Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Mathematics (STEM)

at Kent State University USA

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Studies gives students an opportunity for study in all aspects of theatre and its relationship to other liberal arts studies. This program serves students who seek a wider range of possibilities to fulfill individual creative goals, whether as theatre artists, scholars, educators and/or contributors in related fields. Students receive thorough grounding in theatre history and theory and learn imaginative and critical thinking, the process of making theatre, and leadership skills.

The Theatre Studies major comprises the following concentrations:

• Performance
• Production
• Theatre Management
• Theatre and Society

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Understand procedures and approaches for realizing a variety of theatrical styles and techniques.
• Understand the playwriting and production processes, aesthetic properties of style, and the way these shape and are shaped by artistic and cultural forces.
• Develop intermediate to advanced competence in one or more theatre specializations in creation, performance or scholarship.
• Become acquainted with a diverse selection of theatre repertory, including the principal eras, genres and cultural sources.
• Understand the basic process involved in mounting a theatre production through both verbal and written articulation of ideas and vocabulary, as well as in actual practice.
• Form and defend value judgments about theatre.
• Know common theatrical elements and the interaction of those elements through both written and practicum work.
• Think conceptually and critically about text, performance and production.

The Master of Arts degree in Computer Science enables students with a bachelor's degree in any area to enter the many fields that require both computer science skills and skills gained in a student's prior studies. The program requires no prior computer science training and covers a breadth of knowledge in advance computer science topics that can also be used to solve problems in the field of the student's bachelor's degree.

Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate breadth-of-knowledge and understanding of essential facts, concepts, principles and theories relating to advanced topics in computer science.
• Conduct literature searches, comprehend advanced research materials and uncover connections between related work and critical evaluation and synthesis.
• Perform research, discovery and integration by applying advanced knowledge of computer science.

The Bachelor of Technical and Applied Studies degree in Technical and Applied Studies is designed both for students beginning their academic study and for students with an associate degree or college-level coursework. The program accommodates varied educational backgrounds, develops competencies needed for success in a variety of work settings and offers major courses in schedules attractive to traditional students and to time- and place-bound adults.

Students construct a meaningful plan for using the curriculum to explore and prepare for their preferred futures by completing a cornerstone course. A capstone course features a synthesizing of learning focused on foundational competencies and developing an electronic portfolio. This enables students to collect artifacts of their learning, which can be used to advance their careers.

The Technical and Applied Studies major includes the following optional concentrations:

• The Applied Business concentration is an option for associate degree graduates or students with a business background who choose not to pursue the B.B.A degree, or for students who would like to gain knowledge about financial management, customer service, strategic management, labor students and leadership. The concentration includes a practicum.
• The Nonprofit-Human Services concentration provides students with the knowledge and competencies in areas such as grant writing and fundraising, mission and vision, advocacy and lobbying, risk management, board committee development, program planning, leadership and ethics, human resource development, youth and adult development, marketing, financial management and nonprofit management.

Students may also declare the Technical and Applied Studies major with no concentration. The stand-alone major offers a flexible and robust core of skills/knowledge-based courses, which bridge multiple disciplines in multiple colleges. The skill sets that are provided by this program are civic engagement, computer literacy, critical thinking, diversity and internationalization, ethics, information literacy, leadership, self-management, oral and written communication and mathematics.

The Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Entrepreneurship provides students with the academic background and experiential opportunities needed to view business opportunities from an entrepreneurial perspective. The program helps students recognize market and business opportunities and learn when to seize them or take action, all while operating within the context of limited resources and creating value for the customer.

The program contains numerous opportunities to experience entrepreneurship firsthand. During their senior year, students earn course credit by launching and running a business of their own creation. A practicum can earn students credit while developing their own business or assisting entrepreneurs with their business. Students have many opportunities to meet experienced entrepreneurs who discuss their successes and failures in business. Courses in the major are hands-on, with experiential learning central to the course format.

The Master of Arts degree in Biology is for students wishing to gain additional knowledge in any area of the biological sciences. This is a non-thesis master's degree designed for secondary school science teachers, individuals looking for additional background or preparation for professional school (e.g. medicine, dentistry or Ph.D. programs) and those seeking employment in life science industries in a non-research capacity.

The Biology major includes the following concentration:

• The Medical Biology concentration provides students with a deep understanding of physiological systems and the mechanisms that underlie various disorders and disease pathologies.

Students who declare the Biology major with no concentration will select their area of specialization in consultation with an academic faculty advisor.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Understand advanced biological concepts beyond the scope of the typical undergraduate degree and to increase the depth of their knowledge through coursework and hands-on experiences.
• Apply scientific principles and appreciate work outside of their particular field.
• Effectively communicate about science with colleagues as well as those outside of the student's area of expertise.
• Develop the necessary laboratory skills that will allow testing of hypotheses.

