Catalog 2008-2009

UNIVERSITY DEGREES

Southwestern University offers four bachelor’s degrees. Degree plans typically have the following four components: Area One and Two requirements common to all degrees, specific additional requirements for the particular degree, an area of specialization (major, minor or area of concentration), and approved electives to total a minimum of 121 academic hours. A general outline of the requirements for each degree is given below. The departmental sections supplement this information with detailed requirements for majors and minors within a particular degree.

Bachelor of Arts

The Bachelor of Arts degree requires a minimum of 121 semester hours.

Area One and Two Requirements Common to All Degrees 35 hours

Specific Additional Requirements for the BA Degree:

Foreign Language, through fourth-semester level (See Note 1) 14 hours

Specialization:

A. The Major at least 30 hours

(60 percent of the hours in the major must be above the introductory level)

OR

B. The Minor (optional) at least 18 hours

(12 hours must be above the introductory level)

Fitness and Recreational Activity (See Note 2) 2 hours

Approved Electives 19 hours

Total, including approved electives, to complete a minimum of 121 hours

Bachelor of Science

The Bachelor of Science degree requires a minimum of 121 semester hours.

Area One and Two Requirements Common to All Degrees 35 hours

Specific Additional Requirements for the BS Degree:

Biology 50-102, 112, 122 and 162 8 hours

Chemistry 51-153/151 and 51-163/161 OR 51-173/171 and 51-214 8 hours

Mathematics and Computer Science

52-154 and either 52-254 or 52-113 or 54-143 or 54-183 7 hours

Physics 53-154 and 53-164 8 hours

Foreign Language, through fourth-semester level (See Note 1) 14 hours

Specialization:

The Major at least 30 hours

(60 percent of the hours in the major must be above the introductory level)

The Minor (optional) at least 18 hours

(12 hours must be above the introductory level)

The major must be selected from the Division of Natural Sciences, Animal Behavior or Psychology. See specific course requirements for majors and minors listed under departmental program descriptions.

Approved Science Elective 3 to 4 hours

At least one science elective must be chosen from the following courses. This elective should not be within the major department. Additional electives in upper-level science courses are strongly encouraged and students should consult their academic advisers to determine which courses would be most beneficial to their degree.

Biology 50-222, 50-232

Chemistry 51-544, 51-714

Mathematics and Computer Science 52-353, 52-573, 52-673, 54-183 or 54-283

Physics 53-204, 53-214, 53-324, 53-334

Fitness and Recreational Activity (See Note 2) 2 hours

Additional Electives 9 to 11 hours

Total, including approved electives, to complete a minimum of 121 hours

Bachelor of Music*

The Bachelor of Music degree requires a minimum of 121 semester hours.

Area One and Two Requirements Common to All Degrees 35 hours

Foreign Language, through fourth-semester level (See Note 1) 14 hours

Specific Additional Requirements for the BMus degree hours vary

Specialization (Area of Emphasis) hours vary

Fitness and Recreational Activity (See Note 2) 2 hours

Approved Electives hours vary

Total, including approved electives, to complete a minimum of 121 hours

Bachelor of Fine Arts*

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree requires a minimum of 121 semester hours.

Area One and Two Requirements Common to All Degrees 35 hours

Foreign Language, through fourth-semester level (See Note 1) 14 hours

Specific Additional Requirements for the BFA degree hours vary

Specialization (Area of Emphasis) hours vary

Fitness and Recreational Activity (See Note 2) 2 hours

Approved Electives hours vary

Total, including approved electives, to complete a minimum of 121 hours

*Consult with the chairs of the departments in The Sarofim School of Fine Arts for details concerning BMus and BFA degree programs.

Note 1: If the foreign language requirement for any degree is met by a placement or proficiency examination on which credit hours are not awarded, the needed hours toward the 121 total may be earned as approved electives.

Note 2: Repeat courses are not allowed in the attainment of the required two semester hours of the Fitness and Recreational Activity (FRA) requirement. No more than three semester hours of Fitness and Recreational Activity courses may count in the minimum 121 hours required for any degree except for Kinesiology majors/minors.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Each student is responsible for meeting all catalog requirements for graduation. A Southwestern University degree requires:

A minimum of 121 semester hours of academic work, of which at least 61 academic hours must be from Southwestern University (see number 7 below). A minimum overall grade point average of 2.0 on all college-level work attempted in addition to at least a 2.0 on all Southwestern University work is required for graduation.

In addition to the overall minimum grade point average of 2.0 for graduation, no grade below C- may be counted toward the required semester hours in the major, minor or area of concentration and at least an average of C (2.0) must be presented in the major, minor and area of concentration.

Every degree plan must present a minimum of 60 semester hours of work above the introductory level. At least 60 percent of the work in the major must be completed at Southwestern University, and at least one half of the Southwestern work must be above the introductory level. The minor, if any, must include at least 12 semester hours (six hours above the introductory level) at Southwestern.

Completion of Areas One and Two, common to all degrees.

Completion of the major and minor or area of concentration requirements for a given degree plan and the specific additional requirements indicated in that degree plan by the student’s major department. A major requires at least 30 semester hours. At least 60 percent of the work in the major must be above the introductory level. A minor requires at least 18 semester hours, 12 above the introductory level. Specific requirements for each major are listed in the appropriate section of the catalog.

No more than 48 semester hours may be credited on the degree plan for work in one subject area.

The last 33 semester hours must be done in residence at Southwestern unless a student has undertaken the Pre-Engineering program or other similar program. Modification of this regulation will be considered only for those students who have completed a majority of their academic work at Southwestern University. Students who are candidates for the combined degree programs, such as the Pre-Engineering program, must have their combined degree plans approved by the appropriate academic officer at Southwestern University before enrolling in the cooperating school. The hours completed by students in approved programs off campus or overseas apply to this 33-hour rule.

Seniors may complete up to two courses at a regionally accredited college or university on the following conditions: (1) they must have been in residence at Southwestern University for a period of four semesters; (2) they must have completed the requirements for the major and minor subjects at Southwestern; and (3) they must apply for and receive approval for the work in advance from the appropriate department chair and the Registrar. All work attempted at other institutions must be reported to Southwestern on official transcripts, in time to meet deadlines for graduation certification.

A department may provide for a general evaluation of the students’ competence in their fields before the beginning of the final year. The specific techniques employed are adapted to the discipline involved, and may include public performance (as in The Sarofim School of Fine Arts) or oral or written examination or both. A senior oral examination or other departmental evaluation may be required at the discretion of the department. Such requirements may be in addition to the capstone experience.

Candidates for degrees must file the necessary application for diploma and make satisfactory arrangements for the payment of all accounts due the University before the degree is awarded. Students in financial arrears to the University at the time of the awarding of the degree will not be eligible to receive their diploma or transcripts until such time as their financial record is cleared.

The Commencement Convocation is held once per year, at the end of the spring semester. Candidates are expected to be present at the Commencement Convocation for the conferring of the degrees. Students having no more than ten hours to complete for summer graduation may participate in the Commencement Convocation provided they intend to complete their degree during the following summer term. Should a candidate have a compelling reason to be absent from Commencement, he or she may petition to be graduated in absentia by writing to the Provost.