Master of Business Administration

at California State University - Fresno USA

The world of the 21st century is a place where there are very complex interactions between an increasingly fragile environment and the people who make up the many varied and diverse cultures on it. Geographers are uniquely trained to "see the big picture" so that they can more fully understand these complex interactions of the environment and the many cultures of humankind.

Urban and Regional Planning: Coursework for the student interested in the study of how to create communities that balance new development and essential services, environmental protection and innovative change and which may lead to graduate work and a career with local or state agencies. Courses could cover a wide range of subjects including planning, environmental studies, legal issues, and geographic information systems (GIS).

The M.P.A. Program builds on the belief that effective leadership of public agencies requires a basic set of abilities and public values irrespective of the particular characteristics of an organization. Courses in the program focus on the development of critical thinking and analytical skills, as well as an appreciation for ethical decision making.

All students in the program complete a core program of 21 units within the 36 units required for the M.P.A. In consultation with their advisers, students will select the remaining units from graduate public administration courses and courses offered by other departments and programs. These units can be used to further develop a general competence in public administration or to provide students with an opportunity to pursue additional topics of interest. The M.P.A. student can meet the university Graduate Writing Requirement by passing the writing component of the course MPA 210. Please see program director for the written policy. To finish the program students may elect to write a thesis or to take a comprehensive examination.

The Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree program is designed to provide professional education for managers of business, agriculture, education, government, and nonprofit organizations. The M.B.A. program offers elective area courses in special areas of professional practice, such as entrepreneurship, finance, general management, human resource management, international business, management information systems, and marketing. We are committed to developing one of the top applied M.B.A. Programs in the nation. As a result, your studies are complemented by numerous opportunities to solve real world business problems through internships and team consulting projects.

Audiology, speech-language pathology, deaf education and interpreting are concerned with many issues related to speech, healing, and language. Professionals in audiology and speech-language pathology ?elds are devoted to providing diagnostic, rehabilitative, and educational services to children and adults with communicative challenges. Professionals in deaf education and interpreting ?elds are devoted to providing educational services and community-related services to children and adults who communicate in American Sign Language and/or other communication modalities.

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Communicative Sciences provides the students with a liberal arts foundation integrated with courses designed to provide a basic understanding of speech, language, and hearing development and communicative problems. Students pursuing deaf studies have three options: deaf education, deaf studies, and sign language interpretation. Students majoring in deaf education and speech-language pathology can continue their options in our graduate program.

Deaf Education. Our deaf education program gives you a broad background in bilingual-bicultural education, total communication, and cued speech philosophies along with speech, language, auditory training, deaf culture, and American Sign Language. This program includes all of the essential elements of a good education for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. The program is nationally accredited by the Council of Education of the Deaf (CED).

Chicano and Latin American Studies (CLAS) is an interdisciplinary department that has been successful in presenting a highly informed, active, and challenging view of the Chicanx/Latinx experience in the United States, Latin America, and U.S./Latin American relations. Chicano and Latin American Studies provides an opportunity for a pluralistic exchange of ideas in an interdisciplinary academic setting, where faculty, students, and visiting scholars can share experiences and create a dynamic, intellectual environment.

The Chicano and Latin American Studies Department is designed to meet the following objectives:

1. to promote an awareness of the historical and cultural roots of Chicanx/Latinx people in the United States
2. to enhance an understanding of Latin America
3. to cultivate an appreciation of ethnic and national differences among all people
4.  to critically analyze the Chicanx and the Latin American experience in terms of significant issues, theories, current problems, and solutions, and
5. to provide students with a set of important professional skills to be utilized as they interact creatively and constructively with Chicanx/Latinx communities and multicultural society at large.

The department emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of family life, history, politics, culture, and the arts of Chicano and Latin American communities. The courses reflect an integrated approach in providing students with greater knowledge and understanding of the social reality and diversity of Chicanxs and Latin Americans.

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.

