Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages with Emphasis in Spanish Interdisciplinary Global Program

at Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff Campus USA

Computing has become integral to the infrastructure of modern society.  From banking and health to education and business, our world runs on algorithms and computing machines.  Software and hardware are ubiquitous in every aspect of modern life.  This infrastructure is powerful, complex—and highly vulnerable. Small design flaws or less than vigilant safety guards can lead to attacks and exploits that can cost businesses hundreds of billions of dollars and valuable consumer trust, and loss of infrastructure critical to modern civilization.  At the same time there is a shortage of workers with the skills needed to secure these systems.

Through this Bachelor of Science degree in Parks and Recreation Management, recreation resource professionals are prepared for diverse careers in the field of parks and recreation. The PRM Program focuses on small class size, high student-teacher interaction, on-site field experiences, and experiential learning opportunities. The faculty are are dedicated to expanding the scholarly knowledge base of people and organizations to enhance the quality of leisure experiences and places.

Park Protection Emphasis
Students within this emphasis will have the ability to:

• Make critical decisions related to injury and illness prevention, assessment, treatment and evacuation of patient(s), through application of wilderness first responder training, in response to medical and outdoor emergencies, while in wilderness and other remote backcountry settings.
• Articulate the functions of park operations, management and protection in the United States in terms of its historical roots, structure, and contemporary issues.
• Analyze and evaluate Federal regulations protecting America’s natural resources
• Examination of the evolution of environmental laws regulating the consumptive and non-consumptive uses of plants, wildlife and fish
• Apply the basic precepts of criminal law, authority and jurisdiction in the protection of state and national parks
• Acquire knowledge, skills, and abilities in law enforcement tactics (e.g., firearms, physical control techniques, emergency vehicle operations)

The Master of Science in Forestry (MS) degree is intended for students wanting to pursue a research- and thesis-based Master’s degree that provides direct experience with original scientific research aimed at advancing scientific understanding of forest ecosystems and their management.  The intensive research core of the MS prepares students for doctoral programs in Forestry and related disciplines, and for careers that require experience and skills in planning, executing, and interpretation of original research in Forestry.  These careers include positions such as research assistant/technician, forester, wildlife biologist, policy analyst, and forest health specialist.  The MS is appropriate for students with a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry or closely related disciplines.

The MS emphasizes training in research methods and statistics; original research development and implementation; quantitative analysis; professional presentations; emerging issues in forestry; electives that provide advanced training in specific skills; and a final thesis that showcases the student’s skills in original research, quantitative analysis and interpretation, and writing.

The Environmental Science program at NAU constructs an interdisciplinary base of knowledge and skills to explore and develop real-world solutions to environmental problems.

Our program provides a firm grounding in the natural and social sciences to ensure all students understand how chemical, physical and biological processes maintain life, and the complex relationships among humans and the environment. Students work together and individually in the classroom, field and laboratory to practice applying the scientific method to address environmental problems and explore creative solutions that apply cutting-edge technologies.

The broad range of emphases available within our program allows students to delve deeper into a specific knowledge base, then work individually and often together in Environmental Science courses to solve problems by applying the perspectives and knowledge they developed in their emphasis with students from other emphasis areas. To culminate the learning in the program, students develop an individually designed research project or internship addressing an environmental issue of importance to them, which in turn, is expected to further prepare students for a range of professional or graduate opportunities.

Environmental Geology Emphasis

• Quantify selected aspects of the Earth system using foundations of mathematics and physics.
• Explore Earth system concepts, such as plate tectonics, the rock cycle, and geologic hazards on geologic time scales, and through collaborations with those of other disciplines and viewpoints, apply this information to generate sustainable solutions to environmental problems.

The BSCS degree is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET and provides exceptional career flexibility and a broad range of opportunities in programming and software development. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, software developers are among the fastest growing and most rewarding occupations with an exceptionally strong job outlook through 2024 (17% growth).

Graduates with this degree are well-qualified to work for large software development companies like Microsoft, Apple, Google, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Intel, Honeywell, and other software-centric companies and startups. This degree provides a strong foundation for further graduate study in an MS or PhD program; students who are not planning on graduate study may also be interested in the BS in Applied Computer Science program.

The mission of the Women’s and Gender Studies program (WGS) at Northern Arizona University is to provide students with a deep and sophisticated understanding of feminist scholarship.  Interdisciplinary and intersectionality are at the core of the WGS educational mission and frame a variety of curricular offerings that emphasize women of color, indigeneity, transnational and queer/trans scholarship.

