Bachelor of Arts in Theatre

at Northwest Missouri State University USA

A Foods and Nutrition major at Northwest is the study the science of nutrition and how nutrition impacts the human body. Faculty focus on teaching students skills to modify and assess individualized nutrition such as meal plans; nutrition counseling as it relates to human behavior; food science; food preparation; and food service management.

The program is a three-step process. First, students complete Northwest’s accredited didactic foods and nutrition program requirements; second, students apply to and complete an accredited dietetics internship after graduation; and third, students take the national registered dietitian exam.

Recreation majors at Northwest is the study of play and leisure in an individual’s life and methods to improve quality of life. Student can emphasize in:

• Recreation and Park Management which prepares students for program leadership and development, and budget and facility management;
• Corporation Recreation/Wellness which involve programs related to a person’s physical well-being;
• Therapeutic Recreation which prepares students with the skills to assess and evaluate the needs for individuals with special needs; and
• Sport Management prepares students for leadership roles in professional, collegiate and community sports organizations.

The Applied Health Science major at Northwest prepares students for careers in the health, fitness, and wellness industry and for graduate studies in areas such as athletic training, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Students graduating from the program are prepared to develop and deliver comprehensive health and wellness programs that enhance physical, cognitive, and psychosocial well-being of individuals and the community as a whole.

Courses in the Applied Health Science program include content such as human anatomy, the positioning and function of bones, and muscles, and their relationships within the human body; human physiology, the study of the interrelationship between organs and organ systems; exercise science, how the body reacts and performs with physical activity; promoting health, teaching health-related and disease prevention concepts to the general public.

Finance majors at Northwest focus on three areas: financial services, corporate finance and finance management.

• Financial Services prepares students for the financial services industry. This comprises the professions of brokerage, insurance, real estate, and banking. In this business sector the students will need to understand the products customers purchase and how to relate this information to the customer.
• Corporate Finance provides students with the tools to work within the corporate structure under the chief financial officer, where accounting and financial information is used to make corporate decisions. Students will communicate with both the financial and accounting personnel and identify accounting information and financial models for decision making.
• Financial Management permits students to prepare for a position in management rather than a staff position in finance under the corporate treasurer. This option blends the knowledge of finance and management so the student is prepared to make management decisions that require an understanding of finance. Almost all decisions in business require a balance of interests from all functional business areas, using the decision-making process and the tools of finance to guide the corporation to the achievement of its goal.

Mathematics with an emphasis in data sciences is the study of mathematical tools to analyze data for the purposes of modeling and prediction. Students learn to

• Extract and clean data
• Manipulate data
• Visualize data
• Identify patterns in data
• Use the model for prediction and forecasting
• Use models to summarize and describe values

Earning a Political Science degree at Northwest prepares students for multiple employment opportunities in public service and private sectors including federal, state and local government, law, criminal justice system, municipal planning, city management, urban affairs, education, non-profit administration, campaigns and elections, public policy analysis and internal development and relations.

The major has three areas of emphasis: the american institutions (formerly criminal justice) emphasis provides an understanding of legislatures, police prosecutors, public offenders and courts and corrections; the public administration emphasis focuses on the decision making process and job opportunities in public organizations and local, state, federal and international agencies; and the global affairs emphasis studies the global trends and events, and enhances intercultural understanding.

The first of its kind in Missouri and the region, Northwest’s Data Science major is an interdisciplinary program with four areas of emphasis: computer science, business, molecular biology and geographic information systems.

The computer science emphasis focuses on ensuring students have knowledge about the tools necessary to interpret and present data. By having these skills, students are able to write a program, extract meaning from the data and construct the client’s project.

Comprehensive communication majors emphasizing in rhetoric at Northwest learn to research, create and deliver persuasive messages and listen critically to these messages. In this major, students study the core areas of communication theory, public speaking, writing, group behavior, persuasion and interpersonal communication. Additional areas of study include intercultural communication, argumentation and classical, modern and postmodern rhetorical theory and method as applied to an American issue.

Professionals in the field are civically engaged, critically analyze how people develop persuasive messages as well as how those messages affect public perception of the subject. They identify logical and ethical problems within persuasive messages, or with their effects on particular groups or communities and intervene to increase awareness and understanding.

Speech and theatre education majors become certified to teach grades nine through 12 as well as serve as a play directors and forensics or debate coaches. Faculty focus on ensuring students have the skills and techniques to effectively teach as well as a comprehensive understanding of theatre and all communication areas.

Students majoring in speech and theatre education have access to hands-on experiences beginning their freshman years and direct at least one production prior to graduation. To prepare students for a successful college experience and career, faculty provide a mentoring program that matches new students with upperclassman to help balance school and extracurricular activities.

A major in International Business prepares students for a profession involving international politics, economics, knowledge about information processing and computer systems, and analytical and critical thinking skills. At Northwest, this interdisciplinary program provides knowledge of successfully operating a business in the global marketplace.

International business is more globalized than ever, and is the future of business. The information students learn affects nearly every business in the country. Students receive one-on-one advising from professors who specialize in the major, have doctorates in international business, travelled to most of the locations visited, and have personal experience and contacts internationally. Additionally, Northwest links to national and international area computer networks, offering students an unparalleled chance to explore the international arena.