Bachelor of Business Administration with Emphasis in Management

at Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff Campus USA

The interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science in Informatics integrates cutting-edge tools and skills from data analytics, data science, computing, statistical analysis, and modeling with fundamental knowledge from emphasis areas in biology, health, ecology, environmental science, and/ or astronomy. Gain the skills you need to thrive in today’s information-centric professional workplace and follow your passion for the environment, biology, or astronomy (and related fields).

Informatics is data science (a combination of programming with statistics) plus a scientific discipline (environmental science, biology, or astronomy).

 A student graduating with a degree in informatics will be prepared for a range of data science jobs or scientific jobs that require great numeracy.  

All students will take classes in informatics, computer science and statistics.  All students will also participate in the four-class research intensive series teaching research methods.  Ecoinformatics students will also take core classes in environmental science.  Bioinformatics students will also take core classes in biology.  Astroinformatics students will also take core classes in astronomy.

Our goal in offering the B.A.S. degree is to provide you with a general knowledge of management, organizational, and policy issues and to advance your communication, computer, and quantitative skills. This degree also offers you the opportunity to complete a specialization that will broaden your career horizons, promote life-long learning, and enrich your life. Northern Arizona University offers this degree at selected campuses throughout Arizona.

The Bachelor of Arts in English prepares graduates for any future that demands proficiency in literature, language, and writing, as well as general excellence in resourceful, well-informed communication. Our graduates recognize the close weave of logical thought and effective expression, strive for more persuasive or more creative uses of English, possess the sense and insight to appreciate the value and quality of literature, have developed their historical and cultural imaginations by studying the marks of other times and diverse peoples in language and text, and recognize the global contexts of English as well as the social, civic, and environmental responsibilities that come with a liberal education. Our graduates have attained the high-level literacy skills and have practiced the research methods needed to compete in graduate and professional schools and to succeed in the workplace. With our help, they have prepared themselves to become productive, responsible members of the communities in which they live and work.

The Literature Emphasis engages students in the study of the literary arts. Students gain an understanding of the sociohistorical context of literary production and reception and have the opportunity to study specific eras, cultural traditions, genres, and critical and interpretative methods, while simultaneously refining their skills in literary analysis. Students become well-versed in historical and contemporary discourse within the field and in the terminology used in literary studies. This work deepens their knowledge of how various texts (film, comics, video games, novels, poems, drama, etc.) evince meaning by using particular language structures, forms, and rhetorical strategies. Among other widely transferable skills, students learn how to write fluently and eloquently. They also learn how to make effective use of primary textual sources in their analyses and develop a repertoire of skills that includes the search for and incorporation of scholarly sources in support of their own analytical arguments.

The Master of Science in Biology prepares students for research-focused professions in the biological sciences, emphasizing the development of a students’ ability to develop experimental approaches that accurately capture information to solve questions and problems in their biological field of study.  Our faculty members conduct research in the many fields of biology, from the level of single molecules to whole ecosystems. 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.  
 
Students pursuing the emphasis in Ecology, Evolution & Conservation Biology will integrate theoretical and empirical concepts in ecology and evolutionary biology to understand ecological patterns and the mediating processes that drive populations, communities and ecosystems.  Students will become familiar with ecological sampling techniques and statistical methodologies necessary to characterize populations, communities and ecosystems over broad geographic regions, and will apply current approaches for identifying and mitigating the effects of invasive species and anthropogenic impacts on threatened and endangered species within the natural ecosystems they inhabit.

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.

The Northern Arizona University (NAU), Parks and Recreation Management faculty, staff and students are committed to promoting successful professional careers, service learning, active healthy life-styles, life-long education, global awareness, and creating meaningful social connections between individuals and their surrounding environment.

• Success as Professionals: We believe in equipping our students with essential entry level professional skills which lead to successful careers in parks, recreation, tourism or related organizations.
• Service Learning: We believe in integrating teaching and learning experiences through meaningful community service focusing on civic responsibility and strengthening communities.
• Global Awareness: We believe in creating opportunities, awareness and experiences focused on diversity, international travel, and education.
• Life-Long Education: We believe individuals who continually engage in new recreation and leisure experiences learn new skills and gain valuable knowledge and help promote positive aspects of human existence.
• Connection to others and the Environment: We believe that the human condition of compassion for others and the surrounding environment can be fostered and supported through participation in leisure activities which raise awareness of overall inter-connectedness and thereby creating a more sustainable future.
• Healthy Life-Styles: We believe that involvement in leisure and recreation activities leads to decision making for better balanced healthy life-styles, effectively lowering illness (both physical and psychological), and allows people to live more rewarding and fulfilled lives

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 Arts in Politics and Government follows the Liberal Arts tradition, designed to appeal to students who are interested in many different aspects of politics and international affairs, and want to gain strong training across the different sub-fields of political science.

