Master of Education in Career-Technical Teacher Education

at Kent State University USA

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics equips students with a variety of skills sought by employers, including conceptualizing and solving problems and locating, organizing and analyzing relevant data.

In their junior year, students learn microeconomic and macroeconomic theory and take an econometrics class to learn data analysis skills. Students then take a series of electives that deal with vital current topics relevant to many careers in which these theories and skills are applied, such as the U.S. financial and banking system, economic relations between the United States and foreign countries; government spending and taxation policies; and the U.S. health system and policy options.

In their senior year, students take a capstone course that utilizes and applies the theory, skills and institutional knowledge learned in the program.

In addition to the B.A. degree in the College of Arts and Sciences, a B.B.A. degree in Economics is offered in the College of Business Administration.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Technology focuses primarily on the applied aspects of science and engineering and prepares graduates for practice in that portion of the technological spectrum closest to product improvement, manufacturing, construction and engineering operational functions.

The Engineering Technology major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Electrical/Electronics concentration allows seamless articulation with technical associate degrees for students who wish to advance their careers in the electrical/electronic engineering field. Electrical engineers and technologists design, develop, test and supervise the manufacturing of electrical equipment, such as electric motors, radar and navigation systems, communications systems, and power generation equipment. Electronics engineers design and develop electronic equipment, such as broadcast and communications systems-from portable music players to global positioning systems (GPS).
• The Green and Alternative Energy concentration refers to energy sources that have no undesired consequences, for example, fossil fuels or nuclear energy. Alternative energy sources are renewable and are thought to be "free" energy sources. They all have lower carbon emissions, compared to conventional energy sources. These include biomass energy, wind energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, and hydroelectric energy sources. Combined with the use of recycling, the use of clean alternative energies such as the home use of solar power systems will help ensure man's survival into the 21st century and beyond. By 2050, one-third of the world's energy will need to come from solar, wind, and other renewable resources, according to British Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell, two of the world's largest oil companies.
• The Integrated Engineering Technology concentration permits graduates from a variety of associate degree backgrounds to formulate a program of advanced study in upper-division technical courses, chosen with a faculty advisor, to gain additional technical depth or breadth.
• The Mechanical/Systems concentration allows seamless articulation with technical associate degrees for students who wish to advance their careers in the mechanical or manufacturing field. Mechanical engineering technology is one of the broadest engineering disciplines. Mechanical engineers and technologists design, develop, build and test mechanical and thermal devices, including tools, engines and machines. Graduates of this program can expect to work mostly in engineering services, research and development, manufacturing industries, and the federal government.

The Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Economics equips students with a variety of skills sought by employers, including conceptualizing and solving problems; locating, organizing and using relevant information; and analytical ability.

In their junior year, students learn microeconomic and macroeconomic theory and take an econometrics class to learn basic analytical skills. Students then take a series of electives that deal with vital current topics relevant to many careers in which these theories and skills are applied, such as U.S. financial and banking system; the economic relations between the United States and foreign countries; government spending and taxation policies; and the U.S. health system and policy options.

During their senior year, students take a capstone course that utilizes and applies the theory, skills and institutional knowledge learned in the program.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Conceptualize and analyze problems using economic concepts and reasoning.
• Critically analyze alternative economic policy proposals.
• Use analytic and quantitative techniques that are use extensively in economic to formulate and test hypotheses.

Graduates of all Bachelor of Business Administration programs will be able to:

• Recall strategic frameworks that are used to make business decisions.
• Perform basic calculations using quantitative tools that are used to support business decisions.
• Articulate and deliberate their ideas in writing.
• Articulate and deliberate their ideas orally.
• Identify ethical dilemmas and stakeholders.
• Recommend alternatives and consequences and choose a reasoned conclusion from the alternatives given.
• Identify global factors in making a business decision.
• Analyze global factors in making a business decision.

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 Master of Science degree in Biological Sciences–Integrative Physiology and Neurobiology is the study of a broad range of topics, including endocrinology, neuroscience, immunology, reproductive biology and other regulatory systems. Students have access to resources for physiological research, including a vivarium, tissue culture facility, confocal microscope/visualization facility, laser capture microscope, genomics and proteomics facilities.

