Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences

at University of New Hampshire - Durham Campus USA

The major in neuroscience and behavior (NSB) offers an interdisciplinary approach to human and non-human behavior, focusing on the evolution and adaptiveness of certain behaviors, as well as their underlying neural mechanisms. Students who have always been fascinated by how the brain functions will be well served by this major, as will those who love wild animals and wish to better understand their behavior. The B.S. in neuroscience and behavior is based on a solid foundation in biology, chemistry, physics, statistics, and genetics (foundation courses). These are followed by a two-semester course sequence that covers the fundamentals of neuroscience and behavior. Students can then pick five or more electives focusing on areas of interest.

NSB students are encouraged to take advantage of research experiences in the laboratories of the psychology and biology faculty in the program. This provides valuable experience with cutting-edge equipment and techniques. Some students may share aspects of a larger project, whereas others may be relatively independent and design their own project under supervision. In either case, important skills are gained by the discipline of gathering data, analyzing and interpreting it, and presenting it to a broader audience.

The curriculum provides most of the requirements and recommended courses for students seeking admission to graduate school and to professional schools in medicine and veterinary medicine. Students who might choose not to go on to advanced degrees are well-prepared for employment as skilled technicians in research laboratories or, if their interests are in animal behavior, as field research assistants or animal trainers. With additional courses in education, the B.S. in NSB also qualifies graduates to teach at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels.

Faculty participating in the NSB major combine a love of teaching and student mentoring with a passion for research, and encourage student participation. Research facilities that students can use include the Integrative Animal Behavior and Ecoacoustics laboratory, the confocal imaging center, the Hubbard Center for Genomic Studies, and the many marine, freshwater, and estuarine laboratories associated with UNH programs. Students can also take summer courses at the Shoals Marine Laboratory.

Students in the Ecosystem Science option typically have a strong background in environmental science, earth science, ecology, or related fields. Areas of interest include the ecology, microbiology and biogeochemistry of soils, groundwaters, and surface waters, with an emphasis on how the different components of an ecosystem interact to produce system-level responses to management, global change, and other perturbations. Understanding controls on carbon storage, nutrient transformations, water quality, soil health and greenhouse gas emissions is central to much of the research conducted by students in this option.

English teaching majors synthesize knowledge across areas — literature, language, composition, speaking, listening, identity, linguistics and education, just to name a few. We think critically and collaborate. We spark learning and we study it. We evaluate texts and resources, examine literacy skills, consider appropriate media, and design reading and writing opportunities and instruction in a variety of contexts. In particular, the English teaching major focuses on preparing future teachers and educational leaders, but the skills students learn are valuable in many settings, from the classroom to the workplace to the broader world.

The goal of the English teaching major is to prepare informed, thoughtful, and skilled English teachers who will become educational leaders in their own communities and in the teaching profession. In the English Department, students learn about literature, cultural theories of race and identity, composition, grammar, a variety of textual and digital media, and instructional practices appropriate to grades five through twelve. In the Education Department, students learn about human development, the history of schooling, and many philosophical perspectives on learning and education.

The human development and family studies option in marriage and family therapy will prepare you for a rewarding career helping others, whether you choose to work in mental health, family service, human service or medical settings. You’ll learn about the major therapy models and develop the skills to assess and treat diverse populations with understanding, sensitivity and respect. You’ll receive training that emphasizes treatment of individuals, couples and families in relationship to the larger systems that influence them. You’ll also gain hands-on experience through supervised clinical practice at UNH’s Marriage and Family Therapy Center, in addition to externship opportunities.

The Option in Public Policy and Sustainability (B.A. degree) examines the factors that influence economic, social, and environmental outcomes, such as unemployment, poverty, economic inequality, health disparities, technological innovation, and pollution. Students will develop the institutional knowledge and theoretical perspective to understand the impact that decisions of individuals, firms, communities, and governments have on such outcomes. Students will analyze the impact of specific government policies and potential reforms, theoretically and empirically.

This option is designed for students seeking careers in policy analysis and research positions at government agencies; think tanks such as RAND Corporation, Urban Institute, and Mathematica Policy Research; consulting firms such as Abt Associates; and non-governmental organizations.

Whether you live for the stage, have a love of costumery or see yourself running things behind the scenes, a theatre degree will allow you to engage with your passion for the performing arts. In this general degree program, you’ll study performance, theatre history, and the elements of design and theatre technology. The program was designed with a lighter credit load, allowing you to combine your studies with another degree.

This degree program prepares students for employment and/or graduate study in a variety of fields and research specializations in which mathematics plays a critical role in the solution of important scientific and technological problems.

We offer degrees to qualified students interested in interdisciplinary research with an emphasis on the synthesis, characterization and utilization of nanoscale materials.  All MSP students learn about the interplay of structure, processing, characterization, and properties of materials with useful applications. Our seventeen faculty members are active collaborators with research and development groups located around the world, and are experienced in managing research projects with practical results. Graduates of our program work in research, engineering and process development positions in a variety of fields.

Created for students with a passion for acting and/or directing, this option is designed to develop the actor and the director as an interpretive, creative and self-sufficient artist. Award-winning faculty working in the profession challenge students to strive for excellence in the art and craft of acting and directing through highly challenging coursework, performance projects and productions, as well as special workshops with acclaimed guest artists.

The purpose of the communication major is to prepare students to engage more knowingly with the communicative patterns, problems and practices that they will encounter in their personal, professional and civic lives. This purpose requires that students learn to move beyond commonplace and conventional understandings of "communication" and acquire sophisticated perspectives — workable orientations — for describing, analyzing, reflecting upon and engaging with those patterns, problems and practices. Accordingly, the major not only acquaints students with a variety of empirical, critical, historical, theoretical and pragmatic perspectives on communication phenomena, but encourages them to formulate workable orientations of their own for engaging with communication issues and questions. Students who graduate with a communication major are prepared to become thoughtful and proficient "communication decision-makers" during their postgraduate lives.