Master of Public Administration

at University of Massachusetts Lowell USA

The Theatre Arts Concentration offers a solid foundation in the dramatic arts within a broad-based liberal arts degree. The concentration emphasizes creative, analytical, and communication skills as well as collaboration and teamwork. Students work in genres ranging from classical to contemporary, including opportunities to collaborate on devised-theatre projects. Close attention from our professional theatre faculty and guest artists allows students to develop the skills and confidence to pursue graduate study or professional work in theatre, education, the entertainment industry, and many other fields.

Required and elective courses provide well-rounded study in the history and literature of theatre and a rich grounding in theatrical practice—acting, design, directing, stage management, production, and dramaturgy. Students can concentrate their upper-level coursework within a particular area of their choice—for example, performance, dramaturgy, or design/tech. Our students also have a wide range of exciting internship opportunities through our partnership with the Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell, and at theatres in Boston and the region.

The Music Studies and Education programs at UMass Lowell are exciting, highly creative learning environments designed to help our students realize their full potential as teachers and leaders in their communities.

One of our primary objectives is to provide our music education students with the musical and pedagogical foundation and tools to create rich learning opportunities for their students to develop their creative potential and experience the world from multiple perspectives. Teachers must utilize all means necessary to create the kinds of learning environments that encourage students to take risks, be adventurous in their thinking and problem-solving, and unleash the imaginations they come into the world with.

We strive to create a learning environment in our programs that encourages active learning and engagement, one that models real-world activities. Since the application of knowledge involves ‘doing,’ our courses have been designed to maximize hands-on experiences, through problem solving activities, critical, creative and reflective thinking, in order to create a classroom environment supportive of the construction of knowledge, collaboration, and risk-taking. Our students work on a variety of projects both independently and collaboratively, involving research, creating, composing, improvising, and teaching mini-lessons. Since we feel it’s important to provide as many opportunities as possible for the students to interact with each other, as well as with the teacher, many of the projects and class activities are collaborative in nature, may involve technology and will support the active construction of knowledge. In many of these activities our students are asked to put themselves in the role of student creators allowing them to understand the teaching process from the learner’s perspective.

The Bachelor of Music in Composition for New Media balances established coursework in musicianship, performance, and liberal arts with hands-on contemporary training in music and sound composition for all facets of commercial and artistic media. Students in this program compose, mix, design, and arrange music and sound assets for movies, web, television, animation, mobile and educational platforms, games, artistic installations, advertising, industrial media, interactive live performance, Virtual Reality systems and related outlets.

Like all music major programs at UMass Lowell, this program requires:

• An entrance audition on an instrument or voice,
• The submission of a portfolio of scores/recordings/creative work, which consists of three media excerpts around 90 seconds each of original compositions, with supplemental materials, which may include documentation, scores, etc. as needed.

The Literature concentration introduces students to a range of historical periods, genres, and critical approaches to literature. It prepares them for graduate work in literary and cultural studies as well as careers in publishing, law, teaching, business, the arts, and other professions that require skilled reading, writing, research, and communication. Students take at least two courses that fulfill the department’s Diverse Literary Traditions requirement. These courses explore authors and texts through the historically under-represented perspectives of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, post-coloniality, and sexuality. The concentration includes a capstone course that provides a culminating opportunity to complete a substantial learning project. Some capstones focus on in-depth, advanced study of a particular author or period; others encourage deep research into an individual area of interest or provide an internship experience.

The Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology Graduate Program is offered jointly by the University of Massachusetts campuses at Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell and Worcester. The program emphasizes a multidisciplinary, team approach in course/seminars, presentations, laboratory rotations, and research projects.

Students who have received a wide range of bachelor degrees with strong quantitative skills in engineering/physical science, life/clinical science and related backgrounds are candidates for the program. Graduate students come from a variety of backgrounds including biology, chemical engineering, chemistry, clinical laboratory science, computer science, electrical engineering, mathematics, mechanical engineering plastics engineering, and polymer science.

Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology is offered. This non-thesis program prepares students for a professional career and may be completed on either a full-time or part-time basis. The M.S. program includes 16 credits of core courses, a minimum of 12 credits of specialization courses and a three credit capstone research project course incorporating course knowledge and experimental skills into a brief but detailed experimental study. For the minimum 12 credits of specialization, students are recommended to select a Specialization area (click here to learn more about Specialization areas) that will earn them a Graduate Certificate in that area as part of their M.S. degree.  Specializing in an area allows students the opportunity to gain a deeper knowledge base in an area of specific interest to them. If students are not interested in specializing in a certain area, they may take courses across any of the Specializations.

The introductory courses for majors provide the freshmen experience and create common bonds among students in Political Science. Core offerings on American Politics and Policy have been augmented by others on comparative policies of countries ranging from Eastern Europe to Southeast Asia to Southern Africa. The Department also offers specialized courses related to gender and citizenship, political economy, race and ethnicity, and public policy of interest to students in a variety of majors across the University.

In addition to traditional courses in political thought, recent course offerings have included work in state theory, feminist political theory, current theoretical conflicts in constitutional interpretation, and the politics of arts and culture.

Geoscience is the study of the physical environment. The curriculum at UMass Lowell is centered around a strong geoscience core, but includes additional course work in the biological sciences, hydrogeology, hydrochemistry and geographical information systems. This concentration provides a broader preparation than the traditional geology course of study and also is recommended for students who might wish to obtain certification as earth science teachers. It provides the requisite course work for students who wish to pursue a graduate degree in environmental science or geology.
Graduates of this concentration are qualified for a variety of employment opportunities in traditional areas of geological employment in the petroleum and mining industries, as well for expanding opportunities in hydrogeology, hazardous waste assessment and management, groundwater remediation, wetlands delineation and evaluation, and environmental management.
Previous graduates have found employment in the petroleum industry, in asbestos identification and remediation, in environmental testing laboratories as analytical specialists, and in the field evaluating hazardous waste sites and ground and surface water contamination.

The pandemic exposed the critical role that public health professionals play to prevent diseases and promote health. With a B.S. in public health, you’ll be prepared for a career that creates healthy communities through education, research and promotion of healthy environments and lifestyles.

The cornerstone of the program is health promotion and disease prevention, rather than on diagnosing and treating illnesses and conditions after they occur.

Public health jobs exist in private industry, organizations, local communities, and state and national settings. We offer the Public Health BS in two options: Community Health/Health Promotion and Health Sciences. See more details below. Students will also attain a foundation of knowledge that is necessary to pursue graduate studies in public health and health sciences.

Community Health/Health Promotion - Concentration

• Students will be involved in service learning and community health practicum experiences and take courses to increase skills in communication and teaching related to health promotion and prevention in community settings. This option will prepare students for careers as community health educators in a variety of settings including community health centers, hospitals, long term care facilities, corporate wellness, and nonprofit organizations.

The Master of Science program in Security Studies prepares students for careers in the rapid expanding field of cyber security, as well as weapons of mass destruction (CBRNE) and how to address threats to our critical infrastructure.

Cybersecurity is an increasingly important concern for government agencies, defense contractors, bio-tech research firms, and many others throughout New England. Students pursuing this area of concentration will develop an understanding of computer network security principles, human behavior, systems, cyber forensics, and the strategies and agencies (federal and state) that are intended to secure the nation from cyber attacks.

The MPH Coordinated Program in Dietetics program is intended for students who want to become Registered Dietitians (RDs). The program combines the coursework and supervised practice requirements to become eligible to take the national examination to become a Registered Dietitian after graduation Dietetics.

The mission of the program is to promote public health nutrition by preparing graduates to practice as entry level Registered Dietitian Nutritionists with knowledge, competence and the ability to address the needs of diverse communities. The dietetics option is an accredited Coordinated Program in Dietetics, which is a highly regarded degree option that combines the academic and supervised practice experience to qualify graduates to become RDs.