Master of Science in Civil Engineering (STEM)

at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville USA

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 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.

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.

Applied Mathematics
A concentration in applied mathematics focuses on using mathematical theories to solve real-world problems, such as those related to structural stability, chemical interactions or wave propagation. Applied mathematics encompasses the use of probability theory, numerical and data analysis, modeling, algorithm development, and simulations to explore the connections between mathematics, science, and our environment.

Applied mathematics is used extensively in the fields of physics, geology, engineering and technology. Several emerging career paths have been identified by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, including bioinformatics, materials science, computer animation and digital imaging, finance, climatology, and ecology/environmental organizations.

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.

The biological sciences encompass the study of all life on Earth. Biological sciences programs are offered through the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. At SIUE, our diverse programs of study include specializations that allow students the opportunity to pursue any areas that are of interest to them. Students can customize their academic program in order to better prepare them for their chosen career.

What can I do with a degree in Biological Sciences?
Many careers are available for people with basic or advanced training in biology. There are opportunities in botany, ecology, education, fisheries, forensics, forestry, genetic engineering, horticulture, medical technology, microbiology, molecular biology, parasitology, physiology, wildlife management and zoology. Technical and supervisory positions are available in federal, state, industrial and university laboratories. Environment and health-related occupations almost always require sound, basic training in biology. Most students entering schools of medicine, dentistry, optometry, osteopathy, veterinary science, chiropractic and podiatry are biology majors. Basic training in biology is essential for careers in allied health sciences, including nutrition, pharmacy, occupational therapy and physical therapy.

Medical Technology
This specialization is designed for students who wish to become medical technologists certified by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. Medical technologists should have a firm understanding of the theory behind the diagnostic tests they perform in the clinical laboratory.

Their responsibilities encompass all clinical laboratory disciplines, such as clinical chemistry, urinalysis, hematology, serology, immunology, blood and organ banking, microbiology, parasitology, and nuclear medicine. As self-motivated, inquisitive scientists, medical technologists contribute to the development of new methods and laboratory instrumentation that aid physicians in preventing and curing disease. Most medical technologists are employed in hospitals, but private laboratories, physicians' offices, government agencies, industrial and pharmaceutical laboratories, and university research programs offer growing opportunities for employment advancements.

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.

Statistics
Election polls, economic trends, product design, market research and social behaviors. Statistics is an ideal concentration for those interested in analysis and interpretation of data as a fundamental process in decision-making. Statistics uses the scientific application of mathematics to collect and analyze information in such a way that a conclusion can be developed.

The relevance of statistics cannot be understated, as it touches virtually every career field. Statisticians develop consumer surveys, study purchasing behaviors, measure the cost of living, and analyze market trends for potential business growth.

The management information systems (MIS) graduate program is a STEM-designated business program. MIS is an applied business program that focuses on the areas of:

• Information systems
• Software development
• Computer system architectures
• Business intelligence and data analytics
• Information security
• Cloud management
• Related management issues

Business Analytics

The business analytics specialization equips future business leaders with an understanding of the fundamentals of business analytics, exposure to concepts of analytics and information-driven decision making in various functional business domains, and experience in applying concepts of business analytics in a variety of industry-leading software platforms.

Coursework in the specialization balances theoretical concepts with applied exercises, cases, and projects. Students have the opportunity to apply concepts of business analytics to a real-world project addressing substantive business questions. These experiences enable the student that specializes in business analytics to emerge with a fundamental grounding in:

• Concepts of business analytics
• Process of designing and executing appropriate analyses based on the business issues involved
• Delivery of findings to a management audience

The SIUE School of Engineering is one of the most comprehensive engineering schools in the region, offering a broad collection of professionally accredited engineering programs. In the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, courses are offered in the areas of fluid mechanics and thermal sciences, structural mechanics and vibrations, nonlinear dynamical systems, as well as mechatronics, robotics and control systems.

What can I do with a degree in Mechanical Engineering?
Students with a graduate degree in mechanical engineering will be well-prepared to pursue a career in a wide range of industries, including aerospace, manufacturing, energy, automotive, bioengineering, robotics and automation and computer-aided design and engineering. Recent SIUE graduates have earned positions in the private sector and governmental agencies. Some graduates also choose to pursue their doctoral degree.

The biochemistry specialization at SIUE, housed in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, prepares students for successful employment in the St. Louis metropolitan area and across the United States. Faculty members in the Department of Chemistry have research interests that cover all the traditional areas of chemistry. However, there is strong representation among biochemistry-related fields. The biochemistry specialization at SIUE is also compatible with the two-year pre-pharmacy curriculum allowing our students flexibility in their career choices.

What can I do with a degree in Biochemistry?
In the past decade, there has been, and continues to be, demand for capable graduates in fields such as biotechnology, medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry, as well as industry and academic and government settings. The Department of Chemistry is contacted regularly by companies seeking new SIUE graduates.

The liberal studies program, offered in the College of Arts and Sciences, is designed as a flexible bachelor's degree program. With a broad-based curriculum in liberal arts and sciences, the liberal studies program emphasizes breadth of study rather than focus on a single discipline. This program is designed to meet the needs of students whose educational, professional and personal goals may not be fully met through a specific major at SIUE, as well as those who wish to plan and develop a program appropriate to their interests. Students planning to pursue graduate studies should take courses in this program that will satisfy graduate admission requirements.

The liberal studies program is intended to enhance the knowledge of students in a variety of areas. Extensive course alternatives allow students to adapt their curriculum to meet individual needs. This program is of special value to those who are seeking broad-based preparation or skills, those who already possess occupational skills and seek to enhance them, and those who seek enrichment of their personal and professional lives. Allowing for student flexibility, courses are offered in online, hybrid, evening, weekend and traditional formats.

What can I do with a degree in Liberal Studies?
The liberal studies program supports learning across a variety of areas, and the extensive course options allow students to adapt their curriculum to meet individual needs and career goals. These options, along with the development of targeted skills, help students build a resume that is robust and unique, and stands out to prospective employers. This program is valuable to students who are not seeking a career based in a single discipline, to those who already possess occupational skills, and to those who seek enrichment of their personal and professional lives. Students pursuing an undergraduate degree in liberal studies can also be prepared for a graduate program based upon their degree completion pathway.