Undergraduate

Narrative studies explores the varied forms, concepts, contexts and cultures of narrative and storytelling. As part of an English degree program, this area of study emphasizes the value of recognizing, critiquing, shaping and transforming effective storytelling through a strategic lens that influences how we see ourselves, others and the world. By focusing on narrative studies, you’ll learn about the role of storytelling and its diverse applications in various fields, from visual media and creative writing to teaching and literature.

Narrative skills you'll gain

In this program, you’ll critically examine the social, historical, aesthetic and ethical dimensions of story and storytelling from various perspectives and disciplines. You’ll also gain a multifaceted understanding of the principles for interpreting and generating narratives in traditional and emerging media, social and political settings, and creative and communicative practices. Building these narrative skills will prepare you to translate facts, events and stories into compelling narratives relevant for professional, personal, creative, community and socially embedded purposes.

Why study narrative?

This English concentration is ideal if you’re interested in pursuing storytelling professions, which involves learning how to:

• Synthesize complex information.
• Craft clear and persuasive messages.
• Adapt content for diverse audiences.
• Apply critical analysis to evaluate and improve stories.

By studying narrative, you’ll gain the knowledge required for storytelling professions where crafting narratives is key, from film and television to video game and digital design. This program may also align with your goals if you’re passionate about creating narratives for advocacy movements or interrogating the rise of AI-generated narratives. 

How does narrative studies relate to English (BA)?

This narrative studies program includes courses from across the fields of English and film and media studies. With fewer specific requirements than the BA in English, this concentration offers the opportunity for you to select more electives and further customize the degree based on your  preferences and interests such as literature, linguistics, writing, film and media, and rhetoric and literacy.

If you’re interested in technical training in storytelling production specifically, you may want to explore other programs through the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts or the Sidney Poitier New American Film School.

This program builds skills employers value across industries, including critical thinking, communication and problem-solving. Coursework also strengthens your ability to analyze information, manage projects and make systems-driven decisions.

You’ll explore four topic areas to become career-ready:

• Global and natural science perspectives
  • Learn to think scientifically, interpret data and explore global challenges in science and technology.
• Humanities, identities and society
  • Study culture, identity and human behavior through history, philosophy and the arts.
• National and civil service and professional studies
  • Explore government, civic leadership and ethical practices in public and professional settings.
• Organizations, technology and ethics
  • Understand how organizations function, use digital tools and apply ethics in practical settings.

Build on your previously earned credits with this transfer-friendly program

ASU values your previously earned credits and has designed this program to minimize credit loss. With a broad range of courses, you can tailor how you complete your remaining degree requirements.

You’re an ideal candidate if earning a bachelor’s degree supports your goals, whether you want to shift careers, advance in your current role, prepare for graduate school or achieve personal milestones. Completing a widely recognized general studies degree can help you stand out as a well-rounded candidate with marketable skills.

How three of our most flexible programs compare

Our most flexible degrees — general studies, interdisciplinary studies and liberal studies — share a commonality of choice and transferability. Housed in a college with advisors who specialize in supporting students with diverse interests, these programs enable you to explore multiple areas of study. Each offers a different level of customization and structure. Discover the best option for your goals:

• General studies
  • Finish your degree efficiently by applying the credits you’ve already earned. By choosing the most flexible path, you’ll build career-relevant skills and graduate with the academic credentials needed for advancement.
• Interdisciplinary studies
  • Design a degree that combines two areas of study and builds transferable expertise from nearly 200 concentrations. This is a strong option for gaining focused knowledge aligned with your career goals or graduate study.
• Liberal studies
  • Pursue a humanities-based education and tailor your course plan to your interests. This degree combines structure and choice, offering a broad foundation to explore diverse academic paths.

This program bridges the gap between complex scientific and medical information and the diverse audiences who need to understand it. The curriculum emphasizes communication theory, health literacy, information design and medical writing. You’ll learn to collaborate with health care professionals and researchers to improve access to accurate and life-impacting information.

Accessible health communication supports patients, but its reach goes further. Health care organizations and communities rely on clear, accurate messaging to support informed decisions. Your writing expertise will prepare you to pursue roles in medical writing, health education, regulatory documentation and digital health media.

