Master of Fine Arts

at Montana State University - Bozeman USA

In the Science, the Environment, Technology & Society (SETS) program at Montana State, students study history through the lens of science, technology and the environment within broader cultural contexts, such as intellectual and social history, environmental history, religious studies or philosophy. SETS students choose one of several specialties as a focus for their coursework, including Philosophy of Science, History of Science and Technology, Science and Technology Policy or Environmental History.

Finance is the art and science of managing money, whether it’s managing funds for major corporations or advising a client on how to make optimal investment decisions. In the Business – Finance program at Montana State, students gain the skills necessary to pursue a variety of careers in business, insurance, investment, corporate finance or real estate.

Anthropology, broadly speaking, is the study of humankind from a cross-cultural perspective. In the Anthropology program at Montana State, students have the opportunity to investigate a variety of subjects through the lenses of ethnology, archaeology, biological anthropology and linguistics. These studies take students out into field and lab research opportunities across the Mountain West, providing students with a well-rounded knowledge of the theory and practice of anthropology and how to apply those skills to understanding both historical and contemporary social practices.

As part of the Plant Biotechnology program at Montana State, students gain a strong foundation in the field by completing coursework through the first two years of the program in diverse subjects including chemistry, physics, biology, microbiology, genetics and other allied sciences. Once the general biotechnology coursework is complete, Plant Biotechnology students then study and address the various problems facing the various issues facing plant production and plant-related agricultural systems.

Students in the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science program at Montana State immerse themselves in the fundamentals of computing while exploring fields such as artificial intelligence, multimedia and computational biology. Computer Science B.S. students have two tracks to choose from: the Professional Option, which allows students to delve more deeply into computer science and related technical areas, and the Interdisciplinary Option, which allows students to intersect their technological interests with other fields that range from Entrepreneurship to Japanese Studies.

Horticulture is the science and art of growing and maintaining plants for food, enjoyment and improvement of the human environment. Students of Environmental Horticulture Science in the Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology department at Montana State take fundamental courses in biology, chemistry and math prior to taking specialized courses such as plant physiology, plant pathology and plant reproduction. Students can also expect to take courses in ecology, business and communications to best prepare them for careers in such areas as floral and nursery crop production and in research with private companies, public agencies or higher education.

Students in the Sustainable Livestock Production program at Montana State focus on the relationship between animal agriculture, its continued presence in sustainable grazing systems and its potential role in sustainable farming. Sustainable Livestock Production students learn about the science of animal production within the context of sustainability, from the methods that impact the production, process and preservation of meat to the role of strategic grazing in landscape management, among other subjects.

Candidates within the Fish & Wildlife Management graduate program at Montana State conduct applied research on the ecology and management of the diverse mammal, bird and fish species within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Established in 1936, the Fish & Wildlife Management Program at Montana State is one of the oldest and most successful resource management programs in the United States and graduate students benefit both from this tradition and the resources provided by the Department of Ecology and mentorship from the Montana Cooperative Fishery Research Unit of the USGS Biological Resources Division. The Master of Science in Fish & Wildlife Management can act as a terminal degree leading to professional employment as a fisheries or wildlife biologist but can also lead to a Ph.D. in Fish & Wildlife Biology or other disciplines.

In the graduate Statistics program at Montana State, masters and doctoral candidates alike gain a solid background in the theory of statistics, as well as hands-on practice in applying statistical concepts to actionable problems. Masters candidates prepare for further graduate work or careers in academia, industry, business or the government, while doctoral candidates push their statistical knowledge to its furthest reaches by pursuing research projects for a dissertation.

Students in the Biochemistry program at Montana State delve into core chemistry, biochemistry, and biology courses to gain a comprehensive understanding of the molecular nature of biological materials and life processes. Depending on their interests, students have the opportunity to take electives in areas such as immunology, microbiology, veterinary molecular biology or the environmental sciences. Additionally, all students in the Biochemistry program are assigned to an on-campus lab to conduct laboratory research as part of their degree, preparing them for either on-the-job laboratory work or higher education.