Master of Fine Arts in Theatre With Concentration in Dramatic Writing

at Kaplan Group - Arizona State University - Tempe Campus USA

The MFA program in dance with a concentration in interdisciplinary digital media and performance builds on the strength of the School of Music, Dance and Theatre and expands into the specific area of new media practices.

The concentration provides a select group of graduate students a rigorous, in-depth opportunity to specialize in dance as well as transdisciplinary digital arts. The degree is normally accomplished within three years of residency. The interdisciplinary classes and research activities of the transdisciplinary School of Arts, Media and Engineering that are part of this concentration give students access to advanced media equipment, studios, project funding and interdisciplinary collaborators.

The program welcomes a diversity of students, including returning professionals, who have experience or interest in choreography, dance science and somatics, dance teaching praxis, dance and technology, community engagement, practices of equity and inclusion, professional partnerships, and dance scholarship and theory. The Master of Fine Arts program in dance seeks students whose approaches are interdisciplinary, cross-cultural in nature, and who are self-motivated, able to have clear and demonstrated objectives, and are willing to explore new possibilities in the field of dance and beyond. Students are encouraged to develop their potential as creators, performers, teachers, thinkers, and art advocates. Frequent showings, a final Master of Fine Arts project, a written document and oral defense are required for degree completion.

The BA in English with a concentration in secondary education focuses on rigorous content in literature, composition, linguistics and secondary teaching pedagogy. This program provides extensive preparation for meeting the needs of all student populations, including attention to levels of academic performance and cultural and linguistic diversity.

Students finish the program with Arizona Department of Education certification for middle and high school English language arts. Both a fingerprint clearance and a background check are required in the second year of the program.

The MUEP program prepares students to help solve complex social, economic and environmental issues and create healthier, safer and more vibrant communities. The master's degree program emphasizes theories of planning, methods of analysis, effective public engagement, planning processes and creative implementation of planning tools, strategies and approaches. It is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board. Students who join the program are eligible for certification by the American Institute of Certified Planners after two years of professional practice.

The Master of Urban and Environmental Planning program offers a unique opportunity to integrate urban and environmental aspects of planning in a rapidly developing metropolitan area. Small classes, one-on-one advising and a common core of courses that translate knowledge into practice provide students opportunities to build technical skills and grow their professional network.

As a part of the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, the program is enriched by school faculty whose research and teaching are grounded in geography, GIS, and meteorology and climatology. Students have access to a wide selection of electives within the school, electives that explore issues such as population and migration, environmental and landscape dynamics, and urban climate systems. The program is also complemented by the participation of faculty from other disciplines within the university and collaboration with leading planning practitioners in the Phoenix area.

Faculty research and teaching interests focus especially on the following broad interdisciplinary themes:

• City building and urban structure
• Environmental and resiliency planning
• Housing, neighborhoods and community development
• Spatial analytics and smart cities
• Transportation planning and policy

The MS program in actuarial science emphasizes broad awareness and appreciation of current issues faced by insurance industry practitioners as well as innovative resolutions provided by actuaries.

Students to advance their knowledge base by applying mathematical and statistical concepts and data analytics to the disciplines of risk management, finance and insurance. It also includes a new focused set of professional learning outcomes aligned with the needs of the ever-evolving insurance industry, while keeping the core technical learning outcomes in place. These guide students' development of professional competencies through coursework, independent projects and opportunities outside of the classroom, while remaining firmly based on a strong foundation of scholarly technical work in actuarial science.

Actuaries must pass a series of intensive professional exams to become credentialed. Program graduates are prepared for the examinations required to become credentialed professionals by the Society of Actuaries or Casualty Actuarial Society and to be competitive employees in the insurance and finance industries.

The Chinese graduate program in the School of International Letters and Cultures offers an MA degree program with a focus in one of four areas: literature, linguistics, religion and culture; or pedagogy.