The skills you’ll learn

Through hands-on practice, you’ll develop a specialty in communicating health information ethically and effectively for user needs. You’ll also gain experience with industry tools such as design software, content management systems and documentation platforms. Applied coursework includes opportunities to build skills you'll use in your career, such as:

• Creating digital content for health care platforms
• Developing accessible patient education resources
• Producing public health campaigns
• Translating scientific and medical data for non-experts
• Writing regulatory and compliance documents

Who’s a good candidate for this program?

This concentration in medical and health is ideal for strong communicators interested in nonclinical work in medicine, public health or health care systems. Medical documentation requires precision, so an eye for detail is essential. You’ll also thrive in this program and the field if you’re empathetic and committed to improving public health literacy.

Professionals skilled in writing, editing and translating complex information into accessible content are needed in nearly every industry. If you have experience in a health or medical environment or want to break into the field, this specialized branch of technical writing offers a rewarding path. If you’re more interested in broader applications of technical communication, ASU’s online technical communication bachelor’s is an alternative to consider.

ASU FIDM faculty with deep industry experience teach you the fundamentals of sourcing, buying, planning and understanding consumer behavior. Coursework prepares you to create and manage product assortments by selecting and overseeing the products offered to customers. You'll also gain expertise in using technology to design engaging visual displays across retail stores and drive strong financial outcomes.

This program also builds skills in:

• Cost management and negotiation.
• Open-to-buy management.
• Retail math (industry applications such as pricing strategies, sales forecasting and inventory management).
• Sustainable product planning, curation and management.
• Vendor management.

Upon graduating, you can pursue high-impact domestic and global merchandising roles.

Choose the right fashion degree for your career goals

All fashion majors gain an understanding of the industry, from creative design and technical production to manufacturing, distribution, merchandising and retailing. The right specialization for you depends on your career goals and interests. Available concentrations include:

• Apparel product development
  • Ideal for those who want to be involved in the entire product lifecycle from concept to consumer. As a generalist, you’ll focus on bringing products to market.
• Merchandising
  • Designed for those interested in the core of the fashion business. You’ll study merchandising through the lens of branding, planning and buying.
• Technical design
  • Best suited for those passionate about garment fit, construction and design. As a specialist in this field, you'll turn creative ideas into tangible products.

This program provides the technical knowledge, leadership skills and industry connections to manage building projects from start to finish and begin a successful career. Key areas you’ll explore include project planning and scheduling, cost estimating, sustainable practices, construction methods, materials science and safety management.

You'll graduate as a strong candidate for construction project or field engineer positions. With experience or advanced education, you can move into management or superintendent roles. You can also pursue careers as a project manager, estimator, sustainability specialist or entrepreneur across commercial, residential and infrastructure sectors.

Planning to pursue graduate studies? Pair this bachelor’s degree with an Accelerated Master’s and finish in as little as one additional year. This path can reduce your time and costs while deepening your expertise. Eligible programs include:

• Master of Public Administration
• Master of Science in construction management and technology

The skills you’ll develop

The curriculum emphasizes industry-specific skills in construction, technology, management and business. Developing these capabilities prepares you to lead building projects and make strategic decisions. Areas of competency include:

• Technical construction
  • Apply skills in blueprint reading, construction planning, safety compliance, cost estimating and project scheduling.
• Business
  • Drive growth through budgeting, cost analysis, ethical decision-making, marketing and business development.
• Management
  • Manage contracts, allocate resources, assess risks, lead teams and communicate with stakeholders.
• Technology
  • Explore industry-standard software for virtual design, estimating, equipment management and business operations, including 3D modeling tools for building information modeling.

Gain valuable experience with hands-on training opportunities

This program balances theory and practice to ensure you’re equipped to turn blueprints into buildings. Courses include collaborative assignments that strengthen interpersonal skills essential to succeeding in the people-driven construction industry. Faculty members lead courses with years of firsthand experience and strong industry connections.

Additionally, you’ll gain practical experience each summer through two 320-hour internships. Whether you intern with your current employer or a new organization, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the industry and the opportunities you can pursue.

The rise in cyberattacks is driving organizations across industries to strengthen their cyber defense strategies, enhance cloud security and improve risk management to protect their data and systems.

