Master of Science in Geography with Specialization in Geographic Information Sciences

at South Dakota State University USA

The Community and Regional Planning major prepares students for careers in planning agencies where they can attain positions as city managers and community planners at the city, county, state or regional level. The program also qualifies graduates to hold positions in organizations such as housing agencies, community and neighborhood development corporations, economic development agencies, federal agencies and private development firms and foundations. The core requirements consist of such topics as planning theory and law, plan development, quantitative and qualitative skills, and values and ethnics.  The City/Community Design, Environmental, and Land Use emphases give students the opportunities to cultivate specialized knowledge and skills in domains that range from social and political aspects of planning to technical areas based on engineering and design that best prepares them for more focused career pathways.

Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Community and Regional Planning major, students will:

• Acquire planning process methods by developing tools for stakeholder involvement and community engagement and working with diverse communities. They will acquire skills in governance and participation by appreciating the roles of officials, stakeholders, and community members in planned change. (Cross-curricular Skill: Civic Knowledge and Engagement)
• Demonstrate foundational and specialized knowledge concerning the meaning of planning, planning theory, planning law, and human settlements and the history of planning. (Cross-curricular Skill: Critical and Creative Thinking)
• Understand professional ethics and responsibility by learning the key issues of planning ethics and related questions of the ethics of public decision-making, research, and client representation. (Cross-curricular Skill: Ethical Reasoning)
• Information Literacy (Cross-curricular Skill: Information Literacy)
• Explore the future scenarios by understanding of the relationships between past, present, and future in planning domains, as well as the potential for methods of design, analysis, and intervention to influence the future. They also will demonstrate proficiency in global dimensions of planning by appreciating interactions, flows of people and materials, cultures, and differing approaches to planning across world regions. (Cross-curricular Skill: Inquiry and Analysis)
• Acquire the ability to create and implement plans using integrative tools sound plan formulation, adoption, and implementation and enforcement. They will create sustainability and environmental quality by appreciating natural resource and pollution control factors in planning, and understanding of how to create sustainable futures. They will understand growth and development by appreciating economic, social, and cultural factors in urban and regional growth and change. (Cross-curricular Skill: Integrative Learning)
• Acquire leadership skills by learning how to use tools for attention, formation, strategic decision-making, team building, and organizational/community motivation. (Cross-curricular Skill: Teamwork)
• Demonstrate openness to new perspectives and diverse others, evaluate the complexity inherent to multiple perspectives, and demonstrate the ability to reassess their personal perspective when appropriate, particularly in regard to social justice and equity concerns in planning. (Cross-curricular Skill: Diversity, Inclusion and Equity)

The Master’s degree in Agricultural Education is designed to meet the needs of individuals who work (or plan to work) in agricultural education, non-profit organizations, post-secondary education or in agriculture leadership. The School of Education, Counseling and Human Development provides professional preparation for those who want to expand their knowledge and advance themselves professionally in the agricultural industry.

Students are able to choose from either a program in which only coursework is required or a program in which they must complete a research project or creative component. If a student elects to complete a thesis (Plan A) the program will include 30 credit hours. If a student elects to complete a creative component (Plan B), the student must complete a minimum of 32 credit hours in order to graduate. If a full coursework option is selected (Plan C), the student must complete a minimum of 36 credit hours.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge of current issues: The graduate of the curriculum and instruction program displays knowledge of current practices, research, theories, and issues in education.
• Knowledge of learning: The graduate of the curriculum and instruction program demonstrates knowledge of how students learn and is able to effectively apply that knowledge within a variety of educational roles.
• Curricular processes: The graduate of the curriculum and instruction program effectively participates in curricular processes.
• Communication skills: The graduate of the curriculum and instruction program effectively communicates.
• Foundational lifetime learning skills: The graduate of the curriculum and instruction program displays commitment to professional involvement and growth through continual learning, reflective practice, and collaboration.
• Technology: The graduate of the curriculum and instruction program makes appropriate use of educational technology.

