Bachelor of Arts in History

at Northwest Missouri State University USA

The curriculum is designed to provide the additional education necessary for students with vocational or technical non-transferable certificate/degrees to earn a bachelor's degree.

Writing majors at Northwest learn skills and techniques in composing content that inspires, communicates, solves problems and seeks truth. Students in Northwest’s writing majors work across the spectrum of writing studies—from writing professional reports to writing poems. Northwest students are not canalized strictly into writing for news media like in a journalism program, to courses in fiction and poetry like in creative writing programs or to vocationally focused genres like technical writing programs. Rather, we’ve designed a major to help and challenge students to grow into flexible, effective, communicative writers.

When employers make hiring decisions, they seek smart people who write well. Northwest’s writing major is like cross-training for today’s job market. You will receive professional training without an expiration date—a liberal arts degree that prepares you for your first job after college and every job you decide to do after. We think studying writing is excellent preparation for life as an artist, scholar, citizen and professional—all the things that you should be when you finish a rigorous undergraduate education at a supportive university, and all the things you need to succeed in contemporary life.

Students may choose to earn a bachelor's degree in writing with an emphasis in professional writing or creative writing and publishing

Psychology majors at Northwest learn the scientific study of a person’s thoughts and behaviors. Northwest faculty help students understand three core areas: scientific research methods that enhance critical thinking skills, evidence and claims knowledge; insight of an individual’s personal behavior, motives and thought processes; and the understanding of the biological and social factors that contribute to human development, cognitive skills, relationships and personality.

Comprehensive communication majors emphasizing in public relations learn methods to understanding targeted audiences, and explaining products, services and missions to a specific audience. Faculty focus on oral, written and verbal communication skills as well as problem-solving skills to effectively meet the needs of management and the targeted audience.

All faculty members teaching public relations classes have professional experience, providing practical knowledge as well as professional contacts in the field.

The Bachelor of Art in Theater major combines the knowledge from both theatre performance and technical theater as well as design majors. Faculty focus ensuring students have access to participate in the four mainstage productions as well as four to six student-directed productions per year. Additionally, students have access to professional-level control councils, intelligent lighting fixtures and cutting-edge LED and color changing equipment. Students also learn the fundamentals of modern acting techniques, a range of historical and physical styles to include Greek, Elizabethan, restoration and 20th century “isms”, and writing skills for the stage through scene structure, dramatic tension, theme, action and dialogue.

A major in Agricultural Media with an emphasis in journalism focuses on the development of stories that are relevant to the agriculture community. Students learn to advocate for agriculture by explaining science, technologies and complex agricultural issues through various platforms. Coursework includes classes in agricultural science, advertising, marketing, journalism and media.

A comprehensive major in Geography: Geographic Information Science (GIS) prepares students for a job in  science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, as well as humanities and social sciences.

At Northwest, students work directly with geography faculty who specialize in GIS. The interdisciplinary program is designed for students interested in spatial technology careers, including urban planning, precision agriculture, remote sensing, cartography and global positioning systems. Additionally, students have access to several state-of-the-art computer labs and the latest versions of industry-standard GIS software packages to ensure they are competitive in the job market.

The General Studies major is both an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary program. This provides you the opportunity to explore your interests and is adoptable to your needs by discovering electives from any discipline that appeals to you. As a student of the program, you gain the fundamental skills in problem-solving and communication as well as critical reading, writing and speaking. The goal of this program is to introduce you to contextual framing of any discipline in the arts and sciences and achieve the broad knowledge and training that employers require.

Geography is a holistic discipline that studies the relationship between humans, the unique cultures of construct and the environments in which they live. This major prepares students for a wide range of careers in varied areas of geography and culture. This major offers three different areas of focus:

• Culture and Society
• Environmental Geography
• Geographic Information Science

Each emphasis allows students to specialize in one of these fields and tailor classes within that emphasis to fit their interest beyond the core courses within the program.

As a student majoring in geography at Northwest, you learn the importance and impacts of space, the uniqueness of places and regions, and how humans and environment interact.

The major focuses on culture and regional geography with a wide range of tropical and regional courses available. Students will develop physical geography expertise in areas like geomorphology, atmospheric processes and sustainability. The major also teaches skills in analyzing, planning and critical thinking to prepare you for success in your career.

Biology/Psychology majors at Northwest study the brain and how it functions and controls human behavior. Faculty focus on three areas: genetics, evolution and neuroscience or the study of the brain. Genetics courses concentrate on the inherited factors that influence behavior such as mental illness and behavioral traits; evolution courses emphasize the significance and benefits of the size of the brain; and courses about the brain focus on the functions, malfunctions and brain disease.