, mechanical engineering, and medical laboratory science. The program addresses contemporary biomedical and health research problems and contributes significantly to meeting the need of industry, government, and education for biomedical and biotechnology researchers.

Because the degree brings together biomedical engineering with biotechnology, it is designed equally for students with life sciences or engineering and physical science backgrounds.

MS degree: Students may elect to take the MS degree in Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology at the end of two years. This degree is well suited to students with undergraduate degrees in the sciences and engineering who want to advance within medical or biomedical fields. It provides focused technical skill development as well as management and communication competencies for the clinical or biotechnology laboratory setting as well as the larger healthcare-related environment.

The Master of Science in Healthcare Management (MSHM) provides you with the knowledge and tools to help improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery and become an agent for positive change. Professionals working in healthcare and those interested in influencing the field learn how to save time and money, improve quality of care, redesign organizational processes, and reduce implementation errors.

Throughout the program, you will strengthen your managerial skills, which you’ll be able to immediately apply to the workforce. You’ll also learn how to analyze and measure health systems' performance, improve processes and productivity, and use data to guide improvements and support patient care delivery.

Art history is the study of visual artifacts that express the values of cultures and societies. As an art history major at UMass Dartmouth, you'll learn to recognize, analyze, and interpret works of art from around the globe and across the centuries.

As you explore art, architecture, and the culture of history, you will develop your analytical, communication, critical thinking, research, and visual skills—skills that are applicable in a wide range of career paths.

Your studies in art history will prepare you for professional options in areas such as appraisal, arts administration, conservation, corporate arts management, education, preservation, publishing, research, and writing—and for positions in archives, galleries, libraries, and museums. You will also be ready for graduate study in art history and related fields.

Students with a degree in Art History will be able to:

• Demonstrate the critical thinking and analytical skills necessary to engage with an increasingly visual culture
• Apply the concepts, terminology and theoretical perspectives of art history, visual studies and film and media studies to a diverse set of visual artifacts
• Articulate the relationship between visual artifacts and their stylistic and cultural contexts
• Design and implement exhibitions using contemporary curatorial theories and methods
• Apply knowledge in the broader community through meaningful partnerships
• Formulate and pursue research questions using scholarly methods and sources
• Form cogent, well-researched arguments in written and verbal form

Electrical engineers design and develop electrical and electronic components and systems for power, communications, and control; integrated circuits; and computers.

Electrical engineering is the largest field within the engineering profession, and it continues to grow and evolve. Electrical engineers are working in such diverse fields as acoustics, aerospace, automotive, communications, consumer electronics, energy resources, the environment, medical and biomedical fields, power, signal processing, space, testing, and underwater systems.

Our program prepares you for this evolving field by providing a strong background in science, mathematics, and engineering. You will be prepared for positions in industry and with government agencies and to continue your studies at the graduate level.

The Electrical Engineering program prepares students to meet changing high-technology needs in electrical engineering, and for graduate study, by providing a strong background in science, mathematics and engineering.

Electrical Engineering encompasses a broad range of specialties including communications, signal processing, instrumentation, control and automation, power conversion and distribution, RF and microwave devices and systems, and digital and analog techniques. In any of these specialties, electrical engineers work with devices and/or systems to perform various functions such as research and development, systems analysis, management, production, testing, quality control, or sales. They may pursue careers in many areas, such as monitoring and control of the environment, space exploration, aerospace and defense, ocean engineering, energy resources, biomedical engineering, information technology, law, or medicine.

The program consists of a core of basic science and mathematical courses interwoven throughout the four years of study. The student also selects 15 credit hours in a new general education curriculum called University Studies. Students begin to identify with their field in the first and second year of study. In the junior year, students gain a foundation for further study in particular branches of electrical engineering. A senior year composed primarily of elective courses and a capstone design project allows the students to concentrate their studies in one or more areas of their choice, and hone their skills for the real world. A co-op or internship experience is also available for qualified students in cooperation with regional industries.

As a music major, you'll develop your performance abilities and explore the world's musical heritage from the Americas to Africa, Asia and Oceania, Europe, and the Middle East/West Asia.

The BA in Music program provides opportunities for intensive study in applied music, the history of music, music education, and theory. Grounded in the importance of cultural, geographical, and social contexts, our curriculum is distinguished by its focus on the study and performance of music from diverse cultures, including jazz and world music.

Technology is an important part of the curriculum, emphasizing skills for contemporary music and its integration with time-based arts such as computer music, dance, theater, video/film, and the visual arts.

Your studies in music at UMassD will prepare you for careers in composition, education, performance, recording, and sound design—as well as for advanced study in music and related disciplines.

At UMass Dartmouth, the data science major is an interdisciplinary, integrating mathematics and computer science with disciplines such as business, engineering, healthcare, planning, science, and sociology.

Data scientists manage, mine, and analyze big data across multiple disciplines—and use computational thinking to gain new knowledge and solve real-world problems of high complexity.

As a data science major, you’ll build a strong foundation in information theory and in the methods and tools of mathematics and computer science. You’ll gain skills in complex problem solving, data-driven discovery, decision support, machine learning, predictive and visual analytics, and statistics.

You’ll be prepared for leadership positions in data analytics, discovery informatics, information management, and knowledge engineering. Businesses, government, healthcare, and the natural and social sciences need more data scientists to explore and explain complex information.

The Computer Science MS program gives graduates a broad and deep knowledge of computer science by offering a strong core program with a wide selection of elective courses.

The program maintains a balance between theory, systems, and applications—with an emphasis on software development.

You'll gain the ability and confidence to use your knowledge by working on realistic-scale, graduate-level projects. Your experience will include:

• Work as a member of a team
• Situations where you will be responsible for the entire project, from problem specification to solution
• Independent research
• Presentation of research results in oral and written forms

You will graduate with the knowledge and skills required to develop and design high-quality computer systems and application software—and the ability to follow the rapid changes in the field of computer science.

Portuguese is the official language of more than 200 million people in eight countries on four continents. After English and Spanish, it is the third most widely spoken European language, and the sixth most spoken language in the world.

Situated in the heart of the region that boasts the largest concentration of Brazilian, Cape Verdean, and Portuguese immigrants in the U.S., UMass Dartmouth provides a unique environment to learn Portuguese in a richly varied immersion setting. As a Portuguese major, you’ll study and explore the language, literatures, and cultures of the Portuguese-speaking world.

A degree in Portuguese offers access to careers in education, foreign service, immigration, international business, international relations, journalism, linguistics, politics, print and visual media, social and non-profit/non-governmental organizations, translation, and other fields.

Ranked by the American Physical Society as one of the top physics master's programs in the U.S., the MS in Physics is designed to:

• Advance your understanding of the concepts of modern and classical physics
• Develop your ability to apply these concepts to solve practical problems

We are interested in working with inquisitive and enthusiastic students who plan to pursue:

• Professional careers in research and teaching
• Applied areas of industrial research and development

The Physics Department offers a range of graduate courses in:

• Astrophysics
• Computational physics
• Electrodynamics
• Fluid physics
• Mathematical physics
• Nuclear physics
• Quantum mechanics
• Relativity

The department also offers courses emphasizing research—including thesis research and independent study in special topics.

You'll be encouraged to participate in faculty research in areas such as theoretical and computational physics—including atomic physics, relativity, high-energy and gravitational physics, and traffic modeling. Most students are supported by teaching or research assistantships.

Under the guidance of a graduate advisor, you will follow a course of study and research that is in harmony with your own background and goals. The size of our program fosters close personal contacts among students and faculty.