Graduate School (Student Learning Outcomes)

After completing our program, students will:

• write professional documents that are technically correct, clear and concise.
• make oral presentations that are engaging and persuasive using relevant technologies.
• understand circumstances that indicate that unethical behavior is likely to occur.
• identify specific types of ethical conflicts that occur in an organizational setting.
• understand a broad body of literature pertaining to accounting thought, theory, and practice.

After completing our program, students will:

• demonstrate proficiency in logical reasoning and data analysis skills used in the executive decision-making process as business managers and leaders.
• identify and define social, ethical, environmental and economic challenges at local, national and international levels.  Students demonstrate proficiency in integrating their knowledge and skills in addressing these issues as business managers and leaders.
• demonstrate proficiency in integrating knowledge from multiple disciplines incorporating learning from both classroom and non-classroom settings in the completion of complex and comprehensive tasks undertaken by business managers and leaders.

After completing our program, students will:

• write and teach an effective unit of instruction, then evaluate and reflect on the impact that instruction had on students.
• increase capacity for metacognitive and critical reflection.
• increase students’ cultural awareness to develop caring communities of learners. 

After completing our program, students will:

• demonstrate a variety of professionalism skills.
• plan and implement instruction based on knowledge of students, develop critical thinking and problem solving, and actively engage the learner. 
• demonstrate a proficient knowledge in the academic subject areas of English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.

After completing our program, students will:

• recognize and explain traditional and new musical/theatrical production concepts and skills.
• recognize, explain and demonstrate the artistic process leading to finished product.
• demonstrate
  • Music: conducting, vocal and keyboard performance competency
  • Theatre: directing technical theatre competency
• demonstrate aesthetic understanding.
• analyze and evaluate theatre/music history, literature, theory, and criticism, and conducting/directing in relation to productions.
• recognize and explain child development and the identification and understanding of psychological principles of learning as these relate to music/theatre education.
• recognize and explain the philosophical and social foundation underlying music/theatre in education and the ability to express a rationale for personal attitudes and beliefs.
• demonstrate an ability to assess aptitudes, experiential backgrounds, skills, and interests of individuals and groups of pupils to devise learning experiences to meet assessed needs and to manage classrooms and rehearsals effectively.
• recognize and explain evaluative techniques and demonstrate the ability to apply them in assessing both the progress of students in the objectives and proceduress of the curriculum.

After completing our program, students will:

• demonstrate a solid understanding of the history of educators and educational advocacy in the United States and its relation to the current realities and perceptions of teachers particularly in public education.
• ground their original research in educational theory, research literature, and policy.
• understand the basics of quantitative research using SPSS as a starting tool, which could be applicable to many of their capstone projects.

After completing our program, students will:

• demonstrate knowledge of the nature and diversity of gifted and talented students.
• construct mini units for gifted students.
• apply knowledge about gifted students in the classroom. 

After completing our program, students will:

• demonstrate special education general content knowledge competencies by successfully passing the Praxis assessments.
• demonstrate special education, disability-specific knowledge competencies by successfully passing the Praxis assessments.
• demonstrate an understanding of individualization in Special Education by producing an Individualized Education Program that supports research-based instructional strategies. 

After completing our program, students will:

• integrate developmental, child life, and stress and coping theories into program planning and child life activities for children and families.
• distinguish among common pediatric illnesses and injuries in order to be able to create a plan for intervention.
• be prepared for internship placement during the first semester of their second program year.
• benefit from a translational understanding of research to practice.

After completing our program, students will:

• conduct original research effectively.
• explain and apply communication theory.
• identify the core tenets of various research methods.
• develop writing skills to enhance professional performance.
• read and analyze published communication scholarship.

After completing our program, students will:

• demonstrate a mastery of poetics or storytelling craft through the creation of a full-length manuscript of poetry and fiction that is structurally sound, polished, and complete, and has a distinct voice/style.
• read and respond thoughtfully and critically in both oral and written form to other student’s work and literary texts.
• apply a sophisticated and intentional application of writing techniques and craft in their creative writing.
• develop an understanding of the history and practice of literary publishing, including the practice of submitting work to literary journals and/or to publishers. 

After completing our program, students will:

• use close reading and textual analysis to interpret literary and cultural texts.
• convey sound research-based arguments in accordance with standard expectations in academic writing.
• select relevant critical, historical, cultural, and theoretical sources to inform contributions to scholarly conversations.
• understand how the MA in English can serve as preparation and/or credential to enter or advance within a range of career goals or paths.

After completing our program, students will:

• identify and apply environmental science concepts, principles and methodology to solve problems.
• identify and apply environmental policy principles and concepts.
• effectively demonstrate and communicate environmental science, sustainability and policy concepts and principles.

