Bachelor of Arts, Major in Liberal Studies

at University of St. Francis USA

The music field is very wide, and a degree in music offers many dynamic careers in the arts. The Bachelor of Music program at the University of St. Francis is oriented toward performance and will prepare students for a career as a professional performing musician or college-level teacher and prepares students for further study in graduate school. Students can choose to concentrate in either guitar, piano or voice.

Musicians and singers earn a median pay of approximately $27 per hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS also estimates 10,400 job openings through 2026 for musicians and singers. These jobs include singing or playing instruments either in front of a live audience or in a recording studio.

The University of St. Francis offers students ample opportunities to expand their musical skills and experience in and outside the classroom. In addition to comprehensive classwork, students can join a variety of ensembles and musical groups that perform as part of the university’s Music at Moser performance series.

Concentrations

• Guitar
• Piano
• Voice

As a USF DARA major, you will become a musically competent professional. You’ll gain the technical knowledge to excel in today’s digital-based music production industry. You’ll also acquire the knowledge, principles and practices of engineering methodology and music production, while learning to turn your artistry into a viable and sustainable business.

Each DARA major will have a prolific portfolio of work with a resume that illustrates his/her exceptional abilities. You’ll be equipped for success as an audio engineer, music industry entrepreneur, creator of user generated content or a recording artist.

In the studio, you’ll remix and reshape audio loops, create MIDI compositions utilizing various MIDI editors and controllers, and capture, edit, mix and master audio using USF’s state-of-the-art facilities.

The DARA Studio includes digital audio workstations that run Avid Protools and Ableton Live as host DAWs. Students use a myriad of embedded plug-ins and virtual instruments, an extensive microphone selection, a tracking room, sound booths, a control room and editing suites to create their musical masterpieces, at which point the value of the DARA program and coursework will truly reveal itself.

Concentrations

• Audio Engineer
• Music Industry Entrepreneur
• Recording Artist
• User Generated Content

This major offers a comprehensive approach to studio art, photography and graphic design. Students may immerse them­selves in a variety of traditional and contemporary media, taught by practicing artists with local, national and international professional experience. Learning takes place in a state-of-the-art facility that’s unmatched in the region, offering dedicated spaces for a variety of media such as ceramics, digital arts, graphic design, photography, printmaking, studio arts, video editing and woodshop.

Classes are small (usually ranging from 8–15 students), giving each student the opportunity to develop enriching educational relationships with classmates and professors. The Art & Design department emphasizes the importance of blending the faculty’s professional experience with the students’ understanding of contemporary aesthetics and their development of ambitious studio practice.

Studio Art:
Equips students with a sound foundation for entry into a graduate program or a career as an artist.

It all begins with an idea! Entrepreneurs are ambitious and visualize success by learning about successful startups and gaining insight into how businesses start and grow. They are flexible in adjusting to the unexpected while learning to think in a creative and critical manner. The successful entrepreneur has not only an idea, but a plan, and is able to communicate ideas clearly and get other people excited about them.

As an Entrepreneurship major, you’ll take classes that give you the skills to pursue your entrepreneurial spirit. Your coursework will provide you with theory and application experiences to execute your plan. An emphasis is placed on business plan develop­ment and hands-on experience through competitive and enriching internships.

An added benefit, seniors who feel inspired to keep studying to obtain an MBA or M.S. degree may take graduate-level courses during their last two semesters for dual undergraduate and graduate credit. That means students can take nine graduate-level credit hours during senior year, and can complete their MBA or M.S. one year after graduating if they attend full time. See course catalog for additional details about the “3 to Degree” program.

The computer science field is one that’s continuously growing and evolving. Technology skills are necessary for operations in just about every professional field: business, education, medicine, law enforcement, communication, science, engineering, manufacturing, service industries, the gaming industry and more. You name it, and computer science is right there– making things work in every imaginable way.

The University of St. Francis Computer Science program guides students, and prepares them for a variety of technical and computer related careers. At USF, you will learn skills such as web design, infrastructure support, C++, Java, Visual Basic and more. You’ll attend seminars on topics from bioinformatics to human computer interaction to game programming. Completion of a minor in information technology, mathematics, accounting, or finance is highly recommended for Computer Science majors, to complement their learning. But most importantly, Computer Science majors will get hands-on experience with projects that will give them a wealth of experience, preparing them for successful careers in the field.

