Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Mathematics (STEM)

at Kent State University USA

The Bachelor of Science degree in Emerging Media and Technology offers students the space to play, imagine and solve problems. The degree program draws on a number of disciplines, including emerging media, design, information sciences, human-computer interaction and communication. The technology curriculum is grounded in social science and the humanities, introducing students to theories of how technology shapes and changes people and societies. Students learn technical applications and skills in problem solving, design, user experience, creative applications and programming. Students synthesize technical and organizational skills in a series of experiential, hands-on and project-based courses in which they work collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate competency in the technical skills needed to pursue jobs in emerging media and technology, which includes web development, coding, data, human-computer interaction, creative applications, programming and problem-solving.
• Utilize emerging media technologies to design better experiences, improve existing systems and analyze digital social structures.
• Recognize the rapidly changing nature of emerging media and technology and learn the skills needed to adapt.
• Apply interdisciplinary solutions to solving technical, social and human problems related to emerging media and technology.
• Employ teamwork and project management as a problem solving technique.
• Critically analyze the effectiveness of their own work and the work of others.

The Bachelor of Science in Education degree in Middle Childhood Education prepares students for teacher licensure in selected subject areas, plus reading, for grades four to nine. In addition to content coursework and a substantial amount of field experiences, the Middle Childhood Education major includes intensive pedagogy courses that prepare students to understand the unique social, physical, cognitive and emotional needs of the young adolescent; these courses are taken as a cohort. Student teaching occurs during the final semester of the program.

Students choose two concentrations from the following:

    The Language Arts concentration includes courses in communication, grammar, literature, reading and writing.
    The Mathematics concentration includes courses in algebra, trigonometry, calculus, geometry and statistics.
    The Science concentration includes diverse courses in chemistry, biology, geology and physics.
    The Social Studies concentration includes diverse courses in economics, history, political science and geography.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate the knowledge, skills and disposition needed to work collaboratively with diverse others.
• Demonstrate content knowledge in two licensure specialization areas.
• Demonstrate in-depth instructional and planning skills to effectively meet the needs of all their students.

The Bachelor of Arts in Art History provides students with a substantive and comprehensive foundation of knowledge and an understanding of the major achievements in the history of art. It fosters visual analytical skills, critical thinking, creative problem-solving and research development and writing competencies, which prepare students for further graduate study as well as lifelong appreciation of and advocacy for the arts.

Study Abroad/Study Away Opportunities:

• Travel to: New York, Washington DC, London and Paris, and China
• Study Abroad in Florence, Italy; Semester in Italy or the Florence Summer Institute

The Master of Arts degree in Pure Mathematics comprises a flexible program of coursework in mathematics beyond the bachelor's degree emphasizing theoretical areas of the discipline (algebra, analysis, geometry, number theory and topology). There is no thesis requirement or option. Students in the pure mathematics Ph.D.degree can apply for this M.A. degree after completing the requisite number of credit hours.

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

• Reason in mathematical arguments, including using precise definitions, articulating assumptions and reasoning logically to conclusions.
• Engage effectively in problem solving, including exploring examples, devising and testing conjectures and assessing the correctness of solutions.
• Approach mathematical problems creatively, including trying multiple approaches and modifying problems when necessary to make them more tractable.
• Communicate mathematics clearly both orally and in writing.
• Teach university-level mathematics effectively.
• Understand and appreciate connections among different subdisciplines of mathematics.
• Be aware of and understand a broad range of mathematical subdisciplines.
• Obtain a broader and deeper understanding of core mathematics disciplines of algebra and analysis.

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics prepares students for such varied fields as secondary education, patent law, science journalism or interdisciplinary science careers. The core requirements permit a large number of elective courses, which allow students to complete a minor or second major in preparation for an interdisciplinary career. This program is well suited for those with a strong interest not only in science but also in a non-science field. Students completing the program may choose to continue their physics studies on a graduate level.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate the technical and cognitive skills important in a good physicist, including the following:
  • Think critically and analytically.
  • Define a problem and how to solve problems.
  • Understand advanced mathematics (e.g., calculus and differential equations) and computer skills.
  • Use, design and even build lab equipment.
• Demonstrate the traits important in a good scientist, namely, hard working, creative, meticulous, persistence, tenacious and self confidence.
• Communicate results of their work to peers, to their instructors or supervisors, to various target groups within the physics community and to people outside the discipline.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Fashion Merchandising allows for students to acquire a thorough background in the business aspects of the fashion industry, whereby they develop competencies in fashion theory, retail operations, management and buying, fashion forecasting and promotion, the merchandising for apparel manufacturing and the development and marketing of fashion goods.

