Bachelor of Science in Emerging Media and Technology (STEM)

at Kent State University USA

The Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Design and Technology is a terminal degree designed for those who are interested in achieving the artistry and skills necessary to qualify as practicing professionals in the entertainment industry and/or professional theatre educators. The program is a three-year course of study with a flexible curriculum for students to explore areas of special interest.

The Theatre Design and Technology major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Costume Design and Technology concentration prepares students for careers in the entertainment industry, professional theatre or theatre education. Students study both design and technology, including related areas such as dye techniques, costume crafts and wigs and makeup. Students also design costumes for main-stage departmental productions. The curriculum includes core classes in theatre history, dramatic theory and historical periods.

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

• Acquire creative and technical ability to develop the design of a production from concept to finished product.
• Acquire advanced abilities in the unification of all design elements used in professional production.
• Understand analytical or academically oriented theatre studies in areas related to and supportive of the work in the major field such as history, theory, dramatic literature and performance studies.
• Understand information resources associated with theatrical design and production.
• Produce full working drawings for mounted productions.
• Analyze text, music and dance and the ways that historical, critical and theoretical content inform playwriting, acting, directing and design.
• Communicate ideas clearly and effectively to the theatre community, production teams and the public.
• Know the history of their area of specialization and have the ability to integrate that history into production design.
• Know current technology, tools and methods in their area of specialization and have the ability to integrate technology into production design.
• Know health and safety practices associated with theatre production.
• Communicate and navigate effectively within the field of professional theatrical production design.
• Demonstrate an understanding of professional ethics and practice.

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 Arts degree in English prepares students to be insightful readers and innovative writers. Students are introduced to literary traditions and critical methods through core courses and encouraged to pursue personal interests in the selection of a concentration and elective courses. English classes challenge students to develop reading, research and writing skills that will equip them for a wide range of careers.

Students have opportunities in extracurricular organizations, including the English Club, Sigma Tau Delta and the Writer’s Workshops; as well as such student publications as the literary arts magazine Luna Negra. Students are encouraged to study abroad, engage in undergraduate research, commit to service-learning and complete a writing internship.

The English major comprises the following concentrations:

• The General concentration allows students to combine elective choices in creative writing, professional writing, rhetoric, historical literature, genre studies and literary theory based on personal interest.
• The Literature concentration emphasizes the interpretation of literary texts drawn from a variety of historical and cultural contexts. Students develop an understanding of genre conventions and different theoretical and critical methods of analysis.
• The Professional Writing concentration offers courses in professional writing, editing, and rhetoric. The concentration requires a professional experience elective fulfilled by an internship, service-learning placement or an advanced course in editing.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate specialized knowledge and skills in literary studies or professional writing.
• Know research tools and methods appropriate for the academic study of literature, rhetoric or writing.
• Understand and apply a variety of critical theories to the study of literature, rhetoric or writing.
• Produce academic, creative or professional writing with attention to appropriate genre conventions, format and citation guidelines, stylistic expectations and grammatical rules.
• Complete a long written project with the application of appropriate critical, creative or professional approaches; mastery of research methods and resources; and awareness of audience, rhetorical context and discourse functions.

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 Cellular and Molecular Biology concentration provides a heavy focus on cell-to-cell interactions and signaling pathways to give students a deep understanding of the cellular and molecular processes that occur within cells and physiological systems.

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 Science degree in Translation is a pre-professional program designed for students who are seeking the more professional focus and interdisciplinary breadth that the B.S. degree offers with the inclusion of a minor, double major or certificate to develop the skills needed to translate in a professional setting. It introduces the basics of translation theory as it applies to the actual practice of translation.

The requirement of a minor, certificate or second major enables students to acquire a level of expertise in a specific field in which they can specialize as translators. This degree also enables students to have a major and a minor that make them more competitive and prepares them for a sector that the U.S. Department of Labor projects as one of the fastest-growing sectors globally. Translation majors are strongly encouraged to undertake study in a country where their language concentration is spoken so that they can achieve the necessary proficiency level. Skills necessary include an excellent command of the source language, an excellent command of the target language, cultural knowledge, specialist knowledge, research competence, terminological competence, technological competence, an understanding of the translation industry and transfer competence.

Graduates may enter graduate programs in translation (the professional degree) or go on to work for government, business or industry, for translation agencies or as freelance translators.

The Translation major comprises the following concentrations:

• Arabic
• French
• German
• Russian
• Spanish

Many study abroad opportunities exist, including:

• France: Université Michel de Montaigne Bordeaux III, Bordeaux (all class standings, all majors/minors)
• Germany: Julius-Maximilian-Universität Würzburg, Würzbug (all class standings, all majors/minors)
• Germany: Universität Leipzig, Leipzig (intermediate German language proficiency required)
• Spain: Universidad Europea de Madrid, Madrid (all class standings, all majors/minors)
• Spain: Universidad Europea de Valencia, Valencia

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Participate in the most informal and some formal conversation with sufficient accuracy, clarity and precision to convey their intended message without misrepresentation or confusion and identify the cultural variables likely to lead to misunderstanding when communicating in their language pair.
• Compose routine social correspondence and write summaries, narratives and descriptions of a factual nature needed in a professional context (i.e., business letters, memos, commercial and legal forms etc.) in their non-native language.
• Translate short general and semi-specialized tests in various domains and in a variety of translations contexts from the source language into their native language with a basic understanding of translation principles and of text features relevant in the translation decision-making process.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the typical life cycle of multilingual information in the language industry and common computer applications used by translators.

The Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance provides students with an academic background appropriate for entry into a financial career, including financial management, investments, banking/financial institutions, risk/insurance and related areas. The courses are designed to provide students with an understanding of the relationship between business finance and the economic system in the context of managerial analysis and decision making.

The Master of Arts degree in Anthropology provides opportunities for students to study in three fields: cultural anthropology, archaeology and biological anthropology. The research-oriented program encourages students to develop their own projects or participate in existing projects by their second semester. More than 80 percent of M.A. graduates continue for the Ph.D. degree or find employment in an area directly related to their training.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate a holistic view of human cultures. They are to appreciate that the global species is a social and cultural as well as a biological organism, with a past that is both historic and prehistoric. A student who wishes to emphasize socio-cultural anthropology will demonstrate a fundamental appreciation of diverse human and institutional behavior.
• Appreciate and demonstrate how anthropologists investigate the past using the methods of the social sciences and the natural sciences, particularly geography and geology. They demonstrate comprehension of anthropology’s special role in making archaeology, particularly the study of prehistoric Ohio, woodland North America, and Mesoamerica, come to life and become relevant for them. In addition, they gain a special appreciation of archaeology’s other mandate—the need to conserve the precious heritage of the archaeological record, not only Ohio’s but that of the Americas and the Old World as well.
• Demonstrate an understanding of biological anthropology as the most relevant evolution science, the one which gives them an appreciation of their own place in nature. They see the two dimensions of human evolution and adaptation: a global one (modern human variation) and a deep temporal one (human origins). Both dimensions require an appreciation of the neo-Darwinian theory of evolution, which includes both the process of natural selection and also the roles which genetics and developmental biology play in adaptation and evolution. They appreciate the urgency of primate and rainforest conservation.

The Master of Science degree in Materials Science provides students with extensive scientific training, cutting-edge research opportunities and engineering skills necessary for a variety of careers in academy and industry. Program faculty and students conduct research through Kent State's participating departments and the Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute. Such research includes liquid crystal synthesis and molecular design; properties of liquid crystals and related advanced materials; lyotropic liquid crystals and bio-related materials; opto-electronics; and nanoscience and nanotechnologies. These important research foci are inherently interdisciplinary.

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

• Develop an advanced understanding of the fundamental science of soft materials and ability to apply acquired knowledge of physical and chemical properties of advanced soft materials and devices such as liquid crystals, polymers, colloids and active matter.
• Gain experience in presenting scientific data in research publications, articles, posters and oral presentations.
• Apply acquired knowledge to the development of new soft materials, new theories and effects and advanced materials such as liquid crystal-based devices.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental and Conservation Biology is designed for students interested in a career in the environmental sciences. This program provides an interdisciplinary education in biology and the supporting fields of geology, geography and chemistry. Environmental and conservation biologists work to sustainably manage or restore ecosystems, develop and implement environmental policies, or conduct research on how ecological processes affect biological diversity.

Potential careers for graduates include wildlife ecologists, environmental educators, forest managers, environmental consultants and personnel at public environmental regulatory or land use planning agencies. The Department of Biological Sciences has several mechanisms to help students prepare for their future careers.

The Environmental and Conservation Biology major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Conservation Biology concentration provides a strong background in applied ecology, restoration ecology and habitat management strategies used to sustain biological diversity.
• The Environmental Policy and Management concentration provides opportunities to learn about the development and implementation of habitat management methods and public policies that promote the sustainable use of natural resources and address environmental problems.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of fundamental biological principles.
• Acquire fundamental skills necessary for laboratory and field investigations.
• Demonstrate an understanding of proper experimental design, analysis of biological data and communication of research results.
• Demonstrate a greater knowledge and appreciation of the role that biology plays in societal issues, such as those related to the environment, biodiversity, ethics, human health and disease.

The Bachelor of Science in Education degree in Integrated Science is a five-year degree that prepares students for licensure in all areas of science, grades 7-12. Students take a broad range of science-content courses in geology, geography, biology, chemistry and physics, and choose one area in which to specialize. Students complete most of their content coursework during their first four years and then begin their methods coursework during the spring of their fourth year. During the final year of the program, students complete remaining content courses, science teaching methods courses and a year-long placement in a local school district, which concludes with 13 weeks of student teaching in the spring. Integrated Science students are encouraged to meet with their advisor early in their program as many courses must be sequenced carefully.

Students are required to complete Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification (BCII) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background checks.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Plan multiple lessons using a variety of inquiry approaches that demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of how to engage all students in learning science.
• Plan a learning environment and learning experiences for all students that demonstrate chemical safety, safety procedures, and the ethical treatment of living organisms within their licensure area.
• Plan fair and equitable assessment strategies to analyze student learning and to evaluate if the science learning goals are met.