COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS

Academic Regulations

Program Completion Requirements

Total Hours Required - At least 124 semester hours with passing grades must be completed for any liberal arts degree. Departmental requirements may exceed this number.

Advanced Work Requirement - At least one-third of the hours applied toward a degree must be at the 300, 400, or 500 level. For example, a student qualifying for a degree with 124 semester hours must show at least 42 hours of work at the 300 level or above.

Total Grade Points - A student must attain at least 2.00 grade points for all ABCDF-graded credit hours attempted. Z- and P-graded credit hours are not included in this calculation. Thus, a student qualifying for a degree with 118 ABCDF-graded hours and 6 Z-graded hours would need 236 grade points to meet the requirement, whereas the same student would need 248 grade points if all 124 hours were ABCDF-graded.

Exercise and Leisure Activity Courses - While exercise and leisure activity (EL) courses are not required, a maximum of 6 hours of these courses may be counted toward a liberal arts degree. These courses are taken only on a pass-fail grading basis.

Electives in the Professional Schools - A maximum of 30 hours of electives or work applied toward a minor may be taken in the professional schools at The University of Mississippi and applied to a liberal arts degree. All of this work may be done in one school or may be divided among several of the schools.

Final Examinations - A final examination, to be given at the time shown in the published class schedule booklet, is required in each course in the College of Liberal Arts unless the appropriate chair and dean of the college have approved an exception.

Degree Application - Each senior must apply for a degree by returning a completed Degree Application Form to the dean's office in the semester preceding the semester in which the student expects to graduate. The dean's office sets the application deadlines and notifies students of their specified deadlines by letter, e-mail, and e-newsletter. This deadline will allow the student time to make any schedule changes required to complete all degree requirements and should guard against the disappointment of having graduation delayed. After obtaining the form from the dean’s office, the student lists the courses he or she plans to submit for graduation, and then takes the form to his or her academic adviser and major department chair for certification that all degree requirements will have been met. A double major requires the signatures of both department chairs. The student then returns the form to the dean’s office for final certification that the courses listed on the application qualify the student for graduation. The degree application should not be confused with the diploma application, which is filed only after the degree application has been approved by the dean. The diploma application is an online form that must be filed during the semester of anticipated graduation.

General Education Core Curriculum

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) B.A. Required Curriculum - Listed in the table below are the general education courses that the college requires for all B.A. degree programs. Details of the requirements are described following the table. This B.A. required curriculum includes all university core courses. CLEP and/or AP credit can be used toward fulfilling these requirements. Students should note that some majors and minors require specific courses within the following categories.

                                Semester
B.A. Required Curriculum                   Hours
English composition                          6
English literature survey                    6
Modern or ancient language                6 to 12
Science (from two different departments)  9 to 11
History                                      6
Mathematics                                  3
Social sciences                              6
Additional humanities                        3
Fine or performing arts                      3