Students participate in a study abroad/away experience, which includes opportunities to study for a semester in New York City and Florence, Italy, as well as through collaborative partnership programs with the Paris American Academy, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Regent's University in London.

In addition, students in the Fashion Merchandising major have the opportunity to enroll in the combined degree program with the Master of Business Administration degree. The combined B.S./M.B.A. degree program allows high-achieving undergraduate students early admission into graduate school. Students enrolled in the combined degree program will complete a maximum of 12 credit hours of graduate-level coursework for the M.B.A. degree during their senior year. This allows student to accelerate their completion of the M.B.A degree after being awarded their undergraduate degree. Students complete a minimum of 150 credit hours (120 representing the B.S. degree in Fashion Merchandising and at least an additional 30 representing the M.B.A. degree). To be eligible for the combined program, students must first complete a minimum of 90 credit hours in the fashion merchandising degree with at least a 3.300 overall grade point average. Upon achieving these requirements, students submit an admissions application to the M.B.A. program by the set application deadline. Students need to satisfy all requirements for the admissions application, including the GMAT exam.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Understand the fashion industry, fashion markets, fashion products, and services
• Demonstrate knowledge and skills of the fashion industry through reflective experiential learning.
• Apply integration of the key knowledge of various segments of industry from fiber to finished product, products/services, consumer markets, and technology in relation to the fashion industry.
• Articulate conceptual and critical thinking applicable to the fashion industry.
• Employ research processes and practices employed in the fashion industry.
• Demonstrate their professionalism and communication skills required in the fashion industry through visual, oral, and written forms.

The Master of Arts degree in Spanish provides advanced education in Spanish, which integrates the language, linguistics, literature and culture of Spain and Latin America and the latest methodologies in the teaching of Spanish.

The Spanish major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Applied Linguistics and Pedagogy concentration is intended primarily for students who wish to teach in elementary and secondary schools or beginning and intermediate levels of post-secondary study, and to increase their effectiveness as teachers.

The Master of Science degree in Athletic Training prepares graduates for the athletic training profession. The program emphasizes both ethics and research across the curriculum to integrate theory to practice, and is designed to facilitate inter-professional practice as athletic trainers engage actively with professionals across the health care disciplines.

The Athletic Training major is a two-calendar year program with summer academic work. The curriculum focuses on building clinical and didactic knowledge and skills anchored in evidence-based practice, while developing strong research skills by developing not only critical analysis skills, but also investigative research skills. Students are exposed to and actively engage with state-of-the-art equipment in professional health care facilities and are mentored by highly recognized professionals. The program fosters inter-professional collaboration to promote professional development for the students who will be practicing and researching in inter-disciplinary teams. Students have the ability to critically evaluate and complete scientific research at the end of their academic program, in addition to preparing for the Board of Certification national credentialing examination.

The Master of Arts degree in English offers students broad learning in English studies while providing concentrated study in one area. The English major comprises the following concentration:

The Literature and Writing concentration prepares students for further graduate study in English and related fields, for professional training in such fields as library and information science and for careers in teaching. The program achieves this goal with distribution requirements, electives and a required focus in either literary traditions, critical theory or rhetoric and composition.

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

• Demonstrate the ability to think critically about the literary texts they read and interpret.
• Demonstrate how to write coherently and clearly about research topics and other topics.
• Demonstrate an understanding on how disciplines are interconnected.
• Apply appropriate research methods to objects of study.
• Demonstrate effective teaching skills and knowledge of appropriate teaching theories, if on appointment.

The Master of Arts degree in History offers students the opportunity for advanced study in a variety of areas. Coursework emphasizes interpretation, methodology and original research. A student's program of study allows for the opportunity to conduct historical inquiry, research and analysis at the highest level. While students will be able to develop a core competence in their chosen field study, they will also study the histories of regions and times far removed from their central interests. Students may also pursue interdisciplinary work in cognate fields composed of courses in outside disciplines.

Students who anticipate continuing their graduate study beyond the M.A. should pursue one of the thesis tracks. Those who choose the thesis option, which is required of students on graduate assistantships, will produce a thesis based on original primary source research that engages a historiographically significant research question. Non-thesis options are available for those who do not expect to go on to doctoral work.

The program develops graduates who are educated scholar-citizens committed to historical empathy and in possession of critical thinking and communication skills honed by rigorous training.

The History major includes the following optional concentration:

• The History for Secondary School Teachers concentration is for educators interested in the advanced study of history. Coursework is focused on current scholarship and approaches to history. While the concentration's focus is not in history pedagogy, it is designed to encourage the application of current historical scholarship to the work responsibilities of the practicing teacher. The program provides school professionals with a structured but flexible approach to analyzing and teaching history while permitting interdisciplinary work in related fields or areas particularly relevant to students' professional objectives.