The Sport and Recreation Administration program at South Dakota State University prepares students to become dynamic leaders in intercollegiate athletics as well as campus and community recreation. The curriculum and internship experiences will educate students in management, marketing, communications, facilities, finance, ethics and legal issues, research, and much more. In addition to their experiential learning opportunities in their coursework, students will gain valuable real world experiences with our industry partners both on and off campus. Students graduating from the program will be equipped with a skill set that can be directly applied to a wide range of exciting career possibilities.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Management and ethical leadership: Students will understand a foundation in advanced principles and procedures of management and ethical leadership (e.g., administration, marketing, finance and budgeting) for the delivery of sport and recreation management.
• Effective communication: Students will develop effective writing and oral communication skills within the professional guidelines appropriate to graduate study in the field.
• Research: Develop effective writing and oral communication skills within the professional guidelines appropriate to graduate study in the field.
• Diversity awareness: Demonstrate an appreciation of individual differences, civic responsibility and engagement, ethical issues and all dimensions of diversity.
• Experiential learning: Demonstrate the ability to apply the disciplinary knowledge and skills in experiential learning endeavors.

SDSU’s English department offers the M.A. degree in English. There are two emphases available to students:

• Studies in Literature
• Studies in Writing and Rhetoric

Within these two areas of study, the department offers three options for completing the degree:

• Option A requires twenty-four credit hours of coursework, six credit hours of thesis, a thesis project, and an oral examination. Within this option, the student may write a critical or a creative thesis.
• Option B requires thirty credit hours of coursework, two credit hours of research, a research/design project, and an oral examination.
• Option C requires thirty-six credit hours of coursework, a comprehensive written examination, and an oral examination.

Each option will support a variety of educational or professional goals. Students generally complete the program in two to three years.

Student Learning Outcomes

The English department’s M.A program prepares students for professional careers or further graduate study by developing their capacities for textual analysis, research, theory, and creative and critical writing.

Upon completing the English M.A. program, students will be able to:

• Textual Analysis: Demonstrate an advanced ability to analyze and interpret literary and cultural texts.
• Literary History: Examine significant texts, authors, periods, movements, genres, theories, and modes from literary history, interpreting the relationship between texts and their historical, aesthetic, cultural, and ideological contexts.
• Writing: Compose sophisticated argumentative, creative, and reflective texts that demonstrate focus, content, structure, evidence, style, and grammar appropriate to their rhetorical contexts.
• Theory: Demonstrate an advanced ability to apply theoretical concepts to the writing and analysis of texts.
• Research: Produce original research that advances knowledge within the discipline; generates questions for scholarly inquiry; identifies its methodological and theoretical foundations; employs library resources and discipline-specific databases; evaluates and integrates secondary criticism; and documents sources using MLA style.
• Diversity: Explain how literature both reflects and enriches the diversity of human experience through its exploration of the ways in which race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, ability, and class shape identity and influence perception. (Transferable Skill: Diversity Awareness)
• Teaching: Deliver instruction that demonstrates a growing mastery of course content (cultural analysis, rhetoric, grammar, and research) and increasing skill in helping students of varying abilities improve their cultural awareness, critical acumen, reading comprehension, and writing competence. (Graduate teaching assistants only.) (Transferable Skill: Teaching/Training)

The Dairy and Food Science Department provides research opportunities leading to Masters and PhD degrees. SDSU is one of two universities in the US with a Dairy Science Program that offers Dairy Production and Manufacturing majors. It is equipped with excellent laboratories, and a state of the art dairy processing plant which has the capability of processing fluid milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, concentrated and dried products, and other products. It also has a dairy research and training facility where a herd of 300 Holstein and Brown Swiss cattle for teaching and research is maintained. Metabolism and surgical facilities in the Animal Science Complex, and specialized laboratory equipment in the Genomics Lab and other departments on campus, including, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, and Health and Nutritional Sciences Programs are also available. Graduate students accepted in the program will have opportunities to utilize these facilities to develop basic and/or applied research programs in dairy product processing, microbiology, chemistry, food safety, dairy cattle nutrition, metabolism, breeding, microbiology of the rumen, immunology, and management, while interacting with well qualified faculty.  The SDSU Dairy Science Program, in collaboration with the Food Science and Nutrition Program at the University of Minnesota and the Food Science and Human Nutrition Program at Iowa State University, is the Midwest Dairy Foods Research Center. This provides graduate students in the manufacturing area a unique opportunity to be involved with current issues and research needs.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate adequate presentation and communication skills, including thesis and journal article writing, poster and oral presentation skills.
• Demonstrate information literacy for science-based inquiry and critical review of existing knowledge sources.
• Demonstrate an understanding of scientific methods and application of analytical techniques for solving research problems.
• Develop a deep understanding of experimental design, statistical analysis and use of inferential statistics to make valid judgements based on scientific data.
• Specialize research focus in some area such as dairy manufacturing, dairy microbiology or dairy production, but still be broadly based in knowledge of dairy science.
• Be able to conduct and publish scholarly research. (Option A)
• Demonstrate professional development and competence so that they may enter the work force in academia or industry.