ENGLISH. The requirement consists of 6 hours of English composition and 6 hours from a menu of 200-level literature survey courses. The standard composition sequence consists of Engl 101 and either Engl 102 or Liberal Arts (Liba) 102. The composition courses are not sequential. However, Liba 102 is reserved exclusively for first-year students. The literature survey courses that satisfy this requirement are Engl 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, and 226. Engl 250 does not satisfy this requirement. Engl courses at the 300, 400, or 500 level may not be used to satisfy this requirement. MODERN OR ANCIENT LANGUAGE. The university offers courses in Chinese, French, German, Ancient Greek, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Students must complete 6 hours at the 200 level or above in one modern or ancient language to fulfill this requirement in the College of Liberal Arts. Those who complete 100- and/or 200-level courses overseas may not take equivalent courses on campus. Students may elect to continue the language begun in high school or may choose to begin another language. Those entering the university with fewer than two years of high school French or Spanish must enroll in French or Spanish 101. Students with two or more years of high school French or Spanish must enroll in French or Spanish 121, or a higher- level course. The general education modern or ancient language requirement may not be fulfilled with courses taken online or through Independent Study (except for Ancient Greek and Latin). Questions regarding placement in all other languages should be directed to the departments of Classics or Modern Languages. Speakers of languages other than English who wish to enroll in classes in their native language must begin their language studies beyond the 300 level and must consult with the departmental adviser before enrolling in courses. SCIENCE. Courses may be chosen from the departments of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Geology and Geological Engineering, or Physics and Astronomy. Two semesters of course work in one subject and one semester in a subject from another department are required. At least two of the courses taken must include laboratories. For some classes, the required laboratory will be an additional 1-hour course. For example, a student might take two 3-hour lecture courses in chemistry along with the two associated 1-hour laboratory courses, and one 3-hour course in biology without laboratory. As a second example, a student might take two 4-hour lecture/laboratory courses in geology and one 3- hour course in astronomy. As a third example, a student might take two chemistry courses, one with lab and one without, and a geology course with lab. Note that a student taking the required 6 hours of one subject (astronomy, physics, or physical science) from the Department of Physics and Astronomy must take the remaining 3 hours from another department. Astronomy 101 and 102 do not include laboratory work; Astronomy 103 and 104 include laboratory work and satisfy the requirements for lab-based science credits. A student may not receive credit for taking Astr 101 or 102 with either Astr 103 or 104. HISTORY. The Department of History strongly recommends that students satisfy the history requirement by taking His 101 and 102. These courses cover the entire development of Western civilization. Students who prefer to satisfy the requirement at the 300 level must wait until their sophomore year because freshmen are not allowed in those courses. The permission of the chair of the Department of History is required to use 400-level courses to meet the requirement. MATHEMATICS. Courses that meet the mathematics requirement are mathematics courses at the 100 level or above except for Math 245 and Math 246. SOCIAL SCIENCE. Courses may be chosen from anthropology, economics, journalism (JOUR 101), political science, psychology, and sociology. ADDITIONAL HUMANITIES. The course may be chosen from African-American studies; classical civilization; gender studies (G St 103, 201, 333, 311, 390); philosophy; religion; Southern studies (S St 101, 102). FINE OR PERFORMING ARTS. The course may be chosen from art history, music, dance, and theatre arts. Studio and workshop courses cannot be used to satisfy this requirement. Acceptable freshman or sophomore-level courses are Art History 101, 102, 201, 202; Music 101, 102, 103, 104, 105; Dance 200; Theatre 201. Students who have completed 30 semester hours of undergraduate course work may fulfill the requirement with a 300- or 400-level art history course. Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) B.F.A. Required Curriculum Hours English composition (Engl 101 and either 102 or Liba 102) 6 English literature survey 6 Natural science with laboratory 6 to 8 History 6 Mathematics (100 level or higher, excluding Math 245/246) 3 Social sciences 6 Additional humanities 3 Fine arts (can be a nonperformance course in major) 3 See the B.A. general education requirements section for a definition of courses that satisfy the English composition and literature, social science, humanities, and fine and performing arts requirements. Bachelor of Music (B.M.) B.M. Required Curriculum Hours English composition (Engl 101 and either 102 or Liba 102) 6 English literature survey 6 Natural science with laboratory 6 to 8 History 6 Mathematics (100 level or higher, excluding Math 245/246) 3 Social sciences 6 Additional humanities 3 to 12 Fine arts (can be a nonperformance course in major) 3 See the B.A. general education requirements section for a definition of courses that satisfy the English composition and literature, social science, humanities, and fine and performing arts requirements. Bachelor of Science (B.S.) B.S. Degrees in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics - Bachelor of Science students with majors in biology, chemistry, forensic chemistry, geology, mathematics, or physics must follow the curriculum below. Details of the requirements are described below the table. Semester Courses Hours English composition (Engl 101 and either 102 or Liba 102) 6 English literature survey 6 Modern or ancient language 6 to 12 Social science, in one subject 6 Social science, in a second subject 6 Fine or performing arts 3 Related subjects 18 Nonrelated subjects 9 Major courses and electives, to bring total degree hours to at least 124 See the B.A. general education requirements section for a definition of courses that satisfy the English composition and literature, modern and ancient languages, and fine and performing arts requirements. SOCIAL SCIENCE. The two subjects may be chosen from anthropology or sociology, African-American studies, classical civilization, economics, history, philosophy or religion, political science, and psychology.

College/School-wide Degree Requirements

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Major - The purpose of the major in the B.A. degree is to afford students the opportunity to study one subject area in depth. In some cases, the major in the B.A. prepares the student for a profession or for advanced study in graduate or professional degree programs. Each student must complete a major course of study of at least 24 hours in one department. An exception to this rule is the B.A. in liberal arts, which requires a student to complete three minors, as well as to fulfill other requirements. Requirements for each department are listed in the departmental major and minor requirements in this section.

