Bachelor of Arts in Art and Architectural History

at Roger Williams University - Bristol Campus USA

At RWU, Web Development majors don’t just design, develop and deploy state-of-the-art websites. They work on multi-disciplinary teams to solve problems for real-world clients. In the Web Development Center, you'll meet your first three clients in your sophomore year. As you begin to work with real clients, you'll quickly discover that web development isn't just about technology. On the Web, "content is king." So we encourage you to reinforce your web development education by picking up a second major or a couple of minors in fields like Marketing, Graphic Design, User Experience (UX), Journalism, Communication, Public Relations, Writing, Visual Arts, Cybersecurity and Business. In four short years, you'll graduate ready to meet the growing demand for web developers.

Learning Outcomes

• You will be able to effectively apply the technologies used to create 80% of professional websites.
• You will be able to work with a client to help clarify the goal and objectives for their digital presence.
• You will be able to create and select content and design-elements that deliver a clear message that reflects the client’s goal.
• You will be able to identify and apply technology that will effectively convey the client’s message on a spectrum of digital devices, while ensuring that it facilitates the client's ability to update the site and keep it “fresh.”
• You will be able to employ and interpret analytics to determine where your audience is engaging, and where they aren’t.
• You will be able to create websites and other digital products in an ethically responsible manner that does not disadvantage those with disabilities, those with older or inexpensive technology, or those with slower networks.
•  You will be able to function effectively as a member or leader of a multidisciplinary team.

The Visual Arts department at Roger Williams University prepares students for future careers in the arts with an interdisciplinary spirit and a global perspective. The Visual Arts faculty consists of active artists who share their experience with students through lively and challenging discussions and critiques. Media exploration is encouraged throughout the program and culminates in the creation of a cohesive body of work that reflects the individual student’s interests.

The major brings together students of diverse backgrounds who explore their creative interests through a range of media experiences. Emphasis of study is placed on historical as well as contemporary theories in the arts so that students may better place their own artwork within a larger context. Students in the program balance craft and conceptual agility and new and traditional media to engage in an increasingly interdisciplinary world. The interdisciplinary nature of the program allows students to explore multiple areas of interest that informs their creative work and gives students a broader skill-set than most arts programs. Our strength is the amount of attention given to each individual student-artist as they develop in the program preparing them for a future career in the arts.

RWU’s unique and intimate Music program layers the exploration of world cultures on top of a solid foundation in theory, history and composition. All Music students take private lessons, perform with an ensemble and specialize in either technology or culture. With opportunities to take additional coursework in professional fields like business, communication or computer science, you’ll be prepared for a wide range of music careers.

The Music major at Roger Williams University offers a solid foundation in music theory and the principle musical styles in western culture, as well as an introduction to the music of various world cultures. Students study the elements of music and explore their application in various compositional formats. They have the opportunity to study the evolution of popular music as well as the classical forms that have characterized and helped define western culture. A unique aspect of RWU’s Music major that reflects the mission of the University is the exploration of world cultures through music. These courses will focus not only on the music of various world cultures, but also on the ways in which music is a reflection of these cultures.

The Music Major offers two tracks for students to choose from. The “Music & Culture” track highlights performance and world culture through music, and the “Music & Technology” track explores 21st century developments in music, as influenced by new electronic and computer technologies.

This course of study expands the student’s knowledge of the environment and how best to live in it, particularly from a chemical point of view. Studies dealing with actual environmental problems in modern society provide students with the logical scientific framework and develop the intellectual power necessary for finding possible solutions and deciding upon the more desirable ones. Emphasis is on laboratory and field studies designed to develop the skills and techniques necessary for analyzing environmental problems.

The interdisciplinary Performing Arts program is designed for multi-talented students who do not want to confine themselves to studying only dance, music or theatre. With opportunities to customize your studies, join on-campus performances and study abroad through the RWU London Theatre Program, you’ll develop your skills for a variety of arts careers including performance, education and management.

The Performing Arts major involves an interdisciplinary study of dance, music and theatre leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Performing Arts. While each of the Performing Arts is a distinct discipline, they have historically drawn from each other in both theory and practice. Designed for students who do not want to confine themselves to one discipline, the Performing Arts major encourages students to broaden their perspectives and the range of their skills. Practical applications of this major include careers in arts management, education, or as a foundation in such fields as musical theatre performance, which synthesize all the arts.

