Bachelor of Arts in Social Work (Pre-Health)

at California State University - Fresno USA

Prepare for the future in agricultural sciences, technology, and management with a degree in animal sciences or agricultural education. The Department of Animal Sciences and Agricultural Education offers options in agricultural communications, teacher preparation, science, and production management. The science option has career specialization in the areas of preprofessional animal science and preveterinary medicine. The production management option offers career specialization in the areas of dairy science, equine science, meat technology and livestock, and poultry management. Courses integrate animal evaluation, behavior, disease, environmental management, genetics, health, marketing, muscle biology, nutrition, physiology, production, and reproduction.

The agricultural education major is designed to equip students for careers as agricultural communication specialists or secondary agriculture teachers. Specializations may be developed in agricultural business, animal sciences, plant sciences, or mechanized agriculture.

The Master of Arts degree program in psychology may be arranged to include interest areas such as general experimental, as well as special master of arts programs for individuals. The General Experimental program is a 30-unit degree program is intended primarily to prepare graduates for entry into doctoral programs in general experimental, developmental, social, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, perception, decision making, data analytics, or clinical psychology, and may serve as preparation for community college teaching or professional employment requiring a master's degree.

The communication major is designed to provide broad-based competencies in oral and written communication, critical analysis of human discourse, and social scientific and humanistic research methods. The major also emphasizes how this theoretical knowledge is applied in specific contexts ranging from personal relationships to business management to public advocacy.

Our aim is to prepare students to understand and provide leadership in a competitive communication-oriented society. We offer a balance of humanistic and scientific instruction in communication skills people need to function effectively in teaching, business, law, nonprofit organizations, public service and administration, public relations, government, and management. Outside the workplace, these skills will also enhance students' ability to be active in civic engagement and community service.

Our program requires a comprehensive understanding of the breadth and depth of the communication discipline, as well as its major theoretical frameworks and research methodologies. The major and minor emphasize how this theoretical knowledge is applied in specific contexts ranging from personal relationships to professional organizations to public advocacy. Students investigate problems in diverse cultural settings, which make the San Joaquin Valley - with its tremendous ethnic diversity - an ideal location for study.

The Communication Skills for Professionals Certificate program recognizes development in such areas as presentational speaking, problem solving and decision making, leadership, and interpersonal communication.

Our program offers a variety of exciting activities to enrich students' educational experience. We have an active student organization, the Communication Club, and a debate team that participates in competitive intercollegiate tournaments and hosts public debates on campus. Our annual Peach Blossom Festival brings more than 5,000 elementary-age students to campus to present prose and poetry.

It is the goal of the Department of Viticulture and Enology to be a world-class center of excellence that can effectively meet the needs of students and the broader community. The department offers courses in viticulture and enology. Each degree integrates viticulture and enology offerings with the basic sciences (e.g., biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics) and management skills to build a well-balanced foundation.

Academic Excellence
The Department of Viticulture and Enology at California State University, Fresno was officially established in July 2000. The foundations for the current curricula are firmly based in the sciences such as botany, chemistry, soil science, and microbiology. Classes in viticulture and enology are designed to help the students incorporate the basic sciences into the production of grapes and wines with numerous opportunities for “hands-on” learning experiences. We have the only university teaching facilities in the world that combines 120 acres of table, raisin and wine grape vineyards, a commercial 50,000 gallon winery, and a processing facility suitable for small-scale raisin production. This unique combination of academics and facilities has provided the training ground for numerous award winning viticulturists and winemakers.

The Department of Linguistics offers an M.A. in Linguistics with an option in General Linguistics and an option in Teaching English as a Second Language. At California State University, Fresno, students may also get a Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Computational Linguistics or Cognitive Science. Department faculty will assist students in planning such a program. For specific requirements, see Degree Requirements below; for general requirements see Division of Research and Graduate Studies.

The Master of Arts degree program in Linguistics assumes a baccalaureate degree major in an appropriate field and at least three upper-division courses in linguistics as prerequisites. Graduate students are required to complete at least 30 units of courses with a minimum of 21 units of graduate level courses, and to pass a comprehensive examination or complete a thesis.

The Master of Biotechnology offers students who are fundamentally educated in varied scientific disciplines the opportunities to advance their scientific skills. It allows them to acquire the business knowledge and skills necessary to commercialize emerging technologies or their products. Offered as a two-year program, it is representative of a unique interdisciplinary degree concept, the Professional Science Master's (PSM) degree, designed for students interested in entering the workforce in leadership roles to promote the development and production of new products and processes.

The Criminology major is designed to prepare students for beginning professional work in criminal justice and to provide preparation for graduate work including law school. Criminology courses at the undergraduate level include integration of theoretical and applied materials of an interdisciplinary nature. The corrections option is designed for students interested in careers in probation, parole, correctional institutions, and other affiliated forms of work. The law enforcement option is designed for students interested in careers with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, or law enforcement careers within the private sector. The victimology option is designed for students interested in careers in domestic violence programs, rape counseling programs, victim/witness programs, or other victim-related programs at the local, state, or federal level; these programs can either be criminal justice based or community based. An internship course is required in the corrections, law enforcement, and victimology options. The Forensic Behavioral Sciences major prepares students interested in the application of other behavioral sciences — such as psychology, anthropology, social work, and linguistics — to the criminal justice system. However, it is also designed to prepare students interested in traditional criminal justice careers. 

The Department of Public Health offers curricula based on principles of public health practices leading to a Bachelor of Science degree, including a major and minor in health science with options in community health, environmental/occupational health and safety, and health administration.

The Health Science Bachelor of Science curriculum consists of a core of five courses providing a foundation of knowledge and skills critical to the theory and practice of the health professional. In addition, students complete a specialized cluster of courses in an option that provides the depth and breadth for the area. A variety of combinations between and within options is possible to meet professional goals.

At California State University, Fresno, the interdisciplinary studies major under either the Master of Science (MS) degree is available to qualified graduate students when there is a need for advanced study in subject matter that is multidisciplinary and that is not reasonably available through existing graduate degree programs. In such instances, a formal proposal for an Interdisciplinary Studies major (see Section II) that includes a cohesive curriculum with interrelated coursework and graduate experiences from two or more departments may be submitted for approval. Proposals that could be accommodated by an existing master's degree or option, as in the use of elective courses, are not approved.

The MS in Interdisciplinary Studies is awarded for programs that include breadth of scientific knowledge as well as attainment of specific professional competencies in scientific research methodologies and data-driven analysis. MS degrees are appropriate for those who wish to engage in professional science-related careers that cross over several traditional specializations.

It is the goal of the Department of Viticulture and Enology to be a world-class center of excellence that can effectively meet the needs of students and the broader community. The department offers courses in viticulture and enology. Each degree integrates viticulture and enology offerings with the basic sciences (e.g., biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics) and management skills to build a well-balanced foundation.

Academic Excellence
The Department of Viticulture and Enology at California State University, Fresno was officially established in July 2000. The foundations for the current curricula are firmly based in the sciences such as botany, chemistry, soil science, and microbiology. Classes in viticulture and enology are designed to help the students incorporate the basic sciences into the production of grapes and wines with numerous opportunities for “hands-on” learning experiences. We have the only university teaching facilities in the world that combines 120 acres of table, raisin and wine grape vineyards, a commercial 50,000 gallon winery, and a processing facility suitable for small-scale raisin production. This unique combination of academics and facilities has provided the training ground for numerous award winning viticulturists and winemakers.