Master of Science in Human Development and Family Studies

at University of New Hampshire - Durham Campus USA

If you’re interested in teaching music and would like to obtain a graduate degree, the pre-teaching degree program allows you to complete a Bachelor of Music in music education degree and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree in five years of study. After four years of undergraduate music education, you’ll undertake a fifth-year internship and graduate study to complete your Master of Arts and teaching certification. You’ll study music history, theory analysis and performance, as well as teaching methods and human development. You’ll be able to select an emphasis in vocal or instrumental music.

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 Major in Marine, Estuarine, and Freshwater Biology is intended to give students interested in the fields of marine and freshwater biology the background and direct hands-on experience needed to pursue productive careers, including potential advanced study.  This strategically cross-disciplinary major builds on a broad set of science courses in high-impact areas of study for today’s world, represented by a core curriculum in math, chemistry, physics, and biology.  The core background is strengthened by a series of required and elective courses in a diverse range of aquatic sciences spanning watersheds to oceans, providing opportunities for study from organismal to ecosystem scales. Designed to provide a solid foundation of knowledge in freshwater, estuarine, and marine biology, the MEFB Major allows flexibility and encourages students to focus on particular areas of interest from molecular biology to ecosystem and policy studies.  Students will have the opportunity to specialize in areas of their own interest, such as aquaculture and fisheries, animal behavior, ecological restoration, or management. While MEFB students must complete rigorous course requirements, our students are encouraged to tailor their elective courses within and across departments and colleges as needed to build their own, unique cross-disciplinary path.

The University of New Hampshire is uniquely located for the study of aquatic organisms and their habitats. We are centered between the Great Bay Estuary and the Gulf of Maine, with easy access to diverse marine environments as well as the freshwater habitats of New Hampshire’s Lakes Region and the White Mountain National Forest. We boast three Marine Laboratories that provide exceptional opportunities for our student’s research and educational needs, including Jackson Estuarine Laboratory (JEL), the Coastal Marine Lab (CML; part of the larger Judd Gregg Marine Research Center), and the Shoals Marine Laboratory (SML), as well as strong affiliations with the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.  While JEL is located on Great Bay in Durham, CML is in nearby New Castle at the Seacoast, and SML is located six miles off the coast. SML provides summer undergraduate programing with field-based marine courses that fulfill major electives, as well as internships and research opportunities for advanced study. In addition, UNH’s campus maintains two fish aquaculture facilities, a world-class genomics laboratory, and the State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, which provide hands-on opportunities for undergraduates.  There is also an active diving program with courses at both beginner and advanced levels. A major strength of the MEFB program is the hands-on approach to learning combined with an emphasis on involving undergraduate students in mentored research opportunities.

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.

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.

The Health Sciences program is for those students who are concerned with the well-being of others; and who also possess a strong science aptitude. As healthcare has evolved in the U.S., degree programs in the allied health professions (athletic training, physical therapy, physician assistant, etc.) have moved to post-baccalaureate education. Individuals with career interests in allied health professions must, first, attain prerequisite knowledge to be prepared to study in these advanced degree programs. This rigorous academic program meets requirements for entry into graduate school for a career in athletic training, physical therapy, or physician assistant. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates a much faster than average job growth for most careers in health care.

The study of government and politics, to which the courses and seminars of the Department of Political Science are devoted, includes the development of knowledge of political behavior by individuals and groups as well as knowledge about governments: their nature and functions, their problems and behavior, and their interactions—at the national and international levels and at the local, state and regional levels.

Much of the learning offered by the Department of Political Science also can be regarded as essential for good citizenship, since political knowledge helps to explain the formal and informal institutions by which we are governed and the forces that lead to policy decisions, and also seeks to clarify the issues and principles that encourage people toward political involvement. It contributes to the store of knowledge necessary for informed citizenship. In addition, such learning is especially valuable to students planning to enter local or national government or other public service, including the Foreign Service, and it will be of great help to those who intend to study law and enter the legal profession. For teaching, particularly at the college level, and for many types of government service, graduate work may be indispensable. An undergraduate major in political science will provide a helpful foundation for any further study of politics and related fields in the social sciences and humanities. Such an emphasis also will be valuable for students seeking careers in journalism, international organizations, and the public affairs and administrative aspects of labor, financial and business organizations.

Design and theatre technology students who show significant progress and ability may earn the opportunity to demonstrate practical application of their studies through the department’s main stage production design assignments. Through classwork, production assignments and problem-solving, this option prepares students for both practical skills and aesthetic sensibilities needed for the creation of visual and technical elements for the performing arts. The challenging coursework provides both fundamental knowledge and critical thinking practice, which are skills that help students pursue a successful profession in theatre and related fields; the core principles of hard work, problem-solving and creativity are transferable to other career paths as well. UNH-trained graduates hold careers across the nation as designers, technical directors, stage managers, property masters, head electricians and scenic artists.

Students who wish to specialize in any of the various areas of English language and linguistics may design an M.A. program to meet their interests. Specialties include applied linguistics and the teaching of English as a second language as well as the traditional subfields of linguistics. Psycholinguistics courses are offered through the psychology department.

The Italian studies program offers courses in Italian language, culture, literature, history and cinema, as well as courses on Italian American culture. Italian courses can also be used to fulfill Discovery Program requirements and the Bachelor of Arts foreign language proficiency requirement. The program provides opportunities both to achieve high competence in Italian language and culture and to apply these knowledge skills to other disciplines. The Italian studies program encourages independent and innovative thinking and research so that students may pursue and achieve individualized goals while they prepare for the challenges of thriving in the world community.