• We analyze strategies for social change that students can use in any future career to create new possibilities for a more socially just society.
• WGS empowers students with unique and distinctive training that allows them to evaluate a range of local, national, regional, and global issues.
• Students have opportunities to research and participate in activist organizations and grassroots efforts by communities that are taking direct action toward a future that is regenerative and restorative.
• Discussion based classrooms support a critical understanding of politics, histories, literature, economies, and activism shaping the social construction of genders and the material condition of people’s lives in a globalized world.
• In its focus on diversity, WGS is central to the university’s mission.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Identify and explain key topics, concepts, and issues in Women’s and Gender or Queer Studies, including intersectionality, reproductive health, sexuality and the body, and power, privilege, and violence.
•  Interpret and compare key concepts of assigned sex, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, racialization, nation, social construction, hegemony, inequity, discrimination and social justice, and the intersections among them, in a variety of feminist theoretical traditions, texts, and frameworks, and then analyze and critically evaluate their assumptions, insights, oversights, and applicability to other texts, concepts, and real-world situations.
• Analyze variations in LGBTQIAP+ people’s experiences by using queer and trans theory to identify and describe gender and sexuality assumptions; also be able to articulate the applications, insights and oversights of queer and trans theory.
• Think through and apply feminist and queer studies concepts and theories in specific political, historical, geographic, and cultural contexts.
• Understand the intersectionality of women’s and/or queer and gendered identities, informed by hierarchies of race, ethnicity, ability, class, nation and so forth.
• Analyze women’s and/or queer experiences within gender systems of power, privilege, and violence.
• Apply theoretical frameworks of queer studies and feminisms to current issues in local communities, and at statewide and national levels.
• Understand the historical and contemporary variations of feminisms/queer theories in a global context and transnational framework.
• Write critically: write clear and well-reasoned prose that acknowledges complex and diverse points of view and methods of critical inquiry/research, especially those that address constructions of gender, sexuality, race, and class.  
• Verbally express ideas effectively, tailoring arguments and presentation styles to audiences and interactive contexts.
• Develop skills of leadership, advocacy, organization, and community building to bring about social change.

The Chemistry M.S. program prepares students for research-focused professions in the chemical sciences, emphasizing the development of a students' ability to develop experimental approaches that accurately capture information to solve questions and problems in their chemical field of study. Our faculty members conduct research in the many fields of chemistry, from the level of single molecules to whole chemical systems. From the first day of entry into our program, students work closely with their faculty mentor, selecting a course of study suited to their future goals and professional interests. The program enables graduates to contribute to the forefront of knowledge in the scientific community, share their knowledge through teaching, or apply it in public service or industry.
 
This two-year, thesis-based degree program has three distinct emphasis areas: 1) A comprehensive emphasis, (2) an emphasis in Carcinogenesis and Cancer Chemotherapy and (3) an emphasis in Bioorganic and Biomedical Chemistry. All chemistry students work closely with a faculty adviser to design and implement individual thesis research. Students in the Carcinogenesis and Cancer Chemotherapy emphasis generally focus their coursework and research on learning about cancer and its causes and treatments from a chemical perspective. Students in the Bioorganic and Biomedical Chemistry emphasis generally investigate the principles of organic chemistry and biochemistry that serve as a foundation for the medical sciences.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science consists of core studies in areas such as chemistry, physics, anatomy and physiology, and general biology, as well as more advanced courses specific to the study of physiology and movement during exercise. Students will develop an understanding of human physiology, human movement, and the biological and chemical responses of the body to acute and chronic (training) exercise in the core Exercise Science classes; Introduction to Exercise Science, Exercise Physiology and its lab, Functional Anatomy and Kinesiology, Exercise Testing and Prescription and its lab, and in their senior capstone.  With the help of advisors, students choose approved Exercise Science electives, which cover a wide range of disciplinary areas and are selected based on the individual student’s career or graduate school goals.  These include courses in psychology, microbiology, genetics, pathology, cell and molecular biology, amongst many others.
 
Research opportunities are available for students in individual faculty’s research labs, as well as in NAU’s research centers and institutes, such as the Center for Bioengineering Innovation (CBI).  Exercise Science students also have the option of completing an internship in sports performance or cardiac rehabilitation if they are considering a career in clinical exercise physiology.
 
Students graduating with an Exercise Science degree will be well prepared for careers in clinical exercise physiology, for admission into graduate programs in exercise science and for admission into professional programs such as physical therapy, physician’s assistant, occupational therapy, athletic training, and medicine.

A Bachelor of Arts in History provides students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to succeed in civic life, in graduate study, and in a variety of careers.  Our program emphasizes the complex tensions and synergies between human agency and larger historical forces in order to inform honest debate on past and current events as members of engaged, critical, and dynamic communities.  Historical perspective is an essential component of responsible and informed citizenship and provides significant advantages to students in a multicultural world and workplace. Our graduates attain the writing skills, research methods, and critical and analytical thinking necessary not only for history professions, but for a wide variety of career paths, such as management, law, and education in both academic and public settings.
 
Our curriculum trains students to find, evaluate, and employ primary and secondary sources as evidence to frame and answer questions through analysis, interpretation, and critical engagement. Students therefore learn to reach sound judgments and construct persuasive arguments through research rather than by relying on hearsay or presumptions. Students further develop appreciation for the diversity of the human experience and consciousness of how local and global histories inform one another in both past and present, and how historical research can transform those relations. To this end, students also acquire proficiency in a language other than English to facilitate interaction with communities different from their own.

Instrumental Performance Emphasis
Students develop skills in instrumental performance that prepare them for a career as a performer in a variety of contexts or for further study at the doctoral level.

• Develop the advanced technical, musical, and artistic skills necessary for professional success on the primary instrument in solo and ensemble contexts.
• Apply knowledge of historical performance practices within specific instrumental repertoire.
• Apply professional standards in oral and written communication such as utilizing proper etiquette for phone interviews or video consultation and composing well-designed letters of inquiry regarding job opportunities.
• Listen to and respond thoughtfully and thoroughly to work by other MM instrumental performance students in order to hone the critical, intellectual and analytical skills, and practice providing and receiving critique.
• Use critiques and insights from others to hone one’s performance craft. Investigate the world of the performance industry in order to discover suitable venues to perform.
• Actively participate and network in a community of musicians and cultivate a professional identity through performing one’s work frequently in recitals and master classes.