School of the Arts

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Major Programs Programs

The Liberal Arts section of the College of Liberal Arts, Education and Human Development offers major programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in:

Minor and Certificate Programs

Minor programs are offered in most of the above-listed areas. Interdisciplinary minors in Africana Studies, Asian Studies, Disaster Resilience Studies, European Studies, Latin American, Caribbean, and Circum-Caribbean Studies, Environmental Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies are also available. A graduate certificate program in Disaster Management and Community Resilience is available through the Department of Planning and Urban Studies.

Requirements for Bachelor of Arts Degree

The following course requirements must be completed by all students working toward a Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Liberal Arts, Education and Human Development. Some curricula may demand more than the minimums designated below or may call for specific courses where the general requirements allow a choice. Each student should check his or her Major curriculum on the following pages to determine the additional requirements and restrictions which apply in that particular Major.

General Course Requirements

1. Math - Six hours. Any combination of MATH 1031 , MATH 1032 , MATH 1115 , 1116, MATH 1125 , MATH 1126 , or higher can be used to meet this requirement except where otherwise specified in the curriculum. Limitations: No credits allowed toward graduation for MATH 1021 , MATH 1023  or for more than nine hours of math below the 2000 level.
2. Science - Nine hours. Six hours of one science and three hours of a different science. One of the sciences must be Biology and the other must be Earth and Environmental Sciences, Chemistry, or Physics. NOTE: Credit toward graduation is not allowed for both Biology 1083 and 1053, or for Biology 1073 and 1063.
3. English Composition - Six hours. ENGL 1157  and ENGL 1158 /ENGL 1159  or their equivalent. Completion of ENGL 1158  or ENGL 1159  with a grade of C or better.
4. Literature - Six hours of literature from any department. Limitations: Writing and linguistics courses do not fulfill this requirement. NOTE: Some Liberal Arts Majors require specific literature courses. See your individual curriculum.
5. Arts - Three hours to be taken from the departments of Fine Arts, Music, or theatre/dance/film-related courses in Film and Theatre. Communications-related courses, housed in the Film and Theatre Department, are not useable toward Arts credits.
6. Humanities - Nine hours. To include at least one subject different from that used for the Arts requirement (above), and at least six hours at or above the 2000 level. (If the Arts requirement is fulfilled with a 2000 or higher-level course, reduce these six hours to three.) To be taken from the Departments of Film and Theatre (non-Art courses); English; Fine Arts; Foreign Languages; History; Music; and/or Philosophy. NOTE: Any literature course in English or foreign languages used to fulfill the College requirement of six hours of literature may not count toward the Humanities requirement.
7. Foreign Languages - Three to twelve hours. Completion of course 2001 in one foreign language or completion of course 1002 in two foreign languages offered through the Department of Foreign Languages. Unless a student is placed (by placement test and/or transfer credit) above the first course, either three semesters of one language in course sequence or two semesters each of two different languages are required. (Exceptions: BA in International Studies and BA in Fine Arts: Art History. See individual curricula.)
   NOTES: 1) Students whose native language is Spanish should confer with the Foreign Languages Department about Spanish 2003 and 2004, which are especially designed to meet their needs and which also meet this requirement. Languages other than Spanish or French that are offered through the Department of Foreign Languages and extend through the 2001 or 2011 level may be used to meet this requirement. 2) Some 2001- and 2002-level courses in languages other than Spanish and French may not be available each semester.
8. Social Sciences - Twelve hours to include two different subject areas with six hours at or above the 2000 level from the following subjects: Anthropology, Economics, Education, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and Urban Studies. NOTE: In some curricula, most or all of this requirement is met within other requirements.
9. Oral Competency- Each student should demonstrate competence in the techniques of oral communication relevant to his/her major program. Students should be able to discuss with clarity ideas and factual material in formal small group class settings and in conferences with their professors. This requirement may be fulfilled by one of the following:
   1. Successful completion of an approved course in the student’s Major department or college that requires a demonstration of oral competence as a condition of receiving a passing grade in the course.
   2. Demonstration of oral competence in an approved course in the student’s Major department or college that does not require oral competence as a condition of receiving a passing grade. If a student demonstrates oral competency in such a course, an entry shall be made on his/her transcript that oral competency has been demonstrated regardless of the final grade in the course. If a student fails to demonstrate oral competency in the approved course(s) offered by a student’s Major department or college, the student may take a course outside his/her Major department as a means of meeting the general degree requirement for oral competency, upon approval of the student’s Major department.
10. Electives - Number of hours varies by Major. See curriculum outline in General Catalog. Limitations: Courses must be from the list of approved Liberal Arts electives; however, nine hours of credit in subjects not on the approved list are allowed. (Within those nine hours a maximum of three hours of human performance and/or health-safety are permitted.)
    NOTES: At least six hours must be in courses numbered 3000 or above in a subject or subjects other than the Major and from the approved list of electives. (EDHS/EDHP/EDPE courses may not be used to fulfill this requirement.) Liberal Arts students are encouraged to plan their choice of electives with the assistance of a departmental faculty advisor in the context of their overall educational goals.

