Accounting - a major program under the direction of the Economics and Business Department. The department works toward a three-fold objective: first, to provide students with a broad understanding of the nature of economic forces and institutions; second, to prepare students with skills needed for entry into the job market; to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed for success in graduate school.

American Studies - an interdisciplinary program in American civilization, with course selections from the Departments of English, History, Communication, Economics, Music, Political Science, Religion, Sociology and Theatre.

Animal Behavior - designed to prepare students for graduate programs in animal behavior, animal learning, behavioral ecology, biopsychology, ecology, neuroscience, and veterinary science.

Anthropology - The Anthropology major is designed to develop an awareness and understanding of both cultural diversity and our common humanity. We specialize geographically in Latin America (primarily Mexico and the Hispanic United States) and the Caribbean. Topically, our courses cover issues central to our contemporary global society: migration; development and social change, identity and questions of race, class and gender; politics and social mobilization; environment and inequality; indigenous peoples and transnationalism. Anthropology majors receive a solid grounding in both the social and cultural theory employed and generated by anthropologists and the ethnographic methods that define our discipline.

Art - Students may major or minor in studio art or art history and minor in architecture and design studies.

Biochemistry - seeks to provide a variety of educational experiences for those who desire a better understanding of the nature of the biological and physical world around them. Advanced topics to challenge the specialist can be found in the advanced courses dealing with Biochemistry, Physical Chemistry, Advanced Organic, Inorganic, or Analytical Chemistry.

Biology - presents students with the challenge and excitement of learning about living organisms and their relationships to their environment. Courses cover a broad range of topics within three main subdivisions of biology: cellular and molecular biology, organismal biology, and population biology.

Business - the Department works toward a three-fold objective: first, to provide students with a broad understanding of the nature of economic forces and institutions; second, to prepare students with skills needed for entry into the job market; to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed for success in graduate school.

Chemistry - seeks to provide a variety of educational experiences for those who desire a better understanding of the nature of the biological and physical world around them. Advanced topics to challenge the specialist can be found in the advanced courses dealing with Biochemistry, Physical Chemistry, Advanced Organic, Inorganic, or Analytical Chemistry.

Child Study & Language Development - a major program under the direction of the Education Department, for students seeking elementary certification. Courses are designed to provide a philosophical and theoretical basis for teaching. In addition, courses are provided which develop a knowledge of teaching methodology which is based on current research. These courses emphasize developmental characteristics of the learner, learning theories, and assessment. Analytic, creative, and evaluative thinking skills are taught and modeled in courses in order to produce the inquiring learner, skilled in problem solving so necessary in the world of today and tomorrow. A strong, early field experience is an integral component of the program design, in addition to the closely supervised student teaching.

Classics - a broad field covering Greco-Roman antiquity from the very earliest periods (prehistory) to the dissolution of the Roman Empire. This interdisciplinary field embraces and combines the disciplines of literature and language, anthropology, art history, religion, philosophy, and history. Through the study of primary material (e.g. Latin and Greek texts, sometimes in translation; archaeological and art historical artefacts), students gain an appreciation for ancient societies that continue to illuminate our own.

Communication Studies - an inherently interdisciplinary subject of study. Thus, this department seeks to expose students to the diverse approaches represented in the field, including the social scientific, the humanistic, and the aesthetic traditions. At the level of practice, the department emphasizes five primary life skills: writing, speaking, critical thinking, interpersonal interaction, and discourse analysis.

Computational Mathematics - the Computational Mathematics major is designed to provide students with a foundational mastery of the interdependent disciplines of Mathematics and Computer Science. The curriculum is a blend of core courses intended to provide a broad knowledge base while maintaining depth in both subject areas.

Computer Science - mathematics and computer science courses help students develop concise and logical patterns of thinking and encourage independent and creative work. The Department seeks to develop in students an understanding of mathematical models and a facility with problem-solving techniques. The Department offers a major and a minor in both mathematics and computer science leading to either the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science degree. Each student's major program must be determined in consultation with the student's academic advisor; the program should reflect the student's personal needs and goals.

Economics - the Department works toward a three-fold objective: first, to provide students with a broad understanding of the nature of economic forces and institutions; second, to prepare students with skills needed for entry into the job market; to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed for success in graduate school.

Education - see Child Study & Language Development

English - provides a grounding in English and American literature strong enough to support a life of continued reading and reflection, with the deepened understanding of human experience that this makes possible. The program for the major and minor also imparts skills of writing, research, analysis, and interpretation that are useful in a broad range of professional and business activities.

Environmental Studies - an interdisciplinary program which introduces students — both those majoring in environmental studies and those wishing to add knowledge in this significant area of study and life — to a wide variety of perspectives that examine the many connections between humans and nature.

Feminist Studies - Feminist Studies is an interdisciplinary, multicultural exploration of the experiences and perspectives of women in different contexts. It examines the way the meaning of sex, sexuality, and gender varies with time and place. It studies the influences of race and class as well as of gender on the experiences and perspectives of women. Feminist Studies exposes students to the growing body of knowledge about women, including feminist theory and its critics, and it seeks to revise the findings of traditional disciplines to include this new knowledge about women.

History - provides students with a global perspective and a solid grounding in the methods and fields of history, while also encouraging interdisciplinary connections. The history major provides students not with a random collection of courses, but with a program that is concerned with finding patterns and connections. Beginning with introductory courses, our major prepares students for advanced courses on topics, themes, and methods of history, and for research experience. With their understanding of the past and their historical mindedness, history students go on to careers in all levels of education and government, in law, social service, communications, museum and archival work, and business.