Fashion Studies and Retail Merchandising is the perfect major for students who would like to spend their career in one of many roles in the dynamic, competitive, and creative fashion industry. After gaining a good understanding of fundamental business principles related to merchandising and globalization of the industry, they are qualified to become a store or department manager, buyer, or visual merchandiser. Our students also acquire a broad knowledge of people and their behavior, and an understanding of the world at large, and technical knowledge and skills to select fabrics and plan and produce fashion goods.

Student Learning Outcomes
Upon the completion of the Fashion Studies and Retail Merchandising major, students will:

• Apply industry terminology, theories, and concepts in appropriate ways to discuss and critique product quality, serviceability, regulatory compliance standards, merchandising strategies, market trends, retail environments, regulatory factors, and global factors related to the fashion and textile industry. (Cross-curricular Skill: Integrative Learning)
• Demonstrate understanding of the fashion process, including the forces that drive fashion changes and diffusion of innovation and ideas. (Cross-curricular Skill: Integrative Learning)
• Identify and interpret needs, wants, and aspirations of consumers, and outline how industry processes can be applied to forecast, plan, develop, produce, communicate, and sell profitable product lines of products that meet the marketplace’ needs. (Cross-curricular Skill: Integrative Learning)
• Demonstrate and apply knowledge about the role of dress as it reflects and shapes intra- and inter-cultural interactions, ideals, values, norms, traditions, appearance management, and human behavior. (Cross-curricular Skill: Intercultural Knowledge; Diversity, Inclusion and Equity)
• Apply knowledge of the role of dress as it is used to create, express, and fulfill identities, lifestyles, and fantasies. (Cross-curricular Skill: Intercultural Knowledge; Diversity, Inclusion and Equity)
• Understand the role of historic, socio-cultural, economic, technological, political, and psychological factors in aesthetic expression and development of styles.
• Understand how aesthetics and the design process can support quality of life.
• Demonstrate understanding how globalization, market conditions, diverse economic systems and political structures, regulatory factors, cultural norms and values, historic events, geographic locations, and social issues affect industry processes and sourcing strategies.
• Identify and evaluate issues of social responsibility, environmental sustainability, professional behavior, and ethics related to the impact of individual, organizational, societal, and corporate decision-making. (Cross-curricular Skill: Diversity, Inclusion and Equity)
• Apply critical and creative thinking skills, including the ability to objectively evaluate and compare diverse perspectives. (Cross-curricular Skill: Inquiry and Analysis; Critical and Creative Thinking; Problem Solving)
• Formulate sound conclusions and decisions by using appropriate technology, knowledge, and business practices to identify, assess, analyze relevant factors that influence the industry and related strategies. (Cross-curricular Skill: Inquiry and Analysis; Critical and Creative Thinking; Problem Solving)
• Apply qualitative and quantitative skills to problem solving and formulate creative strategies to current issues and future opportunities in the industry. (Cross-curricular Skill: Inquiry and Analysis; Critical and Creative Thinking; Problem Solving)
• Use effective and professional written, oral, and visual communication skills to inform, explain, and support ideas, decisions, evaluations, and strategies.
• Demonstrate ability to take appropriate responsibility for their personal and professional growth, including reflection and critiquing of their progress, outlining their career goals, and demonstrate self-directedness.
• Illustrate effective team working and leadership skills within professional and culturally diverse environments. (Cross-curricular Skill: Teamwork; Intercultural Knowledge; Diversity, Inclusion and Equity)

The focus of the M.S. in Statistics program is the development of sophisticated statistical models and their implementation on high performance computing platforms. The curriculum features a balance of application, computation, and theory with particular emphasis in the areas of biostatistics/informatics and analytics. Areas of faculty and graduate student research activity include bioinformatics, biostatistics, business and financial analytics, forensic statistics, and general statistics. The program is particularly effective at preparing graduates to work in business, industry, or government as well as preparing students to continue on to the CSS Ph.D. or other Ph.D. program.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Students will understand mathematical or statistical models.
• Students will be able to construct and apply standard mathematical and statistical models.
• Students will be able to solve problems using appropriate software to implement the appropriate models.
• Students will be able to disseminate the results of their work to others.
• Students will be able to apply Argument Deconstruction in mathematics and statistics.