The Criminal & Social Justice major at the University of St. Francis offers students an exciting alternative to a traditional criminal justice program by offering the opportunity to build a concentration in one of several specializations. The focus of the program goes beyond the criminal justice system and examines historical, social, and legal barriers to creating a more just society. Students are educated about the structure and process of the criminal justice system with a holistic, Catholic social justice perspective.

Writing skills, ethics and integrity, service and social justice are emphasized to prepare students for a profession where these traits and skills are in high demand. The program seeks to provide students with a broad liberal arts foundation challenged by Franciscan values, and engage them in the continuous pursuit of knowledge, faith, wisdom, and justice. Students will explore and understand societal issues that lead to criminal behavior, and will learn theoretical and practical knowledge of the structures, processes, and functions of the criminal justice institutions and their relationship to other social systems.

Biochemistry is the study of the molecules present and chemical processes that take place in living things. Inside a living cell, an astounding number of very carefully-regulated chemical reactions are occurring all the time. Biochemists are the individuals who work to bridge the gap between pure chemistry and biology.

The biochemistry degree is a common degree obtained by those interested in pre-health professions, especially those studying pre-dental, pre-med, pre-pharmacy and pre-physician assistant programs. It builds on the strong interdisciplinary approach in educating students, a distinctive feature of the Natural and Health Sciences Department at the University of St. Francis. Biochemists plan and conduct complex projects in basic and applied research; they manage laboratory teams and monitor the quality of their work; they research the effects of substances such as drugs, hormones, and nutrients on tissues and biological processes; they prepare technical reports, research papers, and recommendations based on their research findings and they present those findings to scientists, engineers, and other colleagues.

History is powerful. History majors are encouraged to visualize, feel, and experience history. You will gain a solid grounding in American, European, and World history while being introduced to past and current historiography and take part in current debates in the discipline. USF’s History program emphasizes skills such as critical thinking, research, information literacy, writing and oral presentation.

Classes are taught in small settings. Students can explore World War II in a global perspective, rather than the traditional European focus, or take a class on “History in Film,” which helps students evaluate and critique the historical narratives found in pop culture. There’s also “Digitizing History,” where students learn about digital preservation and techniques for effective online presentations of history for the public.

USF’s History degree also promotes experiential learning, encouraging students to gain experience outside college classroom at museums and other historical sites. This flexible program gives students a lot of leeway to take courses that suit their interests. Students are exposed to a variety of different ideas and sources, and can focus in depth on issues that most intrigue them.

Concentrations

• European
• Non-Western
• United States
• History/Social Science Secondary Ed. (9-12)

The ability to use digital technology and to work in online environments is essential to career success in many different fields.

It’s not just technical skills that are important: making ethical judgments about technology, communicating effectively in online environments, and understanding how technology affects what it means to be human are crucial skills for success in the workplace and living a meaningful life.

Digital Humanities majors are prepared to succeed in a wide variety of fields by developing technical competencies in database management, digital media, software coding, and web design as well as wide-ranging knowledge in literature, history, the arts and philosophy.

Digital Humanities majors take courses in computer science and statistics, preparing them to use digital technology to study questions about the arts, culture, and the nature of human existence. They also take courses in literature, history, philosophy, media, and the digital arts, developing strong skills in critical thinking, design, and communication.

If you want to explore meaningful questions about the human experience, create sophisticated digital content, and help shape the future of culture, the Digital Humanities major offers a flexible program shaped by your unique interests.

The Mathematics and Computer Science Program is a blend of courses from these two disciplines, designed to provide the student with the essential theoretical and practical elements of computer science as well as a significant background in mathematical theory and reasoning.

The Mathematics and Computer Science major is for students who like to develop scientific applications or applications that require use of higher mathematics. Businesses and agencies need specialized tasks for their employees and customers on computers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the mean annual salary for those in computer and mathematical occupations as $89,810.

At the University of St. Francis, there are student computer labs on campus located in most academic buildings. In addition to the general-purpose labs, there are discipline-specific labs for Computer Science, including a data communications lab. Additionally, the Computer Club provides opportunities for students to present their work and experiences from internships. Through this club, speakers from various industries present on topics of interest to Mathematics and Computer Science students.