Bachelor of Fine Arts, Major in Integrated Studio Arts

at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth USA

UMass Dartmouth’s Master of Arts in Professional Writing & Communication program meets a growing demand for professional and technical communicators. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in professional and technical writing are growing faster than average.

Our students take classes that prepare them to meet that demand by learning how to communicate ideas and information across a range of media.

• Web authoring
• Document design
• Social media writing
• Rhetorical theory
• Usability
• Stylistics

French is a language rich in literary and cultural traditions. An official language in 29 countries, for all United Nations agencies, and for the European Union, French remains one of the top three most useful languages for business.

As a French major at UMass Dartmouth, you'll study the culture, language, and literature of the French-speaking world. You'll develop proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, writing, and cross-cultural communication as you explore topics in areas such as linguistics, civilization, film, cultural diversity, equality, political rights, social justice, and the entertainment industry.

A degree in French will prepare you for careers, including digital media, entertainment, business, law, justice, communications, education, hospitality, travel, government service, international development and aid, journalism, publishing, linguistics, social services, translation and interpreting. We also offer teacher preparation for students who are interested in teaching French at the middle or high school level. Learn more about teacher preparation.

Students are strongly encouraged to consider combining the French major with another minor, double majoring, combining a French minor with another major, or choosing the French concentration as part of the Liberal Arts major.

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 Ceramics program offers the opportunity for concentrated studio work involving both technical and conceptual challenges. Through questioning and experimentation, students work to consolidate materials and processes while developing strong conceptual and expressive ideas.

Graduate students are encouraged to pursue individual areas of interest which may include fabrication of functional or sculptural forms. Your work in the studio is complemented by courses in clay and glaze formulation, kiln construction, and ceramic history and aesthetics.

You will work closely with a faculty advisor to ensure guided exploration to develop maturity. Individual meetings take place on a weekly basis and critiques occur each month. Studies culminate with both a visual and written thesis.

Chemists conduct research and experiments to discover new concepts about the universe. They try to solve society's problems, whether by developing a cure for cancer, monitoring the earth's ozone layer, creating new materials to heat our homes, or pursuing countless other challenges.

The knowledge you'll gain through the study of chemistry at UMass Dartmouth will open the door to many different career opportunities within the five divisions of chemistry: analytical, biological, inorganic, organic, or physical. You'll be prepared for chemistry careers in education, forensics, government, law, industry, medicine, or research.

Economics is the science of decision-making. Economists identify and analyze the costs and benefits of financial and social decisions.

As an economics major at UMass Dartmouth, you'll learn how to:

• Advise businesses and government on economic issues
• Collect and analyze data
• Interpret and forecast market trends
• Research economic issues and design policies to solve them

Skills in cost-benefit analysis, the core of an economist's training, are widely applicable to and highly valued in current job markets.

Economists pursue careers in business, economic journalism, finance, government, insurance, management, public policy and real estate. Your studies will also prepare you for graduate study in areas such as accounting, business and law.

Money, time, and risk: these are the fundamentals of finance. Finance is the study of funds management, and how money is spent and budgeted. Financial decisions determine the economic viability of any enterprise, whether a corporation, multinational company, limited partnership, private company, or nonprofit organization.

Your professors—leading experts in their field—will introduce you to the discipline's analytical tools, which bring together concepts from economics, accounting, and mathematics. Internships in corporations and financial institutions will help you discover the many career opportunities available in finance.

Finance majors prepare for careers in brokerage firms, corporations, financial institutions, investment banks, and government in positions such as:

• Budget analyst
• Financial analyst
• Financial manager
• Financial planner
• Mortgage officer
• Portfolio & mutual fund manager

As global markets expand, international opportunities for finance professionals will also increase.

Our graduate program provides individualized attention and unique research opportunities for students. Classes are typically small, affording superb opportunities for interaction with the faculty and access to state-of-the art equipment and computational resources.

Students gain broad knowledge of the field and UMass Dartmouth has particular expertise in biotechnology and environmental chemistry. You may choose to specialize in:

• Analytical chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Computational chemistry
• Inorganic chemistry
• Marine chemistry
• Organic chemistry
• Physical chemistry

English is an exciting discipline that challenges you to explore both literature and writing. We offer two options for English majors—creative and professional writing or literature and criticism.

With either option, you'll learn how to:

• Read and think critically
• Write to move audiences
• Engage with literature—and the world—thoughtfully and analytically

The skills you'll develop are essential in today's competitive job market and can lead to rewarding careers in communications, editing, grants writing, journalism, public relations, social media, technical writing, web publishing, teaching middle or high school English, writing for general and specialized audiences, and many other fields. You'll also be prepared for graduate study across many disciplines, such as creative and professional writing, education, law, and library/information science.

Mathematicians are problem solvers and precise thinkers, applying their knowledge and skills in academia, government, industry, research, and technology.

UMass Dartmouth's mathematics program provides a foundation in both the theoretical and applied aspects of mathematics, preparing you for a variety of careers, including: actuary, algorithm design, biostatistician, computer information systems, data science, defense analyst, economics, education, finance, game developer, government, insurance, manufacturing, medicine, mathematical modeling consultant, psychology, science computing, software development, and statistician.
You'll also be well-prepared for graduate studies in math or in areas that emphasize math, such as economics, engineering, and the sciences.

The mathematics program is designed to provide a solid foundation in the theoretical and applied aspects of mathematics necessary for a variety of professional careers. The flexibility within the third and fourth years is established to enable mathematics majors to concentrate in areas of their interest. Students can choose their curricula so as to emphasize that role of mathematics which will be useful to them in later years, whether in K-12 school teaching, graduate school, a career in the public or private sector, a career in industry, or graduate study in areas that emphasize math, such as economics and the sciences.