College of Arts and Sciences
Discover blog posts focused on Kent State University’s College of Arts and Sciences, showcasing programs that merge technology, social science, and practical applications. Explore degrees such as Cybercriminology, Integrative Studies, and Public Administration, as well as insights into Geographic Information Science (GISc). Learn how these programs help students prepare for dynamic careers through interdisciplinary approaches, faculty expertise, and cutting-edge research.
Related Blog Posts
Have you heard of the term “geographic information science (GISc)”?
The question, “Do prisons have air conditioning?” isn’t something that the public would typically ask, but it’s an important topic for those interested in criminology and the criminal justice system to consider. The treatment of prisoners is paramount, as it affects multiple, diverse aspects of incarceration.
Kent State University is the only institution in the U.S. to offer degrees in translation at all three levels - Bachelor of Science (on-campus), Master of Arts in Translation (Online), and Ph.D. in Translation Studies (on-campus). These programs are run through the Institute of Applied Linguistics.1
In a culture ever more dependent on technology and the internet—for education, work, entertainment, and connection to our communities—it should come as no surprise that people behave online much as we do in person: with a mixture of kindness and cruelty, combining the best and worst of human intentions.
Pursuing a graduate degree usually means a big payoff for your future but it can feel counterintuitive to take off a whole year or two from your career. That’s where part-time degree programs come in. Earning your degree as a part-time student means you can continue to work while you gain relevant skills to move your public sector career forward. But there’s more to it than just avoiding a break in your resume.
There are three reasons why you should earn a 100% online Master of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Kent State University:
There are currently two million individuals incarcerated in American jails and prisons. In the past 40 years, the prison population in this country has grown by 500%. According to The Sentencing Project, this unprecedented increase is due more to the changes in criminal justice policy and sentencing laws than to changes in the nation’s crime rates.1 Another recent, disturbing trend in criminal justice has been the significant increase of deaths—nearly one-third of them attributable to suicide in jails and prisons.2
Determining what degree field you’d like to explore more, means learning the subtle nuances of that degree. Case in point, what is the difference between criminology and criminal justice? These two terms seem similar in use because the career paths from both can overlap.
He Yin, Ph.D., assistant professor in Kent State University’s Department of Geography in the College of Arts and Sciences, recently received NASA’s New (Early Career) Investigator Award in Earth Science. The award will provide funding for Yin’s research on the effects of the Syrian civil war on croplands throughout the eastern Mediterranean region.
Whether you’re aware of it or not, you likely use encryption daily. Sending emails or text messages, using fitness trackers that communicate with apps on your phone, accessing an online banking portal and retrieving photos or files from cloud storage all take advantage of the security features of encryption. But there’s an ongoing debate about whether tech companies should be held legally responsible for de-encrypting devices seized by law enforcement.
When you think of nonprofits, what organizations first come to mind? You might initially think of Doctors Without Borders, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Red Cross or UNICEF. According to the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS), nonprofit organizations include any organization that is not organized or operated for the benefit of private interests, and does not promise any net holdings to the benefit of any private shareholders or individuals.1
A translation degree can open doors to many career opportunities.
If you’re looking for a graduate degree that could help you on your way to establishing yourself as a leader in a compelling field, have you looked into the Master of Public Administration (MPA)? While it might not be as common as its private sector counterpart, the Master of Business Administration (MBA), it can help you build comparable skills for leadership in nonprofit organizations, the government as well as many for-profit businesses.
Geographical information science (GISc) is a fascinating and diverse discipline, expanding rapidly into nearly every industry across the globe. Geospatial technologies support fields as widely varied as agriculture, climatology, disaster management, energy production, infrastructure, healthcare, law enforcement, logistics, marine sciences, national defense and real estate. If you’re detail-oriented and enjoy working with statistics, mathematics and powerful computer technologies, earning an online certificate in GISc will significantly boost your career opportunities as a GIS professional.
A recent scan of Geographic Information System (GIS) news stories highlights its critical role in conservation efforts, tropical cyclone risk assessment; citywide collaboration, planning and response; electrical utility infrastructure resilience and U.S. Department of Transportation planning and operation.1,2,3,4,5 These are just a few examples of the far-reaching influence GIS and Geographic Information Science (GISc), the science behind this technology, has in our lives. The global market for GIS was $8.1 billion in 2020 and has a projected growth of $14.5 billion by 2025.6 There’s no better time to get involved in this red-hot field by arming yourself with the education and credentials necessary to compete for the most lucrative, in-demand and rewarding jobs.
Acronyms can be confusing, especially when two abbreviations relate to the same field. An example is geographic information systems (GIS) and geographic information science (GISc). Although both acronyms are rooted in the science of geography, the roles of GIS and GISc differ.