The focus on literature, linguistics, religion and culture provides disciplinary training that allows students to achieve in-depth command of spoken, aural and oral Mandarin Chinese as well as written literary Chinese. The four areas of instruction are designed to prepare students to succeed in Chinese language environments with cultural competence. Any of these four areas also introduce students to the fundamentals of Sinology and East Asian studies, which can prepare them for further scholarly, educational and professional pursuits.

The pedagogy focus is intended for students whose major interest is in teaching modern Chinese in K-16 environments. Students are trained in communicative and task-based language teaching approaches embedded within appropriate cultural contexts, as well as developing solid foundations in teaching Chinese literacy, pronunciation and linguistic systems.

The BA program in communication is a broad-based program that trains individuals to speak and write competently, manage relationships well, problem-solve effectively and understand the role and function of communication in public forums, organizational settings, relational exchanges and intercultural situations.

The curriculum provides an extensive understanding of the practical, theoretical and professional distinctions of today's field of communication. Utilizing the nationally recognized CommLabASU, students perform in-depth study of what contributes to and detracts from effective human communication, recognizing that the art of communication is far more nuanced than simple speaking and writing prowess.

Students may pursue one or more focus areas that are designed to amplify their academic and professional preparation in specific contexts.

The BAE program for elementary education with a concentration in educating multilingual learners offers students a firm grounding in current research and critical pedagogy for English language learners, accompanied by professional experiences that expose students to more ways of teaching and learning.

Students in this program are prepared to nurture and develop languages other than English in dual-language settings and to value the rich linguistic resources that are present in any classroom to support student learning. Students take several courses that focus on developing teachers for linguistically and culturally diverse settings. These courses include topics such as language diversity, dialectal variation, funds of knowledge, and practices that value cultural and community engagements.

Understanding the challenges that emerging bilinguals face instructionally, coupled with understanding the implications of language policy in various learning contexts is imperative to student experiences and coursework. Students learn processes for identifying English language learners as well as developing and supporting the needs of students with individual language learning plans. Students also receive preparation in teaching academic content areas including math, language arts, computer literacy and science with a specific focus on meeting the academic and linguistic needs of English language learners.

The program requires six credit hours of a foreign language or its equivalent and enables students to work with second-language learners.

The elementary education EML teacher certification program is clinically embedded during the junior and senior years. During this time, students are intentionally and directly implementing course learning and theory to practices in the classroom. Strategies within the EML program focus on foundations of second language acquisition, biliteracy, culturally relevant pedagogy, effective language instruction and prepares pre-service teachers to develop critical perspectives that allows them to advocate for bilingual children and families.

The BMus in performance with a concentration in keyboard is a program that focuses on the study of literature and techniques of the piano or organ. Goals include enabling students to express themselves musically while emphasizing the skills necessary to pursue a career as a professional musician. The course of study includes extensive performance experience.

The BA in art with a concentration in art studies is a multidisciplinary program with a broad educational foundation in the arts and General Studies and a curriculum unparalleled in its scope of course offerings from across the university.

This concentration offers students a great deal of flexibility in planning coursework. Students, in consultation with faculty advisors, can design a course of study focused on their individual aspirations. This uniquely open degree program features coursework in art history, studio art, and a range of arts-related topics, including performing arts and the history of performance, and such fields as African and African American studies, American Indian studies, history, languages and literature, and women's studies.

The MM program in music learning and teaching is designed for music educators, teaching artists and music professionals seeking new and expanded opportunities for career development in learning and teaching.

Program flexibility affords students opportunities to customize degree pathways, advance their goals, and develop musical, scholarly and leadership roles in their professional settings. Students in the master's degree program develop their capacity to address pressing issues in music learning and teaching and contribute to professional dialogue.

Students may elect courses in each part of the degree program and may design a course of study that meets their specific interests and needs. The program provides opportunities to study full time, part time (through evening courses), in the summers only, or by combining full-time, part-time and summer study. Full-time students may complete the program in as little as one year. Digital commuting for some courses is available through the ASU Sync platform.

Individuals interested in teacher certification can pursue those requirements concurrently with or separate from master's degree study.