English is a general major or minor designed to give proficiency in skills that traditionally have been among the most highly prized by society: an ability to read with comprehension and critical judgment; to communicate accurately and clearly both orally and in writing; to grasp difficult ideas and think logically; to do research and organize materials; to make ethical and moral judgments from an historical and humanistic framework; and to appreciate literature and the arts.

The Master of Arts program in English, Literature Option, serves several categories of students: those teaching high school and community college, those anticipating doctoral studies, those studying creative or expository writing, and those simply interested in extending and intensifying the knowledge acquired in their undergraduate studies.

The mission of the graduate program in chemistry is guided by the mission of the university; it seeks to provide comprehensive undergraduate and graduate degree instruction for qualified students, and to contribute to the needs and well being of the people of the San Joaquin Valley and California.

The California State University, Fresno graduate program in chemistry is primarily oriented toward two groups of students: students who are preparing themselves for employment in chemistry-based occupations (including teaching) and students interested in additional training in chemistry and biochemistry to prepare for advanced Ph.D. graduate work.

The degree program course requirements are rigorous, and the approach to an M.S. curriculum is a demanding one. However, as the quality of training in all of chemistry's subdivisions remains high, we perceive this diversity as the primary strength of the program.

For students in the first category, the program stresses strengthening the student's chemistry background while also providing advanced training in both theory and research - training that is very beneficial in today's competitive job market. Furthermore, the program also strives to meet local and regional needs for individuals with advanced training in chemistry and biochemistry, needs that are strongly tied to the agricultural nature of the valley.

For students in the second category, the program's emphasis on improving chemistry background and basic research skills prepares students for work at the Ph.D. level and enhances their chances for success.

Because of increasing mobility in our modern world, it takes no time at all to travel to places where people speak a language other than English. If you visit or go to work in another country you will quickly learn the fallacy of the phrase, "Everyone speaks English there; don't worry!" Even in California, scarcely a day goes by that you do not hear people conversing in a language other than English, because the United States has a wealth of different heritage languages. Whether you travel overseas or stay in the United States, you will be more culturally sensitive if you are bilingual and bicultural. For example, agricultural, health, and music professionals benefit from knowing another language. It is never too late to acquire another culture and language.

The goal of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures is to encourage multiculturalism and multilingualism in the Central Valley. That includes preparing students for communication in some of the important heritage languages of the area: German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. These are also important languages of Mexico, Central and South America, and the European Union, so students are able to travel or work overseas with greater ease. The department also offers Greek and Latin, as well as Classical Studies and Humanities.

The department has programs for those who wish to be middle and high school teachers of French and Spanish. We offer courses to prepare those who wish to be bilingual/ cross-cultural teachers in elementary schools. We also offer courses in Italian, Portuguese, and other languages to the surrounding community. The department offers a major and a minor in French and Spanish, a minor in German, a minor in Humanities, and a minor in Classical Studies. We collaborate with the Department of Linguistics to offer the B.A. Option in Language Studies.

The Africana Studies program (AFRS) at California State University, Fresno offers an interdisciplinary curriculum that illuminates the connectedness of the human experience and provides culturally-appropriate knowledge and skills. This helps students understand the experiences of African peoples all over the world and other ethnic groups in the United States. The program also involves its faculty and students in research, experiential learning, career counseling, computer technology, curriculum development, conference participation, and extended day, evening, and weekend courses.

Africana Studies emphasizes the study of the history and culture of African Americans as they relate to the experiences of Africans on the continent and other peoples of African descent in the Diaspora. The major in Africana Studies provides an epistemological basis for understanding issues that pertain to the experiences of African peoples and other minority ethnic groups in the American society. The curriculum promotes an awareness of the African heritage of African Americans and others throughout the Americas. Opportunities are provided for students to engage in study abroad and service-learning in Africa and the Caribbean to stimulate intellectual interest in, and linkage to, contemporary Africa and the African Diaspora while enhancing global understanding of the varied social realities of the human experience.