Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Studies

at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville USA

The mass communications program in the College of Arts and Sciences at SIUE prepares students to succeed in careers in one of the fastest growing and most dynamic areas: the mass media.

The Department of Mass Communications at SIUE is accredited by the highly selective Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC). This means our students get one-on-one attention from their instructors due to small class sizes and curriculum that keeps with changes in the media industry. Our students have access to state-of-the-art facilities and faculty members who dedicate themselves to serving the professional and intellectual needs of the students.

The Department of Mass Communications offers three sequences: journalism, media production, and advertising and strategic media. While most of the curriculum is a shared experience by all majors, students take advanced courses specific to their chosen sequence. This approach is in keeping with the converged nature of today’s media industries. At its heart, our department is all about teaching students how to tell stories, whether in the form of advertising campaigns, news stories, documentaries, or any of an almost limitless use of this major. Students who major in mass communications but choose not to enter the media industry will be well-prepared, thoughtful and effective communicators.

What can I do with a degree in Mass Communications?
Graduates of the Department of Mass Communications choose various career paths. Our graduates have become reporters, editors and photojournalists for newspapers, magazines, and online publications. Others work in radio and television, for advertising agencies, and in marketing and communications positions at major corporations and non-profits; many become the social media experts in their positions. Some graduates take an entrepreneurial approach and create careers as independent videographers, event planners, graphic designers, web developers, and freelance communications specialists.

SIUE’s industrial-organizational psychology master's program within the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior follows the scientist-practitioner model, requiring students to complete both a research-based thesis and practicum hours. All required classes incorporate a mix of research and application. SIUE's location, just 23 miles from downtown St. Louis, offers the opportunity for professional endeavors and networking, balanced by a quiet, semi-rural environment conducive to study.

What can I do with a degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology?
Most graduates from the program leave with their master’s degree and go to work immediately in a corporate setting, either in a company human resource/personnel department, organizational development/training department or as an organizational/management consultant. Some students seek and are successfully admitted to doctoral programs to further their study.

The environmental science management program from the Department of Environmental Sciences is a new kind of master’s degree, a professional science master’s (PSM). The PSM is a degree in science or mathematics for students interested in a wider variety of career options than provided by current graduate programs in the sciences and mathematics. This degree program also prepares students for work in fields such as research management and technology transfer.

What can I do with a degree in Environmental Science Management?
The professional science master’s degree in environmental science management is designed to fill a management need for technology-based companies, governmental agencies and non-profit organizations. Graduates can pursue a variety of positions in the public and private sectors seeking scientists with project management skills, such as waste management specialist, environmental policy and technical analyst, environmental project manager for planning and implementation of resource management, remediation, restoration and sustainable practices.

The fast change of pace in our society is creating new career opportunities for individuals trained in multiple disciplines. The Master of Science in integrative studies allows students to access expertise from two or three areas and integrate courses into a degree that meets the needs of an emerging career field.

Consider integrative studies if:

• You have diverse interests that span two or three academic disciplines and you want to blend these interests into one cohesive program
• You have a career interest in an emerging field that crosses academic disciplines, such as cultural heritage and resources management or marketing communications
• You want to advance in a non-traditional sector or start your own business

What can I do with a degree in Integrative Studies?
A Master of Science in integrative studies can lead to a multitude of career paths as well as entry into doctoral programs. The degree will meet the needs of students seeking knowledge for advancement in a specific industry, looking to move to an emerging field that is multidisciplinary or starting their own business. Employment outlook and salary information for these careers vary widely. A carefully designed plan of study will provide students with a unique combination of skills and knowledge that will be advantageous in the job market.

Organizational Design Thinking
The integrative studies degree with a focus area in organizational design thinking combines courses in applied communication studies with courses from instructional technology. Through this course work, you will learn to apply design thinking methodology at the nexus of communication, technology, and organizational training.

Your coursework will teach you how to effectively redefine organizational problems, ideate to envision possibilities, facilitate processes to bring those ideations to fruition, and test your solutions to ensure meaningful results. And, what’s more, you will learn to do all of these within a design process that helps you create a culture of empathy among all stakeholders.

