Bachelor of Arts in Women's and Gender Studies

at University of New Hampshire - Durham Campus USA

The non-thesis option is designed for UNH undergraduates who have a demonstrated capacity to engage in upper-level course work and desire hands-on practice and research training for an advanced degree.

Women's and gender studies provides students with an understanding of the status of women in various cultures and historical eras, in the nexus of race, class, sexuality, religious and disability studies. Students learn the use of gender as a category of analysis and increase their knowledge of women's contributions to many fields. Women's and gender studies courses offer students critical perspectives on such basic questions of the social order as assumptions about gender roles and gender identity.

As a relatively small department in the College of Liberal Arts, we provide students with a sense of community and opportunities to contribute directly to changing the campus climate. In a rigorous academic environment, women's and gender studies offers students a springboard for activism. Our internship program enables students to gain first-hand work experience across many fields.

A major in women's and gender studies prepares students for careers where the changing roles of women are having a perceptible impact. Women's and gender studies graduates go on to law school and graduate school in a variety of disciplines. Some have taken positions with social change or family service agencies, while others have found work in such fields as health care, journalism, education, human rights, social and environmental justice, and the arts.

Students in the Digital Language Arts program develop high-level critical and creative thinking skills by planning and constructing innovative, entrepreneurial digital-age projects. By conceptualizing, theorizing, and authoring cutting-edge ideas for both art and business, you'll learn to excel in every type of literacy necessary for success in the digital marketplace. This includes, in addition to conventional print literacy, literacies in visual, audiovisual, digital, transmedia, performative, augmented reality, augmented virtuality, and virtual reality environments.

The M.S. degree gives you an understanding of physics’ basic theoretical structures as preparation for conducting cutting-edge research. You will learn to apply advanced research methodologies and facilitate deeper student thinking in the areas of electromagnetic theory, quantum mechanics, classical mechanics, and advanced mathematical methods. The graduate program in physics includes a capstone experience, which can be a master's thesis or project. Graduates of this master’s program are equipped for successful careers in research and development in business, industry, government and education/academia, and are prepared for doctoral programs.

The Option in Global Trade and Finance (B.A. degree) studies the global trade and financial systems and their importance for understanding macroeconomics and business activity, foreign direct investments and other international capital flows, globalization, economic growth and development, international financial markets, and currency fluctuations and risk.

Students will learn about the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and other institutions undergirding the global economy. Students will develop institutional knowledge and analytical skills to study some of the most hotly debated issues of our day, including free-trade policies such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and WTO, global financial crises, Basel III and other financial reforms, European monetary union, and international policy coordination.

The option is designed for students interested in careers at international organizations such as the IMF, WTO, World Bank, and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This option also prepares students for careers in the financial services sector, including commercial and investment banking, financial trading, security analysis, portfolio management, and financial advising, and in the government sector, especially at the Federal Reserve System, U.S. Trade Administration, and U.S. State Department.

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.

The bachelor of arts in Earth sciences is offered through the Department of Earth Sciences. This program provides students an opportunity to obtain a broad education and a general background in the Earth sciences with a greater degree of freedom in choosing electives than in the bachelor of science programs. Through careful choice of electives, students can prepare for business, industry, public service, the non-profit sector or graduate school.

The dance option offers a diverse program that is designed to give the dance teacher, choreographer and/or performer the skills needed to embark on a successful career. Technique courses in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz and the aerial arts are at the core of this program. Courses in history of dance, composition, choreography and dance pedagogy aid dancers in preparing for a variety of employment opportunities in the dance field. In addition, dancers are introduced to the technical aspects involved in staging a full-scale performance. Performance opportunities include yearly faculty-directed dance concerts and student-created dance showcases each semester. Dancers may focus on one or all dance forms.

Students in the Professional and Technical Communications program study to become accomplished digital-age communicators. You'll develop transferable skill-sets in oral and written communication that prepare you to excel in any professional environment. In addition, you'll learn to communicate and collaborate in specializations of your choice — including, among others, new media journalism, creative nonfiction, business writing, legal writing and research, and technical writing.

The M.A. in music with a conducting option offers both a broad knowledge of music and the opportunity for in-depth study of either instrumental or choral conducting. This master’s program offers graduate musical training and mastery of music history, theory and education, culminating in a conducting recital and/or significant performances with one of the major university orchestral, instrumental or vocal ensembles.