Bachelor of Arts, Major in Political Science with Concentration in Pre-Law

at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth USA

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.

As a photography major, you will gain expertise in both traditional and digital techniques and explore photographic imagery in all contexts. When you pursue your BFA in Art + Design: Photography, you will develop your own photographic vision and deepen your expressive communication.

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.

Your studies will include:

• Black & white darkroom photography
• Color digital imaging & printing
• Large format photography
• Studio lighting
• Video
• The history of photography
• Contemporary practice

Your work will culminate in a gallery exhibition and a portfolio that demonstrates your individual style, technical proficiency, and aesthetic sophistication.

A degree in photography will prepare you for a career as a fine art and commercial photographer, photojournalist, videographer, photo editor, gallery or museum director, curator, image consultant, multimedia designer, photo educator, photo archivist, studio manager, filmmaker, web designer, lab technician, and professional printer.

Express yourself visually, learn fundamental techniques, and explore contemporary practices with a BFA in Art + Design: Printmaking.

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.

The program offers professional, studio-based training in printmaking through a wide spectrum of course offerings such as:

• Silkscreen
• Etching
• Lithography
• Relief
• Monotype
• Photo processes

You'll work in our large printmaking studios, with state-of-the-art facilities dedicated to the different printmaking processes. You'll develop cross-disciplinary sensitivity—with the opportunity to combine printmaking with painting, drawing, 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.

Chemists conduct research and experiments to discover new concepts about the universe. They try to solve society's problems, whether by developing a cure for cancer, monitoring the earth's ozone layer, creating new materials to heat our homes, or pursuing countless other challenges.

The knowledge you'll gain through the study of chemistry at UMass Dartmouth will open the door to many different career opportunities within the five divisions of chemistry: analytical, biological, inorganic, organic, or physical. You'll be prepared for chemistry careers in education, forensics, government, law, industry, medicine, or research.

Explore the lives, voices, histories, roles, and ideas of women. Learn how the social construction of gender affects women’s and men’s lives. When you major in Women's and Gender Studies, you'll place women's and men's experiences at the center of inquiry—as subjects rather than objects.

Your studies will be interdisciplinary, with classes in crime and justice studies, history, literature, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology/anthropology. These classes are taught by WGS faculty or faculty affiliated with WGS. You'll consider the influences of gender in contemporary society, discover the historical factors that have shaped the current status of women, and explore paths to achieve equality for all people.

With a degree in Women's and Gender Studies, you can pursue careers in advocacy, business, communications, education, family services, human resources, journalism, law, marketing and sales, nonprofit organizations, politics, and publishing. You'll also be well prepared for graduate study in a variety of disciplines.

Psychology is the scientific exploration of human behavior. Our curriculum offers a broad introduction to this dynamic and diverse field, with an emphasis on the understanding and design of research. The study of human behavior can prepare you for many different careers, from business to education and the social sciences.

You'll also investigate psychology's subfields through courses that consider:

• Our biological heritage: physiological psychology, perception
• Basic human functioning: cognition, learning, personality, social
• Applied fields: counseling, behavior modification, organizational psychology, community psychology

You'll work with faculty who:

• Study the theoretical, such as hemispheric specialization within the brain, and semantic processing of memory
• Conduct applied research, such as the control of obesity, chronic pain, and stress
• Are leaders in the mental health community and bring their expertise to the classroom

Psychology graduates work in fields such as human resources, software and product development, and communications. Further education will open paths toward research and clinical practice.

At the intersection of engineering, biology, and chemistry, you’ll discover bioengineering. Bioengineering is one of the fastest-growing engineering disciplines, with a high demand in the medical sector.

Bioengineers design and develop devices, systems, and techniques to improve patient diagnosis, treatment, and care. They utilize biotechnology to produce personalized drugs, to make biofuels and biopolymers, to engineer tissues to replace damaged organs, to grow human tissue for drug testing, and to create new diagnostic techniques.

UMassD's bioengineering program brings together the life sciences, medicine, and engineering to provide a solid academic foundation and a broad interdisciplinary approach to the field. You will:

• Develop your critical thinking skills
• Learn to evaluate with a broad perspective
• Identify and solve problems creatively

Bioengineering is creating its own frontiers of development. You’ll join a new generation of innovators and leaders in fields with significant and growing employment opportunities including health care, public health,

The Bioengineering Department offers a BS degree in bioengineering with a concentration in biomedical engineering: the biological and medical application of engineering principles in healthcare.

Biomedical engineers integrate engineering principles with the medical sciences to design and create medicines, artificial tissues and organs, devices, computer systems, and software to improve human health.

As a concentration within UMassD's bioengineering program, your program of study will bring together the life sciences, medicine, and engineering—providing a solid academic foundation and a broad interdisciplinary approach to the field.

Within the concentration, you'll have the opportunity to explore:

• Cell and tissue engineering: with courses in areas such as nanotechnology, immunology, human organogenesis, and material surfaces
• Medical devices: with courses in areas such as implantable sensors, robotics, medical ultrasonics, and device regulations

Your education will prepare you to contribute to the profession in an ethical and socially responsible manner and to work effectively to further your career and to benefit society.

You’ll join a new generation of innovators and leaders in fields with significant opportunities for growth. Biomedical engineers pursue exciting, rewarding careers in manufacturing, universities, hospitals, research facilities, and other educational and medical institutions.

The Mechanical Engineering department offers a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering with a concentration in manufacturing: the transformation of raw materials into useful products through the use of the most effective methods.

Manufacturing engineers determine the equipment, tools, and processes required to convert the design of a product into reality. They apply analytical skills to discover the optimal combination of machinery, materials, and methods needed to keep production costs and time low.

Mechanical engineers design and develop anything that can be thought of as a machine, as well as the tools and processes necessary to make man-made products. Encompassing a wide range of fields, the discipline includes the study of energy transformations, manufacturing, mechanical systems, and material science.

With a degree in mechanical engineering, you'll have the ability to work in a diverse range of careers including scientific research, product manufacturing, product design, power generation, military analysis, and operations of complex systems such as nuclear reactors. Mechanical engineers are also increasingly finding opportunities in medical research fields and in biofuel applications.

The Master of Science program in Computer 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 Master of Science degree programs in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth provide sufficient structure to ensure that each graduate of either program has a firm foundation to go on to further graduate studies or to succeed at the advanced level in industry. However, there is enough program flexibility to allow students to pursue studies of their own particular interest.