The study of history begins with questions about the past; how things came to be as they are or were. These questions can contribute to a greater understanding of ourselves, others and the world in which we live.

Historians approach the study of the past from various perspectives, but all analyze the patterns and causes of change in human thought and action across space and time and the consequences of those changes. Some, working within or across national histories, focus on the trajectory of particular social institutions, such as the family, government, business or religion. Alternately, historians can investigate the historical development of ideologies or of cultural concepts such as race or gender. Historians borrow investigative strategies freely from other disciplines. For some historians, the methodologies of the social sciences become critical tools for the study of the past, while others prefer a historical approach involving the methods of the humanities and literature. Most adopt some mixture of methodologies.

In the College of Arts and Sciences at SIUE, the Department of History emphasizes the study of primary sources beginning with our freshman-level survey labs, through the senior research projects. We also provide numerous opportunities for hands-on learning through class projects and internships at many venues in the greater St. Louis region and in the Metro East. A specialization in applied historical methods is also available for those interested in museums, editing and digital technology. The social science secondary education minor for licensure in teaching is housed in the Department of History.

What can I do with a degree in History?
Traditionally, a bachelor’s degree in history was thought to primarily provide a knowledge base for two careers: licensure in teaching, or as a foundation for attending law school. While teaching and attending law school are still viable options for students with a degree in history, the degree is becoming broadly recognized as a foundation for many other careers. Students are pursuing careers in local, state and federal government, including the Foreign Service and city or town management; nonprofit organizations; politics, including political advising; curatorial and archival management in libraries, museums and art galleries; media, public relations, digital editing and film consulting; and business, in corporate training and development.

At SIUE, we take our students out into the world and bring the world to our students. Our program curriculum includes subject areas focusing on the languages, literatures, cultures and histories of diverse regions and countries. Our K-12 teacher certification program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (CAEP/ACTFL).

Language learners are brought together in a variety of settings including classroom, language lab, study abroad destinations, language conversation hours and student organizations. While offering opportunities to study many different languages from around the world, we provide a balance between delivering courses to students majoring in foreign languages and literature, and contributing to general education course requirements. Study abroad opportunities are offered in countries all around the world.

In addition to our concentration areas in French, German and Spanish, language courses are offered in Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Italian, Latin and Yoruba. Interdisciplinary minors are available in African studies, Asian studies, classical studies, European studies and Latin American studies.

What can I do with a degree in Foreign Languages and Literature?
Increasing diversity in the United States requires more professionals have diverse language skills and cultural awareness. Students graduating with knowledge of one or more foreign languages will have a competitive edge in today’s high level of globalization in the world economy. Some recent graduates from the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature hold positions with companies such as Alloy Holdings, Boeing, Express Scripts, Deloitte Tohmatsu, Anheuser-Busch, the AIDS Foundation and Wells Fargo.

The study of communication involves the development of theories and research tools to analyze, explain and improve human interaction. The applied communication studies program is offered in the College of Arts and Sciences through the Department of Applied Communication Studies. Departmental courses focus on two-person interaction, small-group decision making, communication patterns in organizations and other complex systems, public relations, and speaker-audience interaction in public speaking.

What can I do with a degree in Applied Communication Studies?
In America, employers increasingly recognize the need for more effective communication. As a result, job opportunities for graduates trained in applied communication studies are prevalent in business and industry, government agencies, educational systems, nonprofit organizations, and community-based resource centers. Graduates often have several career choices. Examples of communication careers departmental graduates have entered are: teaching and administration; management, training and consulting in organizations; public relations; human relations and employee assistance programs; sales; and government service. Graduates find employment in various types of for-profit and nonprofit organizations locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Applied communication is also an in-demand minor for students majoring in areas such as, business, mass communications, political science and sociology. Our graduates are also well-prepared for graduate school.

Track Option: Interpersonal Communication
Students in the interpersonal communication track are generally attracted to it for the solid preparation it provides for graduate school. This track provides students with a thorough theoretical and practical understanding of the ways in which verbal and nonverbal communication are used in defining, negotiating, and modifying relationships. This track also increases students' awareness both of the many types of, and the myriad influences on, interpersonal relationships. A thorough, systematic examination of relevant theory and research regarding interpersonal communication is provided. Students who select this track as pre-graduate study preparation will find themselves with an excellent foundation upon which to begin careers in the academic community, such as professor, researcher, or administrator. Those choosing this track also will be well prepared for positions in the business sector such as recruiters and trainers.

