Bachelor of Arts in Environmental and Sustainability Studies

at Shorelight Group - University of Massachusetts - Boston USA

The field of Latin American and Iberian studies explores the languages, literatures, and histories of Spain, Portugal, Latin America and the Caribbean. Insight into these cultures trains students to think critically from different perspectives—an important skill in a world where communication and understanding across boundaries is essential. Latin American and Iberian studies graduates are prepared for careers in international affairs, government, education and many other fields.

Upon completion of the Major in Latin American and Iberian Studies, students will be able to:

• Communicate proficiently, using all four skills (i.e. speaking, listening, reading and writing), in academic, professional, and everyday settings in the language that is required by their selected track.1
• Conduct and disseminate academic research both orally and in writing in the language that is required by their selected track.
• Identify and analyze cultural representations of the languages, cultures and societies of the Latin American and Iberian world, both their own and those produced by others, in accordance with academic standards.
• Document data and formulate concrete research questions in order to conduct academic research at undergraduate level.
• Recognize and utilize appropriate methodologies in order to explicitly outline a research plan to conduct academic research at undergraduate level.
• Produce scholarly work in dialogue with academic fields such as anthropology, history, and geography at undergraduate level.
• Apply pre-professional translation skills to a variety of documents in both directions, Spanish to English and English to Spanish.2
• Assess a variety of theoretical approaches to Translation Studies in order to adopt adequate methodologies for the translation of a variety of documents.

Our award winning, nationally recognized BS in Environmental Science program is grounded in the natural sciences integrating biology, chemistry, physics, and geology with the social sciences to prepare the next generation of innovators and knowledge creators. Students gain essential skills in ecology, geology, hydrology, and marine science and apply these skills to critical challenges facing coastal marine systems in the Boston metropolitan area. Through coursework, our senior capstone course, internships, research, and cooperative education programs, students apply their knowledge to real-world problems in collaboration with our many public and private partners. Majors can focus their studies on the earth systems (Earth and Hydrologic Science Track), coastal oceans (Marine Science Track), or on the science-policy interface (Policy and Management Track).

• Students will be able to apply the scientific method and design appropriate experiments to answer environmental science questions.  
• Students will understand the contributions of laboratory, field, and survey data collection and analysis for approaching environmental science problems.
• Students will be able to analyze and critique environmental questions across multiple natural and social science perspectives and research approaches.
• Students will demonstrate analytical and quantitative proficiencies to analyze environmental and/or social science data.
• Students will understand the system interactions and feedbacks between human activities and social institutions and the natural environment.
• Students will be experienced in communicating their learnings both in writing, visually, and orally, and for specific and general audiences.

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at UMass Boston is an interdisciplinary field of study offering both a major (30 credits) and a minor (18 credits). The department includes introductory and intermediate courses, designed for all students who have a general interest in understanding how gender shapes our experiences, institutions, and social realities. More specialized upper-level courses primarily serve minors and majors. In addition to department (WGS) courses, we also offer an array of approved courses taught in other departments and programs (Art, English, Philosophy, Sociology, etc.). Many Women’s and Gender Studies courses fulfill general education requirements.

The Computer Science Department offers a BA degree in Computer Science. It provides a similar education in the theory and practice of computer science with more of an emphasis on outside humanities. Either degree can be used as a basis for many jobs in industry or for graduate work in computer science and other fields. 

Welcome to the Department Of Mathematics!
The Department of Mathematics supports the mission of the University by:

• Providing mathematics majors with high-quality programs
• Offering high-quality courses to majors in the sciences and to others who need mathematics in their field of study and research
• Educating those students whose primary interest is not in a field requiring the highest level of mathematics
• Working on the frontier of mathematical research in fields of interest to our faculty

The Bachelor of Science (BS) degree offered by the Mathematics Department has two possible concentrations:

• Applied and Pure Mathematics - The Applied and Pure Mathematics Concentration is the most “traditional” concentration and students pursuing it will have a solid foundation for various math careers ahead of them. Students interested in going to graduate school in fields like mathematics or physics or working on mathematical modeling in industry or research laboratories, might want to consider the Applied and Pure Mathematics Concentration.
• Computational Mathematics - The Computational Mathematics Concentration provides broad math education with an emphasis on computer and mathematical models as tools to solve real-world problems. Students graduating in this concentration would be qualified to look for jobs, for example, in actuarial companies, finance, machine learning industry or apply to grad schools in computational and data-driven sciences, like computer science, engineering or medical research.

