Master of Science in Mass Communications

at San Jose State University USA

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications embraces the innovative spirit of Silicon Valley, emphasizing cultural and intellectual diversity, the First Amendment, and the free flow of ideas.
Students pursuing a Master's in Mass Communication are eligible for graduate assistantships within JMC. These positions are competitive and priority is given to new graduate students. They will spend the semester supporting one or two professors with a variety of projects. Each professor will have unique tasks for their student assistant. The graduate assistantship is an opportunity for the student to gain professional experience in an area of interest and supplement their academic development.

Programs leading to the Master of Science in Chemical Engineering Degree have been developed for the following specializations: Biotechnology, Environmental Engineering, and Semiconductors and Polymer Processing. Other specialized programs can be developed through consultation between the graduate advisor and student.

We offer Masters in Chemical Engineering Degree with Thesis in Biotechnology/Biochemical Engineering. Please contact Dr. Melanie A. McNeil for more information.

The program of study, which may involve either the thesis or non-thesis option, provides a balanced program of advanced study of chemical engineering principles with emphasis on both fundamental and applied aspects of the areas considered. The core program is complemented by a variety of advanced technical electives, allowing the program to be tailored to the needs and interests of the individual.

The program of study normally involves the thesis option, with opportunities for research under the direction of a faculty advisor. Late afternoon and early evening classes are regularly scheduled for the convenience of employed engineers who wish to pursue graduate work on a part-time basis.

The Department of Chemical Engineering currently has research projects in the areas of biokinetics, vapor-liquid equilibria, suspensions, reaction kinetics, catalysis, bioremediation, and semiconductor processing including dry wafer cleaning. Project activity is sponsored by local industries as well as by government funding agencies.

The undergraduate program in Justice Studies provides students with an interdisciplinary curriculum that engages in critical analysis of justice issues. Core classes focus on theory and empirical research that addresses the relationship between law, justice, the justice system, and society. Electives address a number of more specialized and topical justice-related issues.

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the Bachelor of Science degree in Justice Studies in the Department of Justice Studies, students will be able to:

• Explain the major concepts, theories, and historical trends within studies of crime, law, and social justice at all levels, from local to global.
• Describe and apply ways to gather valid information and conduct research to answer questions about crime, law, and social justice issues.
• Understand and critically analyze individual, institutional, and societal responses to crime, law, and social justice issues.
• Employ interdisciplinary perspectives on systems of inequality and concepts of justice to
• propose grounded, informed, and sustainable solutions to social problems in communities
• and/or institutions.
• Articulate compelling, reasoned, and empirically-informed positions on issues of justice to
• diverse audiences. Students will value empirical evidence, tolerate ambiguity, act ethically, and recognize their role and responsibility as a member of society.

The emphasis on applied economics provides training in practical, problem-solving techniques appropriate for careers in teaching, private business, the public sector, banking, and consulting. Although this program emphasize applied economics, it also guides students in the rigorous preparation necessary for doctoral programs.

This 120-unit program provides a strong foundation in physics while allowing sufficient electives for the student to pursue a second program of study in another field (e.g., science education, business, math, engineering or a second science; transfer students must take at least 12 units of upper division physics major courses at SJSU with a GPA of 2.0 or better in these courses).

Economics is a general program, flexible enough to allow for a variety of student objectives. The BA program has over 21 units of open electives. These elective units give students the flexibility to supplement the thinking skills developed in economics with technical skills developed in such fields as finance, marketing, and public relations. A bachelor degree in economics serves as an excellent springboard to an MBA or law degree.

The MSW Program at SJSU was founded in 1969 and was originally designed to educate and train social workers to work with Spanish speaking populations in California. We currently have three MSW Program models. In each model, the curriculum prepares students for professional practice,  and enables them to work competently with Latinos, other minority groups, and those communities, groups, families, and individuals who are disenfranchised, oppressed, and/or marginalized. The program uses a cohort-based enrollment and learning strategy, in which students progress take foundation year classes with the same group of students.

The Master of Science in Data Science program, offered by the College of Science’s Department of Computer Science and Department of Mathematics and Statistics, provides students with a Bachelor’s degree in the sciences or engineering with foundational knowledge, experience, and skills that are crucial for a data science career. It features a multidisciplinary curriculum in applied math, statistics, computer science, and their intersection - machine learning. Its rigorous, balanced coursework provides students with strong mathematical, computing, and data skills, as well as project experience. Graduates of this program will have the necessary theoretical knowledge, practical data analysis and coding skills for solving complex real-world problems based on massive amounts of data and also meet the qualifications for various data scientist positions in industry and government.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Students will be able to:

• Apply computer science knowledge and tools to assist in performing data science tasks.
• Summarize and evaluate statistical and machine learning concepts, models, and techniques.
• Integrate multidisciplinary knowledge and software to tackle challenging, complex data science tasks.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, data science concepts, algorithms, and results to a broad audience.
• Identify ways in which data scientists can contribute to the cultural and economic well-being of diverse societies in local, national, and global scopes. 

The BA in Sociology, offered by the Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, educates students about social processes that create, maintain, and transform social institutions and social identities. Sociology provides a framework for understanding social behavior in groups, social change and inequality in society, and solutions to social problems. Analytical and research skills speak to the needs of a changing world. The degree offers students the widest flexibility in terms of future career choices.

Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It attempts to answer fundamental questions such as, What is language? How does it work? How is it represented in the mind? What features do all human languages share in common? How do languages change over time?

Within universities, linguistics is often grouped together with other social and behavioral sciences such as anthropology and sociology. However, the concerns of linguistics also overlap with those of English, philosophy, and other humanities, with certain physical sciences such as acoustics, and computer science. And because language is ultimately situated in the brain, linguistics is sometimes considered one of the "cognitive sciences," along with psychology, philosophy, and artificial intelligence.

The linguistics faculty at SJSU offers expertise in many areas within linguistics, including

• Computational linguistics (computer processing of language)
• Morphology and syntax (the structure of words and sentences)
• Phonetics and phonology (the sounds of language)
• Psycholinguistics (language and the brain)
• Semantics (meaning)
• Sociolinguistics (language and society)