The fast change of pace in our society is creating new career opportunities for individuals trained in multiple disciplines. The Master of Science in integrative studies allows students to access expertise from two or three areas and integrate courses into a degree that meets the needs of an emerging career field.

Consider integrative studies if:

• You have diverse interests that span two or three academic disciplines and you want to blend these interests into one cohesive program
• You have a career interest in an emerging field that crosses academic disciplines, such as cultural heritage and resources management or marketing communications
• You want to advance in a non-traditional sector or start your own business

What can I do with a degree in Integrative Studies?
A Master of Science in integrative studies can lead to a multitude of career paths as well as entry into doctoral programs. The degree will meet the needs of students seeking knowledge for advancement in a specific industry, looking to move to an emerging field that is multidisciplinary or starting their own business. Employment outlook and salary information for these careers vary widely. A carefully designed plan of study will provide students with a unique combination of skills and knowledge that will be advantageous in the job market.

Cultural Heritage and Resources Management
Cultural heritage includes intangible resources (ceremonies, oral history and customs) and tangible resources (architecture, artifacts and landscapes) inherited from past generations. The program includes coursework in ethical and legal issues with management of these resources, as well as practical skills, such as mapping and GIS, methods of survey and excavation, document and map analysis, artifact and art duration. Students take courses in two of the participating departments: Anthropology, geography and history.

The mass communications program in the College of Arts and Sciences at SIUE prepares students to succeed in careers in one of the fastest growing and most dynamic areas: the mass media.

The Department of Mass Communications at SIUE is accredited by the highly selective Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC). This means our students get one-on-one attention from their instructors due to small class sizes and curriculum that keeps with changes in the media industry. Our students have access to state-of-the-art facilities and faculty members who dedicate themselves to serving the professional and intellectual needs of the students.

The Department of Mass Communications offers three sequences: journalism, media production, and advertising and strategic media. While most of the curriculum is a shared experience by all majors, students take advanced courses specific to their chosen sequence. This approach is in keeping with the converged nature of today’s media industries. At its heart, our department is all about teaching students how to tell stories, whether in the form of advertising campaigns, news stories, documentaries, or any of an almost limitless use of this major. Students who major in mass communications but choose not to enter the media industry will be well-prepared, thoughtful and effective communicators.

What can I do with a degree in Mass Communications?
Graduates of the Department of Mass Communications choose various career paths. Our graduates have become reporters, editors and photojournalists for newspapers, magazines, and online publications. Others work in radio and television, for advertising agencies, and in marketing and communications positions at major corporations and non-profits; many become the social media experts in their positions. Some graduates take an entrepreneurial approach and create careers as independent videographers, event planners, graphic designers, web developers, and freelance communications specialists.

How does a statistician design an experiment to test a new drug? What is an efficient algorithm to solve a differential equation, and when does it work? How do you determine a fair price for an annuity? Given a complex network of nodes and edges, what is the shortest path from one vertex to another? How can you teach problem solving in a diverse high school classroom?

These are only some of the questions to be explored in our five undergraduate study options in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. In the College of Arts and Sciences at SIUE, we have a faculty-to-undergraduate major student ratio of five to one, so our students receive personalized attention from faculty recognized for outstanding teaching and excellent research.

What can I do with a degree in Math?
Professionals holding positions in the mathematics field as mathematicians, statisticians, and actuaries consistently rank their careers at the top of surveys on job satisfaction and security. According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook in these fields remains strong, and growth is projected at 25% over the next 10 years.

Actuarial Science
What are the odds that an earthquake will cause catastrophic damage in a particular area? How should an insurance company determine how much to charge for life insurance? Actuarial science is a focused discipline that uses mathematical and statistical models to assess the financial, economic and business implications of future events.

According to the Society of Actuaries, an actuary combines the skills of a business executive, mathematician, and financial and investment manager. Actuarial science is an ideal concentration for students interested in careers that deal with studying risks related to economics, finance and social issues.