COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
Admission Policies
Admission to the College - Students may designate the College of Liberal Arts upon admission to the university. Some degree programs in the College of Liberal Arts have additional admission requirements: BFA in Art, BA in International Studies, BA in Music, BM in Music, BA in Public Policy Leadership, and BFA in Theatre Arts. These additional requirements are listed in the departmental major and minor requirements in this section.
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. Neither Engl 250 nor Engl 211 satisfies 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 Ancient Greek, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, 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. With approval from the Department of Modern Languages, students may use languages other than those above to satisfy the requirement by taking courses through study abroad or at another university.
Students may elect to continue the language begun in high school or may choose to begin another language. They should enroll in their first course at the university according to placement guidelines provided by the Department of Modern Languages or Classics. Once the language sequence has been entered, the student must successfully complete each course prior to beginning the next in the sequence. After having successfully completed a course in a sequence, no student may enroll in an earlier course in that sequence. Students who complete 100 and 200 level courses through study abroad may not take equivalent courses on campus.
Speakers of languages other than English may present documentation to the Department of Modern Languages showing that they studied in high school in that language and will thus fulfill the language requirement. If these students wish to enroll in classes in their native language, they must begin at or beyond the 300 level.
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. 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. However, the history department strongly recommends that students complete 6 hours of lower-division history courses before enrolling in a 300-level course. 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, political science, psychology, and sociology.
ADDITIONAL HUMANITIES. The course may be chosen from African-American studies; classical civilization; gender studies (G St 201, 301, 333, 350); philosophy; religion; Southern studies (S St 101, 102). In addition, gender studies courses that are cross-listed with African American studies, classical civilization, English, modern languages, philosophy, or religion courses will satisfy this requirement.
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 6 English literature survey 6 Natural science with laboratory 6 to 8 History 6 Mathematics 3 Social sciences 6 Additional humanities 3 Fine arts 3
See the B.A. general education requirements section for a definition of courses that satisfy the English composition and literature, social science, and humanities.
See the Department of Music section for curriculum tables outlining emphases in Music Education and Music Performance for the Bachelor of Music (B.M.)
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 6
English literature survey 6
Modern or ancient language 6 to 12
Social science and humanities in one subject 6
Social science and Humanities in a second subject 6
Fine or performing arts 3
Related subjects 18
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 language, and fine and performing arts requirements.
SOCIAL SCIENCE AND HUMANITIES. The courses may be chosen from anthropology or sociology, African-American studies, classical civilization, economics, history, philosophy or religion, political science, and psychology. Six hours must be chosen in one subject, with the remaining six hours in a different subject or subjects.
RELATED SUBJECTS. Acceptable related subjects for each major are given
in the following table.
Major Related Subjects
Biology: Anthropology, chemistry, geology, mathematics, physics,
psychology
Chemistry: Mathematics, physics
Forensic Chemistry: Biology, mathematics, pharmacology, physics
(up to 6 hours of pharmacology courses may be used)
Geology: Biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics,
physics
Mathematics: Astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer science, physics,
geology, economics
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.
Students should note that the university core curriculum requires two laboratory science courses. Students who do not fulfill this requirement with their major and related subjects courses will have to earn additional science credits.
OPTIONAL MINOR. Students pursuing the B.S. degree are allowed to complete a minor course of study. Required hours completed in the related subjects can be counted as hours toward a minor. See the "B.A. College Specific and Collegewide Degree Requirements" section for information on completing a minor.
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 studies, 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. Except for the B.A. in African American studies, B.A. in international studies, and B.A. in Southern studies, students who complete the B.A. degree in the College of Liberal Arts must complete a minor course of study (or a second major). For students completing the B.S. degree in the College of Liberal Arts, a minor course of study is optional. In a department that offers multiple areas of study, a student may complete the minor course of study (or complete a second major) in the same department as 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 Air Force/aerospace studies, environmental studies, gender studies, military science, naval science, Renaissance and Early Modern studies, cinema, neuroscience, and medieval studies are also available. Minors also may be chosen in certain disciplines in the professional schools, as listed below. 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).
A MINOR IN ACCOUNTANCY consists of Accountancy 201, 202, 303, 304, and 6 additional hours of accountancy courses.
A MINOR IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION consists of Accountancy 201, 202; Economics 202, 203; and 6 additional hours of business administration courses at the 300-level or higher.
A MINOR IN ENGINEERING consists of 18 hours of coursework in one of the following areas of emphasis: general engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, geological engineering, or mechanical engineering. The courses are to be chosen with the advice and approval of a faculty adviser assigned by the dean of engineering. Students interested in the engineering minor should acquaint themselves with the mathematics, chemistry, and physics courses which are prerequisite to the engineering courses listed.
A MINOR IN INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY STUDIES consists of ISS 125, ISS 350, ISS 480, ISS 490, and ISS 499. No substitutions are permitted. Students must complete each course in the ISS minor with a grade of B or higher and must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0. Students not meeting these requirements may be dropped from the minor. ISS 125 is open to all students. Students who have completed or are taking ISS 125 may apply for the minor. The application process will consider a student's GPA, motivation, choice of major, writing skills, and maturity. It is unlikely that everyone who applies will be accepted.
A MINOR IN JOURNALISM consists of 18 credit hours in the following required courses: Jour 102, IMC 204 and four additional journalism courses, three of which must be at the 300-level or above.
A MINOR IN PARK AND RECREATION MANAGEMENT consists of Park and Recreation Management 194, 200, 302, 332, and a 3-hour PRM elective. This minor will provide a knowledge base suitable for employment in municipal, state, federal, or commercial park and recreation management positions. It does not meet teacher certification requirements.
*The exception is the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
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. Related 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.
Advising
Academic Adviser - Each student who is admitted to the College of Liberal Arts is assigned an academic adviser. A student who has declared a major will be assigned an adviser from that department. A student who has not declared a major will be assigned to an academic adviser in the Academic Support Center. All of the advising for the pre-health majors is done through the Academic Support Center. 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.