Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with Geoscience option

at University of Massachusetts Lowell USA

The UMass Lowell American Studies Program offers both a major and a minor. It includes faculty from departments such as English, Cultural Studies, History, Psychology, Sociology and Political Science.

Graduates of the program have pursued careers in government and social services; others seek certification to teach elementary or high school. Having developed skills in writing and analysis, American Studies majors have become successful executives, public relations representatives, product managers, speech writers, press secretaries, and journalists. American Studies has proven a strong foundation for students continuing their studies in law or in library and information sciences.

American Studies is a vibrant interdisciplinary field practiced around the nation and world. It examines the intersection between such subjects as globalization and economics, music and politics, history and gender, race and environment, technology and art. This willingness to cross the boundaries of traditional disciplines allows for creative critical thinking and research.

This program provides students with knowledge of the key issues, research, and theories in the important and emerging field of Peace and Conflict Studies.

Students are challenged to answer the following key content questions:

• How do factors such as poverty, lack of education and social inequity lead to conflict, both internationally and domestically
• What are the causes and conditions which generate and sustain conflict and violence?
• What are the principles and methods for the resolution of conflict and violence?
• What are the norms, practices and institutions for conflict transformation and building peace?

Business analytics is the process of transforming raw data into business intelligence and insight. As companies generate more data at ever faster rates, the need for business analytics professionals is growing. The Master of Science in Business Analytics program will help you:

• Develop the ability to collect, manage and analyze data from a variety of sources.
• Enhance your understanding of business processes and systems.
• Develop the ability to understand and communicate insights gleaned from descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics.

Private and public firms in fields as diverse as health care, finance, logistics and marketing need business analysts to help them identify and solve problems related to forecasting, customer relationship management and revenue optimization — to name only a few. Experts predict that in the next 10 years, hundreds of thousands of new jobs will be created in the domain of business analytics.

In this concentration, students learn how to write for an audience as a journalist, technical communicator, or a writer in other professional contexts. Students begin by taking Introduction to Professional Writing and continue with coursework that focuses on learning different aspects of professional writing. Journal and Professional Writing courses offer opportunities to learn about digital rhetoric, editing, publishing, grant writing, language and literacy, new media, reflective writing and visual rhetoric, just to name a few. All students in this track complete a portfolio that showcases their work in professional settings. That work often comes as part of an internship. Ultimately, the Journalism and Professional Writing concentration prepares students for writing situations and challenges beyond the classroom.

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 Environmental Geoscience Option is designed to prepare students with the necessary knowledge and skills to conduct research and act as consultants in environmental sciences and geosciences. The students in the program will take a variety of courses distributed across three areas – Policy/Economics, Environmental Engineering, and Environmental Geosciences. Course work will be concentrated in the Environmental Geosciences, with the option to take additional courses in the other areas based on student interest.

The introductory courses for majors provide the freshmen experience and create common bonds among students in Political Science. Core offerings on American Politics and Policy have been augmented by others on comparative policies of countries ranging from Eastern Europe to Southeast Asia to Southern Africa. The Department also offers specialized courses related to gender and citizenship, political economy, race and ethnicity, and public policy of interest to students in a variety of majors across the University.

In addition to traditional courses in political thought, recent course offerings have included work in state theory, feminist political theory, current theoretical conflicts in constitutional interpretation, and the politics of arts and culture.

The program combines theoretical study and scientific research methods with practical application through course work, field studies, community involvement, volunteerism and supervised independent research. Graduates of the Psychology department go on to careers in social services, mental health, education, research and business. Undergraduates also may choose to specialize in developmental disabilities.

The Psychology major augments a general liberal arts education and provides the basis for graduate training and careers in mental health, community development, education, research, and business and industry. The psychology curriculum acquaints students with the theoretical and empirical foundations of the major sub-fields of psychology (human development, basic mental and behavioral processes, the social context, and individual differences). The curriculum reflects the importance of scientific methods and provides students with hands-on experience in designing and conducting their own research; indeed, over the years, many of our students have been able to present their work at scientific conferences or have it published in academic journals. The curriculum also emphasizes the applications of psychological knowledge and skills in many areas of human functioning and gives students the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills through a variety of placement opportunities on campus and in the community.

Business analytics is the process of transforming raw data into business intelligence and insight. As companies generate more data at ever faster rates, the need for business analytics professionals is growing. The Master of Science in Business Analytics program will help you:

• Develop the ability to collect, manage and analyze data from a variety of sources.
• Enhance your understanding of business processes and systems.
• Develop the ability to understand and communicate insights gleaned from descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics.

Private and public firms in fields as diverse as health care, finance, logistics and marketing need business analysts to help them identify and solve problems related to forecasting, customer relationship management and revenue optimization — to name only a few. Experts predict that in the next 10 years, hundreds of thousands of new jobs will be created in the domain of business analytics.

The curriculum provides a sound foundation in math, science, and engineering as well as plastics specific courses. These courses, and the related laboratory experiences, focus on polymer materials, properties, processing and design. All levels of this curriculum foster communication, professionalism, ethics, safety, and environmental sustainability.

The department maintains the highest standard of academic excellence and a supportive environment for students from all backgrounds.

Students follow a sequence of mathematics, science, college writing, and fundamental engineering courses in their freshman and sophomore years. Plastics Engineering courses begin with the freshman-level Introduction to Plastics Engineering. Basic plastics materials, processing and design - with their hands on laboratories - are taught in the sophomore and junior years. The senior year includes advanced courses and a student-selected capstone project. Relevant clusters of humanities and social science courses are included with the context of engineering education to create well-rounded graduates.