Bachelor of Arts, Major in Political Science with Concentration in International Politics

at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth USA

The Health and Society bachelor's degree program explores multiple perspectives on health, health care, and related systems and policies. You will engage in a critical analysis of the factors that impact the health and health behaviors of diverse populations, the provision of health care, and the formulation of health-related policy.

Through the program, you will:

• Understand how systemic inequalities affect health outcomes
• Learn how theoretical frameworks and research from multiple disciplines can be used to find innovative solutions to health-related problems
• Demonstrate an understanding of the organization and efficacy of health care systems and policies
• Develop basic skills in qualitative and quantitative social scientific research methods
• Utilize effective oral and written modes of communicating health-related issues to diverse audiences

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.

Our program is based on the belief that photography has a unique ability to merge new technologies as well as cultural and historical influences with artistic production.

Placing our degree within the Design context allows the MFA Photo candidate to gain access to a broader array of faculty conversant with new technologies and design theory which in turn enables candidates to acquire and utilize a more professionally oriented degree and skill set.

MFA candidates develop a thesis project based on their own unique research. The thesis requires both visual and written components which are intellectually, formally, and technically rigorous. Students form a committee based on their thesis topic, choosing from faculty who provide a wide variety of viewpoints and expertise.

In addition to access to the photographic facilities on the main campus—which include a state of the art media lab with 48” Epson color printer, black and white darkrooms and professional lighting studio—MFA students are supplied with graduate studios at our Star Store campus in New Bedford. This downtown arts campus houses all disciplines in graduate study, fostering a communal artistic environment in which multi-discipline projects and collaborations are possible.

Opportunities both to exhibit and curate exhibitions are available at the Star Store's 244 Gallery for graduate students.

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

The Fine Arts program provides an educational context where motivated and creative artists can pursue their own goals, hone technical skills, and advance personal vision through intense, focused individual studio activity. Faculty members generate critical dialogue with graduate students at specific intervals during each semester.

Academic courses in art history, critical theory, philosophy, and a range of university offerings support the cultivation of the individual's intellectual and aesthetic maturation.

Ranked by the American Physical Society as one of the top physics master's programs in the U.S., the MS in Physics is designed to:

• Advance your understanding of the concepts of modern and classical physics
• Develop your ability to apply these concepts to solve practical problems

We are interested in working with inquisitive and enthusiastic students who plan to pursue:

• Professional careers in research and teaching
• Applied areas of industrial research and development

The Physics Department offers a range of graduate courses in:

• Astrophysics
• Computational physics
• Electrodynamics
• Fluid physics
• Mathematical physics
• Nuclear physics
• Quantum mechanics
• Relativity

The department also offers courses emphasizing research—including thesis research and independent study in special topics.

You'll be encouraged to participate in faculty research in areas such as theoretical and computational physics—including atomic physics, relativity, high-energy and gravitational physics, and traffic modeling. Most students are supported by teaching or research assistantships.

Under the guidance of a graduate advisor, you will follow a course of study and research that is in harmony with your own background and goals. The size of our program fosters close personal contacts among students and faculty.

UMass Dartmouth’s Master of Arts in Professional Writing & Communication program meets a growing demand for professional and technical communicators. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in professional and technical writing are growing faster than average.

Our students take classes that prepare them to meet that demand by learning how to communicate ideas and information across a range of media.

• Web authoring
• Document design
• Social media writing
• Rhetorical theory
• Usability
• Stylistics

At UMass Dartmouth, the data science major is an interdisciplinary, integrating mathematics and computer science with disciplines such as business, engineering, healthcare, planning, science, and sociology.

Data scientists manage, mine, and analyze big data across multiple disciplines—and use computational thinking to gain new knowledge and solve real-world problems of high complexity.

As a data science major, you’ll build a strong foundation in information theory and in the methods and tools of mathematics and computer science. You’ll gain skills in complex problem solving, data-driven discovery, decision support, machine learning, predictive and visual analytics, and statistics.

You’ll be prepared for leadership positions in data analytics, discovery informatics, information management, and knowledge engineering. Businesses, government, healthcare, and the natural and social sciences need more data scientists to explore and explain complex information.

The Management major prepares you to succeed in environments that require initiative, professionalism, and the ability to work independently. You'll develop your analytical and leadership skills and gain knowledge in how to supervise others, develop and implement strategies, and advance organizational goals.

UMass Dartmouth's Management degree offers 2 study options that enable you to refine your management skills in your area of interest:

Small Business and Entrepreneurship option
You'll focus on how to identify, plan, and start a new venture—either as a start-up or an as an initiative within an existing business.

You will complete 3 core courses in Management, and elective courses that cover topics such as the identification of new products and services and the development of comprehensive business plans.

Leadership option
Organizational leaders plan and coordinate the activities of others, as well as doing hands-on work themselves. As a general manager, you'll combine day-to-day operations with special projects, personnel decisions, customer relations, and budgeting.

You will complete 3 core courses in Management, and elective courses that cover topics such as career development and human resources management.

As a history major, you'll be able to pursue studies in United States, European, Russian, Latin American, African, and Asian history. You'll gain an understanding of the major themes of history and explore the methods of historical study. You can concentrate on topics of your own choosing, and select courses that reflect our faculty's interest in areas as diverse as maritime history, the Middle East, military history, race relations, and terrorism.

The analytical and communications skills you'll develop as a history major can prepare you for a career in civil service, education, foreign service and intelligence, journalism, law, museum work, politics and advocacy, public policy, or public relations. A degree in history can also lead to graduate work in a variety of fields and serve as a sound foundation for law school.

UMassD offers teacher preparation for students who are interested in teaching history at the middle or high school level. You will take graduate-level courses during your final year of course work. These courses help prepare you to take and pass the MTELs and begin teaching after earning your bachelor's degree. After graduation, you can continue your work toward earning your master's degree in teaching by taking 5 more courses.

The MA in Portuguese Studies gives graduates an in-depth understanding of literary and cultural history of Portugal and the Portuguese-speaking world within a broad, interdisciplinary context of the humanities and social sciences.

Course offerings are complemented by a varied agenda of activities and publications sponsored by the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture.

• Guest lectures
• State-of-the-art colloquia
• Portuguese-American Archives
• International, peer-reviewed academic journal
• Portuguese Literary and Cultural Studies

Our program provides the knowledge required for teaching Portuguese in secondary schools and community and junior colleges, as well as to succeed professionally in a wide range of employment opportunities available in our region, nationally and internationally.