Bachelor of Science in Education - Speech and Theatre Education

at Northwest Missouri State University USA

Accounting majors at Northwest have the choice of two accounting tracks, one for students who wish to become Certified Public Accountants (CPA) and the other for students wishing to work in managerial accounting. The courses offer the highest quality education to prepare students for employment in public accounting, managerial accounting, financial services and corporate finance.

Depending on the state in which students reside, legislation has made it mandatory for students to complete a minimum of 150 credit hours prior to taking the CPA exam. Most states, including Missouri, have passed this legislation, known as the 150-hour requirement. At Northwest, however, students are not required to complete 150 credit hours to obtain an accounting degree.

Northwest recognizes that public accounting isn’t for all students and therefore you may tailor classes toward your own interests through the private industry track as an alternative. Many accountants have chosen careers outside public accounting (income tax, auditing and management services), which prove to be extremely successful, rewarding and satisfying. However, students interested in public accounting, you are encouraged to fulfill the 150-hour requirement.

Art majors with an emphasis in ceramics gain hands-on experiences through the study of clay and making it functional. Faculty focus on hand-building techniques, processes of making glaze with earth materials, the history of ceramics, wheel throwing, kiln theory and assisting students in defining a broader approaches.

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.

Comprehensive communication majors with an emphasis in interpersonal communication study how people create, send and receive messages, and analyze the ways in which messages affect the perception of the relationship. Students learn methods of identifying problems in communication, correcting problems, and training and developing communication abilities for members of various communities. At Northwest, faculty focus on communication theory and ensuring students are efficient in public speaking, writing, group behavior, persuasion and interpersonal communication.

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.

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.

The Organizational Behavior and Human Resources major at Northwest is a multidisciplinary program intended for students interested in behavioral science with a foundation in business. Faculty focus on ensuring students have knowledge in the benefits, recruiting, selection, professional development and compensation of human employment; understanding behaviors behind teamwork and group dynamics; and leadership within a business or organization.

Our graduate program in English is unique to the region in that most of our literature, writing, and creative writing classes are broadly conceived "umbrella" classes. The specific content of these courses change each time the class is offered. This system allows students the variety and depth of experience that characterize effective Master's level programs in English.

M.A. in English with Speech Emphasis
Students in the M.A. program may elect to take a concentration in Speech by declaring their intention to do so when filing for candidacy. They will be advised to take their six hours of unspecified electives in Speech, and, depending on their backgrounds in English, they may elect to take up to an additional six hours in Speech. In no case will a student take fewer than 14 hours of English.

Students seeking the M.A. in English with a Speech emphasis will complete a Department of Language, Literature, and Writing portfolio and oral defense and will complete a comprehensive examination in the area of Speech. Each department will be responsible for constructing and evaluating its part of the final assessment.

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 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.