Master of Arts in Geography

at San Jose State University USA

The mission of the department is to be a recognized leader in translational biomedical research; to provide hands-on education focused on solving real world biomedical problems; and to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in the service of human well being.

The Masters Program is designed to produce graduates who:

• Are able to solve complex engineering problems and tasks, and use engineering, science and statistics principles to justify recommendations.
• Are able to evaluate the impact of their work on society, including ethical, economic, global and environmental aspects.
• Can deliver effective presentations of engineering results in written and oral formats.
• Have life-long learning skills and are able to apply their engineering knowledge to critically evaluate relevant literature and new technologies or systems.
• Are effective leaders, capable of working in diverse environments.
• Are able to apply their engineering education to a variety of career paths.

The MS Biomedical Engineering program has been designed, in consultation with potential employers, to prepare graduates for the wide variety of emerging interdisciplinary careers at the interfaces between engineering and the life sciences. The coursework has been designed to build upon the student’s background in engineering, biology, chemistry or physics.  Students will take courses that uniquely prepare them to function effectively in a Food and Drug Administration-regulated global environment in which they will develop health-related medical products and techniques that improve the quality of life.  Technical elective courses may be taken from the list of electives provided on the department website, with approval of the academic advisor.  The electives, in combination with the required thesis or project research, will enable the student to develop depth in one of the many areas that biomedical engineering encompasses.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

• Language & Communication. Written Expression. Demonstrate advanced (ACTFL) skills in writing French.
• Language & Communication. Reading Comprehension. Demonstrate advanced (ACTFL) skills in reading French.
• Language & Communication. Oral Expression. Demonstrate advanced (ACTFL) skills in speaking French.
• Language & Communication. Listening Comprehension. Demonstrate advanced (ACTFL) skills in understanding French.
• Literacy: Use appropriate terminology in linguistic, cultural, or literary analysis.
• Cultural Analysis and Comparison: Analyze and compare a wide variety of texts drawing upon their cultural knowledge of France and the Francophone world.
• Literary and Cultural Texts and Traditions: Demonstrate knowledge of major periods, genres, authors, movements of French and Francophone cultural history.
• Demonstrate advanced ability to connect with other disciplines and language communities. Demonstrate advanced translation skills.
• Technology: Demonstrate information processing competency, use of appropriate technologies and tools for research, analysis, communication, and presentation.

MS Physics, concentration in Modern Optics is offered by the Department of Physics and Astronomy. The students in this concentration receive instruction in fundamental areas of physics and gain experience and knowledge in a wide range of subjects related to Modern Optics. All candidates are required to complete a thesis including the defense (Plan A) or take an oral comprehensive examination as culminating experience (Plan B).

Biomedical engineering is an inherently interdisciplinary field that lies at the intersection of engineering and the biological and health sciences. Biomedical engineers use the principles of engineering to develop solutions for a wide variety of products and technologies that improve the quality of life. Students majoring in biomedical engineering will have the satisfaction of being actively engaged in a discipline that has human health and welfare as its primary focus.

The BS Biomedical Engineering program has been designed, in consultation with potential employers, to prepare graduates for the wide variety of emerging careers that include biomedical devices, bioelectronics and instrumentation, imaging, bioinformatics, and manufacturing, among others. The coursework has been designed to prepare students to function effectively in a U.S. Food & Drug Administration-regulated environment. This program also incorporates the soft skills,such as communications skills and team work,necessary for professional success in the global marketplace and lifelong learning. Development of the ability to address and deal with ethical issues, which are of paramount importance in biomedical engineering, and communications skills are integrated into the classes throughout the curriculum.

Students in the BFA program will have accomplished these objectives and will have produced a portfolio of work that will enable them to apply to graduate schools. The required BFA Seminar gives students an opportunity to consider contemporary and historical issues and allows them to evaluate their work and the work of others within a broader context. BFA students are required to complete a senior project that reflects a personal direction. They exhibit the resulting body of work that is then reviewed by a committee of faculty members.

The overall objectives of the Pictorial Art Area are as follows: Visual sensitivity in the pictorial art is developed in a number of ways. In Beginning Drawing students learn to translate the perceived world into two-dimensional constructs such as line and tone. While formal elements of composition are specifically addressed in 2-D Concepts, they remain an integral part of all pictorial courses. As students progress through more advanced courses, they engage in more sophisticated levels of visual thinking. This will be reflected in their work in the utilization of more complex formal means, both representational and abstract, and to express content. In critique sessions, students are encouraged to articulate visual ideas.

