Degree Programs and Requirements

Academic Affairs
Churchill 130
541-552-6114
Sara Hopkins-Powell, Vice President for
Academic Affairs and Provost

SOU CATALOG HOME : DEGREE PROGRAMS AND REQUIREMENTS

Please note: Students are cautioned that due to budgetary reductions, Southern Oregon University may be forced to change some academic offerings. Students should consult with advisors about the effects of any changes.

Arts and Sciences Programs

The arts and sciences at Southern Oregon University are centered in three schools: Arts and Letters; Social Science, Education, and Health and Physical Education; and Sciences. Two types of degree programs are available. For subject matter degrees, the major field of study is concentrated within one academic department. For interdisciplinary degrees the major work is drawn from two or more fields of study from different departments (see page 136). A complete listing of these degree programs may be found on page 4 of this catalog.

Professional Programs

The professional programs at Southern Oregon University are centered in two schools: Business; and Social Science, Education, and Health and Physical Education. The professional degree programs emphasize in-depth coursework within these schools and also draw upon the arts and sciences programs for supporting coursework and a strong general education component. A wide variety of emphases are available within the professional programs. Please refer to page 4 of this catalog and to the appropriate academic section.

Program Planning

Students should consider the following when planning a degree program:

1. Core Curriculum. The core curriculum at SOU has three parts: (a) general education requirements; (b) special requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree; and (c) upper division writing, functional computer literacy, and capstone experience requirements in each major. The general education requirements are organized under nine goals relating to specific academic areas such as writing, speech, and mathematics. Each goal is met by selecting courses from the approved course list for that goal (see section titled Approved General Education Courses, page 31). These goals require approximately 60 credits of coursework, the equivalent of about a year and a half of full-time college work. For most majors, students should focus on general education coursework during the first two years of university. The special requirements for the BA or BS degree are in the section titled BA/BS Requirements, page 32. The upper division requirements for writing, functional computer literacy, and capstone experience vary per the major (see the catalog section of the academic department which offers the major).

2. Academic Progress. Students planning to complete the bachelor's degree in four years should take at least 15 to 16 credits a term each year.

3. Class Schedule. The Class Schedule, provided by the Office of the Registrar, lists classes available each quarter. Students should check the "closed class list" posted in the Office of the Registrar or the Academic Advising Office before preregistering to be sure classes are available.

4. Course Content. For specific information about a course, consult the course description in this catalog or request a syllabus from the department or instructor offering the course. Texts for a course can be reviewed in the University bookstore.

5. Special Course Scheduling Considerations. Many language and science course sequences begin fall quarter and cannot be entered midyear. Some courses have laboratory work that must be taken concurrently with the lecture component of the class. Students intending a major with a science specialty should consult early with advisors for the major about supporting coursework requirements in mathematics and science.

6. Approval of Registration. Students with a declared pre-major or major must obtain approval of the proposed schedule from their advisor before registration. Undeclared students and students majoring in interdisciplinary studies must obtain this registration approval from the Academic Advising Office in Stevenson Union 134.

Baccalaureate Degree Requirements

1. Minimum term credits: 180.

2. Completion of the core curriculum requirements. See following section titled Core Curriculum Requirements.

3. Work in upper division courses: minimum of 60 credits.

4. Satisfaction of the departmental requirements for a major. This must be certified by the department chair.

5. Work in residence: minimum 45 credits of last 60; last 15 on campus.

6. Registration is blocked for any student who has completed 91 credits and does not have a declared major on file in the Office of the Registrar.

7. Students completing a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree must complete the special requirements for these degrees. See the section titled, BA/BS Requirements, page 32.

8. Grade Point Average: minimum 2.0 in the major, any minor, and overall. Some departments have a higher minimum GPA requirement for their majors and minors (see requirements for the major and minors in the departmental listing).

9. Restrictions:

a) Courses numbered below 100 taken after fall term 1982 do not apply toward graduation requirements. Note: Courses taken prior to fall term 1982 numbered 0­49 are not applicable toward graduation requirements; 50­99 are applicable toward graduation as electives only.

b) Open course numbers limitation:

(1) 199, 399, 401, 403, 405, 407 courses limited to 45 credits overall program.