As a result, skilled cybersecurity professionals are in demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 33% job growth for information security analysts from 2023 to 2033, making it one of the nation’s fastest-growing careers. With a median annual wage of $120,360 as of May 2023, this field offers strong earning potential and job stability.

This program equips you to pursue employment as an information security analyst and other critical roles such as cybersecurity analyst and security compliance analyst.

What you’ll learn in this program

This degree provides a strong IT foundation, equipping you to develop and oversee innovative information solutions that drive positive change. The curriculum offers a comprehensive IT foundation, covering both software and hardware technologies, as well as key areas such as software development, computer architecture and networking. You’ll also gain hands-on experience with Python, Java, Unix, PowerShell and SQL.

The cybersecurity concentration teaches you how to think like cyber attackers to build defensive security measures. Courses emphasize:

• Cloud and mobile security
• Network forensics and security analysis
• Security risk assessment
• System orchestration and configuration management

Choosing the right IT degree for you

ASU’s ABET-accredited online bachelor’s degrees in IT provide a strong foundation in engineering, mathematics and core industry concepts. While they share similarities, each program is tailored to different career paths.

• BS in information technology
  • Covers a broad IT foundation with hands-on projects in network security, data management and more. Prepares you to develop technology solutions and optimize efficiency across industries.
• BS in information technology with a concentration in cybersecurity
  • Focuses on network forensics, security analysis, cloud security and risk assessment. Equips you to secure digital infrastructures and protect organizations from cyber threats.
• BS in information technology with a concentration in networking
  • Emphasizes network design, high-availability architecture, performance analysis and cloud networking. Provides skills to build and maintain secure, scalable IT infrastructures.

No matter which program you choose, you can also pursue an Accelerated Master’s degree. Once accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one year after completing your undergraduate degree. This opportunity saves time and money while providing advanced knowledge in your field. Applicable master's degrees include:

• Master of Science in information technology

As companies invest in new technologies, mobile networks and cloud-based infrastructure, the demand for networking professionals continues to increase. With a networking-focused IT degree, you can pursue growing careers such as network administrator, engineer or service technician, systems architect or wireless network engineer.

For example, a high-growth career in this field is computer network architecture. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 13% job growth for computer network architects from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations. The median annual salary for this role was $129,840 as of May 2023.

The skills you’ll develop

This program builds a strong IT foundation that adapts to industry advancements. The core curriculum blends theory and hands-on practice in infrastructure, cloud computing, DevOps, data and cybersecurity. You’ll work with industry-standard tools such as Python, Java, Unix, PowerShell and SQL, gaining the skills to design and implement impactful IT solutions across industries.

Beyond the broader IT curriculum, networking delves into the design, configuration and optimization of interconnected systems. You’ll gain hands-on experience with routing protocols, network hardware, wireless technologies and troubleshooting tools. You’ll also learn to secure networks using firewalls, intrusion detection and VPN configurations — specialized skills essential for managing and protecting complex network environments.

Choosing the right IT degree for you

ASU’s ABET-accredited online IT bachelor’s degrees build a solid foundation in engineering, mathematics and core industry concepts. While they share common elements, each program focuses on distinct career goals.

• BS in information technology
  • Covers a broad IT foundation with hands-on projects in network security, data management and more. Prepares you to develop technology solutions and optimize efficiency across industries.
• BS in information technology with a concentration in cybersecurity
  • Focuses on network forensics, security analysis, cloud security and risk assessment. Equips you to secure digital infrastructures and protect organizations from cyber threats.
• BS in information technology with a concentration in networking
  • Emphasizes network design, high-availability architecture, performance analysis and cloud networking. Provides skills to build and maintain secure, scalable IT infrastructures.

Whether you choose the networking concentration or another path, you can pursue an Accelerated Master’s degree. Once accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one year after completing your undergraduate degree. This opportunity saves time and money while providing advanced knowledge in your field. Applicable master's degrees include:

• Master of Science in information technology

This concentration is for those passionate about using scientific research and quantitative approaches to develop sustainable solutions that support ocean and coastal community health. Coursework prepares you to analyze strategies for coral resilience, educate stakeholders on conservation practices, enhance biodiversity preservation and address climate challenges.

