Master of Urban Planning

at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee USA

UWM students interested in pursuing advanced knowledge about the varied cultures, histories, languages, and origins that are included within Latinx populations have three different programs to choose from, including a major and two different certificates.

UWM students in the Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latinx Studies (LACUSL) major learn about the many different histories, cultures, and modern issues of Latinx peoples from all three regions - Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States. It is among a small handful of programs nationwide to explore both Latinx communities in the U.S. as well as those in Latin America and the Caribbean; most programs focus on one or the other. Coursework spans several departments, including history, sociology, the arts, political science, anthropology, languages and literature, giving students many different lenses through which to look.

The Bachelor of Science, Architectural Studies (BSAS) is a four-year undergraduate pre-professional program that prepares students for graduate studies in architecture and related design and construction fields. The primary goal of the BSAS program is to introduce students to architecture as both a technical and cultural practice. Students accrue skills in architectural thinking, design, visualization, fabrication, prototyping and simulation. The program lays a foundation of unique problem-solving skills empowering students to change the world.

The four-year BSAS program is comprised of a three-year core, followed by one year of specialized and individualized study. Over the course of their studies, BSAS students enroll in a variety of design studios, lectures and seminars to accrue skills in architectural making, thinking, design, visualization, digital fabrication, prototyping, and simulation. In addition to learning essential analytical and creative-problem solving skills through design, students are required to complete courses in architectural systems (structures, construction and environmental/building technology), behavioral, social and cultural factors in design, and the role of criticism in contemporary architecture and urbanism. In their fourth year, students select from a wide range of architectural electives and advanced studios, allowing them the opportunity to craft a curriculum based on their areas of interest.

The Master of Architecture, the first professional degree offered by the Department of Architecture, is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). The degree program requires two to three years of graduate study, depending on the applicant’s previous academic background and qualifications. It offers a wide range of courses, with particular strengths in the areas of architectural design and integrated practice, ecological/sustainable design, digital design and fabrication, preservation, urban design, and design as a response to the physical, cultural, and social environment.

The Department of Art History offers a graduate program leading to a Master of Arts degree. The graduate program prepares students for either a career in the arts or for PhD-level work at other universities. Course offerings cover the full range of western art, including film studies and electronic arts. Non-western courses in Pre-Columbian, Asian, Islamic, and African art are also offered.

The Committee Interdisciplinary Major with a focus in Chinese language and culture is a vital program with growing importance and value as China expands its role as a super power in world economics, manufacturing, technology, and politics.

Each year more and more students are joining the ranks of the 1.4 billion people who speak Mandarin, the official language of the People's Republic of China and of Taiwan.

Many students now can find Chinese instruction in their high schools. At UWM, students can continue their high school studies or begin from the first semester of Chinese language instruction. We offer eight semesters of Chinese language, and equally as important, we offer an array of classes on Chinese culture. Students can explore classes in Chinese art, Chinese film, the use of Chinese in business settings, Chinese and Asian history, and the politics and religions of the region.

While the study of any Asian language is challenging for native English speakers because of their vast differences from English, students often find it is less difficult than they lead themselves to believe. Successful students of Chinese will dedicate the necessary daily time to practice and repeat...and practice and repeat.

The Digital Arts and Culture (DAC) BA is an interdisciplinary degree program, combining courses in the areas of arts, humanities, social sciences, and information studies. The major aims to empower learning communities by leading students to a variety of opportunities: to develop skills and understanding of new knowledge production and research methods; to operate with confidence as media practitioners and global communicators with a diverse range of media literacies; and to collaborate and contribute as creative problem solvers using digital media in a networked culture.

Students who complete the Digital Arts & Culture major will be able to:

• Analyze digital and electronic media systems, explaining what these platforms do and how they do it.
• Engage with complex digital issues: online, offline, via ubiquitous computing hardware and software.
• Organize information, both architecturally and visually, structuring software, websites, advertisements, social media, and more.
• Demonstrate hands-on, collaborative, and cross-disciplinary, media production with artists and designers.

The School of Freshwater Sciences offers a graduate program of studies providing students with advanced training and education in four areas:

• Freshwater System Dynamics
• Human and Ecosystem Health
• Freshwater Technology
• Freshwater Policy and Economics

Each of these focus areas is interrelated with the others, and includes biologic, physical, technologic and policy aspects of freshwater.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Theatre provides intensive specialized coursework for students seeking professional training in one of two separate tracks:

Performance

• The Performance BFA has two 130-credit tracks in either Acting or Musical Theatre.

Production

• The Production BFA is a singular 120-credit track embracing all the areas of production including design, costume, prop, scenery, lighting, sound, and stage management.

The BFA focuses on uncovering the potential of the individual student in the development of personal performance and/or production practices. The BFA curriculum supports student exploration of theatrical processes including new works as well as the established canon of dramatic literature. The program approaches the work in fresh and innovative ways, giving students a wide range of tools to speak to the contemporary moment both as actors on stage and as artists in production studios, rehearsal halls, and backstage.

The Performance and Choreography/Contemporary Track in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Dance prepares students to perform and create original dance choreography for theatrical productions. Dance BFA students complete a rigorous technical and creative curriculum designed to develop the student's individual artistic voice. Contemporary Track majors additionally study body/mind sciences, dance pedagogy, historical and cultural contexts for dance, and the interactive collaboration skills necessary to bring dance to the theatre with a high degree of excellence.

Jewish Studies majors at UWM examine the culture and religion of the Jewish people through language, history, arts, media, politics, and literature.

A major in Jewish Studies prepares students for work in a multicultural world with a skill set that includes the ability to analyze texts and weigh different interpretations, present persuasive arguments in writing and speech, and appreciate different backgrounds and viewpoints. Jewish Studies alumni have found careers in social welfare, Jewish organization administration, government, business administration, journalism, the arts, education, and other fields. Further graduate study has led others to careers in religious leadership, medicine, and the law.