Master of Science in Computer Science

at Arkansas State University USA

This MSW offers a concentration in rural based clinical social work practice. Students learn the fundamental knowledge, skills, and ethics that guide social work practice and the populations traditionally served by the profession.

Graduates of this program are:

• Prepared to acknowledge and utilize the less formal social exchange between people and systems that exist in rural communities.
• Educated on how to identify and develop resources, and how to use natural helping networks.
• Expected to employ a broad range of approaches, theories and models in their practice and to develop skills that enable them to perform multiple roles in the helping process.
• Aware of the importance of examining issues of diversity; social work values and ethics; how to identify, prevent and interrupt social and economic injustice; and the importance of community empowerment.

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.

Students seeking admission into the Master of Science degree program in Statistics, must meet the admission requirements of Graduate Admissions and the specific program requirements. Students may not take 6000-level courses for credit until all undergraduate deficiencies have been removed.

The courses in chemistry and physics are designed to prepare individuals for a variety of post baccalaureate options. The Bachelor of Science degree is for individuals who are seeking employment as chemical or physical professionals, or who wish to continue studies toward a Masters or Ph.D.

Students who are looking to pursue a further degree in law, medicine, dentistry, or pharmaceuticals will find either the B.S. degrees in chemistry as an option for entry into the appropriate post-baccalaureate program.

Emphasis Areas:

• Pre-Health Profession Studies

The Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies focuses on the ways that people make use of both verbal and nonverbal messages to generate meanings within various contexts, cultures, and media.
Why major in communication studies?

75% of a person's day is spent communicating in some way, so the importance of being able to communicate clearly cannot be overemphasized.  Communication skills are essential to personal satisfaction and academic success, as well as employment.

Coursework Overview
Courses provide a strong theoretical foundation in communication as well as an emphasis on improvement in practical communication skills.  Majors in Communication Studies have the flexibility to focus on specific areas of interest while obtaining a thorough understanding of communications.

Majors in the Department of Criminology, Sociology, and Geography are prepared for many professions including teaching, government service, law, business, research, cartography, and community planning; and for professional careers within the criminal justice system such as police, truancy and probation officers, parole officers, and correctional and research personnel.

The program in Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health will provide a comprehensive and quality education to students wishing to become occupational safety or environmental health practitioners in a variety of industries represented in the lower Mississippi Delta region, the state of Arkansas, and beyond.  The program curriculum will encompass a wide variety of basic areas of study including science, mathematics, statistics, and communication followed by more specialized coursework in occupational safety and environmental health topics.  Students will also have the opportunity to gain relevant experience in partnership with community private or public sector industry in an internship towards the end of their graduate career.  Upon completion of this program, graduates will be able to enter their respective fields as general practitioners and be prepared to complete certification exams necessary for career advancement.  This program will give students the necessary background to develop and lead occupational and environmental safety and health programs and aid organizations in maintaining compliance with applicable environmental, health and industry safety regulations.

Program Prerequisites

• Completion of the A-State admission process with acceptance
• General education requirements must be complete
• Completion of program support coursework with a “C” average or better.

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 Department of Criminology, Sociology, and Geography at Arkansas State University - Jonesboro offers a General M.A. Degree in Sociology and a M.A. degree in Sociology with a Concentration in Criminology. The program is designed to prepare students for entry into Ph.D. programs and provides skills and training necessary for employment as professional sociologists and in other related occupations.

Some M.A. recipients go directly into teaching at the community college or high school level. Others enter the corporate, non-profit, and government worlds as directors of research, policy analysts, consultants, human resource managers, and program managers. Some may become program directors in social service agencies. Some outstanding students go on to doctoral programs after earning the M.A. degree.

We are looking for students who are curious about the social world, academically dedicated, and committed to the examination of society.

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).