With a strong emphasis on chemistry, biology and data-driven methodologies, this program equips you to pursue leadership roles in marine industries or advance your studies in disciplines such as:

• Biological, chemical and physical oceanography
• Coastal ecosystem science
• Coral reef science
• Marine biology
• Marine education

Marine and coastal science expertise you’ll develop

This program builds knowledge and skills in integrated ocean science with a focus on quantitative approaches. Courses teach you to evaluate marine decisions using data analysis and modeling, predict ocean system behaviors under different conditions and interpret visual data to inform solutions. You’ll also develop skills to effectively communicate co-produced work and its value to stakeholders.

As ocean sustainability becomes increasingly urgent, strong quantitative skills will be essential for understanding ecosystem functioning, biogeochemistry and ocean-climate interactions. You’ll explore how course knowledge applies to examining coral reef health, nutrient cycling in ocean systems, ocean dynamics, land-sea interactions and more.

How our two ocean futures degrees compare

ASU’s two bachelor’s degrees in ocean futures are STEM programs designed to train the next generation of ocean stewards. Both offer the flexibility to study from anywhere and provide optional immersive opportunities at ASU coastal locations, including the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and the Center for Global Discovery and Conservation in Hawai’i. Your career goals can guide your decision on which program to choose.

• Bachelor’s in ocean futures
  • This degree broadly explores the natural processes and human impacts shaping ocean health while addressing global marine challenges. It requires less advanced science coursework, including a lower level of chemistry than the concentration. You’ll also take stewardship and partnership courses to develop a practical understanding of the social and economic dimensions of ocean health.
• Bachelor’s in ocean futures – coastal and marine science
  • This concentration emphasizes quantitative approaches to solving coastal and marine challenges. It includes more advanced chemistry coursework and a quantitative applications requirement. This option is ideal if you plan to pursue graduate studies, such as ASU’s online master’s in coastal and marine science and management.

Ocean health is vital to planetary well-being, and dedicated stewards are needed to develop innovative solutions for emerging challenges. Earning this degree positions you to economically and responsibly address the impacts of rising ocean temperatures, coral bleaching, sea level rise, overfishing and more. With interdisciplinary expertise, you’ll be prepared to engage communities and lead transformational changes in ocean-related industries and practice.

This program is accessible wherever you live and equips you for careers in the blue economy. You can pursue roles in areas such as coastal and marine protection and management, land-sea interactions and community-based stewardship. You’ll also gain the knowledge to assess fisheries’ impact on ocean health, support coral reef restoration and integrate intergenerational values into conservation efforts.

How our two ocean futures degrees compare

ASU offers two online bachelor’s degrees in ocean futures: this marine studies program and a degree concentrated in coastal and marine science. Both are STEM programs designed to train the next generation of ocean stewards and innovators. Regardless of which you choose, you can participate in optional hands-on opportunities at ASU locations, including the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and the Center for Global Discovery and Conservation in Hawai’i. Your interests and career goals can help determine which program suits you best.

• Bachelor’s in ocean futures
  • This ocean sustainability and marine studies degree broadly explores the natural processes and human impacts shaping ocean health while addressing global marine challenges. It requires less advanced science coursework, including a lower level of chemistry than the concentration. You’ll also take stewardship and partnership courses to develop a practical understanding of the social and economic dimensions of ocean health.
• Bachelor’s in ocean futures – coastal and marine science
  • This concentration emphasizes quantitative approaches to solving coastal and marine challenges. It includes more advanced chemistry coursework and a quantitative applications requirement. This option is ideal if you plan to pursue graduate studies, such as ASU’s online master’s in coastal and marine science and management.

Support the blue economy with a degree in ocean sustainability

The multi-trillion-dollar blue economy encompasses careers that sustainably use ocean resources to drive economic growth and support thriving communities. Industries in this expanding sector include fisheries, marine conservation, coastal tourism and recreation, energy, transportation and research. Professionals dedicated to balancing economic development with environmental stewardship are essential to maintaining healthy, productive oceans for future generations.

With the ocean futures marine studies degree, you can build a career that makes a lasting impact on the blue economy across the public, private, nonprofit and nongovernmental sectors.