The Animal Science program provides instruction in livestock breeding, feeding, management, selection, evaluation, and marketing, along with meat science, and equine studies. Courses emphasize the principles of genetics, nutrition, physiology, and meats as they affect production and management of livestock and animal products. Beef cattle, horses, sheep, and swine are the primary species discussed in courses.

The specialization allows students to focus their studies on Industry, Science, or Food Animal Health.  The Industry specialization provides flexibility for students to complete courses and minors in related areas of interest. The Science and Food Animal Health specializations are designed to meet course requirements of the Pre-Veterinary Medicine curriculum for the SDSU Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine and some other veterinary schools.

Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Animal Science major with a Food Animal Health Specialization, students will:

• Acquire knowledge of the core sciences and best management practices that are the foundation of animal science and husbandry.
• Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills using a variety of mediums and with various audience types.
• Demonstrate the ability to function as an effective member of a team. (Cross-curricular Skill: Teamwork)
• Develop fact-based comparisons of both sides of contemporary issues that impact diversity, inclusion, equity, and professional ethics as related to animal agriculture. (Cross-curricular Skill: Information Literacy; Ethical Reasoning; Diversity, Inclusion and Equity)
• Interpret, critically evaluate, and apply information in order to recognize problems and create solutions. (Cross-curricular Skill: Inquiry and Analysis; Critical and Creative Thinking; Problem Solving)

There is a strong demand for family and consumer sciences teachers and education professionals nationwide.  Through the online Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (Great Plains IDEA) program, graduates will earn a Master’s of Science in Human Sciences with a specialization in Family and Consumer Sciences Education. Students in the program develop skills in planning curriculum, creating physical and psychological learning environments conducive to learning, developing engaging activities for learners, integrating technology, advising student organizations, working with diverse audiences and analyzing the historical and philosophical underpinnings of the family and consumer sciences profession.  Courses will also address professionalism and applying research to practice.

There are two emphases within this specialization:

• Teacher Licensure/Certification Emphasis - This emphasis is designed for those seeking initial teacher certification and is a teacher preparation focused program.
• Professional Practice Emphasis – This emphasis is designed for practicing professionals in family and consumer sciences education and extension and is a professional development/advancement focused program.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Nutrition - Students will demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the nutritional value of food and the necessary steps for food preparation and safety.
• Diversity - Students will demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of multicultural and pluralistic trends, including characteristics and concerns within and among diverse groups nationally and internationally.
• Careers - Students will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the varied careers available to individuals who pursue a career in this area.
• Communication - Students will demonstrate critical and innovative thinking.

The Master of Arts in Communication and Media Studies is a broad-based graduate degree for students with an undergraduate degree in communication studies, media studies, or related areas. Coursework emphasizes the intersections of academic and professional approaches to understanding, creating, and evaluating messages across contexts. Core coursework covers the foundations of the communication and media studies disciplines (including relevant theories and methods), explores cross-platform communication, and offers applied coursework in either professional communication or media law.

Students who pursue Option A (thesis) complete an additional 9-12 credits of elective coursework and an independent, theoretically-based study that generates new disciplinary knowledge and prepares them for advanced graduate work. Students who pursue Option B (project) complete an additional 15-18 credits of elective coursework and an independent, applied project that addresses a practical issue using skills related to students’ chosen career fields.

Student Learning Outcomes

A graduate with a specialization in Communication Studies will be able to:

• Demonstrate excellent communication skills across various platforms (written, oral, and digital) that are tailored to the professions, audiences, and purposes they serve. (Transferable Skill: Career Preparedness)
• Conduct research and/or evaluation projects using appropriate qualitative and/or quantitative methodologies.
• Understand the theoretical foundations of the field and generate new, creative insights or contributions to one’s academic or professional field.
• Identify the impact of history, diversity, and intersectionality of social identities on human communication and mass media within personal, professional, organizational, and societal contexts.
• Use current and emerging technologies effectively to adapt fundamental critical thinking and storytelling skills to the interconnected world with digital, networked media.
• Practice professional ethics, as well as principles of freedom of speech and expression, within one’s academic or professional field.