Bachelor of Arts, Major in Committee Interdisciplinary with Concentration in American Indian Studies

at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee USA

The market for professional singers is changing—opera singers are performing in musicals, Broadway performers are singing operas, and pop singer training is improving dramatically.  UWM is out in front of these changes with our BFA: Versatile Voice, a program that is broad enough to cover many genres and flexible enough to reflect each student’s interest.

Psychology is a science that provides critical insights into human behavior. Psychologists investigate how behavior is modified in the face of psychiatric disorders or disease and how the brain gives rise to the rich tapestry of behaviors that govern our day-to-day experiences.

A psychology major gives you much career flexibility because of its emphasis on reasoning, problem solving, critical thinking, communication, research and writing. In addition to becoming a counselor or therapist, many students go into human resources, sales, marketing, business management, law, medicine, social work, real estate, social services, and more – all fields that require comprehensive knowledge of human behavior.

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry curriculum provides a thorough undergraduate education for students planning careers as research scientists, industrial chemists, and educators in universities or in secondary schools. In addition, department courses provide a foundation in the basic science of chemistry to students majoring in biological or physical sciences, students planning a career in medicine or other health-related fields, students in the College of Engineering and Applied Science, and students in the liberal arts. Especially in its graduate programs, the department stresses interdisciplinary approaches, as exemplified by the Laboratory for Surface Studies and the Great Lakes WATER Institute. It also cooperates with chemists of the Milwaukee area’s industrial and scientific community.

Biochemistry is a popular major for students preparing to go on to medical school, veterinary school, dental school or other similar healthcare professional programs that require a foundation in both biology and chemistry. However, students also pursue many other types of paths including lab research in areas related to water, healthcare, and manufacturing; forensics work for municipalities or agencies; agriculture; genetics; scientific writing and promotion; sales and marketing in science fields; food safety and production; legal consulting on scientific matters; pharmaceutical production; and mor

Biology is the study of life. Biologists analyze organism functions at the cellular and molecular levels using genetics, biochemistry, and microscopy. They also study interactions between organisms and with the environment by examining behavior, morphology, physiology and genetics. Students can take a broad curriculum within Biological Sciences or focus on specific areas, such as ecology, evolution and behavior, cell and molecular biology, or microbiology. Studies in Biological Sciences have applications across many areas including agriculture, medicine, and the environment. Biological Sciences is a popular choice for students preparing for careers in healthcare, agriculture, natural resources and environmental sciences, food management, bioremediation, as well as the biomedical and biotechnology fields. A degree in Biological Sciences also prepares students for professional careers in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary science, and education, and graduate studies in the life sciences.

In high school, your Geography class probably focused on maps and locations. But, the field is so much broader than that. Geography bridges the physical and human world, using scientific methods to explain and predict people's impact on the planet and the planet's impact on people.

UWM's Geography students graduate with an exceptional ability to intellectually and technologically process spatial data about space, place, and people and how they relate to each other. They understand how to make sense of seemingly unrelated pieces of information by bringing together facts and diverse values. They also are adept at presenting information visually - for example, maps!

The Department of Geography offers both master’s and doctoral programs of study across a range of systematic, regional, and technical fields, with innovative energy in the doctoral program for studying urban environments. The department’s overall strengths are aligned along a theme of “Changing Environments,” with three major axes, each responsive to areas with strong demand for new professionals:

• Urban Environments: This area emphasizes the spatial interactions of economic systems as well as political, social, cultural, environmental, technological, and other forces that influence the people, identities, landscape, development, and dynamics of urban areas. With the world’s population becoming increasingly urbanized and globalized, courses examine the continuing challenges of urban growth and change, race, ethnicity, and gender in the city, immigration and identity politics, and spatial aspects of urban planning processes and political decision-making.
• Physical Geography and Environmental Studies: This area addresses the interactions among natural forms and processes on the earth’s surface, the impact and implications of global climate change, and human connections with those natural phenomena. Courses discuss and analyze the distribution and processes of earth surface landforms (geomorphology), soils (pedology), plants and animals (biogeography), water (hydrology), and long-term atmospheric conditions (climatology). Overlapping emphases include phenology, water resources, conservation, natural hazards, natural resource scarcity, and the mounting challenges of global environmental change.
• Geographic Information Science (GIS): This area emphasizes using geospatial technology to further understanding of spatial interactions among natural and social forces at multiple scales across the Earth’s surface, and exploring the impacts of using such technology on social and cultural interactions. Courses examine geographic information collection (including remote sensing), data analysis and geocomputation (spatial analysis), information presentation (cartography), and societal implications. Our program emphasizes applications of GIS in urban, regional, and environmental planning, policy making, and public health.

The Department of Health Informatics and Administration in the College of Health Sciences offers the Master of Science in Health Care Informatics degree. Health care informatics focuses on the use of information technologies, data analytics and automation to improve health care. Professional expertise in health care informatics is needed by hospitals and other health care providers, medical centers and facilities, medical software companies, pharmaceutical companies, public health organizations, health insurance companies and medical research institutions. The master's program is designed to meet the demand for highly trained health care informatics professionals. The curriculum covers several areas including: systems analysis and design, database design and management, clinical decision support and computer programming. Students also get exposed to cutting-edge research in areas such as big data, predictive analytics, natural language processing, medical knowledge representation and information retrieval, which are rapidly becoming indispensable for improving health care.

The Peck School of the Arts’ Kenilworth Square East (KSE) Gallery provides a year-round schedule of exhibitions, with galleries that are housed in the Kenilworth Square East building, a research facility approximately one mile from campus. The Department of Art and Design offers a schedule of workshops and special lectures each year. In addition, graduate student studios are located in the Kenilworth Square East building.

This undergraduate degree prepares students to teach art both in schools and in the community. Once students are admitted to the Art & Design program, they can apply to the Art Education program through ART ED 227 (see Advance to Major). In addition to satisfying the core curriculum, art education students also must take required art history and critical thinking courses, and three education courses. They are required to take studio courses from both 2D and 3D disciplines, and to focus their choices of studio electives to develop an emphasis in an area. In addition to top-notch studio preparation in a wide range of media, our students focus on urban issues and art education for social justice. Theory is integrated into practical early field and student teaching experiences. Throughout the program, assessment is aligned with the requirements for licensure under “PI-34,” the state law governing certification in Wisconsin.

Marketing is a key factor contributing to the success of any business organization. It is the dynamic and creative process of the development, pricing, promotion, and distribution of products and services to satisfy customer and organizational objectives. Effective marketing requires an integration of eclectic knowledge and the skills pertinent to understanding consumer behavior, planning and analyzing marketing research data, thinking strategically, and managing people.

Students learn how marketing supports an organization's objectives; how to examine consumer motivation and behavior; how to price, promote, and distribute products and services; and how to plan and analyze market research data to make good decisions.

Graduates of the marketing major find an exciting and broad spectrum of career opportunities in brand/product management, industrial selling, retailing, sales management, advertising, marketing research, customer-service management, and other areas.