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Concentrations

Concentrations are the building blocks

15,000+ possible major opportunities

Concentrations are the building blocks for most majors at Stritch. Build your personalized major or minor with concentrations.

See how the concentrations below come together to create majors by checking out our growing list of majors on the programs page. 

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Create your future

This brief video overview of concentrations is just the beginning. Contact admissions for more information about how Stritch's concentrations approach to curriculum design allows you to create your own path, paving the way for your future.

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Art Concentrations

Concentration Overview

The Digital Arts concentration is for students who want a focus on visual communication through art and digital design (e.g., computer graphics, photography, time based media, and web design). Communicating ideas in the workplace, in the classroom, or online demands clarity, precision, efficiency, visual impact, and an awareness of diverse audiences.

Concentration Overview

The Studio Arts Integration Concentration will expand your artistic skills through 2D and 3D studio art courses and introduce strategies for creating arts-rich, culturally responsive work environments. Our program will encourage you to think critically and speak about issues related to arts integration and education.

Courses in this Concentration

Concentration Overview

The Graphic Design Concentration will develop your skills in graphic design and visual communication (e.g. typography and page layout, digital photography, marketing and video production). We prepare you for a visually complex world and across multiple platforms of creative design solutions.

Business Concentrations

Concentration Overview

This concentration provides students with the concepts and theories that are foundational to any business program.

Concentration Overview

This concentration focuses on the economics, accounting, and finance elements of successful business administration.

Concentration Overview

This concentration expands student understanding of business concepts in relation to law, management, and marketing.

Concentration Overview

This concentration addresses the human element of business administration through an examination of the employee and the consumer and a focus on strategies to effectively communicate with both audiences.

Concentration Overview

The global focus of this concentration guides students to examine the function of business administration from multiple and diverse perspectives.

Concentration Overview

The Introduction to Sport & Recreation Business (SRB) concentration allows students to gain a foundational level of knowledge of the SRB field. Students will take courses designed around gaining familiarity within the industry, how it works, and paths to career opportunities.

Concentration Overview

The Advanced Sport & Recreation Business (SRB) concentration is designed to give students a more in-depth view at the SRB field. Students will take courses based on finance, economics, marketing, and sales to understand some of the more critical aspects needed for success in the SRB field.

Concentration Overview

This concentration focuses on the economics, accounting, and finance elements of successful business administration.

Communication Concentrations

Concentration Overview

Corporate Communication Concentration equips students with the tools they need to communicate at the corporate level. Includes strategies and tactics for communicating with different audiences in writing and face-to-face, public speaking, and working in teams.

Concentration Overview

Business to Business and Community Relations Concentration is perfect for those looking to have a career in business or with a non-profit organization. Students learn strategies, tactics, and skills for reaching multiple publics (customers, donors, community members, etc.), how to effectively deal with a public relations crisis, and ways to motivate publics to achieve the organization’s goals.

Concentration Overview

Students learn how organizations utilize social media to spread their message, capture dollars, and connect to their publics. Additionally, students learn the current research and analytic techniques used to inform social media campaigns. Our social media concentration builds the skills needed for a variety of employment opportunities in social media, a fast-growing field.

Criminal Justice Concentrations

Concentration Overview

The Criminology concentration is designed for students interested in general studies in crime and law, and for those that might pursue careers in social work, victim advocacy, or advanced legal studies.

Concentration Overview

The Policing and Justice Systems concentration emphasizes the practice and application of criminal justice concepts, and focuses on the skills needed to succeed as a criminal justice professional. This concentration will prepare students for entry-level positions in the fields of public safety and corrections.

Computer Science Concentrations

Concentration Overview

This concentration focuses on programming skills and a fundamental understanding of computer systems.

Concentration Overview

This concentration focuses on artificial intelligence and computer modeling.

Concentration Overview

This concentration focuses on data mining and data handling.

Education Concentrations

Concentration Overview

The Introduction to Education concentration takes teacher candidates behind the veil of the teaching practice to explore how teachers plan for, instruct, and assess a diverse student body. Before teacher candidates can learn how to address specific students’ needs, they must first understand the personal, family, and cultural dynamics which lead to their individual senses of self. This concentration helps teacher candidates respond to the “Who am I?” question.

Concentration Overview

Building classroom community and culture is an essential component of effective teaching at all levels of instruction. Within this concentration, teacher candidates will explore the research-based techniques surrounding student engagement and building a student-centered classroom to maximize instructional time.

Concentration Overview

Elementary teachers must have deep knowledge of the development of language and literacy for children, from birth through early adolescence. At Stritch, elementary teacher candidates engage in strategically designed coursework and field experiences that bring reading, writing, speaking and listening to life. Stritch has a rich legacy of equipping teachers to utilize research based methods of instruction and assessment to grow the literacy skills of children in their classrooms.