With this degree, students will be prepared to move into a number of careers that require a breadth and depth of knowledge of politics and government.  

They will be able to write clearly, understand and work within a variety of different political areas, and apply their knowledge in the education, professional, and governmental realms. Graduates of this program will benefit from these critical thinking and writing skills as both citizens and members of the workforce regardless of their eventual career path.

Our goal is to train students to be active, engaged, and informed participants in the global system who cannot only understand the world around them but also shape and influence it.

The Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages provides students with a socio-cultural and historical background as well as linguistic abilities to engage with French, German, Japanese, and Spanish speaking populations from around the world in a variety of social and cultural contexts. Through linguistic, literary and cultural approaches to the study of the French, German, Japanese, and Spanish language, our students develop speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills that allow them to understand and interact effectively with diverse cultures. Throughout this process the students develop cognitive skills in critical thinking and analysis and recognize the importance of being able to function in a global society. With their linguistic abilities in French, German, Japanese, and Spanish, they are better able to compete for career opportunities in the domestic and global job markets and are prepared to become productive, responsible members of the local, national and international communities in which they live and work.

Emphasis in Japanese

• Create with language to express meanings orally on concrete topics relating to work, school, home, and leisure activities using all major time frames (present, past, and future). They can interact with native speakers unaccustomed to dealing with non-natives, and handle complicated or unexpected communicative tasks. (Speaking skills)
• Identify and use main ideas and details from connected aural discourse involving description and narration in different timeframes or aspects, and about a variety of topics beyond immediacy of the situation for communicative purposes. (Listening skills)
• Identify and use main ideas and details from authentic, connected, longer, written texts involving description and narration in different formats about a variety of topics for communicative purposes. (Reading skills)
• Create with language to express meanings in written form about familiar topics using the major timeframes with some control of aspect. (Writing skills)
• Think critically and analytically in response to socio-cultural, historical, and linguistic issues and/or classic and contemporary literary texts related to the culture of the target language. (Critical thinking and analytical skills)
• Understand the cultural, political and artistic diversity of perspectives, practices and products of the target language populations including how racial and ethnic diversity relates to those perspectives, practices and products. (Globalization - Diversity)
• Recognize, investigate, and produce written and oral discourse in the target language communicating findings about historical and contemporary issues important to life in countries of the target language.
• Explore how historical, political, religious and economic forces have shaped the current world system with its power inequalities and efforts to address them with a focus on the culture of the target language. (Globalization – Global Engagement)
• Analyze the structure and use of the language at the sound, word, and sentence level.
• Summarize different linguistic features observed in different dialects in terms of historical change, geographical location and social variables.
• Explore and analyze the role of human interactions with the environment and its relation to the root causes of many global problems focusing on those occurring in the culture of the target language. (Globalization - Environmental Sustainability)

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.

This bachelor of science degree in Strategic Communication offers a strong core of advertising, public relations, and communication courses, to engage students in a variety of professional communication environments. Students may pursue one of two emphases to allow deeper skill mastery in advertising or public relations.

Communication develop an understanding of communication theory and how messages are spread among groups of people. They apply analytical skills to the development and evaluation of communication plans. They also master practical skills needed for the implementation of those communication plans.

Upon graduation, students emphasizing one area of strategic communication will often find themselves working closely with other professionals focusing on skills in other areas of Strategic Communication. However, the emphasis areas tend to differentiate from each other in the following broad ways.

Public Relations focuses more on the use of earned and owned media for the development and maintenance of ongoing relationships with important publics. Courses tend to focus on understanding the dynamics of group communication and developing strategies for building strong relationships between organizations and important publics. Coursework tends to focus on writing and oral communication skills for digital and analog channels, as well as communication analysis skills necessary for planning and evaluating communication efforts.