Approved Electives

Most of the curricula provide considerable flexibility for devising a program adapted to the particular interests and educational goals of the individual student. To assure the construction of a cohesive program, all students are expected to consult with a Major advisor regarding electives as well as the courses specified for the Major. Many combinations are possible, but logical planning should be the basis of all programs.

Within the limitations noted above students in the College of Liberal Arts may elect, for degree credit, any course for which they have the prerequisites from the following subjects:

*Only courses in Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Foundations and Research, Library Science, and Special Education.

Other Subjects

Courses in subjects not listed above normally will be accepted to the extent of nine credit hours total. This limit may be waived, if the student presents to the Dean a logical plan clearly showing the relevance of such courses to the Major program and to the educational goals of the student. Such permission must be secured before the nine-hour limit is exceeded. A maximum of three hours of any Health/ Safety and/or Human Performance course, regardless of level, may be included in the nine credit hours total.

Business Administration Component

For students who wish to obtain a foundation in business, the following courses are recommended: Accounting 2100 and 2130; Quantitative Methods-Business and Economics 2785; Finance 3300; Management 3401; and Marketing 3501. Students who plan to take a substantial number of business courses should seek the advice of the appropriate persons in the College of Business Administration.

Requirements for Bachelor of Science Degree

The following course requirements must be completed by all students working toward a Bachelor of Science degree in the College of Liberal Arts, Education and Human Development. Each student should check the Major curriculum in Urban Studies and Planning (currently the only B.S. degree offered in the College of Liberal Arts, Education and Human Development) to determine the additional requirements and restrictions which apply in that Major.

General Course Requirements

1. Math - Six hours.
2. Science - Nine hours. Six hours of one science and three hours of a different science. One of the sciences must be Biology and the other must be Earth and Environmental Sciences, Chemistry, or Physics. NOTE: Credit toward graduation is not allowed for both Biology 1083 and 1053 or for Biology 1073 and 1063.
3. English Composition -Six hours. ENGL 1157 and ENGL 1158/1159 or their equivalent. Completion of 1158 or 1159 with a grade of C or better.
4. Literature - Six hours of literature from any department. Limitations: Writing and linguistics courses do not fulfill this requirement.
5. Arts¹ - Three hours. To be taken from the departments of Fine Arts, Music, or film/theatre/dance - related courses in Film, Theatre and Communication Arts. .
6. Humanities¹- Three hours. To be taken from any of the humanities disciplines.
7. Social Sciences^1,2 - Six hours to be taken from the social sciences.
8. Six of the twelve hours in humanities, arts, and/or social sciences must be at the 2000 level or above.
9. See departmental list of acceptable courses.

Transfer Credit

Transfer credits acceptable for admission purposes will be valid for degree credit in the College only to the extent to which they represent courses acceptable in the curricula of the College. The College may decline to accept transfer credits in any course in which a grade lower than a C has been received. Validation may be required for credits earned more than 10 years before admission to the College. Regarding work from a two-year school, the college will honor up to 60 hours (64 hours for Jazz Studies students). The college will determine which hours are most useable toward the course of study.

University and Major Residence Requirements

Transfer students should note that the last 25% of coursework must be taken in residence while enrolled in the college from which the degree is to be earned. In the College of Liberal Arts, Education and Human Development, transfer students must take at least 50% of the hours in the Major subject (with a minimum of 50% of the hours in courses numbered 3000 or above) at UNO. Candidates for a degree must earn a C average in all courses in their Major subject taken while they are registered in the College.

Program Planning

All students should plan their programs in advance in order to receive maximum benefit from their college years. Besides examining their own goals, students should consult with advisors to take advantage of alternatives in General Degree Requirements and electives.

Students are responsible for knowing degree requirements and for enrolling in courses that fit into their degree programs. They are strongly encouraged to complete the requirements in English, Foreign Language, Mathematics, and Science at the earliest possible time in their college career.

Each student is also responsible for notifying the college office of graduation plans at the beginning of the semester preceding the student’s final semester. At that point, a graduation checkout sheet is prepared which outlines the student’s current scholastic position and indicates the course requirements remaining for the degree. The college encourages students to sign up for a graduation check-sheet when they have reached 75 hours of coursework.

Requirements for a Minor

With the exception of Film and Theatre and Music minors, a Liberal Arts Minor requires a minimum of 18 hours and a 2.0 average in the Minor field. See Minor in individual curricula for specific courses required.

At least nine hours of coursework must be taken at UNO, and for a minor requiring six or more hours at the 3000 level or above, at least six of those hours must be taken at UNO. For minors requiring fewer than six hours of 3000- or 4000-level courses all of these hours must be taken at UNO. No pass/fail courses will apply toward a Minor.

Programs

• Film & Theatre Screenwriting Minor

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