Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders

at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee USA

Students in UWM's international studies program take courses in history, political science, economics, anthropology, comparative literature, and foreign languages to build a program around their own specialized interests in international relations, politics, economics, development, or culture and langauge. The International Studies (IS) major offers a number of special options designed to help students deepen their knowledge of international affairs.

Understanding the nuances of globalization in our personal and professional lives, speaking the languages of others, and appreciating cultural diversity are essential skills for living and working in the world today. UWM's International Studies program is based on the principles of the liberal arts with an emphasis in broad knowledge of people, places, and institutions, coupled with the skills to be an adaptable professional in a global marketplace. International studies majors have the ability to interact across cultures, converse in more than one language, analyze problems across cultural or national boundaries, adapt to new situations, appreciate differences in people and processes, and problem solve across different areas and formats.

Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering is an operations and optimization science, focused on productivity, quality and continuous improvement of all business operations from acquisition of raw materials/resources to delivery of finished products/services to customers.

Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering is among the most far-reaching disciplines of engineering. Industrial and Manufacturing Engineers work in diverse industries within both the public and private sectors. Because of the flexibility and value of industrial engineering skills, employment opportunities are numerous and diverse.

The Helen Bader School of Social Welfare (HBSSW) offers a program of graduate studies in social work. As a department in an urban research university, the mission of the Department of Social Work is to promote positive change through social work research, scholarship, education, and community partnerships. The Department promotes the values of the social work profession through a commitment to social justice and diversity, a dedication to public service, and an emphasis on individual and community well-being. The goal of the MSW program is to prepare graduates with specialized knowledge and skills for advanced practice and leadership with diverse populations and communities.

At UWM, students with a passion for nature and the environment can obtain a solid education in the natural sciences that are central to environmental science - biology, geosciences, and chemistry - and the social sciences of geography, economics, and politics which guide the application of conservation and environmental science in the real world.

Students at UWM can focus their conservation and environmental science work around land resources, water resources, biological resources/biodiversity, or environmental analysis. Internships and field work complement classroom learning. These opportunities can be found locally at UWM's own Field Station, on Lake Michigan aboard UWM's R/V Neeskay vessel, and at local agencies, or abroad in places as far flung as Iceland, Africa, Romania and the Caribbean.

The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Technology offers a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy that prepares students to become occupational therapists. During the program, students engage in graduate-level instruction embedded in the theory, research, and clinical underpinnings required to become evidence-based occupational therapy practitioners. Students may select a thesis option or project option in pursuing this degree. Students who are interested can choose to combine elective courses from the OT program with other courses on campus to receive the transcript-designated concentration in assistive technology and accessible design and/or ergonomics.

Ergonomics
This concentration provides the skills and experience needed to practice ergonomics in work environments. Students learn theoretical concepts of occupational biomechanics, physiology, psychophysics, and human factors as well as numerous job analysis techniques. Students are taught how to synthesize and apply these theories and tools to reduce injuries, improve productivity and increase quality of service/goods in industry. Emphasis is placed on practical applications and solutions.

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry curriculum provides a thorough undergraduate education for students planning careers as research scientists, industrial chemists, and educators in universities or in secondary schools. In addition, department courses provide a foundation in the basic science of chemistry to students majoring in biological or physical sciences, students planning a career in medicine or other health-related fields, students in the College of Engineering and Applied Science, and students in the liberal arts. Especially in its graduate programs, the department stresses interdisciplinary approaches, as exemplified by the Laboratory for Surface Studies and the Great Lakes WATER Institute. It also cooperates with chemists of the Milwaukee area’s industrial and scientific community.

As technology continues to expand into every field and industry, from the environment to education to politics, the market for skilled hands-on technicians grows increasingly competitive. The Bachelor of Science in Applied Computing was designed to produce graduates who can perform programming, software engineering, graphic applications, networking, and operating systems management in a variety of environments, while at the same time promoting power skills such as business communications, ethics, and project management.

The applied nature of the degree implies that graduates will have the competencies to solve real-world business problems through the application of technology. Its curriculum puts a deeper focus on fundamental computer science, software engineering, tech security issues, computing solutions for business problems, and data management. A poll of industry representatives indicates that they see a skills gap in computer and information technology related positions which the multidisciplinary focus of this degree would fill.

The Performance and Choreography/Contemporary Track in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Dance prepares students to perform and create original dance choreography for theatrical productions. Dance BFA students complete a rigorous technical and creative curriculum designed to develop the student's individual artistic voice. Contemporary Track majors additionally study body/mind sciences, dance pedagogy, historical and cultural contexts for dance, and the interactive collaboration skills necessary to bring dance to the theatre with a high degree of excellence.

The College of Nursing offers an interdisciplinary professional graduate degree program leading to a Master of Sustainable Peacebuilding (MSP). The MSP is designed to prepare students for careers in peacebuilding—e.g. international development, conflict resolution, resource stewardship. The MSP curriculum is designed to develop student expertise in systems thinking, social-ecological interactions, and the application of such concepts to peacebuilding and development fields. In addition to fulfilling all Graduate School master’s degree requirements, MSP students are required to take 44 credits over the course of six semesters—two full calendar years. Only full-time students will be accepted to the program.

Students completing the MSP will:

• Classify the various components of complex social-ecological systems and identify appropriate intervention strategies.
• Recognize patterns of human-environment interaction, including drivers of change resulting in conflict, development, and peacebuilding.
• Acquire critical knowledge across at least four distinct disciplines relevant to development and peacebuilding and relate and translate knowledge among the disciplines.
• Facilitate effective group problem-solving processes, which includes communicating confidently and effectively to diverse audiences.
• Assess systemic outcomes of peacebuilding programs and policies and recommend adaptive modifications for improvement.

The Department of Health Informatics and Administration in the College of Health Sciences offers the Master of Science in Health Care Informatics degree. Health care informatics focuses on the use of information technologies, data analytics and automation to improve health care. Professional expertise in health care informatics is needed by hospitals and other health care providers, medical centers and facilities, medical software companies, pharmaceutical companies, public health organizations, health insurance companies and medical research institutions. The master's program is designed to meet the demand for highly trained health care informatics professionals. The curriculum covers several areas including: systems analysis and design, database design and management, clinical decision support and computer programming. Students also get exposed to cutting-edge research in areas such as big data, predictive analytics, natural language processing, medical knowledge representation and information retrieval, which are rapidly becoming indispensable for improving health care.