Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience

at Kent State University USA

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 Music degree in Performance is designed to prepare the student for professional music activities, including solo performance, orchestral playing, ensemble playing, collaborative performance, studio teaching; as well as doctoral study. The program emphasizes development of skills, knowledge and background in the following areas: literature and repertoire, performance skills, practice skills, interpretation and expression, performance pedagogy, historical performance practices, music history and music theory.

The Performance major includes the following optional concentrations:

• The Collaborative Piano concentration provides focused study on performance, chamber music, accompanying and literature.

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

• Recognize, identify, interpret and perform representative literature from different historical periods, countries and composers.
• Apply advanced performing skills in solo and ensemble settings, including tone production, accuracy, intonation, instrumental/vocal technique, musicality/expression, vocal language and diction and stage presence/presentation.
• Discuss, utilize and achieve high-quality results from efficient and effective practice techniques, including time management, achievable goals and use of appropriate technical skills, musical expression skills and focused work ethic.
• Have an enhanced understanding of interpretation and expression in music.
• Identify, explain and utilize performance pedagogy appropriate to the specific area of study.
• Identify, associate, differentiate and utilize performances practices appropriate to the literature of the various stylistic periods.
• Utilize and discuss score study of literature performed and also representative literature from various historical periods and composers.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics emphasizes the tools most useful in science, engineering and technology applications: mathematical modeling, scientific computing and probability and statistics.

The Applied Mathematics major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Financial Mathematics concentration prepares students for graduate programs in mathematical or computational finance or financial engineering.

The Master of Arts degree in Media and Journalism is designed to give students a solid background in preparation for a professional career. Students are able to take a mix of online and face-to-face courses that allow them to craft a graduate degree that reflects their career interest. Courses are dynamic, challenging and professionally relevant. With small class sizes, students are able to learn from their professors and from the experiences of their fellow classmates, many of whom are working media professionals or nationally recognized journalism educators.

The Media and Journalism major offers the following optional concentration:

• The Journalism Education concentration is intended for those seeking to teach or advise student journalists. The program is affiliated with Kent State's Center for Scholastic Journalism, and faculty include some of the most-recognized high school journalism educators in the country. The coursework focuses on concepts and lessons that can be used in a teacher's classroom right away, with a professional project as the culminating requirement.

Students not selecting the concentration work with their advisor to plan a course of study that meets their professional needs, with the culminating requirement of either a thesis or professional project.

The School of Media and Journalism provides its students with a strong foundation to achieve their goals in the rapidly changing media industry. All students take a series of core courses that provide the foundation for a career in media and journalism and develop a specialization through the selection of elective courses that can be within or outside of the school. One student may choose to hone skills as a multimedia journalist focusing on public affairs, while another may seek to develop expertise as a public relations professional for not-for-profit organizations.

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

• Communicate effectively across multiple platforms.
• Demonstrate an understanding of relevant ethical and legal frameworks in their disciplines.
• Ground their professional work in relevant theories.
• Represent high levels of professionalism.

The Master of Arts degree in Physics is a highly flexible program consisting of graduate coursework that can be customized according to the academic background and needs of the individual student. This flexibility is a good match for the needs of part-time students who continue to hold full-time employment in secondary education or in industry.

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

• Demonstrate cognitive skills important to a physicist, including to think critically and analytically and define and solve problems in physics.
• Demonstrate a core knowledge and understanding of the foundations of physics.

The Master of Science degree in Clinical Epidemiology is a STEM-designated advanced degree that prepares students in the epidemiological and biostatistical methods related to clinical trials and clinical research.Students will learn advanced methods of observational and experimental study designs and be able to understand disease prevention, development, prognosis and treatment. In addition, students will master and be able to apply good clinical practices, clinical trial design and management, statistical analysis, study monitoring, pharmaceutical research and regulations related to clinical research.

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

• Conduct patient-oriented research to understand and modify health outcomes
• Design and carryout epidemiologic studies
• Analyze clinical data and understand the sources, strengths and limitations of patient data
• Design and perform clinical trials
• Interact with human subjects and describe prognosis, therapies and outcomes

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 Arts degree in Mathematics is a flexible program, grounded in the liberal arts and suited for students' individual interests and needs. The program combines well with a second major and/or minors.

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.

Students in the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology apply the science of understanding and explaining thoughts, emotions and behavior to solving real-world problems. Topics include stress, biological influences on behavior, growth and development of children and diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders. Elective courses may be used to specialize in a number of areas of psychology and to gain hands-on experience in research labs. The degree prepares students for graduate school and employment in a range of fields, including clinical, applied and experimental areas of psychology and related fields such as education, law, human resources and health care.

The Psychology major includes the following optional concentrations:

• The Child Psychology concentration is designed for students who are interested specifically in children and adolescents. Topics include child development, psychological disorders of childhood and adolescence, children's cognitive processes, personality development and child-related research experience. The concentration prepares students for graduate study and employment in a range of fields, including clinical psychology, school psychology, school counseling and employment in settings such as child development centers and related agencies.
• The Counseling Careers concentration is designed to prepare students for employment in a range of fields and for master's-level study in all fields of counseling. Topics include human adjustment, stress and coping, human development, personality, psychological disorders, treatment and intervention techniques, psychometrics, psychopharmacology and clinical or counseling-related research experience.

Students interested in other career paths within psychology may pursue the major without a concentration.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Describe the basic theoretical perspectives, principles, concepts, empirical findings and historical trends in psychology.
• Understand and use fundamental data analysis techniques.
• Understand and apply basic research methods/tools in psychology and evaluate the adequacy of research designs.
• Write effectively in the discipline.
• Recognize, understand, and respect the complexity of sociocultural and international diversity.