Master of Arts in Communication Studies

at Arkansas State University USA

The Department of health, Physical Education, and Sport Sciences currently offers two Graduate degrees. The Master of Science in Education degree with a major in Physical Education and the Master of Science degree with a major in Exercise Science. Each degree offers two programs of study options. The first program of study is a 30 credit hour program of study with a Thesis requirement and no elective course requirements. The second program of study is a 33 credit hour program of study that requires a Graduate Project and 6 credit hours of restricted electives. The Master of Science in Education degree in Physical Education is designed to provide a quality professional program in the field of Physical Education that meets standards at the graduate level, including the Professionally Emerging Teacher and the Emerging Profession.

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 Department of Psychology and Counseling is committed to serving the university, the profession, and the public by contributing to excellence in  education, high professional standards for service delivery, and consumer advocacy. The department is also committed to research and scholarly activities to expand the academic knowledge base and to improve the quality of professional services.

The primary mission of the department is to teach basic principles underlying psychology as a behavioral science and to prepare graduate-level students to become psychological-counseling professional service providers.

The major in history with the Bachelor of Arts degree is recommended for those seeking a liberal education and aspiring to careers in history, law, theology, journalism, and library work; in local, state, and national public service; in business where a knowledge of domestic and foreign affairs is desirable; and in every area which requires an understanding of human activity.

The Sport Administration is a Master of Science Program in the Department of Health, Physical Education & Sport Sciences at Arkansas State University. It is designed as a full-time, 36-credit hour program that serves today’s working professional and/or full-time student. The program serves graduate students interested in professional management or administrative opportunities in professional sports, interscholastic and intercollegiate athletics administration, sports facilities, sports media, and sports marketing and management agencies.

The goal of this program is to balance theory and practice in order to best prepare each graduate for employment in the field of sport administration. Each student will acquire a comprehensive understanding of the management, business, socio-cultural, ethical and legal applications in the administrative capacities within amateur and professional sports environments. Future employment for Sports Administration graduates would consider employment within intercollegiate athletics (including athletic departments, conferences, and national associations), professional sport organizations (teams and leagues), sport facilities, sports tours, motor sports, corporate sports organizations (sports agencies), and the sports media.

The Sport Administration graduate program will allow students and professionals to receive an advanced level degree that will develop their knowledge and skills to successfully prepare them in their chosen careers. As an applied field of administration, it is essential that students be able to incorporate information learned through this program, their own work experience, and cultural backgrounds and apply these to current or future employment. Both theory and practice will be incorporated into the curriculum in which instruction is enhanced by sport administration professionals, site visitations, research, and group projects designed to learn competent and applicable sport administrative practices.

Our geographic area exposes students to a variety of sports industry professionals and organizations (Memphis Redbirds, Memphis Grizzlies, Memphis Riverkings, Verizon Arena, FedEx Forum, St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, Arkansas Travelers, Arkansas Naturals, Arkansas Twisters, Arkansas State University Athletics, Jonesboro Parks & Recreation, Memphis Parks & Recreation, University of Memphis Athletics, University of Arkansas Athletics, Sunbelt Conference, Southeastern Conference, and Conference USA). These entities can provide students networking, and volunteer opportunities.

Students will be immersed in a required core of courses and an internship or thesis. Students will also be required to successfully complete comprehensive exams (excludes successfully defending thesis).

Traditionally, mechanical engineers have been involved in fields as diverse as aeronautics, biomechanics, environmental science, manufacturing, power generation, and robotics to name just a few. However, as national and global needs change, engineers are being asked to apply their problem solving skills to address medical, business, and policy issues that confront our society.

Mechanical Engineering at A-State
The Mechanical Engineering Programs at Arkansas State University are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.  

The A-State mechanical engineering program includes a strong general education component, traditional engineering science courses, exposure to manufacturing processes and automation, and multi-course sequences to provide proficiency in Thermal and Mechanical system design.

We provide our students with a broad and well-rounded educational foundation and stress the necessity to engage in lifelong educational efforts to cope with the ever-changing landscape of science and technology. In addition, students have the opportunity to conduct research and to take courses in other disciplines such as business, mathematics, agriculture, and biological or physical sciences based on their individual career goals.

Program Educational Objectives
The Program Educational Objectives for the Mechanical Engineering Program, which pertain to program graduates 3 to 5 years after completing the program, are:

• Graduates have successfully advanced in mechanical engineering practice as evidenced by their achievements and contributions to their employers and the greater engineering community.
• Graduates have pursued graduate degrees or completed professional development activities in continuing to advance their knowledge base in mechanical engineering or related professional fields.
• Graduates have made a broader contribution to the local and national economic development by providing a mechanical engineering perspective to the challenges and opportunities of society.

The Student Outcomes for each of the Arkansas State University undergraduate engineering programs are:

• An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering;
• An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data;
• An ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams;
• An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems;
• An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility;
• An ability to communicate effectively;
• The broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context;
• A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in, life-long learning;
• A knowledge of contemporary issues;
• An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice; and
• An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability.

The Molecular Biosciences degree programs encompasses the areas of biotechnology, cell biology, computational biology, immunology, food safety, neurobiology, regulation of gene expression, signal transduction and cellular metabolism, and structural biology.

The program emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, state-of-the-art technologies and innovation that allow students the opportunities to engage in research in genomic, proteomic, cellular, and organ-based systems for the purpose of translating this knowledge into applications benefitting society in fields ranging from agriculture to medicine, from forensics to environmental sciences, from food sciences to renewable energy.

The Engineering Technology program at Arkansas State University offers a diverse curriculum of study designed to provide our students with the broad background necessary to be competitive and successful technologists in today’s mainstream industrial workforce.  This program prepares students for a wide range of technical careers ranging from manufacturing, management, operations, and upcoming renewable energy sector.  Engineering Technology graduates develop, manage and improve productions processes in a wide range of industries.

Our program is oriented to providing training to both traditional as well as non-traditional students, who are already in the workforce. This program has two intertwined objectives: serving the needs of quality technical education in the region, and supporting the local industry and economy by providing a qualified workforce.

Emphasis Areas

• Computer-Aided Drafting and Design
• Computer Systems
• Technology Management
• Technical Studies

The Arkansas State University MBA Program is a professional degree program designed to prepare students of all educational and professional backgrounds for management positions in all types of organizations. As such, the program stresses the development of analytical, problem-solving and decision making competencies for the dynamic, complex global organizational and social environments.

Management Information Systems - Concentration
The MBA with Concentration in MIS program is designed to allow graduate business students the ability to select in-depth coverage of the core components of today’s IT ?eld while furthering their business administration academic career. Students will complete the 27 hours within the MBA core (which includes two graduate level MIS course) and 9 additional hours of graduate level MIS coursework.