Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Business Analytics

at Arkansas State University USA

Arkansas State University offers the Bachelor of General Studies degree through Undergraduate Studies. The program is designed to give students the opportunity to develop a personalized program of study to meet their professional, academic, and personal aspirations. Through a multidisciplinary curriculum, the program attempts to provide a unique, rigorous, and flexible learning pathway for that segment of student population with specific educational and career interests that would not otherwise be met by a traditional degree track or major.

By tailoring the major, students develop a plan of study that provides curricular opportunities to explore multiple disciplines (department and/or college) and increase skills in critical analysis, problem solving, and professional competencies. The Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) program equips students with the aptitude needed to be successful in an array of professional settings and provides an essential academic undergraduate foundation for those seeking to pursue a graduate- level degree for career advancement.

The public history emphasis focuses on teaching students to be historians who are strong academics but who also engage the greater public. Students are required to take 12 hours of history electives (global or US), 12 hours of public history, and 6 hours of thesis or internship. Accepted students who had not taken the Practice of History or an equivalent historical methods course as an undergraduate will have to take this course at a graduate level for additional credit hours. The Department of History will allow up to 6 credit hours from another institution. Graduates with a MA in public history often go on to pursue a PhD in public history or heritage studies, work at museums or heritage sites, or apply for careers in historic preservation or other public history-related professions.

The global history emphasis is for students who are interested in studying big questions, especially those pertaining to the processes, events, and people who have created an increasingly interconnected world. Students will engage with the works of important historians in the field, theory, and historiography while honing their ability to research and write as global historians themselves. This program is aimed at students who want to subsequently pursue global or non-US history PhD programs, who want to teach high school world history at an advanced level, who want to teach world history in community colleges, and who are interested in foreign service careers. Global history students are required to take Theory and Practice in Global History, Seminar in Global History, 9 hours of world history, 9 hours of history electives, and 6 hours of either thesis or additional history electives.

The major in economics provides an excellent background for a wide variety of careers in business and government. In addition to acceptance into their management training programs, many businesses employ the economics major to forecast economic trends and to relate changes in economic activity to the individual business. Economists are employed by various governmental bodies to conduct research into all phases of the economy.

Training in economics provides an excellent foundation for further study. Many students enrolled in the nation’s most prestigious law schools and graduate business programs selected economics as their undergraduate major. Also, the economics degree is viewed favorably by graduate school admissions committees in various disciplines including finance, political science, history, anthropology, statistics, public policy and urban studies.

Economics degree holders go on to exciting careers as corporate executives, commercial and investment bankers, brokers, professional money managers, commodity traders, small business entrepreneurs, journalists and authors, government officials, and many more.

Optional Emphasis
The following emphasis is available for this degree:

• Pre-Law

The Department of Art at Arkansas State University will provide an educational environment that fosters the creation and understanding of art. Students in art develop insight, sensitivity, and perception toward all aspects of nature while building individual expressive responses. Aesthetic and functional values, creative ideas, and media skills are developed through instructional guidance and applied experience in the studio and classroom.

Learning Outside the Classroom
Some of the courses may involve field trips to Memphis Brooks Museum, The Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock, or other regional art collections. Arkansas State University is an Accredited Institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.

Why the BFA?
The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree programs are designed to prepare students for professional careers as a classroom art teacher, graphic designer, or studio artist. The BFA in Art (with emphasis in Studio Art or Art Education) is the initial professional degree, and it is the requisite degree for the student who plans to pursue a studio-oriented post-baccalaureate degree

Emphases
Students pursuing a BFA in Art choose between the following emphases:

• Studio Art
• Art Education

Prerequisites
Students enrolled in these programs must take specific courses to meet General Education requirements. Curriculum and degree requirements can be found in the most current Undergraduate Bulletin.

The Masters of Science degree in Computer Science is designed to strengthen the background of the student in advanced computing concepts involving computational problem solving and complex programming environments. The program covers topics in algorithms, computation theory, and advanced programming systems.  Students are expected to be able to construct complex software solutions for a variety of problems and systems.  Electives allow the student to focus studies in several areas, including parallel and distributed systems and programming, bioinformatics, and graphics.