Concentration Overview

The special education concentration prepares teacher candidates to provide specially-designed instruction and assessment for K-12 students with disabilities. Teacher candidates acquire knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to capitalize on students’ assets, address students’ needs, and promote students’ self-determination and self-advocacy. Coursework addresses foundations of special education, characteristics of students with disabilities, individual education and behavior intervention plans, assessment of academic and functional skills, evidence-based practice, and collaboration with families, students, other school professionals, and community service agencies. All courses meet the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction accreditation and the Council for Exceptional Children Initial Preparation Standards. Upon completion of course and fieldwork in this concentration, teacher candidates may pursue dual licensure (in general education and cross-categorical special education) during the student teaching semester.

Concentration Overview

Elementary teachers are well-rounded in their understanding of multiple subject areas. Elementary teachers must have the understanding of how to teach multiple subjects across the elementary curriculum, including Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Within this concentration, teacher candidates will explore research-based best practices for planning, instruction, and assessment. Specific consideration will be given to the national standards governing these subjects.

Concentration Overview

The highlight of this concentration is engagement with elementary students in PK-12 classrooms under the guidance of experienced practicing PK-12 teachers. At Stritch, we pride ourselves on providing teacher candidates with a scaffolded approach to field experience which begins during their first year of study and subsequently continues each year of enrollment within our program. Within these guided field experiences, teacher candidates will gradually learn to teach individuals, small groups, and the entire classroom. This concentration culminates with the student teaching semester in which teacher candidates take on the role of teacher under the leadership of an experienced practicing PK-12 teacher.

Concentration Overview

Did you have a favorite teacher in high school? Chances are, this teacher really understood the importance of making you feel important. While secondary teachers are well-rounded in their understanding of their specific subject areas, they must also understand research-based practices for teaching adolescents. This concentration focuses on the teacher candidate’s understanding of adolescents’ physical, emotional, social, and psychological needs so that you will eventually become someone’s favorite teacher.

Concentration Overview

The highlight of this concentration is engagement with secondary students in PK-12 classrooms under the guidance of experienced practicing PK-12 teachers. At Stritch, we pride ourselves on providing teacher candidates with a scaffolded approach to field experience which begins during their first year of study and subsequently continues each year of enrollment within our program. Within these guided field experiences, teacher candidates will gradually learn to teach individuals, small groups, and the entire classroom. This concentration culminates with the student teaching semester in which teacher candidates take on the role of teacher under the leadership of an experienced practicing PK-12 teacher.

English/Writing Concentrations

Concentration Overview

The study of literature enables students to expand their horizons, to understand the universals of the human condition, and to deepen their awareness of human nature in all its diversity.

Concentration Overview

The practice of writing emphasizes the importance of critical thinking, reading, and expression as a means of understanding the past and present and thinking wisely about the future.

Concentration Overview

The exploration of cultural studies fosters engagement with literature, film, creative writing, and other art forms. Through this investigation, students learn to think beyond their own experiences and to understand how their ideas and actions shape the world they live in.

Concentration Overview

The professional writing concentration marries the love of language with the practical writing skills essential in today’s workplace. With a combination of professional and creative proficiencies, you will enter the workforce with experience and keen insight in a broad array of written forms and styles. From technical and business writing and communication, to poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, you will differentiate yourself across many career fields including nonprofit, content development and editing, publishing, and technical writing.

History/Political Science Concentrations

Concentration Overview

The History Concentration provides students an in depth overview of world and U.S. history. Students will learn about a wide range of topics from ancient times to the modern era including the Roman Empire, the French Revolution and Napoleon, and the World Wars. This study will help students develop skills in research, historical analysis, and communication.

Concentration Overview

This concentration provides students a global perspective on political science and history. In it, students will examine how global politics and international relations function and also obtain an understanding of the world’s history. This will help students develop a wide range of skills including research, analysis and problem solving.

Concentration Overview

The Political Science concentration provides an in depth knowledge of political science. In it, students study American politics and government, law and political theory. This study will help students develop research, analysis, and communication skills.

Mathematics Concentrations

Concentration Overview

This concentration teaches the student how to problem solve and think critically through a concrete introduction to calculus, discrete math, and linear algebra.

Concentration Overview

This concentration teaches the student how to analyze and manipulate precise data and construct logical arguments through the advanced study of calculus, statistics, abstract algebra, and geometry.

Music Concentrations

Concentration Overview

A combination of music lessons and creative classwork, the Music cluster provides an opportunity to continue the study and practice of music in voice, guitar and/or piano on a University level, including composition and songwriting.