A GISc program can help professionals advance their knowledge and prepare for work in fields such as anthropology, economics, geoscience, market research, political science, disaster relief, real estate, surveying or urban planning. GISc professionals can choose from a broad spectrum of careers in different sectors, from the government to cartographers or geoscientists.
Grad school can open a world of opportunities. It’s wise to do your research and make sure you’re pursuing the right degree and program to reach your career goals. People interested in strengthening skills to head an organization might need to make a decision between more than one degree, specifically: a Master of Public Administration (MPA) or Master of Business Administration (MBA).
A whole variety of career opportunities are available for professionals in the field of geographic information systems (GIS) and geographic information science (GISc). These fields are among the fastest-growing disciplines, requiring a broad spectrum of skills in environmental sciences, digital technologies and project management. There are exciting, high-paying GIS and GISc careers for every interest, whether you enjoy being outdoors and exploring natural environments, have a passion for sustainable urban development or prefer the challenge of operating high-tech digital tools in an office setting.
Geographic Information Science (GISc) is a field of study that covers a range of socio-political, geographical and informational disciplines. It involves the use of various technologies for recording and analyzing spatial and geographic data in a useful and easily-accessible manner. Using computer-based applications, GIS frameworks allow engineers and technicians to create interactive queries from collected data and produce visually compelling data maps.
The term “geographic information science” (GISc) might be unfamiliar or seem a little obscure, but it’s actually a rapidly growing profession with careers in high demand. The world is increasingly reliant on GISc graduates with skills in geographic information systems in a wide variety of industries. From software development and law enforcement to climate scientists and urban planners, GISc is an important field of study.
Penal labor in the U.S. is explicitly allowed by the 13th Amendment of our Constitution. The amendment outlaws slavery or involuntary servitude in the U.S., except when serving as punishment for a crime where the person has been “duly convicted”. In the most generous light, you could see this as a way to provide training and work to inmates, but in reality, it’s often used in the U.S. to close budget gaps with cheap labor and to offset the cost of running a prison.
In 1996 Congress passed the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) to decrease the instances of litigation brought to the courts from incarcerated people. For the 25 years since the PLRA was signed into law by President Clinton, prison reform and advocacy groups have challenged the act as another obstacle to justice for the nearly 2.3 million prisoners in the U.S.1, specifically by denying equal access to the courts of the United States.
As with jobs in all industries, jobs in the public sector have certain advantages and disadvantages. While each person might have their own opinion of what constitutes a positive or negative aspect of any career, read on for our take on the pros and cons of working in the public sector.
Translation and interpretation are both needed to enable communication between cultures and across languages. In a world where communication is key, it is necessary to use the help of interpreters and translators to effectively communicate.
What is a Geographic Information Sciences Master’s Degree?
Even if you’re thinking about enrolling in a GIS program and pursuing a GIS master’s degree, you may not realize how prevalent Geographic Information Science (GIScience) is in our world. It is the science behind the devices that are woven into our daily lives. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are everywhere, from the mapping applications on our phones to systems that monitor our health, manage communications networks, plan disaster response and study environmental sustainability.1
If recent newspaper headlines are to be believed, many people are wondering if the U.S. government is getting too large. While it’s true that over 15% of the workforce is involved in the military, public and national service, the size of the U.S. government proportionate to the total population has actually shrunk in the last 50 years. Beyond that, we’re facing an aging government workforce, of which one third will be eligible to retire by 2025.1
According to The Balance Small Business, a website providing guidance on entrepreneurship and management, economies of countries including the United States are divided between public and private sectors (or sections), for the purpose of considering economic activity and the contribution of each sector to the gross domestic product. The basic distinction between the two sectors? “Businesses that make a profit commonly represent the private sector, while government agencies tend to represent the public sector.”
COVID-19 has disrupted every facet of life, especially the working lives of countless people across the globe. National and statewide lockdowns have caused mass shutdowns, layoffs and furloughs. There have been upheavals in work schedules, changes in work locations and often simultaneous struggles to meet children’s educational needs at home. Dealing with this strange new reality has been challenging, to say the least. Across the public and private sectors, organizations have scrambled to navigate chaotic work environments. Stepping out of back offices and into center spotlights, the leaders of human resources management are transforming HR, rising to meet the new and pressing needs of today’s disrupted workforces.
Initially, the United States aimed to create a justice system that protected the convicted or accused’s rights, with four of the initial 10 amendments focused on this cause. However, punitive policies and federal funds fueled mass incarceration disparity affecting poor and minority households while filling pockets of private industries.