Master of Science in Biology

at State University of New York College at Brockport USA

Chemistry is used in fields as varied as medical and criminal investigations, pollution remediation or conservation, and preserving cultural treasures including rare books and documents and fine art.

Our chemistry degree will give you a foundation in organic, inorganic, analytical, and physical chemistry to prepare you for a wide range of careers. With electives, you can build on these bases and tailor your education to your goals.

The Department of Kinesiology, Sport Studies and Physical Education offers a 45 credit sport management major to prepare students for careers in profit and non-profit sport, recreation and fitness organizations. Sport Management at SUNY Brockport is one of the oldest undergraduate programs in the world, having been initiated in 1975. The curriculum provides a thorough foundation of sport management and studies theory, coupled with an extensive array of domestic and international, real-world experiences through various field experiences (practica), research and problem solving opportunities, as well as a full semester long off-campus internship.

As a sport management major, you'll apply classroom learning to three on- or off-campus mini-internships and one full semester off-campus internship that can be completed locally, nationally, or internationally. To complement the sport management major, you'll choose a minor or second program of study one from the following, or spend a semester studying abroad.

• Business
• Marketing
• Finance
• Communications
• Journalism, Broadcasting, and Public Relations
• Recreation and Leisure
• Coaching
• Kinesiology

What You’ll Learn

You'll develop a comprehensive set of skills to help you in the sport management field, including marketing, fundraising, finance, facilities, and research.

You'll also learn about the societal, ethical, and philosophical perspectives related to sport organizations and employee and athlete behavior within sport organizations.

The study of philosophy is excellent preparation for a career in any field that requires clear, analytical thinking, writing, and speaking, including law, government, teaching and education, the ministry, business and management, publishing, and many other fields. Philosophy is traditionally considered the premier major for those planning to apply to law school. Philosophy majors score on average significantly higher on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) than do the majors in any of the humanities or social sciences, including political science, history, and English; and philosophy majors on average are accepted to law school at higher rates than are students majoring in many other popular pre-law fields. Philosophy is also an excellent double major.

The Department of Philosophy sponsors the College's chapter of Phi Sigma Tau, the International Honors Philosophy Society, which recognizes student academic excellence. The Department also operates the Center for Philosophic Exchange, which sponsors free public guest lectures on campus by distinguished philosophers and publishes the on-line journal, Philosophic Exchange.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Present a philosophical problem, by (1) concisely and precisely stating a philosophical problem to be resolved by an argument or essay, (2) explaining why the problem is significant, (3) explaining the scope of the problem, (4) defining any terms necessary for understanding the problem.
• Explicate the meaning of a philosophical theory by (1) correctly deducing the logical implications of that theory, (2) describing those implications in terms of specific examples, (3) recognizing when another statement or theory contradicts the relevant theory explicitly, (4) recognizing when another statement or theory contradicts the relevant theory implicitly.
• Demonstrate understanding of evidence by (1) correctly stating what counts as relevant evidence for a philosophical position, (2) correctly stating what counts as relevant evidence against the argument for a philosophical position and recognizing that evidence as such, (3) explaining why any cited evidence is relevant or irrelevant to a philosophical position, (4) distinguishing evidentiary claims about a philosophical position from rhetorically persuasive but specious claims about a philosophical position.
• Demonstrate knowledge of logic, by (1) recognizing arguments, (2) constructing good arguments, (3) evaluating arguments, (4) avoiding fallacies (e.g. begging the question).
• Demonstrate knowledge of dialectical method in philosophy, by (1) formulating possible objections to the thesis of an essay, (2) formulating possible objections to the argument for the essay's thesis, (3) responding to possible objections to the essay's thesis by showing that they are mistaken, (4) responding to possible objections to the argument for the essay's thesis by showing that they are mistaken.

Environmental problems are among the most urgent issues facing our civilization. In order to manage Earth's environment well, we must understand the processes that shape its surface; control its air, water and soil chemistry; and produce the biological and other resources upon which humans depend. We must also understand the interactions of animals, plants, and other living organisms with their physical and chemical environments.

