Majors, Minors and Certificates

Many students have used our MS in biology to launch to careers in research and the health professions.

The goal of the PhD in biology is to train students to become leaders in a sub-field within modern biology.

The Chemistry Department includes research in the areas of analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry. Research is a key focus of the 22 faculty members who comprise the department.

Tailor this major to your interests by taking courses in one of these areas:

• Analytical
• Inorganic
• Organic
• Physical

The PhD program in communication studies is intended to qualify students to teach and conduct research in instructional communication, interpersonal communication, mediated communication, health communication, and organizational communication, among other courses, at the university level.

The Master of Fine Arts is a 3-year program that combines work in a primary genre and at least one other genre with course offerings in literature, pedagogy and professional writing and editing.

The Master of Arts degree in English is designed for students who have shown an aptitude for sustained literary study, and who desire to pursue a more intensive and extensive academic training.

The doctoral program in English develops fluency in the critical discourses of the profession and prepares graduates to teach English professionally on the post-secondary level, or to enter a wide range of alternate academic careers.

Coursework focuses on advanced science classes including microscopy, trace evidence, pattern evidence, and laboratory management.

This research degree culminates in a dissertation in an area that is jointly determined between a student and their faculty advisor.

This fully online program offers training in a variety of spatial analysis, quantitative analysis, remote sensing, computational, and spatial programming techniques to investigate problems with a spatial component.

Our Master of Arts in geography provides students with cutting-edge training in the history and theory of geography, experience with advanced geographic research methodologies, and specialized mentoring from faculty experts across the subdisciplinary fields of human geography, environmental geography, and geographic information science.

The PhD in geography is an advanced degree with a program made up of coursework, comprehensive exams, and a major research investigation.

Geology is a dynamic field of natural science that aims to understand how the Earth works and provide solutions to pressing global challenges such as global climate change, evolving demands for energy and water, and environmental issues.

Tailor this major to your interests by taking courses in one of these areas:

• Research
• Professional Studies

WVU Geology offers both research master’s and doctoral degrees, as well as a rigorous master’s professional studies degree.

Our program is designed to give students flexibility to create a plan of study that matches their interests, while simultaneously providing a breadth of training in different fields that will prepare students in historiography, research methods, and teaching approaches.

PhD students in history create a curriculum in consultation with faculty advisers and the director of graduate studies in 1 major field and 3 minor fields (one of which must be outside of the student’s area of research concentration).

The program is designed to give a fundamental theoretical background beyond that of undergraduate level and some research experience, if desired.

This program is designed to give students a fundamental theoretical background beyond that of undergraduate level and a research experience that produces high-quality and novel work that is normally recognized by publication in peer-reviewed journals (or sometimes in patents).

The Department of Political Science offers a comprehensive curriculum leading to a Master’s Degree (MA) or to a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Our PhD and MA graduates have also been employed by government agencies and non-profit institutions such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the U.S. Department of State.

In addition to receiving training in research methods, students choose from courses taught by world-class faculty in American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, and public policy.

This program is designed for recent graduates and full-time professionals seeking more training in writing and editing.

The behavior analysis area of emphasis is accredited at the doctoral level by the Behavior Analysis Accreditation Board, the accrediting body for the Association for Behavior Analysis International, through 2031.

Students in behavioral neuroscience study complex interactions between the brain and other physiological systems.

The clinical and clinical child psychology areas of emphasis jointly comprise WVU’s accredited doctoral training program in health service (clinical) psychology.

The PhD in developmental psychology combines breadth of training in perspectives on normal development across the life span with depth and rigor of training in an area of specialization selected by the student.

The public history program trains historians who work in the public sector by grounding them in traditional research methodology learned in seminars and through public history courses designed to give students practical experience conducting client-based research.

Social work is a valuable profession with broad opportunities to serve local, national, and international populations. The MSW program educates graduate students in advanced integrated practice with individuals, families, groups, and communities so that they can effectively address social and human problems across a wide range of practice areas.

The WVU School of Social Work develops leaders in solving the most demanding social issues of our day through rigorous research,

The PhD program offers full-time and part-time program options with a hybrid course plan that allows flexibility to complete latter portions of the program remotely.

The PhD program is designed for students who have a strong interest in working as professional sociologists in teaching, writing, and research, or for students intending to pursue nonacademic careers.