Master of Arts in Communication

at Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff Campus USA

This degree takes students from the core of the atom to the hearts of galaxies, all in an effort to understand how the universe works. This Physics-rich program also grounds the student in advanced math and calculus.

The B.S. in Physics program is designed to prepare students for a career in a technical field or for graduate studies in physics.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Commuication is designed to produce graduates who are skilled in using art, design and technology to creatively communicate ideas and transform messages into visual communication. Through the rigorous coursework, students will develop skills in using aesthetic and conceptual judgment, color, type, symbols, digital images, multi-media, interactivity, motion graphics, photography, and project management to produce messages that clearly inform, effectively communicate brand experience, and persuade viewers.

Graphic Design Emphasis

• The ability to solve communication problems, including the skills of problem identification, research and information gathering, analysis, generation of alternative solutions, and prototyping.
• The ability to describe and respond to the audiences and contexts which communication solutions must address, including recognition of the physical, cognitive, cultural, and social human factors that shape design decisions.
• The ability to create and develop visual form in response to communication problems, including an understanding of principles of visual organization/ composition, information hierarchy, symbolic representation, typography, aesthetics, and the construction of meaningful images.
• An understanding of tools and technology, including their roles in the creation, reproduction, and distribution of visual messages.
• An understanding of design history, theory, and criticism from a variety of perspectives, including those of art history, linguistics, communication and information theory, technology, and the social and cultural use of design objects.
• An understanding of basic business practices, including the ability to organize design projects and to work productively as a member of teams.

Society’s demand for essentials such as clean air, food and water, sustainable land use and consumer products pose large-scale, practical problems.  Environmental engineers use engineering, biological and chemical principles to design and operate pollution control and impact mitigation systems.  Environmental engineering is a newer engineering discipline, growing out of civil and chemical engineering.  This exciting engineering field requires a solid understanding of core concepts including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, statics, thermodynamics, surveying, and fluid hydraulics.  These courses serve as a basis for advanced content in:

• Air quality, emissions and pollution control (sampling, modeling and the design of devices to remove particulate and gaseous pollutants)
• Water and wastewater quality and treatment (sampling, modeling and the design of biological/chemical/physical treatment methods for large and small communities)
• Hazardous and solid waste engineering (site assessment, risk assessment, remediation methods, landfill design)
• Environmental health (toxicology, industrial hygiene, ecological impacts)

In addition to this content, our environmental engineering curriculum will provide you with a solid foundation in design, project management and preparation for professional licensure.

The accelerated MBA program is focused on students with a core business education seeking graduate studies in management theory and practice and those seeking accounting certification. Our primary goal is to prepare students to make valuable contributions to their chosen profession and their communities. Our secondary goal is to provide high-quality, business-related training, education, consulting, and information to the Arizona community.

In pursuit of these goals we commit to the following:

• Foster a sense of community and promote diversity among our students, staff, faculty, and alumni,
• Offer a rigorous, current, AACSB-accredited curriculum,
• Integrate advanced technologies into the curriculum,
• Support and encourage our faculty in their creative and personalized delivery of our curriculum and their counseling of our students,
• Maintain and nurture an ongoing faculty commitment to a broad array of intellectual contributions that includes pedagogical research, contributions to practice, and discipline-based scholarship.

Accounting Concentration

The Accounting Concentration prepares you to take portions of the CPA exam.  The applied management concentration focuses on developing consulting skills.

You might work with businesses to provide real solutions to problems that actually make an impact. In the past our students have worked with the Hopi Tribe on an economic development plan, with a hard apple cider company, and with a beverage company

Chemistry is a diverse discipline that encompasses living processes, inorganic interactions, and analytical methods. Chemistry deals with the basic laws of the physical world and the composition and properties of matter. Students trained in chemistry enter careers in academia, research, pharmacy, forensics, medicine, the environment, space exploration, and national defense. Students can select an emphasis that best prepares them for their chosen career path.

The breadth of the field of chemistry requires a wide range of knowledge and skills. The goal of the NAU chemistry degree program is to ensure that our graduates:

• Are well versed in the fundamental principles of chemistry: the atomic theory of matter, the quantum nature of the atom, and the principle laws of thermodynamics;
• Are knowledgeable about frequently encountered elements, compounds, and reactions;
• Understand biosynthetic pathways and modes of action of biomolecules;
• Understand factors controlling the mechanisms of chemical reactions;
• Are knowledgeable about synthesis strategies and can successfully conduct synthetic sequences in the laboratory;
• Understand the principles of chemical analysis and are proficient at using modern instrumentation to carry out analysis;
• Are adept at solving problems independently and contributing to a team effort;
• Able to communicate their scientific results orally and in writing.

The Master of Arts in History prepares students for careers in academia as well as the public and private sectors. Many of our students have continued for the PhD and now serve on university faculties across the country. Others have pursued careers as foundation or government historians.  Still others have used their degree to excel as public historians, including museum curators and cultural interpretation specialists at historic sites and parks.

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.

The Geology Program offers a thesis-based, multidisciplinary MS degree in Geology with the objective of educating students for success in the private sector, government employment, or further pursuit of graduate studies.  During the two-year program, students use geological, geobiological, geophysical, geochemical, and numerical-modeling techniques to examine geological problems and develop explanations for the processes that produced them.  Students learn to study what is known about a subject and then identify what is not yet understood.  Based upon observations, they develop testable hypotheses about a poorly understood geological  process, design a study to test these, and then carry this study out, learning new analytical techniques along the way. They then write this work into a thesis and present and defend their work in a public session.  In many cases, the thesis is then turned into a published journal article.

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.

Our B.S. in Astronomy program is designed to prepare students for a career in a technical field or for graduate studies in astronomy or planetary sciences. Below we describe the learning outcomes our program.