An option to earn a General BS degree is also available.

General BS Degree
For those students who need flexibility in their course work like double majors, major/minor students and transfer students, the Mathematics Department also offers an option to earn a General BS degree in Mathematics. Students who want to pursue this option should get an approval from the department first. To initiate the approval, they need to submit a rationale to the department explaining why they want to pursue the general option.

A full range of business courses and concentrations is offered through the Management major, which prepares students for specific management responsibilities, and results in a bachelor of science degree from the College of Management (CM) at UMass Boston. The program is built on a solid foundation in the arts and humanities achieved by completing CM's general education requirements while also being immersed into business theory and practice.

Learning Goals
As part of its program to maintain accreditation with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the College of Management faculty has formally adopted learning goals for each of its degree programs and periodically conducts assessments for each learning objective to identify opportunities for curriculum improvement.

The learning goals for the bachelor of science in management (BSM) program are for students to:

• Demonstrate proficiency in oral and written communication skills.
• Develop critical thinking and quantitative reasoning skills.
• Demonstrate sound ethical reasoning skills.
• Integrate understanding of issues concerning diversity and globalization in business.

Information Systems and Business Analytics Concentration
Information and data analytics technologies are transforming all aspects of business. Students who concentrate in Information Systems and Business Analytics (ISBA) can acquire the knowledge and skills needed to take a leading role in these innovative fields. The curriculum of the ISBA concentration covers the topics in business analytics and its information systems foundation.

The human services field continues to be one of the fastest-growing in Massachusetts and the nation. Human service providers work in diverse settings, from state agencies to nonprofit organizations. Within these settings they carry out different roles, including advocate, case manager, educator, mediator, and provider of support services for individuals, families, and groups.

The BA Program in Human Services at UMass Boston’s College of Liberal Arts (CLA) prepares students for purposeful careers in human services and graduate education. It provides a theoretical framework, and hands-on experience working with individuals, families, and their communities. In this major, students learn to see people and systems ecologically, envisioning the individual in constant interaction with his or her environment. We examine how individuals and small groups affect and are affected by larger systems, including those that are socioeconomic and political.

Our curriculum provides knowledge and skills that are essential for the delivery of human services, with an emphasis on direct service. We offer service-learning opportunities that allow students to engage in local communities, working on mutually defined issues for the purpose of using one’s education to make a difference.

Integrating aspects of electrical engineering and computer science, computer engineering focuses on the design, analysis, and application of computers, and on their applications as components of systems. Computer engineers work on projects ranging from microprocessors to supercomputers to circuit design, as well as related fields such as robotics.

UMass Boston's Sport Leadership and Administration Program is designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to be effective, transformative, and equity-minded leaders of social change through sport. Students engage in study of the phenomenon of sport from a variety of theoretical lenses based in the liberal arts (historical, anthropological, sociological, psychological/developmental, and economic). This program is designed to provide students with coursework in leadership and management. Students in the Sport Leadership and Administration Program participate in experiential learning opportunities that help them both apply what they have learned through classwork and actualize their leadership potential. Through our multi-pronged approach, we send students out into a variety of sport industry jobs and career paths fully prepared to succeed as leaders.

Welcome to the Department Of Mathematics!
The Department of Mathematics supports the mission of the University by:

• Providing mathematics majors with high-quality programs
• Offering high-quality courses to majors in the sciences and to others who need mathematics in their field of study and research
• Educating those students whose primary interest is not in a field requiring the highest level of mathematics
• Working on the frontier of mathematical research in fields of interest to our faculty

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Mathematics has the following concentration:

• Mathematics for Teaching - The Mathematics for Teaching Concentration provides broad math education with a focus on the development of math ideas and math reasoning. Students who are interested in teaching math, math education, developing educational software or other educational tools for math might consider this concentration.

An option to earn a General BA degree is also available.

General BA Degree
For those students who need flexibility in their course work like double majors, major/minor students and transfer students, the Mathematics Department also offers an option to earn a General BA degree in Mathematics. Students who want to pursue this option should get an approval from the department first. To initiate the approval, they need to submit a rationale to the department explaining why they want to pursue the general option.