The Master of Science in Environmental Science and Ecology is a demanding, thesis-based experience. The curriculum is designed to challenge students to think critically, independently, and creatively, while providing the intellectual depth and breadth necessary to support the research formally developed in the thesis proposal. The curriculum, with a common core and an individual course of study, allows graduate candidates to develop the conceptual knowledge and technical skills necessary to understand and solve environmental problems in ecology, chemistry, and the earth sciences. The fields of study encompassed by the program include:

• "Green" and water chemistry
• Watershed analysis
• Limnology
• Fisheries and wildlife science and management
• Conservation biology
• Wetland ecology
• Ecosystem ecology and global change
• Aquaculture

Graduates in environmental science and biology have been very successful in gaining admission to doctoral programs or finding professional employment in their chosen field.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Explain advanced environmental science topics and policies, biological processes, and ecological principles.
• Design and execute an original research study involving data collection.
• Summarize, analyze, and interpret scientific data, using relevant quantitative skills and applying major environmental concepts.
• Summarize, organize, and communicate scientific data and analyses in oral/or written formats.
• Employ decision-making and problem-solving skills, such as evaluating competing explanations or applying scientific knowledge to environmental problems.
• Develop professional skills necessary to succeed in the environmental science and ecology fields.

The Master of Science in Biology provides students with a solid and comprehensive background in the field of biological sciences, including molecular biology, cell biology, physiology, genetics, microbiology, human biology and developmental biology. Upon completion of the program, students are prepared to enter a PhD program, medical or dental schools; work in academic, industrial or government research laboratories; or teach biologically related courses at the community college level or at the K-12 grade level (providing the student holds the appropriate New York state teaching certificate). Small class sizes and close working relationships with the advisor and advisory committee are ideal for students seeking a rigorous graduate education in a small-college atmosphere. A limited number of graduate teaching and research assistantships are available.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Use appropriate biological terminology to clearly communicate scientific results in oral presentations and written reports targeting for a variety of audiences.
• Develop a testable hypothesis and design appropriate experiments to solve biological problems.
• Critically evaluate and interpret experimental results.
• Solve quantitative problems that are routinely encountered in research laboratories using basic mathematical and statistical skills.
• Competently employ common laboratory equipment and develop an understanding of relevant theory, strengths and limitations for techniques.
• Integrate concepts in cellular and molecular biology to explain higher level biological systems.

The studio art major is designed to provide a well-rounded, multi-disciplinary education in the appreciation and creation of visual art and design, encompassing two-dimensional and three-dimensional media, art and design history and criticism, and a four-course disciplinary concentration in one area such as Ceramics, Drawing, Graphic Design, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Sculpture. Students majoring in art are encouraged to explore other knowledge areas through a double major and/or minors. NOTE: For GRAPHIC DESIGN CONCENTRATION requirements, scroll further down the page.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Apply technical skills and the elements of art and principles of design to achieve basic visual communication and expression in one or more media.
• Identify and holistically discuss major works of art through formal and conceptual analysis, socio-historical contextualization, and interpretation.
• Identify and demonstrate ways to utilize and apply their skills and abilities to postgraduate professional practices.
• Make viable connections between concept and form/media.
• Create works of art and/or design that respond to contemporary, relevant issues inside and/or outside of the discipline.

The English major is designed for students who wish to pursue a passion for reading and writing, and for those who seek a versatile education as they prepare for careers in education, law, business administration, public relations, advertising, government, or any field where analytical excellence and effective use of the English language are essential. English majors choose between a literature or creative writing concentration (outlined below), where their course work is designed to develop analytical, research, and creative skills.

Preparing for Business, Law and Public Service: Literature courses which emphasize psychological, social and verbal analysis provide a solid basis for the type of critical thinking needed in professional positions, while courses in writing, business communication, journalism/ publication, etc. provide a solid basis in communication skills central to these areas.

Student Life: The Writers Forum connects students with significant contemporary writers and critics. The English Club offers a variety of activities, including the publication of a student-run literary journal. Sigma Tau Delta, an international honor society, recognizes significant academic accomplishment. Awards are available for student scholarship and outstanding literary-critical, fiction, poetry and non-fiction writing.

Study Abroad: A variety of study abroad programs are available and encouraged. Our students have spent semesters abroad everywhere from England and Australia to France and Spain. Contact the Center for Global Education and Engagement to explore these opportunities.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the program,

Creative Writing Track students will be able to:

• Analyze the relationship between literary form and meaning, taking into consideration literary techniques and devices.
• Construct arguments about literary works using historical contexts.
• Apply basic elements of creative writing craft, including such elements as control of form and figurative language.
• Identify reputable and relevant sources, and incorporate the words and ideas of others without misrepresentation and with appropriate documentation practices.
• Write in conformity with standard usage and grammar.