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Art is a liberal arts program that provides students with the breadth of study that complements core work in the visual arts. Students may choose one or more studio art minors or a second major outside the arts to prepare themselves for a wide range of careers or for further specialized study.

Students in the program are encouraged to take advantage of travel opportunities to New York Chicago, London, Paris and China. In addition, students can participate in study abroad full semester or summer experiences at Kent State's Florence, Italy, location.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate the ability (skill) to do competent work within their chosen media and an understanding of the processes and materials involved.
• Demonstrate an understanding of larger contemporary and historical contexts within which the visual arts have been created.
• Demonstrate an understanding of design and visual literacy in their work.
• Use skills in oral, written and digital presentation of work and of ideas associated with visual arts production, use and appreciation.

The Master of Education degree in Research, Measurement, and Statistics develops educators and specialists in the areas of assessment, measurement, research design and program evaluation. The program serves teachers and administrators seeking applied measurement, research and evaluation skills for use in schools (pre-kindergarten to grade 12) and in higher education. The program also serves professionals seeking careers in the areas of evaluation, research and psychometrics.

Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of descriptive and inferential statistics at a conceptual and application level.
• Demonstrate knowledge of research design and methods by selecting and executing the appropriate research design and methods for a variety of applications.
• Demonstrate knowledge of measurement, including the methods to develop valid and reliable measures of constructs.
• Demonstrate knowledge of contemporary and classic theories in program evaluation, the purposes and logic of program evaluation and the processes of different types of program evaluation.

The Master of Arts degree in German provides advanced education in German with emphasis on language, linguistics, literature and cultures and the latest methodologies in the teaching of German.

The German major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Applied Linguistics and Pedagogy concentration is intended primarily for those who are currently teaching in (or wish to teach in) elementary and secondary schools, and for those who wish to increase their effectiveness as teachers.

The Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Computer Information Systems provides students with a focus on the creation and supervision of the information systems that are commonly used in organizations of all types and sizes. There is a primary emphasis on problem-solving involving cloud computing systems and infrastructure, creating intuitive systems, business modeling and agile design, data management and business intelligence, cloud systems integration and project management and business experience.

Examples of information systems include airline reservation systems, mobile apps, bank automated teller systems, trading systems for stock exchanges, social media platforms and accounting/auditing systems.

Students can select electives to complement their knowledge base and interests such as in application design and development and other computing infrastructure that focus on the creation and maintenance of application used in smart phones and similar technologies and prepares students for careers as development engineers and system analysts. Students learn to use and manage cloud-based platforms to support and manage business processes and operations in organizations. Some material taught in courses correlate with the knowledge needed to pass professional certification exams.

Students participate in an internship, which involves a summer or a semester of paid professional experience in industry. Internship experience helps show the relevance of on-campus courses to professional work, helps students focus their career plans and often enables students to secure better jobs upon graduation.

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology and Justice Studies takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of crime, law and justice. Faculty members view crime, deviance and society’s response from the fields of sociology, political science, psychology and traditional criminal justice viewpoints. The curriculum provides a firm understanding of the basic institutions of the criminal justice system. Students are also exposed to criminological theory and diversity courses, which help them understand the complex relationship between the individual, society and the criminal justice system. The program stresses effective writing and analytical skills. Students are afforded the opportunity to earn credit through internship placements.

Students select at least one concentration in consultation with a faculty advisor or the undergraduate coordinator. Consultations with faculty enable students to make informed choices about which combination of courses will maximize their preparation for future careers and graduate education.

The Criminology and Justice Studies major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Corrections concentration is for students interested in pursuing careers in institutional corrections for adults or juveniles, or in such community corrections fields as probation and parole.
• The Criminology and Deviance concentration is for students interested in understanding the origins and nature of deviance and crime, their patterns and societal responses; this concentration is appropriate for students preparing for graduate study in sociology, criminology, criminal justice, public policy or social work.
• The General–Criminology and Justice Studies concentration is for students who either choose not to pursue specializations within the major or wish to pursue an individualized program of study (through general electives), which does not align with the other concentrations.
• The Justice and Human Relations concentration is for students interested in such fields as social work, counseling, clinical psychology, victimology, victim advocacy, juvenile justice, public/community relations in criminal justice, community organizing, diversity or social justice. (Interdisciplinary training and/or specialized graduate training are necessary for careers in many of those fields.)
• The Law and Society concentration is for students interested in the social relevance of law and social influences on law; this concentration is appropriate preparation for law school or graduate study in the social sciences.
• The Policing concentration is for students intending careers in law enforcement and other occupations related to security and public safety.
• The Victimology concentration is relevant for students interested in the scholarly study of crime victims, their treatment in the justice systems and programs that serve victims. It is useful for those interested in victim advocacy.