Bachelor of Arts in Literature

at Kaplan Group - Simmons University USA

With a Bachelor of Arts in Literature, you will be able to write insightfully, read closely, think critically, and do independent research in ways that serve you in a variety of career paths or further degree programs.

Students will be able to read closely, write critical essays driven by their own insights in conversation with those of published scholars, do research independently, reflect critically on their own analytical thinking, and talk intelligently about their insights in discussions or formal presentations.

Students will be able to discuss how literary works fit into the context of their times and grow out of a society with a particular history and politics. They will be able to discern the complex relationship of representation to issues of power in relation to race, class, gender, and sexuality.

The Bachelor of Science in Biology degree program at Simmons University explores the vast discipline of biology—including animal and plant physiology, developmental biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, microbiology, immunology, ecology, and biotechnology.

Biology is the study of life and includes a broad range of biological disciplines. Undergraduate students are well- prepared for graduate studies and careers with a strong foundation in biological principles and methodology, as a result of the department’s student centered classroom, laboratory, and research experience. For students desiring a broad education in the life sciences, ranging from the molecular and cellular level to that of populations and ecosystems, this major provides maximum flexibility in preparation for careers in biology, biotechnology, and related fields; it also serves as excellent preparation for graduate and professional schools.

Why study Biology?
Biology is the science and study of life. All living things fall under the umbrella of biology: humans, animals, plants—it is an enormous and all-encompassing discipline that consists of many fields and subfields. Biology is critical to medicine and healthcare, forensics, technology, and wildlife and environmental conservation.

A bachelor’s degree in Biology from Simmons cultivates an extensive understanding of the basic principles of biology, including the structure, biochemistry, function, and metabolism of cells, as well as genetics and the theory of evolution.

Our students perfectly blend information technology with computer science, management and communications, able to solve complex computing problems and communicate the results.

Technology is constantly developing and evolving, presenting new challenges and opportunities
Through hands-on class projects you'll learn vital skills — like modern programming language, database management and web applications — and hone your quantitative skills.

As an information technologist, you'll determine user needs and develop, manage, and support technology-based solutions. Our students are well prepared for careers as web developers, web administrators, IT consultants, network supporters, system integrators, system analysts and application developers.

Statistics is the science of learning from data. Statistics is the “glue” that holds together all of modern quantitative research in areas as disparate as public health, medicine, and the social, political, and physical sciences. Today, the demand for those trained in statistics is large and growing. The major in Statistics includes a foundation in mathematics, a core of applied and theoretical statistics courses, and relevant computing courses. A Statistics major can usefully be combined with any major in a field that makes use of quantitative methods.

There are two tracks within the statistics major: the Biostatistics track and the Mathematical Statistics track. The Biostatistics track will be attractive to students who are comfortable with mathematics and who wish to apply statistical methods in medicine and/or public health. (It is a perfect complement to a major in Biology or Public Health.) The Mathematical Statistics track is intended for students with a stronger than average mathematical background who are interested in applying quantitative methods beyond medicine and public health.

Organizations today demand responsive leaders, who can provide vision, are creative, can manage across the organization, and work ethically and effectively in a diverse workforce. This BSBA Program major prepares students to assume well paid entry-level jobs that draw upon skills learned across the Business curriculum. Students gain an understanding of managerial roles, activities, and functions of organizations. Business and Management graduates have found jobs in biotech, financial services, healthcare, and communications. Students can combine a major in Business and Management with a variety of liberal arts disciplines such as psychology, sociology, or data science to enhance knowledge and critical thinking skills and to provide a broader context in which to make a difference in the workplace.

What can you do with a bachelor’s degree in Business and Management?
All organizations need general managers and the Business and Management major gives you the fundamentals to meet job requirements across the economy plus Simmons’ special sauce with diversity, equity, and inclusion content and an intense focus on building individual level skills and confidence to reach your personal best.

The Business and Management major will deliver “how to” knowledge that will help you be a successful employee contributing to the organization’s mission on the business side right from the start, or as your career develops over time.

