Undergraduate Catalog » Colleges & Schools » Liberal Arts » Degrees and Areas of Study

Degrees and Areas of Study

The Bachelor of Arts
The Bachelor of Arts degree provides the broadest educational program. Building on the General Education Program, it requires study of a foreign language and research methods, combined with concentrated study in a single major area. Elective courses give students a chance to explore subjects of personal interest or to take courses that improve their employment prospects. Liberal Arts programs are also excellent preprofessional training for law, medicine, and business, and all of them provide preparation for students interested in pursuing graduate study. These majors prepare students for careers in fields such as communication, foreign service, government, journalism, teaching, writing and editing, and social work.

Programs leading to the B.A. degree are offered in African and African American studies, anthropology, art, art history, classical humanities, communication studies, criminal justice, economics, English, French, geography, German, Greek, history, integrated language arts, international studies, Latin, mass communication, modern languages, motion picture history, theory & criticism, music, organizational communication, philosophy, political science, religion, selected studies, social science education, social work, sociology, Spanish, theatre studies, urban affairs, and women's studies.

The Bachelor of Science
As an option to the B.A., the Bachelor of Science degree stresses training in mathematics, statistics, and computer skills. There is no foreign language requirement. The College of Liberal Arts offers the B.S. degree only in geography and urban affairs.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts
The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree offers intensive, specialized training designed to prepare students for a professional career in the fine and performing arts with a special emphasis on performance and studio work. The B.F.A. is offered by the Department of Art and Art History, as well as by the Department of Theatre, Dance, and Motion Pictures which offers programs in dance, motion picture production, acting, acting-musical theatre, and design/technology/stage management. The B.F.A. degree is also available through the Selected Studies Program.

The Bachelor of Music
The Bachelor of Music degree is designed to provide professional training in music. It is a concentrated program offering specializations in performance, music education, and music history and literature.

Interdisciplinary Study
The College of Liberal Arts offers interdisciplinary majors in African & African American studies, criminal justice, international studies, liberal studies, selected studies, social science education, and urban affairs. Interdisciplinary courses are offered by a variety of departments.

Graduation Requirements

All students must complete the program requirements of the major to which they have been admitted. In addition, to be eligible for a bachelor's degree from the College of Liberal Arts, students must

fulfill the university General Education requirements.
complete the residency requirement of 45 credit hours at Wright State. At least 15 of the last 45 hours for the degree must be taken in residence.
complete at least 192 credit hours with at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. No more than eight hours of physical education courses apply toward a degree.
complete at least 100 credit hours of work within the college.
complete at least 60 credit hours in upper division courses (those numbered 300 and above). At least 30 of these must be taken at Wright State.
complete the required writing intensive course components, both in General Education and the major.

General Education: College Component Requirement for Liberal Arts Majors

Students who transfer to the College of Liberal Arts (COLA) from a different college within Wright State University must satisfy the General Education College Component requirement (Area VI) by taking a course from the list of classes approved by the College of Liberal Arts. Area VI classes offered in other colleges will not meet this requirement. Most students already in the College of Liberal Arts who switch to another major within the college may take any COLA College Component course to meet the Area VI requirement. Exceptions to this policy include the following:

Students majoring in the Department of Music must take CST 242.
Students majoring in theatre studies, acting, musical theatre, or design/technology/stage management must take TH 250.
Students completing the B.A. in economics must take EC 290.
Students majoring in Social Work must take SW272.

Additional Requirements for the B.A. Degree

Foreign Language and Research Methods
Students working toward the B.A. degree must complete a set of approved courses in foreign language and in research methods.

Foreign Language
Students must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language at the 202 level or American Sign Language at the 230 level, either by satisfactorily completing course work or by taking an examination. For proficiency exams in French, German, and Spanish, consult the Department of Modern Languages. For proficiency exams in Greek or Latin, consult the Department of Classics. Those interested in American Sign Language should contact the Department of Human Services in the College of Education and Human Services. Other languages are acceptable, subject to approval by the Liberal Arts Office of Academic Affairs. Students who are continuing a language that they began studying elsewhere need to be placed at the appropriate level. For placement in French, German, and Spanish, contact the Department of Modern Languages. For placement in Greek and Latin, contact the Department of Classics.

Research Methods
Students must complete a set of three courses in research methods, one each in computers, logic, and statistics and quantitative methods. For details, consult the Liberal Arts Office of Academic Affairs or a major advisor.

Maximum Credit Hours in Major
Except in unusual circumstances, students completing the B.A. or B.S. degree may count no more than 68 hours of courses in their major department toward the 192 hours required for graduation. Exceptions must have the prior approval of the dean of the college or of the college petitions committee.

Minors

A minor program provides students with a structured concentration of study in a second area of specialization; the minor work is noted on students' permanent university records. A minor typically requires about half the hours required in a major program. Minors are available in African and African American studies, anthropology, art history, Chinese studies. classical humanities, communication, criminal justice, economics, English, French, geography, German, history, international studies, music, philosophy, political science, religion, Russian studies, sexuality studies, sociology, Spanish, TESOL, urban affairs, and women's studies. Minors are described in the department program sections of this catalog. For more information, contact the appropriate department office.

Students who wish to combine the breadth of a major in the College of Liberal Arts with a general foundation of business courses may use their elective hours to earn a business minor. This program consists of a core of courses that satisfies most of the course prerequisites for the Master of Business Administration program at Wright State.

Certificate Programs

The college also provides a number of certificate programs: African American Experience in Education, African American Studies and Gender Experiences in Medicine, American Humanics, Cartography Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Comparative Development, Gerontology, Linguistics, Museum Studies, Archive Administration and Records Management, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Technical and Professional Writing, and Women's Studies.

Honors Program

Seniors can earn honors at graduation by participating in a departmental honors program. Designed for students capable of superior work, honors programs are available in anthropology, art history, classics, communication, English, geography, history, modern languages, motion pictures, music, philosophy, political science, religion, social work, sociology, urban affairs, and women's studies. Honors programs usually involve intensive independent study under the direction of a faculty mentor over a period of two or three quarters. For more details, contact the appropriate department office.

Cooperative Education Program

A number of departments in the College of Liberal Arts offer students an opportunity to earn academic credit for relevant work experience through the cooperative education program. Co-op students can apply classroom learning in work settings, explore potential career fields, and gain practical experience that improves employment prospects after graduation.

A maximum of 16 hours of cooperative education credit can be counted toward a bachelor's degree. For more information, contact the departments of art, communication, economics, English, geography, history, political science, social work, sociology/anthropology, and theatre, or the Women's Studies Program. A cooperative education advisor in the Career Services office can provide more details.

Teacher Licensure

The College of Liberal Arts offers several degrees that prepare students interested in achieving an Ohio teaching license. Bachelor of Arts degrees that prepare students for a graduate licensure program are available in integrated language arts/English education, social science education, French, and Spanish. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is available for students seeking graduate licensure in art education. In addition, completion of the requirements for the Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education will lead toward a teaching license.

Students interested in licensure programs must be advised by a major advisor in the College of Liberal Arts. Before applying to a graduate licensure program, students should schedule a conference with an education advisor to review program admission and degree requirements.

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