Bachelor of Arts in Global Health

at Kaplan Group - Arizona State University - Tempe Campus USA

Biophysics uses the methods and theories of physics to study biological systems.

The BS in biophysics is a transdisciplinary program providing students with a working understanding of the important principles of physics, chemistry and biology that govern all scales of biological organization from the molecular processes of life to organisms and ecosystems.

Students in the literature concentration of the BA program in English study texts and cultures from the earliest writings in English to contemporary expressions, on paper, online and out in the world. They learn to read critically and analyze representations and to understand how stories work to define human cultures.

The program offers students the opportunity to engage with faculty in exploring American and British literature, critical theories and methods and interdisciplinary studies. Students can choose from a broad array of courses to further explore subjects such as race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality and literary histories and traditions.

Students can gain practical experience through research, writing and internships that prepare them for an ever-expanding variety of careers. The undergraduate programs also prepare students to continue their studies in graduate and professional programs.

Materials science and engineering is concerned with the fundamental relationships between performance of materials and their structure and properties for a wide variety of engineering applications. Courses in the BSE program in materials science and engineering prepare students to design new and better materials to improve people's lives and keep America on the cutting edge of technology.

The MS program in computer science affords an opportunity for students employed in industry to seek a breadth of advanced education in computer science.

The program reflects the dual nature of computer science as a scientific and engineering discipline by allowing emphasis on theory as well as practical applications. Students can study topics such as:

• Artificial intelligence
• Big data
• Cloud and distributed computing
• Cybersecurity
• Database management and information retrieval
• Database systems
• Data mining and machine learning
• Distributed computing and operating systems
• Imaging, graphics and visualization
• Simulation modeling and systems

The MA program in learning sciences proceeds from an understanding that learning happens in many places, not just in schools.

This program focuses on the power of design thinking to improve educational systems and provides students with a blend of theoretical insights and practical tools that prepare them to shape learning environments and experiences. The systems-level approach includes cognitive, social and contextual factors and the interactions among them.

Graduates of the program are equipped to design effective learning and teaching systems in a broad range of formal and informal settings that include museums, libraries, workplaces and schools and are well-prepared to become leaders in the development, integration and improvement of these systems.

In this MA program, global health is considered to be much more than and very different from international public health. It emphasizes that major health challenges stem from many factors well beyond disease itself --- factors that are cultural, ecological, evolutionary, historical, institutional, social and technological.

Any effective, sustainable solutions to the most pressing global health challenges need to take all of these factors into account, including the complex ways in which they relate to each other. In this manner, this degree program teaches students to understand health as not simply a product of disease, but rather emerging in the contexts of complex and interrelated ecology, politics, history, culture, social institutions and evolutionary biology. It also places primacy on how to address the broader (i.e., structural, cultural) bases of ill health in complicated, ever-changing health challenges in low-resource community settings and a globalizing world. To do this, the program combines both social and life science theories with on-the-ground research and its application. There is a strong emphasis on collaborative action as key to identifying and addressing global health problems in a sustainable and meaningful way.

Students accepted into the program are tied to ongoing transdisciplinary global health projects that address complicated, multifaceted health challenges that defy easy fixes, such as climate change-related diseases, emerging infectious diseases, and obesity.

By applying a collaborative, problem-solving format, the master's degree program in global health is intended to provide those planning to enter health or related fields (i.e., environmental, social) with the transdisciplinary orientation, team skills and social and cultural acuity that the Pew Health Professions Commission inter alia has identified as critical but lacking in current health workforce training. The program also emphasizes experiential learning as a way to gain mastery and requires participation in a global internship program based in one of the international partnering communities.

The BA program in business with a concentration in public service and public policy combines strong business skills with topics in public policy and public administration. Students become familiar with leading a public organization and the process of policy development. They also examine the public sector through multiple lenses and address its challenges in a practical way.

The School of Accountancy's undergraduate BS program in accountancy offers two tracks during the senior year.

The accounting track is followed by most students and is designed to provide a rich educational experience.

The accounting master's internship is the track designed for the most highly qualified students who wish to commit to the MAcc or MTax program during the second semester of their junior year. The internship provides a particularly rich and individualized educational experience during the senior year. It includes a number of distinct advantages for students: a full-time paid internship for credit with a participating accountancy firm, early consideration for scholarships and possible eligibility for a GMAT waiver and a graduate application fee waiver for the MAcc or MTax program (eligibility is determined by the GPA at the time of application).

The MSTP program uniquely prepares its graduates to have an impact in today's science and technology decision-making. It is designed to train future leaders, policymakers and analysts in tackling diverse and complex policy issues such as climate change and artificial intelligence in ways that are socially responsible and that contribute to a more just and vibrant future.

This cohort-based program attracts students of the highest caliber and can be completed in one year or over an extended period on a part-time basis. It is suited to anyone interested in a career in which they work to ensure, through responsive and effective policy development and implementation, that science and technology serve society. Students come from a wide range of backgrounds.

The program provides students with knowledge and tools to analyze and answer complex questions around science and technology policy issues, including:

• How are science and technology influenced by the policy process?
• What is the rightful place of scientific expertise in public policymaking?
• What values and assumptions underlie society's current understanding of science and technology?
• Who should make decisions about science and technology policy? Only experts? Or should lay people also have a voice?
• How should policymakers deal with the risks and uncertainties that come from new science and technology (e.g., biotechnology, nanotechnology, geoengineering, information technology)?
• How can policymakers balance concerns about science and technology, while maintaining innovation and international competitiveness?

Students work on topics as varied as responsible innovation, technological convergence, social and environmental sustainability, health and well-being, energy, equity, security, data privacy, infrastructure, democracy, STEM education, the role of science, and space exploration and policy. They are able to describe the historical, social and institutional foundations of science and technology policy; discuss the complexities of science and technology policy decisions, decision-making under uncertainty and the role of experts; employ effective policy communications skills and techniques; and work collaboratively and effectively with experts from different backgrounds, including scientists, engineers and elected officials.

Graduates are able to apply critical skills and methods to science and technology policy analysis, apply cutting-edge approaches to ensuring socially responsive and responsible technology innovation, and contribute to developing and implementing creative solutions to many of today's most complex challenges.

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.