Sample Program Mission Statements

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Anthropology

The anthropological perspective trains students to think critically and globally, and teaches our students to embrace a world view which they can apply to any profession. The Public Archaeology concentration provides students with both theoretical and practical expertise in cultural resource management, preparing students for future careers in archaeological consulting or with regulatory agencies, as well as museum and academic positions in archaeology. The Cultural Anthropology concentration guides students through a comprehensive liberal arts/social science curriculum, preparing students for future careers in business, social services, government agencies, teaching, or graduate school in anthropology, law or other specialized fields.

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Communication Studies

The Department of Communication Studies provides students with a solid liberal arts grounding in the history, structure, process, and functions of human communication, and with competencies required for effective communication.

The Department of Communication Studies fosters the student's ability to integrate critical, theoretical, and ethical perspectives in the field of communication and apply them to their professional, personal, and civic lives.

Our students are trained in analytical and critical thought, in oral exposition and argument, in the literature of communication, and in the research that supports it.

By providing both theoretical perspectives and practical experience, the programs in the Department provide rich opportunities and preparation for careers in communication and media, for work in other fields for which communication is pivotal for success, and for advanced study in the communication field.

The Department strives to prepare students who are intellectually open and aware, and who embrace an evolving, diverse, and globalized world.

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Counselor Education

The Bridgewater State University graduate Department of Counselor Education prepares professionals to provide counseling, consultation, and preventive services to individuals, families, groups, and communities in mental health, higher education, and preK-12 educational settings. The department is particularly suited to the needs of adult learners and non-traditional students who are seeking career advancement or a change in career. Students typically are part-time and are balancing graduate studies with multiple roles and responsibilities. Using a constructivist framework, the faculty build on students' prior knowledge, background, and experience. The counseling faculty is diverse with regard to background, experience, and counseling orientation, and prepare counselors to help clients effectively respond to developmental, educational, career, mental health and other lifespan challenges. Professional ethics, legal standards, technology, and multicultural competencies are also infused throughout the curriculum and experiential opportunities. Graduate students in the Department of Counselor Education are educated to think critically, communicate effectively, and responsibly utilize innovative strategies to enhance the practice of counseling in the 21st century. The faculty facilitates the ability of students to translate theoretical and philosophical principles into practical application to promote wellness throughout the lifespan. Students graduate prepared to pursue licensure in their respective area of counseling.

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Computer Science

The undergraduate program in computer science provides a broad background to students with interests in computer science. It prepares them for entry into computer-related professions or into graduate programs in the computing discipline.

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Geography

The primary objectives of the BSU Geography program include the following:

  1. To provide students with a modern academic background in geography appropriate for employment as a professional geographer or admission to graduate school within the broad realm of the discipline. (B.A. or B.S. in Geography with a concentration in Environmental Geography, Geotechnology, or Regional and Economic Planning)
  2. To provide elementary, early childhood, and special education majors at BSU with an academic program that is a useful and employable double major, and that will give them the ability to confidently expose the youngest students to basic geographic principles and skills. (B.A. in Geography with General Geography concentration)

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Music

The Music Department serves all students by promoting excellence in both musical performance and musical understanding. With a broad-based curriculum including music history, music theory, music education, and performance, we prepare music majors to pursue a variety of academic and professional interestsÂ…The Department nurtures life-long learning and enriches the local and regional community through on- and off-campus performances of stylistically and ethnically diverse music, as well as through workshops, lecture-recitals, and concert tours.

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Political Science

In the context of a comprehensive public college in Southeastern Massachusetts, the Department of Political Science at BSU provides rigorous undergraduate and graduate public education that not only prepares students for leadership roles in public and nonprofit sectors, and the profession of governance, but also provides a strong liberal arts background for those undergraduate students who enter such fields as journalism, business, social welfare, teaching, law, and information technology.

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Physics

Provide students with the skills and knowledge to pursue careers in research, teaching, graduate and professional study, industry, engineering, etc. Each student can plan their own program to meet specific needs. Offer students opportunities for research and internships.

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Psychology

Provide for non-majors familiarity with methods and theories of psychology and human behavior. Provide foundation for students going to graduate school or careers. Provide broad base of knowledge for education students. Provide professional training at the graduate level in clinical psych.

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Sociology

The primary objectives of the BSU Sociology Program include the following:

To provide a strong liberal arts curriculum aimed at developing well-rounded, informed citizens with strong critical thinking abilities. The department prepares students for a wide range of professions and career options including education, research, industry, state and federal agencies, and the non-profit sector.

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Theatre Arts

The Program Area of Theatre Arts is committed to educating students in two significant art forms. Upon completing a program in theatre or dance, students are prepared to engage theatre and dance art throughout their lives, to pursue advanced study in the art forms, or to begin a career in theatre or dance.

The Theater Program emphasizes a comprehensive theatre education within a liberal arts context. Students pursue a systematic course of academic study that considers theatre performance, production, management, history, literature, and criticism. These studies are enhanced by opportunities in performance and production within a balanced theatre season offered to the general public. The Theater Education Program combines the content of the Theater Program with additional learning to support Standard I requirements for licensure to teach theater in public schools in Massachusetts.

The Dance Program offers a wide variety of dance technique training and a solid theoretical and practical foundation for performance and choreography. In addition, the program offers an emphasis on dance pedagogy in the private sector or in public education. The program fulfills Standard I requirements for licensure for dance in the public schools of Massachusetts.

The Programs of Theater and Dance provide classes for all Bridgewater State University students to develop an appreciation of theater and dance through the general education program. Through presentation of theater and dance activities that are open to participation by any BSU student, the programs encourage and support the creative engagement of the campus community.

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Last Modified: October 19, 2012