In Pictorial Art, students learn to conceptualize their ideas and execute them. This is true on every level from introductory courses to the most advanced. In some courses, such as Expressive Drawing, the emphasis is on the discovery of personal content through abstraction of the observed world or through the development of non-representational vocabulary. In other courses, such as Representational Drawing and Life Drawing, the emphasis is on perception and learning more traditional methods of rendering and depiction. In more advanced courses students are given the opportunity to choose the stylistic means of expression which best gives form to their visual ideas.

Students in Pictorial Art area are exposed to a wide variety of techniques and technical processes. This ranges from the simple and straight-forward use of pencil and charcoal in drawing through the slightly more complex techniques of watercolor, acrylic and oil painting to the more involved processes of hand-drawn and photo-generated serigraphy, as well as the chemical processes of lithography and intaglio printing. By the time they graduate students will be proficient in several of these areas. The Art History requirements for the major give the students a broad understanding of the major movements of the past and present in both the Western and non-Western worlds. In addition, slide lectures and books presented in the classroom put course work into a historical and cultural context.

The Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (Accrediatation Board for Engineering and Technology),

Within a few years of graduation, our ME graduates are expected to have:

• Applied engineering knowledge and skills to make positive impact on society through employment in industry, advanced study, entrepreneurship, and/or public service;
• Communicated effectively and performed professionally in both individual and multi-disciplinary team-based project environment;
• Engaged in and continue to engage in lifelong self-directed learning, including gathering and evaluating information independently, to maintain and enhance their professional skills;
• Determined and responded to ethical implications on issues such as public safety and intellectual property protection, and also weighed global and societal impacts of engineering solutions to contemporary problems.

Student Learning Outcomes

By the time they graduate, our students are expected to have acquired the following:

• An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
• An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
• An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
• An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
• An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
• An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
• An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

The BM in Performance is designed for students who are intent on pursuing an active career as a performer and/or private instructor. Music Performance students receive private lessons from one of our outstanding applied instructors for their instrument/voice type to develop their individual technique, sound, expression, and understanding of standard repertoire. In addition to core courses such as Music Theory, Performance Majors participate in appropriate Major and Minor ensembles. Students in this degree program are expected to present both a junior and senior recital.

The Bachelor of Music, Concentration in Performance, offered by the School of Music and Dance, is designed for students intending to pursue careers as professional singers or instrumentalists. In addition to the core music courses, the program includes weekly 60-minute private lessons and participation in large ensembles such as choirs, bands, symphony orchestra, and opera theater. Students also perform regularly as soloists and as chamber musicians, both in closed studio classes and in public recitals. In addition to their regular course of study, students are required to present both junior and senior recitals.

The BA Mathematics is recommended for students who enjoy problem solving and would like to apply problem solving skills along with communication and analyzing skills in a future career. This degree also provides an excellent background for graduate work in mathematics and other disciplines including law and medicine as well as engineering and science.

Over the past 30 years, our nationally recognized program has earned a well-deserved reputation as one of the most comprehensive photography programs in the West. Located within the School of Art & Design, the Photography Program at San José State University is the largest in the California State University system and one of the largest in the Western United States. Our curriculum engages students in a diverse range of contemporary practices in the medium, from traditional silver-based photography and historic alternative photo processes, to innovative approaches to digital and video imaging.

In addition to our emphasis in photography as a fine art, our program also includes a strong commercial photography component, a feature that makes our undergraduate program unique. Covering a full spectrum of technical, aesthetic, conceptual, and theoretical issues, one of our primary objectives is to enhance the student's ability to conceptualize an idea and gain the ability to visually articulate concepts.

Throughout its 150-year history, photography has served as a powerful means of self-expression, a catalyst for cultural change and a medium for social commentary. We encourage students to produce thoughtful artwork that deals with meaningful issues. We also recognize the increasing interdisciplinary nature of photography, and encourage interested students to explore related media including installation, film and video, and electronic media.

Philosophy is an adventure of the mind. Philosophy majors read and discuss ideas generated by some of the greatest thinkers in history, putting these ideas in conversation with each other and with contemporary concerns. Philosophy students also learn to look at theoretical and practical problems from a philosophical perspective.

Because the study of philosophy develops a student's ability to analyze ideas and arguments, to think critically, and to write well, a major in philosophy provides skills that are valued by many kinds of employers and serves as appropriate pre-professional preparation for various fields, including law, medicine, psychology and theology. Additionally, the major provides preparation for students interested in obtaining a background for graduate work in philosophy.

The philosophy major is made up of three parts:

• Three lower-division courses consisting of a year-long sequence in the history of philosophy and a logic course;
• Seven upper-division courses that offer deeper exposure to different areas in philosophy; and
• One upper-level seminar that provides an opportunity to engage deeply with the works of a particular philosopher or philosophical tradition.