Associate in Science - Geographic Information Systems Technology

at Foothill College USA

The Theatre Arts department is an important center for theatre training encompassing acting, performance, literature, design and technical studies. Branches of the department include theatre technology, actor training and the general studies program for both majors and non-majors.

The Theatre Arts department operates a theatre program for both non-theatre major and theatre majors, consisting of theatre appreciation, multi-cultural theatre studies, studio-acting classes, production-related classes, musical theatre, technical theatre studies, industry preparation and electives in theatre specialization.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students will be able to proceed to further educational opportunities or entry-level workforce employment in their prescribed area of the performing arts with a minimal adjustment period.
• Students will be able to employ skill sets of collaboration relevant to multiple arenas of alliance or teamwork within the performing arts arena.

The study of Japanese is an excellent choice for students in the Bay Area since a considerable amount of business and trade occurs with Japan by California industries. The electronics industry is especially interested in employing persons who speak Japanese and are familiar with Japanese customs. It is an excellent major or minor for those who plan graduate work in business, electronics or law.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• The student will be able to communicate with native speakers of Japanese, using the appropriate language, styles, sensitivity and level of respectfulness in various situations.
• The student will demonstrate knowledge of Japanese society, culture and history, and will be able to analyze and discuss cultural differences and similarities.

The History department offers courses that explore political, economic, social, and cultural themes of the past with a strong emphasis on global understanding and multicultural contributions. Courses cover the geographical globe from Eastern/Western Europe to Asia and the Americas.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students will be able to identify connections between specific people, groups, events and ideas and larger historical themes, developments and topics.
• Students will be able to critically analyze a variety of primary and secondary sources and draw valid historical interpretations from them.

Economics is the study of how society allocates scarce resources (land, labor, capital) in an attempt to satisfy unlimited wants. It is broadly divided into two branches: Macroeconomics and Microeconomics. Macroeconomics is concerned with the workings of the economy as a whole. It is the study of broad measures of economic performance: Gross Domestic Product (GDP), unemployment, and inflation. Given these measures, it considers the role of the government in guiding the macroeconomy. Microeconomics focuses on the role of individual decision-makers--consumers and firms--and analyzes the efficiencies and failures of a market system. The potential role of government to wholly or partially correct market failures is then considered. The two branches approach the fundamental questions of resource allocation from opposite sides: one from the perspective of the economy as a whole (macroeconomics) and one from the perspective of the individual agents in the economy (microeconomics).

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Have a working understanding of the role of prices in a market economy, trade, economic growth, competition, market failures and the economic role of government.
• Employ economic reasoning and logic to explain the world and make better decisions.

The Associate in Science in Plumbing Technology degree program is conducted in partnership with the Pipe Trades Training Center apprenticeship program. The apprenticeship program is five years in duration, requiring a minimum of 9,000 hours of on-the-job training. After 5 years of classroom instruction and paid work experience, students are recognized as journeypersons within the Pipe Trades industry, working to protect the health and safety of the community by piping pure water to commercial and industrial buildings for drinking, cooking, washing, cleaning, manufacturing or personal use, and removing wastewater after it has served its purpose. Labor market analysis indicates increased employment opportunities in the Pipe Trades through 2020. Students earning an associate degree increase their marketability and employment opportunities.

The apprenticeship program, which includes coursework, lab work and on-the-job training, involves learning about the assessment, installation, maintenance, and repair of different types of pipe systems, effective and safe tool use, material applications, related mathematics and science and storage. Students will learn to read blueprints, apply layout and install, as well as estimate and repair both supply and wastewater systems. The Associate in Science in Plumbing Technology degree builds on the Certificate of Achievement in Plumbing Technology by adding requirements for general education courses and electives.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• In compliance with applicable standards and codes, students will demonstrate ability to install and remove plumbing systems such as drain waste and ventilation systems, systems for various industrial fluids, public or private water systems and gas piping systems.
• In compliance with applicable standards and codes, students will demonstrate ability to maintain, extend, and/or alter plumbing systems, including drain waste and ventilation systems, systems for various industrial fluids, public or private water systems and gas piping systems.

Spanish is the language of the majority of Western hemisphere countries and is also the fastest growing language in California. For those planning to work in the health industry, education, law or public service, knowledge of Spanish is an invaluable asset. A degree in Spanish is an excellent way to expand career opportunities.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• The student will be able to communicate with native speakers of Spanish, using the appropriate language for any given situation.
• The student will, by presenting research, demonstrate knowledge of Hispanic society, culture, and politics.

The Associate in Arts degree in Music is a comprehensive course of study preparing the student to transfer to a four-year institution in music or a music-related field, or to enter the music industry or a related field upon completion. Foothill's Music Department offers a wide variety of courses to satisfy the diverse interests and needs of its students. In addition to core courses in comprehensive musicianship and history/literature, the department also offers courses such as Music of American Cultures, the Music of the Beatles, and many others. The department's award-winning faculty are active as composers, authors, performers, arrangers, and publishers in the Bay Area and throughout the U.S. The department has some of the newest and most comprehensive facilities in the country. Our performance facilities have been newly renovated and all of our classrooms are equipped with Steinway pianos and/or top-of-the-line sound reinforcement/multimedia delivery systems. The Interdisciplinary Electronic Arts Center has many new features such as a new media classroom with MIDI keyboard stations fully equipped with the latest in recording and sound production design.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Through the study of music history/literature, students examine music masterpieces from multiple eras and cultures, synthesizing information and making judgments as they evaluate how music reflects individual composers' lives, as well as the contemporary social/historical context in which the compositions were created and performed.
• Through music theory/composition, students analyze the structure of music and learn to create their own original works satisfying specific and complex compositional requirements.
• Through music performance, students learn how to apply and express their historical, theoretical, and artistic understandings in a presentation addressing an appropriate audience.
• Using this three-lens framework, students increase their community/global consciousness as they learn to appreciate how music is a potent tool for understanding individual and cultural uniqueness within the larger context of our common humanity.

