Bachelor of Science in Geography

at Northwest Missouri State University USA

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.

The Middle School Education major at Northwest is a state-certified program that prepares students to teach grades five through nine. Faculty focus on ensuring students are proficient and highly qualified in content areas and understand how kids learn. Graduates of the program are equipped with the best methods to incorporating technology into the classroom, understand the development and psychology of middle school students, and know how to use assessment to improve learning outcomes.

Theatre performance majors engage in a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach to performance. Students learn through improvisation and script analysis; acting techniques that include knowledge through a variety of historical and physical styles including Greek, Elizabethan, restoration and 20th century “isms”; as well as techniques to increase vocal and physical awareness of the actor. Students gain hands-on experiences through classroom work, work-shopping, internships and on-stage productions from seasoned professionals in performance theatre.

Biology/Psychology: Biology majors emphasizing in Biomedical Sciences at Northwest study topics such as human anatomy, the positioning, structure and function of bones, muscles and organs within the human body; human physiology, the study of the interrelationship between organs and organ systems; and other fundamentals of the physical and life sciences.

Computer science powers modern society. Whether you make a purchase on Amazon, do a search on Google, send a tweet, or check your email on a smartphone, you are leveraging the power of computer science. There is literally no area of human endeavor in which computer science does not play a major role. Agriculture, banking, healthcare, social media, everywhere you look, computer science is there. It is transformative.

Our program teaches both the theory and practice of computer science, preparing students for a career in computing or a path to graduate school. Students learn the essential theory that underlies the discipline, knowledge that makes them well-rounded and informs them as they develop software. On the practical side, students learn how to discover and document what end-users need; develop algorithms to solve those problems; assess the efficiency of those algorithms; and finally how to implement those algorithms in various programming languages.

Students can get a general degree in computer science, or focus on one of three emphasis areas: Information Security and Assurance, Data Management or Mobile Computing.

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.

The five degree programs of the Discipline of Art and Design provide students with the skills needed to accomplish the tasks of their professions and to awaken them to that intellectual level of existence which will cause them to lead fuller, more rewarding lives regardless of the professional area they enter.

Study in these programs offers students the opportunity to learn to communicate ideas effectively, to develop analytical skills, to synthesize ideas, to evaluate implications of present actions against historical perspective, and to develop discriminating aesthetic judgments.

The Discipline of Art has among its quality objectives: (a) to provide an environment conducive to learning and creative production, (b) to develop an understanding and sensitivity to the visual arts of the past and present, (c) to prepare students for careers in the visual arts and design including the teaching of art and design, (d) to furnish the students with sufficient mastery of technical skills to allow for future independent development and creative production, and (e) to prepare students for advanced study in the visual arts.

In addition to the academic programs, the Exhibitions Program and Visiting Artists Series assist in broadening the learning experiences of all students. The exhibitions are shown in the Gallery of the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building and are drawn from national as well as regional sources. The Visiting Artists Series brings outstanding artists and art historians to the department where they conduct workshops, give demonstrations, hold discussions, and give slide presentations and lectures that are open to all persons in the University and regional community.

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.

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.

As a cybersecurity major, students learn skills and techniques that will prepare them for success in their careers or graduate studies. Cybersecurity is the protection of infrastructure, systems, devices, networks, information, and applications from attacks, damage, loss, or unauthorized access through appropriate technologies, practices, and techniques. The program will focus on general computer science skills, and the necessary skills to create, develop, and deploy secure computer-based systems.