Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with Concentration in American Studies

at Shorelight Group - Towson University USA

The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) is designed for individuals with a bachelor’s degree in a field other than education, who have no formal teacher training and wish to enter the teaching profession. It is well suited to recent graduates and to those seeking to change careers.

Graduates of the MAT program are eligible for teacher certification in the general education tracks of early childhood, elementary and secondary education.

• Early childhood education prepares students to teach Pre-K through grade three.
• Elementary education prepares students to teach grades one through six.
• Secondary education prepares students to teach grades seven through 12 in biology, chemistry, earth-space science, English, mathematics, physics, or history/social studies. 
• World Languages prepares students to teach Pre-K through grade 12 in French or Spanish.

Students majoring in Music Education are required to complete the courses listed under the requirements tab, the Music Education Professional Core Courses and the Core Curriculum. Students choose either the Instrumental Music Education Concentration or the Vocal-General Music Education Concentration. Students will also complete a criminal background check as required by the school system in which the internship is located prior to entry into the capstone internship.

Foreign Languages majors in the Spanish Education Concentration are eligible to apply for certification to teach Spanish in Maryland upon graduation. In addition to the Core Curriculum requirements and the requirements specified by the Department of Secondary and Middle School Education, students must complete 30 units. Students must contact the Department of Secondary and Middle School Education about admission to the Teacher Education Program. Students are also required to complete the Oral Proficiency Interview and the Writing Proficiency Test. They are required to achieve a level of “Advanced Low" in the Oral Proficiency Interview. 

Students who decide not to complete all education requirements must select and complete a different concentration/track in the major in order to graduate.

The American Studies Concentration is an interdisciplinary program that allows students to take courses in different academic departments that focus on the concept of American culture. The American Studies approach emphasizes the interrelatedness of history, literature, the arts and popular culture. In their course work students will examine American institutions, ideas and material forms in order to better understand the nation’s past and to shape their own futures. The major is designed for those students who may wish to have careers in fields such as law, government service, non-profit organizations, journalism, museum work and teaching, where a broad knowledge of American history and culture is desirable.

A minor is available for those students with another major who want to learn more about American culture. Students have the opportunity to receive units for internships.

In addition to the Core Curriculum requirements, Foreign Languages majors in the French Concentration must complete 30 units with a grade equivalent of 2.00 or higher in French beyond the intermediate level. Of the 30 units, at least 15 units must be taken at Towson University.

The Geology major contains a basis of the fundamental earth sciences supplemented by essential mathematics and physical sciences. The upper-level Geology classes are generally small, with both lecture and laboratory taught by faculty. Depending on their course selections, Geology majors are prepared to enter successful careers in a range of geoscience industries (e.g., environmental consulting, state or federal scientific or regulatory agencies, petroleum), to teach at the secondary level, or to attend graduate school. Students interested in the teaching certification in Earth and Space Sciences should investigate TU’s Earth-Space Sciences major.

The interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary graduate program in Women’s and Gender Studies provides students with a solid academic foundation to pursue their unique goals. As the only applied master’s program in Women’s and Gender Studies in Maryland and the only Women’s and Gender Studies master’s program in Baltimore, the program emphasizes applied research methods and skills, preparing students for careers in a variety of public and private organizations both national and international, for-profit and nonprofit. It also prepares students to enter doctoral programs in a variety of fields.

While significant progress has been made in recent decades in women’s equality worldwide, international efforts for women’s rights are generating increasing attention. Depending on who they are and where they live, women experience globalization, militarization, nationalism, social movements, development, colonialism, revolutions and transitions to democracy differently. In this concentration, explore those differences and the social, political, economic and cultural processes that create them.

Gain expert knowledge and relevant experience in applied geographic methods and technologies. Tailor your master’s degree to your academic and professional goals as you prepare for positions in the public and private sector.

Choose from specialized topics, including:

• Area studies
• Geographic information systems
• Cartography
• Environmental and urban planning
• Environmental assessment
• Energy resources
• Policy issues
• Urban studies

All students enrolled in the graduate program must demonstrate proficiency in research. Students may choose a thesis or non-thesis option. All non-thesis students must complete a final research project.

Communication Studies courses give students a foundation in communication theories and their interrelated contexts, the application of theories to contemporary issues and the scholarly methods of studying communication. The Communication Studies major has a three-fold function:

1. It allows students a greater understanding of the role that communication plays in shaping culture and identity.
2. It looks at the ways in which the process of meaning-making (whether through the use of words, images, symbols or technology) is used strategically to influence human judgment and actions.
3. It sharpens students’ critical thinking abilities, thus enabling them to become ethical producers and consumers of messages.

This three-fold function is accomplished through a theoretical and practical focus on argument development and through a close examination of the ways ideas are discussed, advocated for, and circulated in public and private life. These emphases give students the opportunity to develop speaking, writing, and analytical thinking skills that will allow them to become better ethical participants in the process of creating, critiquing, and disseminating meaning.

The M.Ed. in Art Education is designed to provide opportunities for artistic and scholarly inquiry and specialized research for the practicing art educator. Emphasis is placed on each graduate student customizing a program of study from a wide array of courses that are significant to the contemporary field of art education. The program encourages professional development as artist / teacher / researchers in becoming more effective practitioners and leaders in the field of art education.