Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies

at Kaplan Group - Arizona State University - West Campus USA

Today's employment landscape is evolving into one that prizes expertise in an increasing number of specialized fields. The BA program in interdisciplinary arts and sciences allows students to build a flexible, customized degree that is unique to their specific career goals. For example, a business degree with an emphasis in communications can lead to employment opportunities that aren't as easily accessed by a traditional business degree alone.

By providing the opportunity to combine disciplines, the college equips students with the specialized education they need to reach their individual career goals.

This degree program culminates in a capstone internship experience that provides real-world perspective, skills and connections, creating versatile graduates and attractive job applicants for the corporate world

The BS program in biotechnology and bioenterprise provides students with essential transdisciplinary and practical experience in biotechnology research. Students acquire the associated business and entrepreneurship skills needed to develop and market biotechnological innovations and solutions to problems facing the biotechnology and health sciences communities in Arizona, the nation and beyond.

The program emphasizes coursework in the biological, biomolecular and biotechnological sciences, which are key components that underpin biotechnology. Students may tailor the degree to their specific interests and aspirations through focus areas in biotechnology, bioentrepreneurship and biostatistics. The program is unique due to its focus on blending biotechnology and entrepreneurship.

The BSE program in electrical engineering prepares students for positions as electrical engineers.

Following initial coursework in mathematics and sciences, the foundation classes build a solid base of engineering knowledge. The electrical engineering curriculum includes a number of required upper-division electrical engineering and technical elective courses in such areas as circuits; communication, signal processing and control systems; computer engineering; electromagnetics; power; and solid-state devices.

Approved technical elective courses provide students with an opportunity either to broaden their background in electrical engineering or to study in greater depth the technical subjects in which they have special interest.

The MS program in psychology offered by the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences has two main options.

One option is ideal for students who plan to pursue doctoral work or careers that involve psychological research methods such as marketing research, education research analysis, public policy analysis, research project management or program evaluation. The program is intensive and research-oriented, and it culminates in a thesis or applied project. Students receive training in advanced research methodology and statistical analysis, grant proposal writing, laboratory instrumentation, data collection and manuscript development. Students gain first-hand exposure to designing and conducting research, analyzing data and developing presentations and manuscripts. Students are encouraged to present research reports at professional meetings and conferences and to publish as co-authors in faculty-guided research.

The online program option gives students and working professionals an understanding of psychological theory and empirical research findings as they relate to human behavior, cognition, emotion and attitudes. The coursework is designed to help students learn about the various roles of psychologists in society today and discover which they might like to pursue through careers in education, social service, for-profit and nonprofit organizations, management or through additional graduate training.

Elective courses in all options are offered in several areas, including abnormal psychology, affective science, behavior analysis, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, health psychology, legal psychology, psychophysiology and social psychology.

The secondary education concentration within the BA in history offers a flexible degree for students who are considering a career in education. The concentration program fully prepares students for teaching and certification. At the same time, all the disciplinary knowledge of a traditional history degree provided by the program prepares students for a variety of noneducation careers.

History is a discipline that constantly adopts new techniques of analysis and new ways of gathering and presenting information. Students of history learn to use and create digital media, to perform quantitative as well as qualitative analysis, and to present their findings in compelling ways to all kinds of audiences.

Students currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts in history with a concentration in secondary education offered by The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences may not pursue a concurrent degree with the Bachelor of Arts in history offered by The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Bachelor of Arts in secondary education with a concentration in history offered by the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, the Bachelor of Arts in history offered by the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, or the Bachelor of Arts in history offered by the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts due to the high level of overlap in curriculum. Students should speak with their academic advisor for any further questions.

The MS program in biological data science provides students with real-world training at the interface of the natural and mathematical sciences. Students learn to manipulate big data, including the generation and analysis of data using statistical and computational toolsets. Students use their analytical skills in ecological, environmental, toxicological and other biological applications. The program incorporates multiple levels of experiential learning to ensure students gain critical thinking skills on top of core competencies.

The BA program in English is focused on literature, writing, film and culture.

Courses address a wide variety of genres, traditions and time periods. Students engage in close reading and critical thinking as they work with powerful, multilayered texts. They build communication skills as they compose for multiple purposes and audiences. The program ends with a degree capstone that allows students to use their skills and knowledge in a personalized academic or creative project.

Forensic psychology is the application of psychology to the law. The concentration in forensic psychology within the BA program in psychology combines general training in psychology with specialized coursework in criminal law, criminal behavior, the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders and legal decision-making.

When courts are faced with cases in which a psychology-related question arises, they may turn to psychologists for help with the case. For example, psychologists might assist the court in understanding a criminal's mental state at the time of a crime or in determining whether a particular jury might have been biased against a defendant based on his or her race. This is the realm of forensic psychology.

This program teaches students about the various roles for psychologists in the legal system and helps them discover which roles they might like to pursue through careers in mental health, criminal justice or through graduate training.

The Bachelor of Arts degree differs from the BS degree in that it does not require two additional lab science courses.

The BA in business with a concentration in language and culture is an innovative, transdisciplinary program intended to prepare students for positions in a variety of professions in which business and communication play an important role in ensuring success.

Students complete rigorous courses in Chinese, French, Italian or Spanish languages in addition to the skill and core courses required of all W. P. Carey School of Business students, enabling them to become business professionals who can function well culturally and linguistically in the business environments of both international and domestic markets.

Students in the BS program in applied computing learn a computer science foundation and then explore the established knowledge and emerging developments in the high-demand areas of database systems, computer networks and cybersecurity. The program also provides the opportunity to investigate interdisciplinary connections, including the combination of computing with its real-world application in other disciplines through concurrent degrees and minors.

Hands-on class projects, internships, industry partnerships and authentic and impactful research conducted with faculty provide numerous opportunities for students to apply their knowledge before they graduate. Students use their programming expertise, systems knowledge and critical thinking skills to effectively problem-solve and articulate their experience through presentations, scientific posters and professional papers.

With a depth of knowledge and experience in databases, networks and cybersecurity, graduates have a strong foundation in systems with established interconnections among these fields that prepares them for graduate study and for careers that include cybersecurity analysts, database architects and network engineers.