After completing our program, students will:

• conduct historical research using primary sources.
• communicate their findings effectively in writing.
• explain scholarship in the discipline (historiography).

After completing our program, students will:

•  TBD

After completing our program, students will:

• identify and summarize the major theoretical traditions of American Urban Planning. 
• explain how urban public policy affects urban municipal administration.    
• perform one professional skill (economic development, GIS, legal analysis).

After completing our program, students will:

Multilingual Learners (MLL)

• know, understand, and use major theories and research related to the nature and role of culture in their instruction. They also demonstrate understanding of how cultural groups and individual cultural identities affect language learning and school achievement.
• know, understand, apply, and use evidence-based practices, research, teaching strategies, and overall best practices to plan, implement, and manage standards-based instruction in a supportive learning environment for MLLs. They integrate technology, choose, adapt, and incorporate authentic materials that are appropriate for their MLLs.
• know and use a variety of language proficiency and performance-based assessment tools to show language growth.  

Spanish

• integrate cultural products, practices, perspectives.
• use standards to select and integrate authentic texts, including technology for use in communication.
• design ongoing assessments using a variety of authentic assessment models to show evidence of students’ ability to communicate in the instructed language.

After completing our program, students will:

• create lesson plans in which they demonstrate good teaching techniques for teaching reading as defined by TESOL standards.
• demonstrate knowledge that understanding cultural values and beliefs are important to the nature and role of instruction and for creating a classroom environment conducive to learning English.
• create appropriate assessments of their students' knowledge and proficiency. 

After completing our program, students will:

• demonstrate an advanced level of knowledge and ability in using software development models and techniques.
• demonstrate the ability to critically analyze research in the computer science literature.
• demonstrate the ability to function effectively on teams to accomplish a common goal.

Additionally, after completing the following specialization, students will:

Specialization: Computer Science

• understand the programming models underlying different languages and make informed design choices in languages supporting multiple complementary approaches.
• identify the Chomsky Hierarchy and relate the various levels to both formal and programming language concepts as well as limits for computation.

Specialization: Information Systems

• design and implement client/server network applications using Berkeley Distribution Sockets (BSD sockets) and Application Programming Interface (API).

• analyze different cryptographic techniques.

Specialization: Software Engineering

• evaluate alternative designs according to principles of good architecture and design.
• demonstrate an ability to work as a team to engineer working software. 

Specialization: Cybersecurity

• defend computer network by devising appropriate firewall rules and intrusion detection system alerts.
• analyze current security research and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of techniques in terms of suitable to task, effectiveness, and significant limitations.
  
• apply secured software practices.

After completing our program, students will:

•  demonstrate an advanced knowledge of computer programming, data organization, data mining, data visualization, and algorithms.
• demonstrate an advanced knowledge and understanding in the core area of mathematics and statistics, including optimization, machine learning, regression, and linear algebra.
• synthesize the knowledge learned throughout the program in either a thesis or practicum setting.

After completing our program, students will:

• obtain foundational knowledge of 1) the biology of marine organisms (across all levels of biological organization and taxonomic diversity), 2) the ocean environment, and 3) the practice of science. 
• clearly and effectively communicate scientific results. 
• conduct a marine biology research project, and orally defend their work and submit a written thesis.  Both steps must be approved by their thesis committee. 

After completing our program, students will:

• understand and employ the basic tools and methods of core graduate areas in their chosen concentration.
• communicate mathematical arguments, and present the results of a mathematical/statistical study in a clear, coherent, and convincing manner, both orally and in writing.
• conduct supervised, independent projects in the mathematical sciences.

After completing our program, students will:

• defend computer network by devising appropriate firewall rules and intrusion detection system alerts.
• analyze different cryptographic techniques.
• demonstrate the ability to analyze current security research and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of techniques in terms of suitable to task, effectiveness, and significant limitations.

After completing our program, students will:

• demonstrate knowledge of the main theoretical results and key methods used in operations research and in the development of models for management and industry.
• recognize and choose the appropriate deterministic and probabilistic models used in management and industry operations.
• describe deterministic and probabilistic models and present the results of model application using correct terminology in a clear, coherent, and effective manner.

After completing our program, students will:

• demonstrate the use of good software development models and techniques.
• demonstrate the ability to evaluate alternative designs according to principles of good architecture and design.
• demonstrate the use of good software development models and techniques.

After completing our program, students will:

• demonstrate knowledge of the main theoretical results and key methods used in the development of statistical models.
• recognize and choose the appropriate statistical models to use for given data analysis tasks.
• describe statistical models and present the results of statistical studies using correct terminology in a clear, coherent, and effective manner.