(2) 409 practicum courses limited to 15 credits one prefix (e.g., Wr, Sp, Anth), 30 credits overall program.

(3) Courses which were taken as open numbered courses but subsequently became regularly scheduled (non open numbered) courses, should not be counted in the credit hour limits on open numbered courses.

c) Correspondence study: maximum 24 credits.

d) Extension study: maximum 60 credits (including the above).

e) Prior learning experience: maximum 90 credits approved.

Core Curriculum Requirements

The faculty of Southern Oregon University have developed a core curriculum that must be completed by all baccalaureate students regardless of the major or type of baccalaureate degree. This curriculum is designed to give each student skills, knowledge, and the understanding necessary to be a responsible and productive citizen of a community that is becoming increasingly international. The core curriculum includes two sets of requirements: (1) general education requirements, (2) components in the major.

General Education Requirements

The general education requirements are designed to provide undergraduate students effective communication, critical judgment, and research skills and to cultivate an awareness of the social, artistic, cultural, and scientific traditions of civilization. The objective is to help students become educated individuals capable of dealing with the complex issues of our times with intelligence and understanding based on the traditional disciplines that have brought civilization to its current state. To achieve this objective, the University has established nine general education goals.

Goal 1. To be able to express ideas written in clear, logical, and grammatically correct English. To be fluent and competent in writing ability, including formal and technical writing styles, and in the preparation of a research paper.

Goal 2. To be able to communicate clearly and effectively in oral English.

Goal 3. To be able to appreciate and use mathematics as a language that expresses, defines, and answers questions about the world.

Goal 4. To understand the role of the natural sciences in the world.

Goal 5. To appreciate the creative processes, the aesthetic principles, and the historical traditions of one or more of the fine and performing arts.

Goal 6. To recognize the way that perspectives on the human condition and human values are expressed in works of literature and philosophy and/or transmitted in the media.

Goal 7. To be able to understand world history, geography, and culture as forces that shape human experience.

Goal 8. To understand the function and influence of national or international political, economic, and/or legal systems in human affairs.

Goal 9. To understand how humans function in society.

Approved General Education Courses

The courses listed below have been approved by the University Curriculum Committee, Faculty Senate, and provost as meeting stated course criteria for the respective goals. Each goal requires a minimum number of course credits. For each course, the number in parentheses gives the number of credits for the course.

Note: The University is undergoing a review of general education. New courses may be approved on a pilot basis. Please refer to the fall Class Schedule for a list of approved new courses.

To meet each general education goal, students must select courses from the following:

Goals 1 and 2

(A grade of C- or better is required in each course to satisfy Goals 1 and 2.)

University Colloquium is required for all entering students who have 45 or fewer credits, or who have not successfully completed Wr 121 and Wr 122 or their equivalents. Successful completion of all three terms of University Colloquium (Core 101, 102, and 103) satisfies Goals 1 and 2.

For students not required to take University Colloquium, one of the following communication courses and Wr 121 and Wr 122, are required for Goals 1 and 2:

Goal 3 (3 Credits)

Goal 4 (12 Credits)

(Students must take courses from at least two departments. At least two courses must include a laboratory component.)

Laboratory Courses (6­12 Credits)

Goal 5 8 Credits

(Maximum of 4 credits from studio courses.)

Non Studio Courses (6­9 Credits)

Studio Courses (0­4 Credits)

Goal 6 (8 Credits)

(Maximum of 4 credits from media courses.)

Literature/Philosophy Courses (6­9 Credits)

(A maximum of 4 credits may be from Shakespeare courses.)

Media Courses (0­4 Credits)

Goal 7 (8 Credits)

(Maximum of 4 credits from U.S. history, U.S. geography, and U.S. culture courses.)

