Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising

at Kent State University USA

The Bachelor of Science degree in Geology is designed for those interested in a professional career in the field. The curriculum focuses on minerals, rocks, landforms, fossils, structural geology, geochemistry and field mapping, among others. Supplemental courses include introductory chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics. Students are also encouraged to specialize in a applied or theoretical area of the science.

The Geology major includes the following optional concentration:

• The Environmental Geology optional concentration provides students with specialized training for careers in the well-established and growing field of environmental geology, including water resources, resource management and energy resources. The concentration's curriculum focuses on hydrology, hydrogeology, engineering geology and environmental monitoring techniques.

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 Master of Architecture degree seeks to prepare graduates to lead in the field of architecture by stimulating the growth of technical knowledge and design creativity. The program fosters the refinement of design skills acquired in undergraduate programs. Master coursework affords opportunities for inquiry in architecture through the introduction of traditional scholarly research methods as well as approaches to research through design in a studio setting. Professional practice courses paired with Theory seminars and elective classes in areas of digital technology, building sciences, and history provide a comprehensive exposure to professional opportunities and a broad capacity for considering and postulating architecture in innovative ways.

Students may also pursue a dual degree program with the Master of Business Administration degree or with the Master of Urban Design degree.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Increase level of intellectual discourse about architecture.
• Demonstrate enhanced verbal, graphic and writing skills.
• Develop and enhance student's research skills.
• Develop and enhance problem-solving and reasoning skills; an ability to critically analyze information and fundamental design skills.
• Understand the complexities of environmental design including both technical and theoretical components.
• Develop management and leadership skills; verbal and graphic
• Understand design and systems integration through a thesis or capstone experience through an array of professional practice and “field” related coursework.
• Demonstrate the ability to think critically and to gather, record and apply relevant information.
• Develop an awareness of and sensitivity to international cultures.
• Understand different cultural perspectives, values, customs and traditions.
• Understand western traditions.
• Understand the principles of building programming, including assessment of user needs, review of precedents, an inventory of space requirements, site analysis and review of the relevant laws and standards.
• Understand design principles and theories of urban design.
• Develop an ability to compare and contrast the perspectives, values, customs and traditions of student`s own culture from those held by other cultures.
• Develop and enhance student's writing skills.
• Understand the following professional practices: real estate and development, contract and planning law, leadership and ethics, office and finance management.
• Understand site.
• Understand the responsibility of the architect to elicit, understand and resolve the needs of the client.
• Develop an awareness of diverse cultures, ideals and beliefs.

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.

The Bachelor of Integrative Studies degree provides maximum freedom for students who wish to take a multidisciplinary, individualized approach to the design of an educational program while maintaining a focus on career and professional goals. The Integrative Studies major has a General concentration, and a Two Minors concentration. These concentrations may have the most appeal for students near the end of their academic careers (senior-level students) who are re-evaluating their academic and career choices. It is a program in which the student undertakes the responsibility for the research and design of their program, in consultation with an advisor.

The Integrative Studies-General concentration allows students to choose a minimum of 30 credit hours from interrelated programs that support their career aspirations.

The Integrative Studies-Two Minors concentration allows students to complete two university-recognized minors and/or certificates. A minimum of two academic departments in which to select courses are chosen and a rationale for the ways in which these courses support the student's career goals is developed.

The Master of Education degree in Special Education provides students with advanced understanding of contemporary research and practice issues in special education. Students in the program are typically interested in pursuing enhanced professional competence, career advancement, leadership roles, advocacy and systems change; or they may be wanting to prepare for doctoral-level study. Students do not need to have an undergraduate degree in special education (or in education) to be successful in the master's degree; however, should be motivated to develop a deeper understanding of the field of special education.

The M.Ed. degree program does not prepare students for teacher licensure; however, some of the coursework required for the degree may count toward licensure. Students interested in both licensure and a M.Ed. degree will need to apply and be fully admitted into both the master's degree and the non-degree graduate licensure preparation program.

The Special Education major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Early Childhood Intervention Specialist concentration focuses on needs of young children with or at risk for developmental delays or disabilities, birth to grade 5 (birth to age 10) and their families.