The major seeks to acquaint students with the commonalities shared by all three fields and to provide specialized understanding and mastery of two. This program also provides a solid understanding of the history and theory in the Performing Arts with experience in the practical application of the discipline through studio courses and through the department’s performance programs. Students are encouraged to participate in the London Study Abroad program, which focuses on exposure to the Performing Arts.

Engineering at RWU is unique in its structure: a broad, liberal arts-infused foundation of math, science and engineering layered with an in-depth specialization in civil, computer, electrical or mechanical engineering or a customized study. Through this accredited program, you’ll develop the creativity and flexibility to solve practical problems that benefit humanity in our complex and rapidly changing world.

Computer Science is about more than performing calculations and learning specific programming languages. It’s about precision, problem solving and creating technology services and solutions that will work in an increasingly complex future. With coursework that combines solid theory, real-world practice and specialization options, RWU students are ready for high-demand career fields from app developers to large scale software system designers.

The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science prepares students for professional employment in technical fields or graduate school. Students receive a thorough grounding in modern computer science theory and practice, learn to apply their knowledge to the design of today’s complex software systems and prepare for the ever-more complex systems of the future.

At RWU, our Philosophy students learn to think critically and build logical arguments: about our assumptions and values as a society, about the positions of history’s major philosophers and about the nature of knowledge itself. The writing, reading and problem-solving skills you develop through discussions, debates and your senior thesis will lay a foundation for success in fields like law and academia.

Student Learning Outcomes

All Students completing the Philosophy program will demonstrate the following:

• Read with comprehension philosophical texts relevant to the specific courses;
• Define key terms of the philosophical vocabulary relevant to the particular course;
• Analyze texts, draw inferences, and support claims using internal evidence;
• Practice critical reading and thinking;
• Distinguish different areas of philosophy and philosophical methodology;
• Understand some of the diverse assumptions and values that shape our experiences and/or attitudes of the world;
• Write cogent analytical and critical essays tied to textual evidence, explaining a philosopher’s position, presenting the philosopher’s arguments, exposing weaknesses in the arguments; five pages for lower level and intermediate courses; ten pages for advanced courses.
• Use secondary sources appropriately in reinforcing and extending arguments.

The accredited Construction Management program at RWU prepares future leaders of residential, commercial and heavy-civil projects. Through classes, labs and hands-on projects in engineering, business, math, science, law and liberal arts, you’ll learn how to manage construction projects from start to finish -- including scheduling, budgeting, choosing materials and safely supervising people. That’s why construction employers regularly report that our graduates exceed expectations for performance.

Construction managers are the leaders of the design-build process, and work for owners, builders, designers, subcontractors and a multitude of government and technical agencies. They control the “means and methods” of construction, develop the budgets and manage the project schedules. On-time, on-budget completion is a typical CM responsibility which has become increasingly difficult given today’s technically and organizationally complex projects. Owners, designers and construction managers must all work collaboratively to create integrated best value solutions that meet a client’s needs.

To work as a construction manager, graduates need technical, managerial, research and problem solving skills. Our program provides this education with a balanced curriculum which includes engineering, construction, business, mathematics, science and liberal arts courses. Employer surveys regularly report our graduates meeting or exceeding all performance expectations and regularly outperforming graduates from many of our peer institutions.

Housed in RWU’s Marine and Natural Sciences Building, the interdisciplinary Environmental Science program integrates biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics into an understanding of the natural world. Through research and an array of electives in fields like earth sciences, resource management and law, you’ll discover how humans affect nature and learn how to protect the environment in your career as a scientist, policymaker or educator.

Research Opportunities

The Environmental Science major at Roger Williams is an interdisciplinary program designed to provide students with an understanding of environmental processes and issues and an awareness of our role as humans within the environment. Undergraduate research is integrated into the Environmental Science curriculum, with opportunities for students to earn academic credit for doing research, to develop proposals and compete for small grants to fund their projects, and to present their findings at regional, national and international conferences.