Master of Arts in Political Science

at Arkansas State University USA

The M.S. in Biology is a 33-34 hour program with a required thesis based on original research. Faculty with expertise in ecology, genetics, botany, entomology, herpetology, zoology, cell and molecular biology, reproductive biology, microbiology and other fields advise student research.  Individual faculty in the Biology Department should be consulted about their research programs.

Why should you apply to our graduate program

• The Arkansas Biosciences Institute is located on the A-State campus
• Our researchers take advantage of numerous field stations across the region, country, and the world
• A-State has well-equipped research laboratories and teaching laboratories where scientific activities focus on highly interactive research clusters
• The Ecotoxicology Research Facility is a multi-user US EPA certified test laboratory facilitating intercollegiate research and collaboration with other universities, state and federal agencies, industries and various interest groups.

If you are passionate about contributing to the public or community sector, you have come to the right place.

Our traditional mode of the MPA program provides you with two tracks to choose from Public Management and Non-Profit Management. Our program doesn’t require the GRE, is NASPAA accredited, and one of the most affordable master’s programs in the country. With students from all over the world and nationally recognized professors, our MPA program will provide you with a close-knit family, bringing perspectives, passion, and knowledge from all around the world.

Additionally, if you are a current A-State undergraduate student and want to pursue an MPA after you graduate, you can do so by starting off during your senior year through our new 4+1 program. This program will allow you to graduate with a master’s degree only one year after completing your bachelor’s degree. For more information, see the “4+1 track” in one of the sections below.

As an interdisciplinary degree with content focused on life science, this program is amenable for those in teaching, medical technology, nursing, museum curatorial and other professions.
Advising committees are formed to assist students in developing a program tailored to their long term professional goals and interests.

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.

Healthcare Management - Concentration
The MBA with a Concentration in Healthcare Management is designed to allow students to complement their studies in business administration with in-depth coverage of the core components of the healthcare administration arena and the unique issues and challenges facing healthcare organizations in the dynamic healthcare industry. Students will complete the 24 hours of the MBA core and 15 hours of graduate level courses in Healthcare Administration.

The Masters of Science in Environmental Sciences (Non-Thesis, Practicum) is designed to provide all students with a cross-disciplinary introduction to environmental science. Students are required to complete an Internship external to the university. Students are also required to complete all MS core course requirements which include taking one class in each of three categories: Environmental Chemistry/Soil and Water Science, Environmental Policy, Law & Economics, and Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies.

Each student will also take 1 credit hour of Ethics, 2 credit hours of Seminar, 6 credit hours of Statistics and 6 credit hours of Internship. In addition, each student will normally take courses in their specialty area sufficient to bring the total number of credits to the minimum of 30 required for the MS in Environmental Sciences beyond the Bachelor of Science Degree.  Any additional course work requirements will be determined by the MS Practicum Advisory Committee to meet the student's specific program needs.

MS Practicum students are required to take a Qualifying Examination, complete a final Practicum Report and publicly defend their completed Practicum Report. Passing all requirements implies that the student has the necessary knowledge and sufficient critical thinking skills to advance toward completion of the Masters of Science Degree (Non-Thesis) in Environmental Sciences.

The Coordinated Program (CP) in Dietetics at Arkansas State University – Jonesboro is administered by the Dietetics Program in the College of Nursing & Health Professions. The program provides for the achievement of knowledge and performance requirements for entry-level dietitians through integration of didactic instruction with a minimum of 1080 hours of supervised practice and a minimum of 120 alternate supervised practice experiences, as established by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). The supervised practice experiences occur in foodservice, community and clinical settings. The program features a “clinical” concentration, which allows students to build upon foundation knowledge and competencies for future proficiency in the clinical area of dietetics.

Students apply for admission to the CP after they have finished the sophomore year. The CP requires two years to complete the didactic instruction and supervised practice rotations. Students must have reliable transportation for travel to various practice sites for the rotations. A Bachelor of Science degree in Dietetics is granted to students upon completion of the program. Upon graduation, students are eligible to take the national credentialing examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) to become registered dietitians. In addition to RD credentialing, many states have regulatory laws for dietitians and nutrition practitioners. Frequently these state requirements are met through the same education and training required to become an RD.

The M.S. degree is particularly attractive for students who do not plan a career in basic research, but who want to work in the field of chemistry or a closely related field.

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 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.

Agricultural Education Emphasis
The focus of the program is to prepare outstanding future educators and leaders in the public and private sectors.  The Agricultural Education program is structured around the needs of students and their career goals.  Students in the program are required to take personal responsibility for their education to include involvement and participation in courses and extracurricular activities which are essential to learning and future career success. Formal and informal learning experiences are designed to enable students to successfully progress through the program encouraging academic and professional development as well as personal growth.

Agricultural Science Emphasis
The Agricultural Science emphasis at A-State offers students access to a broad array of agriculture discipline areas.  This emphasis allows the student to develop a diverse knowledge within five major agriculture areas, Agricultural Business, Agricultural Studies, Animal Science, Plant and Soil Science, and Technology.  In addition to our Agriculture core classes, the student selects twelve hours in each of the discipline areas.  An additional 18 hours minor is required and can be used to enhance a specialized area of study which will serve the student’s specific needs or interests.  Many graduates become involved with agriculture business and production entities.

Agricultural Systems Technology Emphasis
The Agricultural Systems Technology Science emphasis at A-State offers students access to a broad array of agriculture and technology discipline areas.  This emphasis allows the student to develop a diverse knowledge of agriculture and technology.

Agricultural Communications Emphasis
Agricultural Communications emphasis is also available.