Bachelor of Arts, Major in Political Science

at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth USA

The English department offers a bachelor of arts degree in English with a concentration in creative & professional writing.

Creative and professional writing candidates demonstrate their ability to analyze context and rhetorical problems with awareness of cultural diversity to create and compose effective, well-formulated written communication for specific audiences across multiple modalities.

Areas of study in this concentration include: fiction; non-fiction; poetry; journalism; digital media production; script, drama, and screenwriting; professional writing; and technical writing.

Creative and professional writing learning outcomes:

• Write and compose original texts
• Apply key concepts in writing analytically, creatively, and professionally across multiple genres and modes based on audience needs and information design principles
• Identify and summarize foundational concepts in creative writing, literary studies, and rhetorical studies
• Understand and apply concepts and ideas related to issues of diversity such as race, class, sexuality, gender, ethnicity and others to texts across multiple genres and modes
• Analyze the compositional and rhetorical strategies used in texts across multiple genres and modes
• Synthesize primary and secondary sources using appropriate research and writing methods across genres and modes
• Evaluate the appropriateness of compositional and rhetorical strategies used in texts

The BFA in Art + Design: Painting 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.

As a painting student, you'll learn fundamental skills and contemporary practices through a wide spectrum of course offerings such as:

• Form
• Color & space
• The human figure
• Concept-development
• Mixed media
• Abstraction
• Time-based media
• Installation

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

Fine artists are inherent problem-solvers, negotiators, collaborators, and team-players; they have excellent hand/eye coordination and can illustrate their ideas—often quickly—so that others can understand a concept beyond the written or spoken word. The skills of a fine artist can be applied in education, business, advertising, set design, and arts management (gallery directors, administrators), to name a few.

Prepare for a career in graphic design by learning how to communicate visually.

You’ll develop your talents and skills to achieve a high level of professional ability, while pursuing your own creative goals. The BFA in Art + Design: Graphic Design will prepare you for the many career opportunities available in contemporary design practice.

The BFA is a professional degree with concentrated areas of specialization, so you will take more art and design 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 by exploring fields such as business, sustainability, writing/communication, computer science, and many more.

Our faculty—who are also professionals in their fields—will teach you how to:

• Research and analyze content as part of the design process
• Work within the context of the message, audience, environment, and technology
• Develop graphic translations such as symbols, books, posters, and interactive media
• Create art with a purpose

The major in communication provides students with 21st century written, oral, and visual communication knowledge and skills grounded in rhetorical theory and critically engaged with diverse social, environmental, and technological perspectives.

Students develop important skills and gain experiences that will support their learning and professionalization during their time at UMass Dartmouth and beyond. Students will apply communication concepts and theories to real-world problems and issues within one or more communication industries.

Upon completing the degree, students will be able to:

• Create written texts using appropriate supporting materials and theories in communication and rhetoric
• Communicate ideas orally within multiple contexts
• Use information design principles to produce texts appropriate for an audience, purpose, and context
• Summarize and apply key concepts in communication and rhetorical theory
• Evaluate the historical and/or cultural contexts of communication practices and describe their ethical, social, or environmental implications
• Evaluate messages from a variety of media and technologies using methodologies in communication and rhetoric

Illustration is the interpretation and translation of text and narrative into visual form. As you pursue your BFA in Art + Design: Illustration, you'll explore the art of telling a story through images.

A 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.

Your studies will focus on the understanding and application of meaning as it applies to visual communication. You will be introduced to specialized areas such as book illustration, character development, concept art, and documentary illustration and will gain experience in the fundamental principles of color, composition, drawing, and rendering.

As you develop your own personal style, you'll build a professional portfolio and learn about the business aspects of illustration. A degree in illustration will prepare you for careers in animation, illustration, multimedia design, scientific visualization, as well as for graduate study.

The Charlton College of Business Master of Science in Finance (MSF) program provides advanced and affordable education in finance for those with finance, business or non-business baccalaureate degrees. The MSF program is a high-quality, well-rounded program designed to prepare students to be competitive, market-ready, and successful in a rapidly changing global environment.

The MSF is a 10-course, 30-credit degree program. Students will be prepared to pursue nationally and globally recognized credentials, including the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Our program covers the major topic areas of the CFA exams, so graduates will have a strong foundation from which to draw while completing required exams.

Quantitative finance concentration

• The quantitative finance concentration has mathematical and capital market focus that will appeal to students interested in quantitative financial analysis, risk management, investment management, and financial technology careers. The quantitative finance concentration is STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) designated, offering students on a VISA an extended OPT upon completion of the degree.

The demand for accountants is growing since industries of all sizes and types need accountants.

The Charlton College of Business prepares accounting students with the essential financial knowledge and practical skills necessary to become problem solvers and decision makers. Because accounting is an information system, we emphasize information technology skills, including the use of accounting, spreadsheet and database applications as well as the use of technology for accounting and tax research.

There are four major career paths in accounting:

• Public accountant
• Management accountant
• Government accountant
• Auditor

You'll prepare for a successful career in a public accounting firm, a private corporation, or the nonprofit sector.

An accounting degree from CCB will help you to prepare for the CPA, CMA, CFE (Certified Fraud Examination), and other professional accounting certifications.

Massachusetts is one of the world's hubs for digital technology. UMass Dartmouth's animation and game arts program integrates digital art, design, and technology to advance the quality of digital communication and create a more understandable world.

You'll concentrate on digital animation and interactive multimedia while exploring 2- and 3-dimensional design, web design, and virtual reality. As you explore the potential of various digital media technologies, you'll engage in consistent, hands-on experimentation, working with faculty members who have considerable expertise in the field.

Your BFA in Art + Design: Animation + Game Art will prepare you to meet the design and communications challenges of the 21st century with careers in areas such as art direction, advertising, animation, broadcasting, creative direction, education, environmental design, game design, interface design, multimedia, scientific visualization, software application design, special effects, video editing, virtual reality and web design.

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.

Focus your studies on international affairs. The Political Science Department offers a BA degree in political science with a concentration in international politics.

The International Politics Concentration promotes critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity with respect to international politics; it enables students to address global issues and contribute to the public good.

Building on a strong foundation of American and comparative politics, international relations, and political theory, the international politics concentration provides you with the knowledge and analytical skills to understand politics within other countries and politics among countries.

Through experiences in and out of the classroom, you’ll learn to address critical global issues and contribute to the public good. You’ll acquire proficiency in writing, communication, advocacy, and comparative analysis: all vital skills in today’s global workplace.

You’ll be prepared for careers in international business, development, and diplomacy, and to continue your education at the graduate level.

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.