Undergraduate Academic Accelerator Pathway (2-Term) - Bachelor of Arts in Biology

at Shorelight Group - The University of Utah USA

Conflict exists both within ourselves and in our interpersonal relations: with friends, families, or our community, locally and globally. If you want to be able to recognize and peacefully resolve conflict, consider the Peace & Conflict Studies program at the University of Utah. Offered collaboratively by the College of Humanities, Department of Communication, and College of Social and Behavioral Science, Peace & Conflict Studies will give you the knowledge, skills, and values you need to be a peacemaker in the world. Students in this program choose one of three themes for their studies: Conflict Resolution, Social Justice, or Global Perspectives. Regardless of emphasis area, students take courses in topics like negotiation, poverty and inequality, international affairs and human rights, world religions and politics, and the economics of race and gender. The culminating experiences of the program include a capstone course, seminar, and required internship. Through your studies, you will develop your communication, social awareness, and critical thinking skills, enabling you to pursue careers in a number of fields.

The Business Administration degree provides students with a strong knowledge base across the fundamental disciplines of business: accounting, finance, management, marketing, opersations and supply chain, and information systems. At the David Eccles School of Business, students learn to manage technology and identify entrepreneurial opportunities, learning the social implications of doing global business and developing the values and ethics to succeed and prosper. The Business Administration curriculum consists of classes in accounting, finance, management, marketing, operations and supply chain,  and information systems. Graduates of this program possess a mix of business, technical, and essential communication skills required of management and leadership roles, preparing them for a wide range of business careers.

Students majoring or minoring in Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies (CLCS) compare multiple literatures and cultures within the framework of a single degree. As a CLCS student, you will explore themes across cultures and time periods, compare national literatures and cultures, learn and apply international literary and cultural theories, and analyze diverse types of texts (literary, visual, musical, etc.) produced in multiple cultural spheres.

Anthropology is the study of human beings; their cultures, biology, behaviors, and their changes through time (evolution). Because we study all aspects of humans, anthropology is said to be holistic and inter-disciplinary, that is anthropologists work hand-in-hand with other sciences such as biology, physiology, sociology and psychology—just to name a few.

At the University of Utah, the Anthropology Department is divided into four main divisions: Cultural, Biological, Evolutionary Ecology, and Archaeology. Cultural anthropology focuses on human cultures and how they vary through time and space—around the world and back through pre-history. Biological anthropology focuses on ancient and modern human anatomical, physiological, and biological variability. Biological anthropology also concerns itself with non-human primates like chimpanzees and gorillas—by studying them, we hope to learn more about ourselves. Archaeology is the excavation and interpretation of what humans leave behind in order to infer how and why humans have evolved. Evolutionary ecology (sometimes known as behavioral ecology) examines human (and non-human primate) behavior and life-history—why did human beings evolve the way they did?

Ultimately, anthropologists use all four sub-disciplines to describe and explain past and present human diversity. The Department takes a theoretically-driven, empirically-informed perspective focusing on the following specific areas of expertise: archaeology, genetics, behavioral ecology, paleoanthropology, hunter-gatherer behavior, and human and non-human primate behavior.

Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on interactions of gender with race, class, sexual orientation, and nationality. In addition to its focus on the history and achievements of women, gender scholarship has inspired research and curricula that address men’s lives, masculinity, and the lives of people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. The University of Utah Gender Studies Division offers a space for the study of a wide range of feminist thought and practices: theory and community-engaged learning; activism and professional development; lively debate and professional skill building. Pursue your passions!

The University of Utah’s Department of Ballet is consistently recognized as one of the top programs in the country, and it is additionally accredited by the National Association of the Schools of Dance (NASD). The Ballet BFA is for serious students interested in a career in ballet or other dance-related fields and requires discipline, dedication, and a willingness to contribute to a collegial and effective learning environment. Honoring and encouraging both creative and scholarly research, the comprehensive curriculum ultimately prepares graduates to successfully pursue a career within the field of dance. This degree offers a balanced course of study that may include an emphasis in Ballet Teaching or a certificate in Studio Teaching. Students must audition before they can be admitted to the ballet program. Upon admission, courses include numerous ‘in studio’ classes as well as critical thinking and creative process classes. An understanding of dance history, pedagogy, kinesiology, and choreographic process is taught simultaneously with concepts in technique, pointe, men’s class, and partnering to prepare students for a career in various facets of the dance field. Students interested in studying Ballet must audition for the program. Audition and admissions information can be found on the School of Dance webpage.

Political Science studies the world of politics and government – particularly the manner in which people organize, administer, and seek to improve their governments, the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship, and the use and abuse of power. Students who major in political science are interested in understanding how laws and policies affect peoples’ lives and care deeply about community engagement and social change. Through a critical investigation of the political world, political science students learn how to apply concepts and theories, craft compelling arguments, and analyze complex information while grappling with some of the most pressing challenges facing societies around the globe.

Finance deals with the concepts of time, money, risk, how they are interrelated, and how money is budgeted and spent. Finance students learn how to assign value to projects, companies and securities. They also study how individuals and businesses can efficiently allocate financial resources, invest, and raise capital. With these skills, Finance majors can determine wise investment strategies, value stock options, and help companies and individuals manage their money. A critical component of a finance students’ education is meaningful, real-world opportunities, balanced by worthwhile classroom experiences. The U’s Finance curriculum covers topics such as business statistics, business calculus, corporate finance, insurance, investments, and real estate. A global perspectives course allows students to apply an international context to the business skills and perspectives they are learning.

In addition to the traditional major, students may pursue an emphasis in Advanced Financial Analysis, an honors-level program that provides students with a deeper foundation in finance and accounting, supplemented by additional technical competence in financial modeling and coding as applied to finance problems. Courses will focus on developing technical skills and applying those skills to solve problems in realistic settings.

That catchy jingle, that distinctive symbol or image, and all the other cues we associate with a specific product become embedded in our brains thanks to marketing. Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers. Through strategic thinking, business acumen, and carefully-designed communications, marketing specialists ultimately help organizations identify and satisfy customer needs. As a marketing major at the University of Utah, you will study diverse topics such as market research, consumer behavior, advertising, sales and business development, and international marketing, with one goal in mind: learning how to build brands that people want.

If you have a passion for numbers and problem-solving, consider majoring in applied mathematics. Unlike “pure” mathematics, where math is a theoretical pursuit, the field of applied mathematics uses math to solve real-world problems. These problems can be as simple as allocating an investment and calculating returns, or as dramatic as using mathematical algorithms to crack and decrypt intelligence codes. This degree provides students with excellent quantitative and analytical skills, and a math degree is the perfect stepping stone for a countless number of careers.