Independent Major - The independent major (area of concentration) within the Bachelor of Arts degree is an alternative to a traditional major. It permits students greater freedom to design an interdisciplinary course of study focusing on a theme or career plan. It must consist of no fewer than 48 semester hours, chosen in accordance with an overall plan that gives unity and coherence to the integrated course of study: 1) 24 semester hours from one subject area (defined as one group of courses sharing a numerical prefix, e.g. 70-XXX-Studio Art), 18 of which must be above the introductory level; and 2) 24 additional semester hours from other subject areas, 18 of which must be above the introductory level.

Students' programs must be designed in consultation with the chairs of the division/School and the departments involved and must be approved by the division/School in which the first 24-hour block falls. The capstone experience is dictated by the requirements of the subject area in the first 24-hour block.

International Studies - designed for students interested in understanding other cultures and the global systems‹economic, social, religious, intellectual, political, and environmental‹that transcend national boundaries. Students can explore international issues from a broader perspective than in traditional majors and, by studying a particular area of the world in depth, understand the interaction of these disciplinary perspectives in another culture. A major in International Studies is appropriate for students who wish to pursue careers in business, government, and international agencies and provides a particularly valuable context for graduate study.

Kinesiology - incorporates the courses that a prospective physical education teacher and/or coach would need for teaching certification in this field and prerequisite theory courses for graduate work in the discipline. In addition, the following areas of emphasis are available: human performance, sport and recreation management, and athletic training.

Mathematics - Mathematics and computer science courses help students develop concise and logical patterns of thinking and encourage independent and creative work. The Department seeks to develop in students an understanding of mathematical models and a facility with problem-solving techniques. The Department offers a major and a minor in both mathematics and computer science leading to either the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science degree. Each student's major program must be determined in consultation with the student's academic advisor; the program should reflect the student's personal needs and goals.

Modern Languages - Southwestern University offers major and minor programs in French, German, Latin, and Spanish.

Music - Students are offered opportunities for both academic study of the musical arts and hands-on experience through performance as soloists in small groups or in large performing ensembles.

Philosophy - Philosophy deals with a wide variety of topics ranging from the principles of knowledge, valid reasoning, and scientific method to the foundations of law, art, religion, morality and the ultimate structures of reality. It identifies and critically examines basic commitments and world views that guide our lives and that have had an important place in human culture. A major in philosophy is good preparation for all fields requiring clear thinking and communication skills. Many philosophy majors have gone into such areas as law, journalism, education, business management, and government service.

Physical Science (Engineering Dual Degree, 3-2 Program) - for students interested in engineering, a dual degree program is possible which consists of three years of course work at Southwestern University followed by approximately two years at an engineering school. The student will complete the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts, with the exception of the major requirement, at Southwestern. In addition the student will complete his or her training in the basic sciences and in mathematics at Southwestern. Southwestern University will award the Bachelor of Arts degree after the completion of all of the requirements for the engineering degree.

Physics - The Physics Department serves students with many different goals: 1) those planning to follow a career related to physics; 2) those planning a career in engineering; 3) those planning a career in a science field other than physics; 4) those planning to teach physics; and 5) those who are not majoring in science but would like to know something about the methods and results of science.

Political Science - The political science curriculum is designed with two main objectives in view: 1) to give preparation for effective citizenship in our society and in the world community; 2) to serve general educational needs of students who plan to go on to graduate school or into various professions such as law, politics, government, journalism, public relations, secondary school teaching, and business. However, the primary aim of the Political Science Department is to stimulate the development of its students as humane individuals who are aware of the major problems of human society and who bring the best constructive critical thinking to bear on them from a base of high moral values.

Psychology - The psychology program at Southwestern University provides students with a broad background in psychology. The emphasis of the program is twofold. First, the program is designed to provide the experiences necessary to prepare the student for graduate school in animal learning and behavior, biopsychology, child psychology, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, counseling psychology, developmental psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, personality and social psychology, and social work. Second, the student is prepared for careers in human services upon completion of the bachelor's degree.

Religion - The program in the study of religion offers students the opportunity to deepen the understanding of their own religious heritage, to encounter sympathetically the religious traditions, and to develop constructive approaches to contemporary religious issues. A major in Religion is good preparation for graduate work in a number of liberal arts fields (in addition to religion), and is also an excellent complementary (second) major to other liberal arts majors.

Sociology - Although it is a diverse field, sociology is united in its acknowledgment that race, gender, and class deeply affect our perceptions and lived experiences, its focus on inter-group comparisons, and, the recognition of the sociological imagination as the foundation of the discipline. The sociology major is designed to help students critically examine the mutual link between our daily experiences and the larger social structures. Though we specialize in social patterns and processes in the United States, we connect these issues to larger transnational phenomena. Our courses focus on topics germane to our current global society: the increasing ideological, financial, and political power of multinational corporations, the rise in the prison industry, the effects of globalization on social relations and communities, the causes and consequences of grassroots protest movements, the increase in the unequal distribution of resources within and across nations, the racialization of inner city poverty, and the changes in meaning and performances of femininities and masculinities.

Theatre - Grounded in theatre history and criticism, dramatic literature, performance studies and theatre's arts and crafts, students receive education and training in the intellectual, artistic, and cultural dimensions of live theatrical performance. Each year, the Theatre Program produces four mainstage productions including plays from a wide variety of dramatic genres and historical periods and a musical theatre production. In addition, students produce their own performance projects throughout the academic year and a summer theatre program is available to provide students with an intensive pre-professional experience.