Our Bachelor’s degree in Business and Management offers flexibility in allowing you to select additional courses that can lead you to career tracks like People Management (HR), Operations Management, and social welfare advocacy. At the heart of it, general management capabilities that will build through this Business and Management major apply to most jobs and will serve you over a career lifetime.

The Financial Mathematics major, which is interdisciplinary among the Mathematics and Statistics, Economics and Management programs, prepares students for careers in the financial services and actuarial industries.

Among the possible very rewarding career paths are becoming a financial planner, a private wealth manager, an investment manager (for a mutual fund, pension plan, or endowment) and an actuary. The major also helps prepare students for the first Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam and for the first three Society of Actuaries exams.

Our majors have had internships at financial services firms, private wealth management firms, investment banks and mutual fund companies. Our graduates work in all these settings, at hedge funds, at insurance companies, and in other settings requiring a deep knowledge of these fields and strong analytical skills.

The goals of the Program in Women’s and Gender Studies are to educate students in the theoretical, empirical, and methodological perspectives for considering the status and experiences of women; to consider gender in diverse national and international contexts by studying the multiple and contested meanings and roles of gender; and to develop an understanding of how gender is related to other social categories including race, class, age, sexuality, religion, and nationality. Women’s and Gender Studies courses, whether taken as part of the major or to enrich another discipline, invite students to understand past and present experiences in order to prepare for challenges and opportunities in their future personal, work, and social lives. Majoring in Women’s and Gender Studies has led to careers in management, law, academia, counseling, education, library, museum or archival work, health care, social services, public administration, writing, publishing, and the media.

Learning Outcomes:
Upon graduation students with a BA in Women’s and Gender Studies will have gained the following skills, knowledge, and abilities:

• Critical-Historical Awareness – Students will be adept at considering gender in diverse national and international contexts as a result of studying the multiple and contested meanings and roles of gender from an historical, a multidisciplinary, and a trans-national perspective and will have developed an understanding of how gender is related to other social categories such as race, ethnicity, social class, sexuality, religion, and nationality.
• Interdisciplinary Content – Students will have acquired theoretical, methodological, and empirical perspectives for studying and critically analyzing the history, status, and experiences of women from diverse backgrounds.
• Disciplinary Skills – Students will be skilled at integrating theory and practice and will be able to communicate effectively in both writing and speaking.
• Practical Skills – Through independent learning or internships, students will be prepared to enter the workplace, graduate programs, and community-based volunteer work with an understanding of social justice issues informed by interdisciplinary scholarship and feminist perspectives.
• Leadership Skills – Students will continue in leadership roles that they have either begun or further developed while at Simmons.

By strengthening your visual intelligence, you'll cultivate the artistry you need to create compelling and impactful messages.

Our students are immersed in print, web, and multimedia design, applying their advanced skills to hands-on projects and internships. You'll hone your skills in modern design software while developing branding strategies, web sites, magazine layouts and more.

You'll incorporate other communications disciplines like media arts and journalism in their coursework. That versatility sets our students apart — employers know Simmons graduates understand the bigger picture and can contribute to any creative team from day one.

With highly competitive design skills, you'll find interesting and creative internships in places ranging from Boston Children's Hospital to State Street. Our students not only excel in the technical and creative areas, but additionally understand the meaning making practices that afford them a competitive edge.

If science is your passion, the chemistry management joint major will help you translate that interest into a business career.

The chemistry-management joint major is designed for students who would like to apply their scientific interests to a business career. The major is appropriate for a variety of careers at the interface of the two disciplines, such as sales and marketing specialists for chemical and pharmaceutical companies, business officers in science-based industries or institutions, and scientific information liaisons (e.g., public relations, political advising, and lobbying).

The formal joint major in Economics and Mathematics is offered with the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and is administered by the Department of Economics. The specialization has arisen because of the increased role of mathematics and statistics in economic analysis, Also, for students with good mathematical aptitude who do not wish to specialize only in mathematics and statistics, the joint major in Economics and Mathematics provides the opportunity to develop a field of applied mathematics.