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 Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology focuses on human cultural and biological diversity and the impact on past and present environments. Anthropology’s relevance to other areas of study, including sociology, social-psychology, biology and pre-medicine, links it to culture area studies, community planning and public health.

The Anthropology major provides in-depth area studies in the South Pacific (cultural anthropology), Mesoamerica and Ohio (archaeology). Students who focus on the biological aspect of human evolution benefit from the freshman-level human evolution laboratory.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Learn how anthropologists investigate the past using the methods of social scientists.
• Demonstrate comprehension of anthropology’s special role in making archaeology, particularly the study of prehistoric Mexico and Ohio, come to life and become relevant for them.
• 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 all of the eastern woodlands, and the Americas as well.
• Demonstrate an understanding of biological anthropology as the most relevant evolution science, the one which gives them an appreciation of their place in nature.
• See the two dimensions of human evolution and adaptation: a global one (modern human variation) and a 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 the roles which genetics and developmental biology play.
• Achieve a holistic view of human cultures and an extensive knowledge base of diverse human behavior.

The Master of Education degree in Reading Specialization develops practical and professional knowledge that is essential for educators concerned with the improvement of literacy at all instructional levels. Students study the nature of the reading and writing processes; the interrelationships between language, literature and literacy; literacy learning and teaching; the nature and needs of students who find reading and writing difficult; reading and writing as vehicles for learning and enjoyment; and the role of research in literacy instruction.

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

• Demonstrate outstanding or satisfactory knowledge of the foundations of reading and writing processes and instruction.
• Use a wide range of instructional practices, approaches, methods and curriculum materials to support reading and writing instruction.
• Use of a variety of assessment tools and practices to plan and evaluate effective reading instruction.
• Create and engage their students in literacy practices that develop awareness, understanding, respect and valuing of differences in society.
• Create a literate environment that fosters reading and writing by integrating foundational knowledge, use of instructional practices, approaches and methods, curriculum materials and the appropriate use of assessments.
• View professional development as a career long effort and responsibility.

The Bachelor of Science in Information Technology degree in Information Technology provides students with an applied approach that focuses on supporting end-users in a variety of workplace settings by utilizing a range of computing technologies. The degree program gives students the tools to support computing and network infrastructures and the needs of individuals and organizations, write programs necessary to help them render their tasks more efficiently on their desktop or mobile devices, utilize databases and write the web-based interfaces to pull the data, and code and deploy applications across the cloud.

Graduates are qualified to work in a wide range of computer and network infrastructures in small to large-sized enterprises in such positions as: web or software developer; hardware, network, cloud, virtualization technician or engineer; IT support specialist or consultant; help desk, network, or IT project manager; security or forensic analyst; and systems, network or database administrator in all sectors of business, education, manufacturing, healthcare, non-profit, and government.

The Information Technology major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Application Development concentration provides students with the ability to program in languages typically utilized in contemporary business environments. Students will code in applications such as Visual Basic, C++, Java, C# and other industry-standard applications to develop programs employing event-driven and object-oriented techniques.
• The Cybersecurity and Forensics concentration places an emphasis on security of computer and network systems, including forensic work to prevent and/or determine and correct security issues utilizing cybersecurity devices, procedures, tools, and solutions.
• The Database Design and Administration concentration focuses on skills needed to become a database manager. Topics include relational database design; working with database servers, users, and permissions; SQL statements used for queries and reports; and incorporating databases into programming used in web-based and desktop forms.
• The Health Information Technology concentration provides students with the tools to install, manage, troubleshoot and secure hardware and software systems in healthcare environments. The course of study includes health IT privacy, security, EHR Implementation and support, mobile device management, technology and application life-cycle management, organizational behavior, medical business operations and regulatory requirements.
• The Integrated Information Technology concentration is ideal for students who want a flexible course of study for positions that require IT staff to perform a wide range of technical duties.
• The Internet/Multimedia concentration focuses on scripting, server-side form handling, web database integration, and interactive and dynamic multimedia Internet development.
• The Networking concentration focuses on configuring and maintaining network information systems and components in various network operating system and cloud computing environments that are prevalent in today's businesses. The emphasis is on network administration (i.e. managing Active Directory and network services), servers, workstations, virtualization, security, troubleshooting, installation, and maintenance.