Master of Education in Early Childhood Education

at Kent State University USA

The Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology teaches design, operation, installation, maintenance and analysis of machinery. The program prepares students to become highly technical professionals in current and emerging fields using mechanical and computer-aided engineering. Students learn to develop innovative solutions to problems encountered in manufacturing.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Use the techniques, skill and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.
• 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, manufacturability and sustainability.

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 Bachelor of Science in Psychology is designed to prepare students for graduate study in psychology and related fields. Topics include stress and trauma, neural basis of learning and memory, social and biological influences on mental and physical health, growth and development of children, and diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders. Students evaluate and interpret data and gain hands-on experience conducting research. Elective courses may be used to specialize in a number of areas of psychology and related fields such as neuroscience. The degree prepares students for graduate study and employment in a range of fields, including clinical psychology, research and experimental areas of psychology such as cognitive science and behavioral neuroscience, and related fields such as medicine and neuroscience.

The Psychology major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Child Psychology concentration is designed to prepare students for graduate study in clinical psychology, research and experimental areas of psychology, school counseling, developmental psychology, school psychology or related disciplines that require knowledge of interpersonal relationships and human development. Topics include child development, psychological disorders of childhood and adolescence, children's cognitive processes, personality development and child-related research experience.
• The Pre-medicine/Pre-Podiatry concentration prepares students for graduate study in medicine or osteopathic medicine. The concentration is designed to cover the Pre-medicine/Pre-osteopathy requirements so that students are prepared to take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and have the required prerequisites necessary for applying to medical school.

    For students interested in other career paths within psychology, a "no concentration" option provides the flexibility to prepare for those careers.

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.

The Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering provides an advanced theoretical and/or research-oriented curriculum with significant depth in aerospace-specific disciplines, beyond the general fundamentals of the engineering bachelor’s degree.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Conduct literature searches, comprehend advanced research materials and uncover connections between related work.
• Perform research, discovery and integration by applying advanced knowledge of aerospace engineering.
• Communicate problems and solutions in aerospace engineering clearly, both verbally and in writing.

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 Education degree in Health Education and Promotion is designed to enable individuals to pursue their diverse interests in the field while addressing the competencies essential to the professional development of health educators

Students in the program utilize theoretical models of attitude and behavioral change in assessing educational needs, designing educational interventions, evaluating the effectiveness of program efforts, and advocating for creative and competent health education opportunities. These skills prepare graduates for various employment positions in local, state and national government; K-12 schools and community colleges; health care facilities; worksite wellness programs; and nonprofit organizations.

The Health Education and Promotion major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Community Health concentration provides background for those who will be involved in positions of leadership in a wide variety of health-related community settings, as well as for those who plan to pursue doctoral work in fields related to health education and health promotion. Students in the concentration can pursue certification as a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) or Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES).

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 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 Medical Biology concentration provides students with a deep understanding of physiological systems and the mechanisms that underlie various disorders and disease pathologies.

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 Master of Arts degree in Cultural Foundations explores education through a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives: philosophy of education, history of education, sociology of education, comparative/international education, anthropology of education, gender studies, multicultural studies and religious studies. Students examine the social contexts of education, with particular emphasis on structural inequalities, issues of access, and the distribution of educational opportunity, normative considerations about the purposes of education, and the transformative potential of education.

The degree program promotes students' responsibilities as change agents in a range of educational settings, including schools, cultural and religious institutions and civic associations. Graduates of the program have the knowledge and skills to interpret and critique educational policies and practices and to promote innovative practices in a variety of educational settings, domestically and worldwide.

Students in the M.A. degree write a thesis on an educational topic of their own choosing. Thesis students work closely with their academic supervisor to generate a thesis topic and design a research study or undertake a scholarly analysis of an issue of interest to the student.

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

• Demonstrate an understanding of the social, cultural, economic and political assumptions shaping educational policies and reforms in the United States and other societies.
• Understand the nature of the democratic challenge for schooling in answering such foundational questions as: "What should be taught?" "Who should be taught?" and "Who should teach?"
• Demonstrate an understanding of the convergence of social class, race, gender, sexual orientation and disability as barriers to and opportunities for educational change, domestically and internationally.

The Master of Science degree in Applied Mathematics is primarily a terminal, pre-professional degree comprising coursework beyond the bachelor's degree emphasizing areas relevant to applications in the sciences and including the engineering, biological, financial and physical sciences. Students are required to write and defend a thesis in an area agreed upon with a faculty advisor.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Engage effectively in problem solving, including exploring examples, devising and testing conjectures and assessing the correctness of solutions.
• Reason in mathematical arguments at a level appropriate to the discipline, including posing problems precisely, articulating assumption and reasoning logically to conclusions.
• 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.
• Obtain depth in some subdiscipline of applied mathematics.