Bachelor of Arts, Major in Communication

at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth USA

The BFA in Art + Design: Drawing offers professional, studio-based training in the visual arts with all the advantages of a university education.

The BFA is a professional degree with concentrated areas of specialization, so you will take more art courses than you would in a BA program. At UMass Dartmouth, you also have the advantages of a university education where you can diversify your studies and expand your career opportunities.

You will learn fundamental skills and contemporary drawing practices through a wide spectrum of drawing course offerings such as:

• Representation
• The human figure
• Architecture & perspective
• Concept-development
• Mixed media
• Abstraction
• Time-based media
• Installation

You will develop cross-disciplinary sensitivity—with the possibility of combining drawing with painting, printmaking, photography, digital media, textiles, sculpture, time-based media, installation and other disciplines in contemporary art making. You will also be able to explore fields across the university, such as business, engineering, and science.

Our BA in political science with a concentration in pre-law prepares you for law school by providing a solid foundation for future study in fields including commercial, criminal, environmental, family, labor, and tax law.

Your courses will focus on the U.S. legal system, law and courts in relationship to other aspects of the U.S. political system, international law and courts, and the international political system. A background in law prepares you not only for a practice of law, but also for rewarding careers in advocacy, business, and education.

Studying law will develop your analytical, logical, and creative thinking skills. You'll be prepared to think critically and act effectively as an engaged citizen.

We want to ensure that you acquire proficiency in writing, communication, advocacy, and comparative analyis: all vital skills in today's workplace, which is why we require students to complete an internship.

Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, uniting a fascinating diversity of societies and cultures. When you major in Spanish, you'll gain proficiency in oral and written language skills while enhancing your awareness of the social and cultural influences that shape knowledge in the Spanish-speaking world.

As a Spanish major at UMass Dartmouth, you'll study Spanish, Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino language, literature, and culture. You'll explore topics in linguistics, civilization, business, art and music—and learn about new ideas and developments within the Hispanic world.

A degree in Spanish will prepare you for careers in business, communication, education, hospitality, government, law, international business, journalism, linguistics, social service, and translation. We also offer teacher preparation for students who are interested in teaching Spanish at the middle or high school level. Learn more about teacher preparation

Students majoring in Spanish may go on to graduate study in areas such as Spanish, Latin American, Caribbean or Latino literature; cultural studies; comparative literature, Hispanic linguistics, applied linguistics or international studies.

UMass Dartmouth's liberal arts major offers an intellectual challenge, encouraging you to pursue your interests across a variety of academic fields.

You'll develop your creativity, critical thinking skills, and sense of independence while you explore concentrations across the humanities, social sciences, and interdisciplinary programs:

• The humanities: art history, English, foreign languages, history, philosophy
• The social sciences: anthropology, economics, political science, policy studies, sociology, women's and gender studies
• Interdisciplinary programs: sustainability, urban studies, women's and gender studies

Recent studies have shown that a degree in liberal arts provides a strong foundation for professional careers and scholarly work. You'll develop the qualities that future employers prize most: strong communication skills, the ability to assess a situation and develop a course of action, and the confidence to work independently.

As a liberal arts major, you will design your own interdisciplinary path as you choose two concentrations and bring them together to create new ways of seeing, knowing, and expressing your academic and research interests.

Liberal arts majors find careers in business, communications, education, government, human resources, museums, non-profit organizations, public policy, and social work. You'll be prepared for graduate study in the fields you'll explore as you select your liberal arts concentrations.

Explore the social world through distinct but related branches of knowledge in the social sciences. Focus on understanding society and culture through a comparative and historical perspective. Consider the impacts of global, regional and national developments on local communities.

Sociology and Anthropology are closely related disciplines that focus on our social and cultural worlds. Both emphasize understanding systems of inequality and power, and the interrelationship between global and local processes.

Sociology and anthropology provide an excellent basis for careers that emphasize social and cultural understanding: education, international business, law and the justice system, museums and historical preservation, politics and government, public administration and non-profit organizations, public health and health care, social work, and urban planning.

You'll also be ready for graduate work in disciplines including anthropology, law, policy studies, sociology, and women's studies.

The Master of Science program in Electrical Engineering provides:

• Structure: as you develop a firm foundation to succeed at the advanced level in industry or to pursue further graduate studies
• Flexibility: follow your own particular interest as you complete your studies

Our graduates are successful technical contributors to industry and productive faculty members in electrical and computer engineering departments.

The Sociology and Anthropology Department offers a BA degree in Sociology and Anthropology with a concentration in Anthropology: the study of the role culture and power play in the world around us.

Anthropology emphasizes a comparative, cross cultural approach to the study of humankind, and the need to analyze culture and power in a global as well as local context. This program emphasizes  the development of a holistic perspective and offers the possibility of studying communities and cultures in the US as well as in other societies around the world. The faculty has expertise in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, indigenous cultures throughout the Americas, as well as in the US. Students graduating with the anthropology concentration may pursue advanced degrees in a wide range of fields, such as women’s studies, anthropology, social work and education. They will also be prepared for jobs in fields that require understanding of cultural difference and social inequality, such as teaching and educational policy, social services, museum and historical preservation, government and public service, environmental assessment, urban planning and development, medical and public health, and business.

The need for advanced degrees in civil and environmental engineering is both regional and global.

UMassD's Master of Science in Civil & Environmental Engineering provides professionals with the skills needed to handle today's challenges, with opportunities to specialize in:

• Structural and geotechnical engineering
• Environmental and water resources engineering
• Transportation engineering

Through faculty consulting and student projects, the civil and environmental engineering program has forged strong bonds in southeastern Massachusetts, one of the state's fastest-growing regions. The program:

• Contributes to the growth of regional industries, businesses, and governmental agencies
• Addresses problems related to development and infrastructure
• Provides an accessible source of graduate education for the region's engineering employees

Faculty also address environmental problems that impact economic development, including:

• Water quality and quantity issues
• Lake eutrophication
• Hazardous waste handling
• Preservation of the ecological health of the bays
• Industrial wastewater treatment
• Solid waste handling
• Leachate collection and treatment

The program offers:

• Small classes
• Close contact with faculty who have a diverse set of research interests and industry experiences
• Access to well-supported research facilities
• State-of-the-art computational and experimental research facilities
• Opportunities for full-time or part-time study
• Convenient class schedule for students who are employed

The MFA degree is the credential that signifies the artist's capacity to work independently in a discriminating, distinctive, and professional manner.

The goal is to find the interdependence of idea to medium. This may be initiated through the pure language of traditional print processes, or this may be accomplished through a blend that complements the traditional multiple with other possibilities such as: mixed media, photo mechanical, alternative processes or digital fabrication.

Student and advisor meet weekly for one-on-one critique and additional faculty input is planned at mid- and end-of-semester reviews.

In addition to the studio experience, the students take courses in art history and critical theory, and a broad complement of University offerings that support the fostering of intellectual pursuit and individual aesthetic maturation.

As a music major, you'll develop your performance abilities and explore the world's musical heritage from the Americas to Africa, Asia and Oceania, Europe, and the Middle East/West Asia.

The BA in Music program provides opportunities for intensive study in applied music, the history of music, music education, and theory. Grounded in the importance of cultural, geographical, and social contexts, our curriculum is distinguished by its focus on the study and performance of music from diverse cultures, including jazz and world music.

Technology is an important part of the curriculum, emphasizing skills for contemporary music and its integration with time-based arts such as computer music, dance, theater, video/film, and the visual arts.

Your studies in music at UMassD will prepare you for careers in composition, education, performance, recording, and sound design—as well as for advanced study in music and related disciplines.