An overall grade-point average of C (2.00) or higher is required in all work applied toward the major. Students must earn at least 12 hours of their major courses in residence, and must achieve a 2.00 GPA or higher in all major courses taken in residence. A student may not count a cross-listed course toward both major and minor requirements. Double majors may not count a cross-listed course toward both majors. In some majors, a minimum grade of C is required for each course applied toward the major.

Minor - The purpose of the minor requirement is to afford the student diversity in learning and intellectual development through concentration in an area that is different from that of the major. A student must complete a minor course of study (or complete a second major) in a department different from the one in which the student takes his or her major*. Unless otherwise specified, a minor consists of 18 hours. Requirements for each department are listed in the departmental major and minor requirements in this section.

An overall GPA of 2.00 or higher is required in all work applied toward the minor. Some departments require a minimum grade of C in each course applied toward the minor. Students must earn at least 6 hours of their minor courses in residence and must achieve a 2.00 average or higher in all minor courses taken in residence. A cross-listed course may not be counted toward both major and minor requirements.

A minor may be taken in any liberal arts department or center that offers a major. Minors in Renaissance and Early Modern studies, in gender studies, and in Air Force/aerospace studies, military science, and naval science are also available. Minors also may be chosen in certain disciplines in the professional schools; these disciplines are listed below, and the requirements may be found in the program listings for the College of Liberal Arts. Students may declare a minor at any time by completing the proper notification in the dean’s office, but they must declare a minor when they complete their degree application (see Degree Requirements section of this chapter).

Minors offered in the professional schools are available in Accountancy Business Administration Engineering Park and Recreation Management

*Exceptions are the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, where a student may take the major in one field and the minor or second major in the other, and the B.A. in African-American studies, B.A. in international studies, and B.A. in Southern studies, which do not require a minor.

Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A)

B.F.A. degrees, which are in art and theatre, do not require a minor. All other specific requirements are shown under the art and theatre arts sections of the departmental major and minor section.

Bachelor of Music (B.M.)

The B.M. degree does not require a minor. All other specific requirements for this degree program are shown under the music portion of the departmental major and minor section.

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

A B.S. degree requires a major and 18 hours in related subjects and 9 hours of nonrelated subjects. Related and nonrelated subjects are defined below. The requirements for the major are given in the individual degree program sections. A GPA of 2.00 or higher is required in all work applied toward the major. Students must earn at least 18 hours of their major courses in residence, and must achieve a 2.00 or higher GPA in all courses taken in residence and applied towards the major.

RELATED SUBJECTS. Acceptable related subjects for each major are given
in the following table.
Major         Related Subjects
Biology:      Anthropology, chemistry, geology, mathematics, physics,
              psychology (allowing psychology as either related or
              nonrelated)
Chemistry:    Mathematics, physics
Forensic Chemistry:  Biology, mathematics, pharmacology, physics
              (allowing biology as either related or nonrelated; up to 6
              hours of pharmacology courses may be used)
Geology:      Biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics
Mathematics:  Astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer science, geology,
              economics, physics
Physics:      Mathematics

An overall GPA of 2.00 or higher is required in the 18 hours of related subjects. Transfer students must take at least 6 of these hours in residence.

Advising

Academic Adviser - Each student who is admitted to the College of Liberal Arts is assigned an academic adviser through the dean’s office. A student who has declared a major will be assigned an adviser from that department. The dean’s office assigns the advisers for African-American studies, Southern studies, liberal arts, and linguistics. All of the advising for the pre-health majors is done through the Academic Support Center. A student who has not declared a major will be assigned to an academic adviser in the Academic Support Center (see section on Academic Support Center in this catalog). Students who transfer into the college from one of the other schools in the university should notify the dean of their need to be assigned an adviser. The adviser’s primary role is to assist a student during registration periods in selecting courses appropriate for his or her degree program. In addition, the academic adviser is available throughout the student’s entire course of study to discuss future plans or possible academic difficulties. Students are reminded that the faculty member’s role is only to give advice. The ultimate responsibility for meeting all degree requirements belongs to the student.

Selecting and Changing Majors

Declaring a Major - A student may declare a major upon admission to the college. This declaration is not binding but allows the college to assign the student an academic adviser in the student’s field of interest. An undecided student will be assigned an adviser in the Academic Support Center. Undecided students must inform the dean’s office to declare a major.

Change of Major - Students who change their majors during the course of their studies must notify the dean’s office so that a new adviser can be assigned. The college does not discourage changing the major, but the student should bear in mind that changes may delay graduation. Changing one’s major is not sufficient reason for allowing a student to withdraw from a course after the course withdrawal deadline.