The Sheet Metal trade is unique as it is one of the few crafts that starts with raw material, creates a component and installs and maintains the product. Using a combination of mathematics, layout tools, hammers, drills, plasma and laser beam cutting systems, computers, cutting, forming, seaming or welding machines, workers manipulate the material into the product desired. The maintenance sector includes preventive maintenance, repair, testing, balancing and sometimes certification of the installed systems. Items commonly fabricated and installed include HVAC systems, metal roofs, kitchen hoods, various flashings, gutters, decorative architectural features and many other items made of a variety of metals. It is an interesting and evolving field with exciting growth potential. The apprenticeship is an earn-while-you-learn program involving paid "full time" work and related classes.

Test, Adjust and Balancing (TAB) Technician is a registered apprenticeship program offered in partnership with Sheet Metal Local 104 and Bay Area Training Fund. This 5-year apprenticeship program provides students with 216 hours per year of day or evening class instruction and paid on-the-job training with a sheet metal contractor. This is a "green" construction field that is growing due to the need for indoor air quality and energy efficiency compliance. The type of work performed can range from pressure testing, adjusting and balancing of duct systems for energy efficiency to commissioning and completing documentation of HVAC systems in residential and commercial buildings. The work condition ranges from light physical activity to maneuvering into limited access areas with tools and equipment. Good communication skills are needed to interact with clients. Technicians are held to a code of conduct to assure quality measurements. The program offers a solid career opportunity with livable wages along with retirement and health benefits and provides highly trained and skilled workforce for students/apprentices in the HVAC industry. Per California Code of Regulations, this program is limited to students admitted to the Sheet Metal Local 104 & Bay Area Industry Training Fund's Test, Adjust, and Balancing (TAB) Technician Program.

The Air Conditioning Mechanic program is offered in partnership with Sheet Metal Local 104 and Bay Area Training Fund. This 5-year apprenticeship program provides students with in-class instruction and paid on-the-job training with a sheet metal contractor, in the service sector of the sheet metal and heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) industry. The students will perform scheduled maintenance and troubleshoot system problems while dealing directly with a variety of customers. The students utilize understanding of refrigerant, electronic and pneumatic controls, filtration and duct systems to maintain safe and efficient system performance. Mechanics use test equipment to verify conditions, research manufacturer's data, and then adjust, repair and replace components as needed. Sheet Metal Air Conditioning Service Mechanics work on residential, light commercial and more often, complex commercial systems. Upgrade training is common in this occupation as more advanced and "greener" equipment is produced. Per California Code of Regulations, this program is limited to students admitted to the Sheet Metal Local 104 & Bay Area Industry Training Fund's Air Conditioning Mechanic Program.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students are prepared with the skills and expertise to detail, fabricate and install a variety of sheet metal products in compliance with applicable standards and codes, aiming for optimum environmental and energy efficiency. These highly demanded skills are acquired through on-the-job training and lead to employment in the construction industry. After five years of classroom and work experience students are recognized as journeypersons within the sheet metal industry.

The Business Administration program has a dual mission (transfer and workforce) in providing students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to prepare for transfer to four-year institutions and to pursue a career or to develop their own businesses.

Students are provided the courses necessary to pursue studies in specialized business fields such as accounting, finance, advertising, marketing, management, banking, and business information systems. All students expecting to work in private or profit organizations or government are strongly urged to include business principles and other business specialized courses as electives.

Additionally, the department offers coursework and activities for increased professional proficiency, career changes, or new employment challenges, as well as for small business development. The Business department's small business entrepreneurship program is currently in redesign mode and will be refocused on the development of curriculum, activities, and community partnerships with the objective to address the "skills gap." Our initial emphasis will be on skill areas in leadership, communication, collaboration, project management, and innovation.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students will demonstrate appropriate use of business terms and concepts across a standard breadth of business functions (R&D, Mfg, Sales, Mktg, Ops, IT, Acctg, Finance, etc.).
• Students will demonstrate appropriate use of analytical frameworks, methods, and skills in response to business questions, cases, and projects.

Environmental Horticulture & Design is a broad field encompassing the functional, aesthetic, and environmentally sound creation and care of our landscapes. Students learn to combine principles of environmental design, construction and maintenance practices for urban, rural and natural landscapes. The green industry is one of the largest employers in the United States.

The Environmental Horticulture & Design department offers an Associate in Science degree and two Certificates of Achievement. Students may also take courses in preparation for transfer to four-year institutions where they may continue their studies in horticulture, landscape architecture, and other related disciplines. We also encourage people currently working in the field to attend classes to supplement or update their knowledge and to work toward certification in the field. For the homeowner or the landscape professional, short courses from two to four weeks are available.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students will demonstrate skills necessary to design residential landscapes.
• Students will be able to identify plant material.