Literature Track students will be able to:

• Analyze the relationship between literary form and meaning, taking into consideration literary techniques and devices.
• Construct arguments about literary works using historical contexts.
• Argue with a command of the rhetorical strategies, terms, and major interpretive methods characteristic of academic writing in the Humanities.
• Identify reputable and relevant sources, and incorporate the words and ideas of others without misrepresentation and with appropriate documentation practices.
• Write in conformity with standard usage and grammar.

Anthropologists study human behavior and thought in both the past and the present with the goal of improving our world. We holistically draw on sociocultural, archaeological, and biological approaches to engage with humanity’s current challenges: the outcomes of the humanity-environment relationship; human rights abuses and the need for social justice; and the complexities of human heritage and identities. Whether through ethnographic fieldwork, archaeological excavation, biological lab work, or visual and material cultural analysis, our students and faculty collaborate closely to learn and improve our knowledge of human variation. This is an invaluable resource for our students as they prepare for a more complex future.

The Anthropology Major consists of 24 required course credits plus 12 elective credits that allow students to augment their education with a dual major or minor in another field applicable to their goals and needs.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Knowledge base. Students gain an understanding of the broad knowledge base of human biocultural diversity through time and across cultures, as provided through archaeology, biological and cultural anthropology.
• Methods. Students gain knowledge and skills in the different anthropological research methods used in the sub-fields of archaeology, biological or cultural anthropology.
• Theory. Students learn to define and describe anthropological theory as used in current and past practice by anthropologists, in archaeology, biological and/or cultural anthropology.
• Critical Thinking. Students develop the ability to question, reflect and critique the data and arguments upon which evaluations of human diversity, behavior and change are made.
• Analysis. Students learn to apply theories and methods to explain or interpret anthropological problems, including cross-cultural patterns of social behavior, human evolution, and social change over time and space.
• Ethics. Students learn the appropriate procedures and protocols for obtaining informed consent or access permissions, in order to avoid harm or wrong to one’s human or non-human subjects and descendants.

Computer Information Systems is the study of the use of computers for systematic organization of data that supports efficient and accurate collection, processing, analysis, and retrieval of information. An information system specialist applies existing technology to solve real-world problems. At SUNY Brockport, the Computer Information Systems (CIS) major trains students in state-of-the-art computing technology, applications, and business practices, with appropriate exposure to underlying fundamentals. The emphasis is on the use of computers in an organization to increase effectiveness and efficiency.

The Computer Information Systems major is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET. This major is recommended for students with a strong interest in business applications of computing.

Useful information for students, such as career guidance, advisement, sample plans of study, student awards, and scholarships can be found at the department website.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Analyze a complex computing problem and to apply principles of computing and other relevant disciplines to identify solutions.
• Design, implement, and evaluate a computing-based solution to meet a given set of computing requirements in the context of the program's discipline.
• Communicate effectively in a variety of professional contexts.
• Recognize professional responsibilities and make informed judgments in computing practice based on legal and ethical principles.
• Function effectively as a member or leader of a team engaged in activities appropriate to the program's discipline.
• Support the delivery, use, and management of information systems within an information systems environment.

The graduate Master of Science in Athletic Training program is a two-year, 60 credit hour program that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).  The program is designed to fulfill CAATE standards and is predicated upon the latest in evidence based practice. Following completion of this program, student’s are eligible to complete the BOC, Inc. certification examination to become a Certified Athletic Trainer.

The program involves 47 credits of didactic course work and 13 credits of hands-on clinical experiences. During the four semesters of clinical experience, student’s will have the opportunity to practice within the on-campus Athletic Training Clinic and athletics program as well in numerous clinical affiliated sites around the greater Rochester area.  These sites may include hospitals, urgent care clinics, colleges/universities, high schools, and sports medicine clinics.

Student Learning Outcomes

The program’s expected learning outcomes are consistent with CAATE standards and are as follows:

• Develop an understanding of evidence-based practice concepts and their application to sound clinical decision-making and the critical examination of athletic training practice.
• Develop safe and effective clinical decision-making within the practice of athletic training in a manner that integrates evidence-based practice with patient-oriented outcomes.
• Develop advanced knowledge and clinical practice skills in the examination, diagnosis, and management of injuries and health conditions commonly seen in athletic training practice.
• Integrate evidence-based practice to deliver current therapeutic interventions to promote optimal patient care.
• Develop and implement strategies to mitigate the risk for long-term health conditions across the lifespan.
• Develop and understanding of the role of the athletic trainer in health care administration and the delivery of health care services.
• Practice athletic training in professional, ethical manner in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.