Bachelor of Arts, Major in Philosophy with Concentration in Religious Studies (STEM)

at University of Massachusetts Lowell USA

As a history major at UMass Lowell, you will be trained to think and write critically about history. Department alumni have careers in a wide array of fields including teaching, law, government service, business and research. More than half our graduates go on to graduate school in history, education and other fields.

The Bachelor of Science in Meteorology & Atmospheric Science is for students who wish to explore weather and the environment and fulfills the education requirements for federally employed meteorologists. The program guidelines follow those of the American Meteorological Society.

Students can take courses in the history of philosophy and philosophical movements; political, mathematical and scientific philosophies; metaphysics; linguistics and aesthetics. Students will learn how to analyze, reason, deduct and apply persuasive arguments in a disciplined and systematic way while developing their oral and written communication skills.

The department does not specify particular course work for the major, but recommends that the sequence of courses be designed in close consultation with the student’s faculty advisor. Students who plan to go to graduate school are strongly encouraged to take at least two courses from the History of Philosophy series. They should also consider a second major in a cognate field, e.g., American studies, English, French, history, mathematics, or political science.

Communications and Critical Thinking -  Concentration
Effective communication is an essential tool for those seeking careers in journalism, advertising, commerce, law, public relations, education or related fields.

The Communications and Critical Thinking (C&CT) track in philosophy serves students preparing for these careers with a unique interdisciplinary course of study that puts them on the fast track for any of those professional choices. It provides training in the latest media technologies and in timeless communication skills such as presenting good arguments, critical reasoning and logical evaluation of competing opinions.

Students specialize by selecting a specific set of courses from the wide variety offered for the major, and by adding minors in other related areas such as computer science, English, music, art, economics, psychology, sociology or political science.

The first year of undergraduate study is devoted to developing writing skills and subjects in mathematics and science that serve as a foundation for upper level professional studies.

During the second year of study, students learn the principles of engineering mechanics, strength of materials and surveying.

Junior and senior year course work gives students a working knowledge of structural, environmental, geotechnical and transportation engineering. In addition to education in these four basic areas of civil engineering practice, advanced elective courses are available in each area during the senior year. Engineering design, concepts and computer aided engineering are integrated throughout the program.

The pandemic exposed the critical role that public health professionals play to prevent diseases and promote health. With a B.S. in public health, you’ll be prepared for a career that creates healthy communities through education, research and promotion of healthy environments and lifestyles.

The cornerstone of the program is health promotion and disease prevention, rather than on diagnosing and treating illnesses and conditions after they occur.

Public health jobs exist in private industry, organizations, local communities, and state and national settings. We offer the Public Health BS in two options: Community Health/Health Promotion and Health Sciences. See more details below. Students will also attain a foundation of knowledge that is necessary to pursue graduate studies in public health and health sciences.

Community Health/Health Promotion - Concentration

• Students will be involved in service learning and community health practicum experiences and take courses to increase skills in communication and teaching related to health promotion and prevention in community settings. This option will prepare students for careers as community health educators in a variety of settings including community health centers, hospitals, long term care facilities, corporate wellness, and nonprofit organizations.

Epidemiologists identify public health hazards, evaluate health interventions and monitor health systems data to protect public health. Every day during the pandemic epidemiologists across the world are analyzing data, conducting studies and sharing recommendations based on science.

Choose the MPH Epidemiology option if you want to gain a solid grasp of the fundamental principles of epidemiology and health statistics. You’ll learn about study design, data collection and analysis, assessment of bias, and control of confounders. Graduates of the MPH Public Health Epidemiology program have found exciting and meaningful careers in:

• Public sector organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Rhode Island Department of Health, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and numerous municipal health departments.
• Private corporations such as World Congress, Evidera, Marsh & McLennan Agency and Abt Associates.
• Non-profit organizations such as Partners in Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Medical Center, Lowell Community Health Center, North Suffolk Mental Health Associates, Home Health Foundation and The Community Health Center, Inc.
• Academic and research institutions as research associates.

The Literature concentration introduces students to a range of historical periods, genres, and critical approaches to literature. It prepares them for graduate work in literary and cultural studies as well as careers in publishing, law, teaching, business, the arts, and other professions that require skilled reading, writing, research, and communication. Students take at least two courses that fulfill the department’s Diverse Literary Traditions requirement. These courses explore authors and texts through the historically under-represented perspectives of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, post-coloniality, and sexuality. The concentration includes a capstone course that provides a culminating opportunity to complete a substantial learning project. Some capstones focus on in-depth, advanced study of a particular author or period; others encourage deep research into an individual area of interest or provide an internship experience.

The Music Studies and Education programs at UMass Lowell are exciting, highly creative learning environments designed to help our students realize their full potential as teachers and leaders in their communities.

One of our primary objectives is to provide our music education students with the musical and pedagogical foundation and tools to create rich learning opportunities for their students to develop their creative potential and experience the world from multiple perspectives. Teachers must utilize all means necessary to create the kinds of learning environments that encourage students to take risks, be adventurous in their thinking and problem-solving, and unleash the imaginations they come into the world with.

We strive to create a learning environment in our programs that encourages active learning and engagement, one that models real-world activities. Since the application of knowledge involves ‘doing,’ our courses have been designed to maximize hands-on experiences, through problem solving activities, critical, creative and reflective thinking, in order to create a classroom environment supportive of the construction of knowledge, collaboration, and risk-taking. Our students work on a variety of projects both independently and collaboratively, involving research, creating, composing, improvising, and teaching mini-lessons. Since we feel it’s important to provide as many opportunities as possible for the students to interact with each other, as well as with the teacher, many of the projects and class activities are collaborative in nature, may involve technology and will support the active construction of knowledge. In many of these activities our students are asked to put themselves in the role of student creators allowing them to understand the teaching process from the learner’s perspective.

The pandemic exposed the critical role that public health professionals play to prevent diseases and promote health. With a B.S. in public health, you’ll be prepared for a career that creates healthy communities through education, research and promotion of healthy environments and lifestyles.
The cornerstone of the program is health promotion and disease prevention, rather than on diagnosing and treating illnesses and conditions after they occur.
Public health jobs exist in private industry, organizations, local communities, and state and national settings. We offer the Public Health BS in two options: Community Health/Health Promotion and Health Sciences. See more details below. Students will also attain a foundation of knowledge that is necessary to pursue graduate studies in public health and health sciences.

Health Sciences - Concentration
This option will provide a strong emphasis on health sciences with flexibility in selecting health science courses and electives under academic advisor guidance. Sufficient elective credits are included in health science coursework to allow students the opportunity to select science courses in an area of their interest within a public health framework. This option not only prepares students to work in the field of public health, but could also be used as a pathway to graduate degrees in various areas of health sciences such as direct entry graduate nursing programs, occupational therapy, and post-graduate professional health programs, including medical school.

Computer Science is the study of the design and use of computer systems. The curriculum’s required courses give students a strong foundation in both the software and hardware aspects of computing, as well as the mathematics and science that underlie the discipline. The electives in the later years allow students to study a particular area of computer science in greater depth.