Master of Arts in Professional Writing and Communication

at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth USA

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.

At the intersection of engineering, biology, and chemistry, you’ll discover bioengineering. Bioengineering is one of the fastest-growing engineering disciplines, with a high demand in the medical sector.

Bioengineers design and develop devices, systems, and techniques to improve patient diagnosis, treatment, and care. They utilize biotechnology to produce personalized drugs, to make biofuels and biopolymers, to engineer tissues to replace damaged organs, to grow human tissue for drug testing, and to create new diagnostic techniques.

UMassD's bioengineering program brings together the life sciences, medicine, and engineering to provide a solid academic foundation and a broad interdisciplinary approach to the field. You will:

• Develop your critical thinking skills
• Learn to evaluate with a broad perspective
• Identify and solve problems creatively

Bioengineering is creating its own frontiers of development. You’ll join a new generation of innovators and leaders in fields with significant and growing employment opportunities including health care, public health,

The On-campus B.S. in General Business Administration (GBA) is designed for mid-career students returning to college to complete their undergraduate degree. We generally encourage such students to complete a degree in a specific discipline, but recognize that this doesn't suit some mature students. To enroll in the On-campus GBA program, application must meet the following requirements.

• Must be applying for admission to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and bringing in a minimum of 45 transfer credits completed elsewhere. Must possess significant full-time professional work experience away from college.
• Must meet the minimum transfer credit requirement and/or be a returning student who has been away from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth for five years or more. Those who lack the minimum 45 hours of transfer credit are encouraged to take courses at a Community College (though with no guarantee of admission to the GBA program).
• Submit a short essay explaining why you seek the GBA instead of a degree in a specific discipline. The essay should also describe the kinds of upper-level business courses you intend to take.

The Physics department offers a bachelor's of science degree in physics with a concentration in astronomy and astrophysics.

Explore your interests in the universe, and uncover the mysteries of nature. Probe the far reaches of space and the depths of the ocean, and meet our planet's environmental challenges. You'll learn the observational and analytical methods astronomers use to study the cosmos, as well as the physics behind celestial phenomena.

The powerful array of technical skills you'll acquire as a physics major will prepare you for a career in many areas of theoretical and applied science. You'll be ready to assume leadership roles in industry, business, and government or explore the fields of materials science, biophysics, geophysics, oceanography, and medical physics.

As a physicist, you can investigate the structure of the atom, design and program computers, solve environmental problems, and develop new manufacturing materials. Physicists lead some of the world's major technology companies and research institutes, paving the way for technological innovations such as lasers, solar cells, electric cars, medical diagnostics, and computers.

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.

Express yourself visually, learn fundamental techniques, and explore contemporary practices with a BFA in Art + Design: Printmaking.

The BFA is a professional degree with concentrated areas of specialization, so you will take more art courses than you would in a BA program. At UMass Dartmouth, you also have the advantages of a university education where you can diversify your studies and expand your career opportunities.

The program offers professional, studio-based training in printmaking through a wide spectrum of course offerings such as:

• Silkscreen
• Etching
• Lithography
• Relief
• Monotype
• Photo processes

You'll work in our large printmaking studios, with state-of-the-art facilities dedicated to the different printmaking processes. You'll develop cross-disciplinary sensitivity—with the opportunity to combine printmaking with painting, drawing, photography, digital media, textiles, and other disciplines in contemporary art making. You'll also be able to explore fields across the university, such as business, engineering, and science.

Build a solid foundation for your career through knowledge of marketing fundamentals and a variety of hands-on experiences, in the classroom and in the field. As a marketing major, you'll explore all phases of marketing and distributing products and services throughout the global economy—with a focus on understanding consumers and acquiring information for decision-making.

Learn how to:

• Identify potential markets
• Develop marketing and pricing strategies
• Estimate the demand for products and services
• Integrate e-commerce and social media into marketing strategies
• Conduct primary and secondary marketing research
• Lead marketing communications and sales presentations
• Perform statistical analyses

The BFA in Art + Design: Drawing offers professional, studio-based training in the visual arts with all the advantages of a university education.

The BFA is a professional degree with concentrated areas of specialization, so you will take more art courses than you would in a BA program. At UMass Dartmouth, you also have the advantages of a university education where you can diversify your studies and expand your career opportunities.

You will learn fundamental skills and contemporary drawing practices through a wide spectrum of drawing course offerings such as:

• Representation
• The human figure
• Architecture & perspective
• Concept-development
• Mixed media
• Abstraction
• Time-based media
• Installation

You will develop cross-disciplinary sensitivity—with the possibility of combining drawing with painting, printmaking, photography, digital media, textiles, sculpture, time-based media, installation and other disciplines in contemporary art making. You will also be able to explore fields across the university, such as business, engineering, and science.

As a political science major, you will receive a BA in Political Science. You'll develop an understanding of political institutions and processes in the local, state, national, and global community. You'll be prepared to think critically and act effectively as an engaged citizen.

UMass Dartmouth's political science program examines the impact of government upon the life of the individual—and of individual citizens upon government. We use scientific, philosophical, and applied perspectives to examine politics in the U.S. and around the world.

We also give you the opportunity to concentrate in one of three particular areas of political science:

• International Politics
• International Security Studies
• Pre-Law

We want to ensure that you acquire proficiency in writing, communication, advocacy, and comparative analysis: all vital skills in today's workplace, which is why we require students to complete an internship. You'll be prepared for a career in local, state, and federal government—as well as in administration, business, corporate management, diplomatic service, public law, social work, urban planning, and many other fields. A major in political science can also be the stepping-stone to law school and graduate study in diverse academic and professional disciplines.

Explore the social world through distinct but related branches of knowledge in the social sciences. Focus on understanding society and culture through a comparative and historical perspective. Consider the impacts of global, regional and national developments on local communities.

Sociology and Anthropology are closely related disciplines that focus on our social and cultural worlds. Both emphasize understanding systems of inequality and power, and the interrelationship between global and local processes.

Sociology and anthropology provide an excellent basis for careers that emphasize social and cultural understanding: education, international business, law and the justice system, museums and historical preservation, politics and government, public administration and non-profit organizations, public health and health care, social work, and urban planning.

You'll also be ready for graduate work in disciplines including anthropology, law, policy studies, sociology, and women's studies.