Bachelor of Arts in Physics and Astronomy

at State University of New York at New Paltz USA

The Department of Physics & Astronomy offers majors in both physics and astronomy, serves a variety of other majors in the sciences and education, and offers general education courses to a wide range of students.

The Physics major provides a broad base of fundamentals, yet gives you the opportunity to get specialized training.  First, you take two-semester introductory courses that survey physics, chemistry, and calculus.  Then, you follow up with courses covering classical and modern physics, computational physics, and applied mathematics.  The capstone experience is a senior project.  If you would like, you can pursue topics of interest to you through independent study.  An adviser works closely with you to plan what's best for your situation.

The Department of Music strives to educate students by providing a rigorous undergraduate core program in music within the liberal arts context. We aspire to promote integrated student learning through a diversity of offerings within the department and across the campus. Prospective students - majors and non-majors alike - will find a variety of liberal arts and professional courses as well as a full range of performing ensembles. We also offer an extensive series of on-campus concerts involving faculty members, guest performers, students, and student ensembles.

The department offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in Music, with concentrations in Classical Performance, Jazz Performance, and Recording & Electronic Music, as well as a general music program with broad elective offerings in music genres and history, classical and jazz performance, recording and electronic music, music therapy, and composition.

This program offers students education and training in the field of behavior analysis, the history of autism spectrum disorders, characteristics of autism, family systems, educational strategies, and interdisciplinary approaches to providing services and supports for individuals with autism and their families. The program meets the educational content requirements for New York State Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) licensure as well as the coursework requirements for Behavior Analyst Certification Board’s (BACB) certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).

Behavior Analytic Coursework

• Students learn the foundational concepts and principles of the science of human behavior and learning that are the basis of the field of behavior analysis. The mission of our program is to train practitioners who make ethical, collaborative, culturally responsive, and data-based decisions in their practice in order to support and improve the lives of their students and clients.

Interdisciplinary Autism Studies

• The interdisciplinary component of the program provides candidates with a comprehensive perspective on autism spectrum disorders, by incorporating coursework from several disciplines, including special education, communication disorders, human services, music therapy, and psychology.

Latin American & Caribbean Studies is an interdisciplinary program designed to give you a broad understanding Latin America and Caribbean people, societies, cultures, histories, artistic expressions, and diasporic movements. As a LACS major or minor, you will gain extensive knowledge of this vibrant and important world area from a range of disciplinary perspectives including Anthropology, Black Studies, Communications, Economics, Education, Geography, History, Language, Literatures and Cultures, Political Science, Sociology, Theater Arts, and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies.

Geology offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Through formal courses, field work, and research projects, students develop an awareness of the geological processes that shape our planet, and their impact on society and the environment. The undergraduate major in geology offers concentrations in General Geology and Environmental Geoscience and leads to either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree. The BS degree in Geology is licensure qualifying: its coursework meets the education requirements for Professional Geologist licensure in New York State. 

The nationally accredited MFA program offers varied and extensive opportunities for graduate study in a unique setting. Our location is just 90 minutes north of New York City in the historic Hudson River Valley, allowing access to cutting-edge artists, historians, critics, and curators. The campus features expansive facilities, private and semi-private secure studios, and extensive computer labs and digital fabrication technologies. Additional exhibition spaces complement the prestigious Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art.

Painting & Drawing - Specialization
The Painting/Drawing program encourages the technical, conceptual, and professional development of its students through a balance of intensive studio experience and critical and theoretical dialogue. Students working in traditional, experimental, and multimedia formats are challenged to assess their work in a contemporary context. 

The Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures at SUNY New Paltz has diverse, dynamic, and highly qualified faculty eager to share our knowledge and expertise with you. You can study Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Hebrew, Kiswahili, Portuguese, and Spanish; major in French or Spanish; earn a contract major in Italian Studies, German Studies, Romance Languages, or Translation Studies; or minor in French, German, Italian, or Spanish. Chinese and Japanese language courses count toward the interdisciplinary Asian Studies major and French, Spanish, and Portuguese toward the interdisciplinary Latin American & Caribbean Studies major.

Electrical Engineering continues to be a growth area in the field of engineering due to rapidly changing technologies and expanding industrial needs. New Paltz's program is designed to meet these needs, both generally and within the Mid-Hudson Valley, specifically. Our goal is to provide students with a solid knowledge of math, science and engineering concepts and the ability to apply them to engineering problems. The flexibility of the engineering curriculum serves full- and part-time students, traditional and non-traditional students, and students new to engineering as well as those who have some experience in technical areas.

The Electrical Engineering curriculum consists of a modified General Education Requirement, foundation coursework in math and science, required core courses, and technical electives. Design is emphasized throughout the curriculum.

An academic major is offered in Spanish language and literature for students in liberal arts or elementary and secondary education programs. A student is admitted to the major upon completion of Intermediate Spanish or placement.

The nationally accredited MFA program offers varied and extensive opportunities for graduate study in a unique setting. Our location is just 90 minutes north of New York City in the historic Hudson River Valley, allowing access to cutting edge artists, historians, critics, and curators. The campus features expansive facilities, private and semi-private secure studios, and extensive computer labs and digital fabrication technologies. Additional exhibition spaces complement the prestigious Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art.

Sculpture - Specialization
The graduate Sculpture program embraces and cultivates the diversity and complexity of what is defined as sculpture today. The program supports investigations that encompass installation, intervention, performance, sound, video, new media as well as more traditional approaches to sculpture. The Sculpture program encourages independent exploration, experimentation, critical awareness, and engagement in the issues, forms, and contexts of contemporary, professional investigation. The program challenges and expands on the individual graduate student’s rationale and modes of working. In a flexible program encompassing the breadth of today’s sculptural possibilities, each student has the opportunity to articulate an individual vision and make a significant contribution to the discipline.

The overall footprint of the sculpture facilities encompasses 10,000 square-feet of space, which is divided into individual studio space for MFA and BFA students, general class workspace, an area for woodworking, welding, and metal fabrication. The facilities also include a separate room for experimental work such as installations. Equipment includes welding and metalworking tools and machinery, woodworking tools and machinery, video and sound equipment, and a computer lab for digital imaging, sound and video production.