The Master of Music Degree in Performance is a 30-hour program with advanced study in instrumental, vocal, or keyboard performance, piano performance and pedagogy, or instrumental or choral conducting, culminating in a graduate recital.  Instruction is provided by faculty members who are recognized as outstanding performers in a wide variety of performance areas.  The Department of Music entrance examinations in music history, music theory, and ear training assist in planning each student’s exact course of study.

Concentration

• Composition
• Conducting
• Collaborative Piano
• Instrumental Performance
• Jazz Performance
• Piano Performance and Pedagogy
• Vocal Performance

This degree emphasizes composition or performance, depending on concentration area.

Performance - Instrumental, Voice, Keyboard - Concentration
Students in the performance concentration areas will develop comprehensive capabilities in the major performing medium including the ability to work independently to prepare performances at the highest possible level; knowledge of applicable solo and ensemble literature; and orientation to and experience with the fundamentals of pedagogy.

The mission of the Bachelor of Social Work Program at A-State is to educate generalist practitioners who will work to enhance intellectual growth, and to enrich lives through social justice and service specifically with rural populations. It employs a problem-solving process and relies on critical thinking.

Bachelors level social workers work with a variety of clients in many settings. The skills learned in the curriculum include interviewing skills, assessment skills, and intervention skills. The BSW qualifies the student to sit for the state exam at the Licensed Social Worker level. The state licensing law outlines the level of practice at this level. This is referred to as the Generalist Practice level.

Generalist practitioners work within an organizational structure in which they use appropriate supervision and assume a wide range of professional roles (DuBois & Miley, 1996). These roles include broker, enabler/counselor, mediator, educator, evaluator, case manager/coordinator and advocate/activist (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 1999). Empowerment oriented social workers focus on clients’ strengths and adaptive skills as well as clients’ competencies and potential. They work collaboratively with their clients.

Empowerment joins personal power and political power so as to increase an individual’s ability to control his or her destiny and “...to alter systems, redistribute resources, open up opportunity structures, and reorganize society” (Hartman, 1990; Lee, 1994 cited in DuBois & Miley, 1999, p. 28).

The Bachelor of Arts in Theatre is a 120-credit hour degree program designed to provide students with professional-caliber training within the framework of a liberal arts education with specific coursework in acting, directing, design, literature and history.

We want our students to be lifelong learners who are prepared to enter a complex, ever-changing global society. Our world-class faculty provides students with a foundation in the sciences, math, communications, writing, the humanities and more.

Emphases in Design Technology

The Design & Technology emphasis includes elective courses in costume, lighting, scenic and sound design, as well as courses in drawing, stage management, makeup and costume construction.

Creative Media Production is designed to nurture students with a passion for storytelling and communicating, and a talent for expressing themselves. Through experiential learning, students learn how to create and distribute content across multiple media platforms. This provides a solid foundation on which to build their careers in a variety of rewarding professions.

Degree Emphasis
You can emphasize your studies in one of these areas:

• Corporate Media (also Online) - Students create their own path of content creation for all platforms from broadcasting, filmmaking and web and social media content. The corporate media emphasis prepares students for the dynamic field of communication where message creation and distribution is learned by combining hands-on media production experiences with a solid theoretical foundation. Students may pursue a variety of production opportunities from creating content for broadcasting, corporate clients and organizations to writing, and producing their own films and video content.
• Graphic Communication - Think of all the products you use every day. Look at how they are designed, marketed, printed, packaged, sold and delivered. As a student in Graphic Communications, you will develop both the technical and creative abilities to become a successful professional in a technology-driven and dynamic multi-billion-dollar industry. Graphic Communications majors learn the skills necessary for many different career focuses, including graphic design, distribution, technology, printing, packaging, marketing and web design/development. Our unique concept of hands-on learning will prepare you for a variety of professions within the realm of graphic communications.
• Sports Media -  If you are passionate about sports and want to describe the stories around them then the Sports Media emphasis is for you. You can be on the sidelines near all the action as a camera operator, in the booth describing it live to an audience, or in the control room calling the shots as the director.Sports Media students are involved in studio and remote productions for radio, television, and online presentation. They are also interviewing the athletes and coaches for newscasts. Whether you desire to have your own online channel, work at a local broadcast station, or make it to a national network, you will be exposed to the latest methods and technologies demanded by today’s sports media