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 Public Relations can take students from corporate boardrooms and creative agencies to sports arenas, the halls of Congress, global nonprofits, hospitals, fashion runways, and beyond. Students graduate with a grounding in the practice of responsible advocacy and a firm grasp of the inclusive communication practices.

Kent State boasts the only public relations program in Ohio that is both certified by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC).

This degree is rooted in professionalism, with a focus on developing writing, critical thinking, digital and visual communication skills, as well as analytics and strategic multimedia storytelling. Students learn to deliver messages through social media, websites, podcasts, videos, press releases and other media tools, events, public policy and more.

Classes routinely involve researching, creating and presenting a public relations plan for real clients. Students will build a strong portfolio through hands-on learning opportunities, including two student agencies, a required professional internship, and public relations campus jobs. Kent State’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and its members consistently win awards at national conferences, placing the chapter in the top tier nationwide.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate critical thinking, grounded in a legal and ethical framework.
• Gather information, analyze it and make informed judgments using methods and tools appropriate to their professions.
• Demonstrate the ability to apply theory and research appropriate to their professions, including quantitative and qualitative methods.
• Demonstrate the ability to apply basic ethical principles to their professional work.
• Demonstrate the ability to apply laws and regulations applicable to their professional work.
• Write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the communications professions, audiences and purposes they serve.
• Demonstrate understanding of how media and their professions evolved historically, their role in societal development and their global interaction today with institutions and individuals.
• Demonstrate appreciation for diverse cultures and individual differences, and reflect that appreciation in their work.

The Bachelor of Science in Education degree in Integrated Social Studies prepares prospective teachers to be purposeful, deliberative and reflective practitioners, who teach students to contribute to the deepening of democracy, and promote the common good. The program is designed to develop pre-service teachers who learn from practice; engage in collaborative inquiry and partnerships to promote student learning and continued professional growth, create equitable classrooms, plan/organize meaningful lessons and assessments; and view themselves as curriculum developers who recognize that social studies content and curriculum are more than information in textbooks and standardized curriculum guides.

The Integrated Social Studies major comprises the following concentrations which prepares students to build on and integrate their content knowledge as part of developing participatory, democratic citizens:

• Economics
• Geography
• History
• Political Science
• Sociology

Graduates are prepared to teach social studies in grades 7-12 and are recommended for Ohio licensure upon completion of all state requirements.

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 and teach lessons rooted in inquiry-based questions as outlined by the College, Career and Civic (C3) Framework as endorsed by the National Council for the Social Studies.
• Plan for and teach in ways that promote active student engagement, value multiple perspectives and encourage listening across difference.
• Develop equitable classrooms steeped in social justice that promote freedom and democracy for all learners.

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 concentrations:

The Concentration for Teachers is for educators interested in advanced study of literature and writing. Coursework focuses on current scholarship and approaches to literature and writing. While not a degree in literary and composition pedagogy, the concentration is designed to encourage the application of current literary and writing research to the work responsibilities of the practicing teacher.

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

The Concentration for Teachers is for educators interested in advanced study of literature and writing. Coursework focuses on current scholarship and approaches to literature and writing. While not a degree in literary and composition pedagogy, the concentration is designed to encourage the application of current literary and writing research to the work responsibilities of the practicing teacher.

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 Bachelor of Science degree in Mechatronics Engineering integrates mechanical, electrical, computer and controls engineering to understand automated machinery, specifically, how to design it and how to make it work. Mechatronics engineering revolves around the design, construction and operation of automated systems, robots and intelligent products, which result from the integration of software and hardware.

Using automated systems is becoming more popular for operating equipment or machinery on manufacturing lines, boilers and aircraft to reduce labor costs, increase precision and accuracy and provide quality and safety for workers. Mechatronic devices can be found in agriculture, hospitals, buildings, homes, automobiles, manufacturing plants, the toy and entertainment industry and in aids for the elderly and disabled.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Apply knowledge of mathematics, science and engineering
• Design a system, component or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints, such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturing and sustainability
• Use the techniques, skills and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.