Natural Sciences Concentrations

Concentration Overview

From Replication to Translation, the relationship of DNA to cellular behavior is the focus of this concentration. Since the cell is the smallest independent unit of life, any pursuit in the life sciences should include an understanding of these central concepts. Although most of the material covered in this concentration is microscopic, the applications of these concepts are universally applied to all life.

Courses in this Concentration

Concentration Overview

Pure chemistry. From understanding the Periodic Table to balancing equations, the Quantitative Chemistry concentrations provides all of the skills to understand the underpinnings of atomic interactions. Gain, lose or share electrons to your heart’s content with an extensive exposure to bond formation in this concentration.

Concentration Overview

From the smallest subatomic particle to the forces at work in the Sun, Molecular Mechanics examines the principles that affect interactions between energy and matter. This concentration uses mathematics and logic to define the universal laws that control thermodynamics, electricity, chemistry and the electromagnetic spectrum.

Concentration Overview

How does the human machine work? Anatomy, physiology, and microbes define our existence from birth to death, the material in this course is useful for any owner of the human body. If you want to learn how to maximize your quality of life, then the Human Biology concentration could prove invaluable.

Concentration Overview

The Biochemistry concentration is centered on Organic Chemistry. It begins with an overview of metabolism in General Biology II and culminates with a deep dive into biological chemical pathways in the Biochemistry course. If you are interested in pharmacy or pharmacology, key concepts at the junction of biology and chemistry are covered here.

Psychology Concentrations

Concentration Overview

This concentration includes foundational classes in psychological theory, research, and content areas.

Concentration Overview

This concentration provides students with applied skills in the area of counseling and psychotherapy.

Concentration Overview

This concentration enhances students’ general knowledge of the various disciplines within the field of psychology, including human development and identity, and issues surrounding health and wellness.

Religion/Philosophy Concentrations

Concentration Overview

The Religious Studies Concentration offers the student an opportunity to enter the world of religious thought and belief, which is a fundamental part of the lives of over 86% of the world’s population. This concentration provides a pathway to church related careers such as: Campus Ministry, Chaplaincy, Christian Educator, and Youth Director, and it is a perfect complement to careers such as Business, Counseling, Community Organizing, Law, Nursing, Psychology and Social Work.

Concentration Overview

The Philosophy concentration offers the student an opportunity to reflect upon the perennial questions regarding human freedom, morality, politics, the existence of God, and more, all with an emphasis on critical thinking and logical analysis. This concentration is a perfect complement to disciplines such as Business, Pre-Law, Pre-Medicine, Nursing, and the humanities.

Sociology Concentrations

Concentration Overview

Social institutions are necessary structures in human society, but they also shape persistent inequities and inequalities of class, ethnicity, gender, age, race and nationality in people’s lives. This concentration focuses on social structures that serve as mechanisms for the creation and perpetuation of social disparities, while also studying how individual and collective action in turn, affect the impact of societal structures on people’s lives.

Concentration Overview

This concentration focuses on how intersections of race, gender, class, and other significant social locations shape social identity and inequality. Students in this concentration area learn to interrogate the complicated ways that human behavior is shaped by both structure and agency through a variety of theoretical vantage points with an emphasis on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, and gender.

Concentration Overview

The Social Work concentration involves the application of sociological research, theories, and evaluation tools, as well as specific courses geared toward working with individuals and communities. This major concentration is appropriate for students interested in future work in public and private agencies, as preparation for work as a licensed social worker, for graduate studies in social work, or work in public and/or business administration.

Spanish Concentrations

Concentration Overview

Students who complete this concentration will gain the language skills, cultural understanding, and intellectual abilities to communicate effectively in Spanish in a variety of settings.

Concentration Overview

This concentration is interdisciplinary in nature. Strategies to do research, communicate information effectively in Spanish, and to think critically in an ever changing, more connected world will be developed through the study of the rich and diverse history, civilization, literary and cultural products of Latin American communities and Latinos in the United States.

Concentration Overview

This concentration provides students with a strong foundation in the studies of Interpreting and Translation and the required skills to render accurate and culturally appropriate interpretation and translation services.

Theater Concentrations

Concentration Overview

Continue your training in performance with classes in improvisation, response, creativity, play and classical texts, as well as developing your artistic instrument (yourself). Classes directly prepare students for performance in various productions each year as well as creative leadership.

Concentration Overview

Continue your passion for theatrical craft with classes designed to develop all sides of the technical theater craft including sound, lights, set design and stagecraft. When paired with performance work and work-study in the scene or costume shop, students develop hands on skills for executing various theatrical events on a professional stage.