Bachelor of Arts in Digital Culture

at Kaplan Group - Arizona State University - Tempe Campus USA

The BMus in performance with a concentration in jazz prepares students for professional careers and leadership roles in jazz and related fields of contemporary music by promoting flexible musicianship and an understanding of the jazz tradition.

The curriculum includes course offerings in jazz performance, composition, arranging, history, theory, aural skills and pedagogy and is designed to incentivize artistic expression, innovation, and the exploration of blues-based improvisation, bebop, Latin jazz, swing and soul music.

Students in the ASU jazz studies program find an abundance of performance opportunities in the many university ensembles and professional groups that perform in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area.

The electrical engineering faculty in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering offer a professional program leading to the MSE in electrical engineering.

Graduate courses and programs are offered in six areas of specialization:

• control systems (not an option for the online degree but available to on-campus students)
• electric power and energy systems
• electromagnetics, antennas and microwave circuits
• electronic and mixed-signal circuit design
• physical electronics and photonics
• signal processing and communications

The BA program in innovation in society is designed to help students cultivate the critical thinking skills needed to develop creative strategies that steer innovations toward the needs and values of society. Students are trained to synthesize research and theory from the social sciences, humanities, natural sciences and engineers so they can develop proposals for how to build better futures for people and communities around the globe.

No single discipline is able to solve the complex problems we face today. Science and engineering can help us further values we hold dear, such as health, economic prosperity, security, justice, peace, sustainability, privacy and happiness. But innovations need to be developed and deployed carefully and with an understanding of a global context that includes corporations, governments, infrastructure and people.

Students in this major learn to consider the implications of technology before it is deployed and to understand the big picture so that they can bring together the pieces needed to form a successful strategy. Classes include extensive use of interactive activities and projects.

The program is specifically tailored for students who have a background or interest in the humanities and the artistic side of innovation who want to play a pivotal role in bringing different disciplines together to solve the world's most difficult problems.

Political science is the study of governmental practices, politics and theories. Coursework in the BA program in political science covers American institutions, international relations, political theory and world affairs.

The program helps students gain a basic understanding of the assumptions underlying political science and helps them develop the necessary research skills for analyzing complex sociopolitical issues. In addition to coursework, students learn through internships, service-learning and research opportunities.

Graduates of this program are prepared for work as analysts or aides in local, state or national legislative offices, among other roles. Many graduates go on to law school or graduate programs in political science, social science, urban planning or public administration.

ASU's MA program in American studies trains students in interdisciplinary approaches aimed at understanding the American experience in local and global contexts. The array of disciplines spans the arts, humanities and social sciences, and faculty expertise covers a broad range of ethnographic, historical, literary and media studies as well as interdisciplinary and community-based approaches. Given its geographical location in the American Southwest, ASU's American studies program values an exploration of diasporic and transnational influences in U.S. cultures and social and political history.

The American studies faculty have strengths and expertise in the areas of critical ethnic studies, Indigenous studies, gender studies, Black studies, immigration studies, justice studies, disability studies, queer studies, Latino studies, transborder studies, Asian American studies, cultural studies, environmental humanities and sports studies, allowing students to focus their education around these areas.

Students gain expertise from working in a community of scholars dedicated to addressing critical questions of what America means, what American studies uncovers, and how to expand the boundaries of the new American conversation. Graduate students are immersed in conversations of how one develops, conducts and engages in research on the American experience in academia and beyond. Additionally, faculty and students include the role of other nations, cultures and communities in their study of the meaning of America and critically evaluate the United States in global matters.

American studies graduates can bridge a strong theoretical foundation with applied research to better equip them to enter national and international dialogues.

The BSE program in computer systems engineering focuses on the analysis, design, testing, integration and evaluation of hardware and software systems. The curriculum is grounded in many engineering disciplines, including the applications of science and technology to the design of:

• Computer architecture
• Cybersecurity
• Digital circuits
• Distributed and embedded systems
• Networking
• Operating systems

Students engage in the design of integrated hardware and software solutions for computing, communication and control applications. They practice many aspects of engineering activities, such as the development of:

• Computer networks
• Embedded and ubiquitous systems
• High-performance computer systems
• Individual digital components

Students become skilled at interfacing different pieces of hardware and software components and integrating systems and products with new capabilities and improved quality and performance.

Actuarial science students learn to use tools from mathematics, statistics and finance to measure the impact of risk in order to improve forecasting and decision-making in business, insurance and government sectors.

The BS degree program in actuarial science provides students with the preparation necessary for the required professional actuarial credentialing exams offered by the Society of Actuaries and the Casualty Actuarial Society.

The MS program in exploration systems design with a concentration in instrumentation promotes the development and growth of engineering-literate scientists and science-literate engineers who are interested in the design, construction and implementation of scientific instrumentation. Its unique curriculum combines science applications with engineering knowledge and skills through engineering and science courses focused on Earth science, space science and astrophysics. The concentration trains students to design the next generation of in-situ or remote sensing instrumentation for exploration of the Earth, space and the universe.

This program is consistently ranked among the top 20 graduate programs in the United States, recognized for its high-impact, agile, interdisciplinary, results-oriented research on the most pressing societal needs.

The industrial engineering MS program prepares students to give practical and economically efficient solutions to real-life, complex problems --- solutions that require a system level approach. Examples of these problems include health delivery, food and energy systems as well as those that arise in the strategic planning of manufacturing, logistics operations and service industries. Some of the tools used to address these problems include statistics, optimization, computer simulation and advanced analytics.

The industrial engineering program is immersed in the innovation environment that permeates Arizona State University, and its faculty members are internationally recognized for their innovative research projects, funded both by government and industry.

The MSD program in industrial design is meant for individuals interested in advanced studies in:

• criticism and methodology
• design processes
• history
• human factors
• technology
• theory

This program helps students develop an understanding of contemporary design issues and develop skills by conducting specialized research. It also prepares the graduate student for a career in industrial design education.

This is a research-based degree. Students interested in a studio-based program should refer to the Master of Industrial Design.