World History, Geography, Culture Courses (6­9 Credits)

U.S. History, Geography, Culture Courses (0­4 Credits)

Goal 8 (6 Credits)

Goal 9 (3 Credits)

General Education Goal Policies

1. Courses in the major/minor can be used to meet general education requirements.

2. To satisfy the set of requirements for Goals 2 through 9, a student may use, at most, 9 credits from any one department.

Components in the Major

Each academic major leading to a baccalaureate degree includes three requirements that must be met by each student completing that major.

Writing and Research Component: Demonstrate writing and research skills within the academic field of study chosen as a major. This requirement is in addition to the writing requirement of general education Goal 1 and is met through coursework in the major.

Functional Computer Literacy: Acquire hands-on computer experience relevant to the chosen major field of study and understand computers' function within that academic field and related professions.

Capstone Experience: Complete a capstone experience designed to bring focus to, and provide understanding of, the major field of study.

Each department specifies the manner in which majors within that department meet these requirements. There is variation between fields of study. Please refer to the departmental listing of major requirements for details regarding the implementation of these requirements.

Assessment

The University uses a variety of methods to improve the quality of instruction. Student evaluations, regular course examinations, and other standardized assessment tests provide input for faculty during curriculum revision. During the course of their collegiate careers, students may be required to participate in these assessment activities. Participation helps the University meet accreditation standards and enhance curriculum and instruction.

BA/BS Requirements

Students completing the Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree must complete the following requirements as well as the other graduation requirements detailed earlier in this section.

Bachelor of Arts Degree (BA)

For this degree the student must:

1. Complete one year of study of a foreign language at the second year level or above at Southern Oregon University or another accredited college or university, or complete four years of study of a single foreign language at the high school level, or successfully complete a proficiency examination administered by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. The exam is offered registration week of fall quarter. See page 50 for further details.

2. Complete at least 48 credits in courses offered by the School of Arts and Letters. (Please note that courses toward general education, the academic major, a minor, and requirement 1 above may be counted toward this requirement.)

Bachelor of Science Degree (BS)

For this degree the student must:

1. Complete at least two courses (8 or more credits) in mathematics, computer science (CS), designated statistics courses, or designated logic courses. The following statistics and logic courses have been approved for this requirement:

2. Complete at least 48 credits in courses offered by the Schools of Business; Social Science, Education, and Health and Physical Education (excluding education courses); and Sciences. (Please note that courses toward general education, the academic major, a minor, and requirement 1 above may be counted toward this requirement.)

These requirements for the BA and BS do not apply to students completing the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (BFA).

Transfer Student Policies

For the purpose of determining general education degree requirements, each student is assigned one of the following classifications:

Resident general education students are students whose total college work is at SOU or whose transfer credits accepted on an SOU Advanced Standing Report total less than 45 quarter credits.

Transfer general education students are students whose transfer credits accepted on an SOU Advanced Standing Report total 45 or more quarter credits.

Oregon community college transfer students who have completed an Associate of Arts­Oregon Transfer degree as certified by an Oregon community college are accepted by SOU as having met all lower division general education requirements.

Additional Degree Requirements

Additional core curriculum requirements (writing in the major; functional computer literacy; capstone; special BA/BS requirements; etc.) and general degree requirements other than general education must be met from the SOU catalog chosen.

General Education Options

Resident general education students must meet the standard SOU general education requirements from the catalog chosen.

Transfer students may meet either the standard SOU general education requirements or the SOU transfer general education requirements from the catalog chosen. If a student chooses to meet the standard SOU general education requirements, only courses which are strictly analogous to those listed are accepted.

General Education Requirements for Transfer Students

Students whose transfer credits (from institutions accepted on an SOU Advanced Standing Report) total 45 or more credits may choose to meet these general education requirements instead of the SOU resident general education requirements.

Students must achieve a grade of C- or better for each course used to meet the following writing and oral communication requirements:

Writing (8 credits)

Wr 121, 122, 123 or 227, or the equivalent.

Oral Communication (3 credits)

One of the following or the equivalent: Comm 210, 125, 310, 225.

Mathematics (4 credits)

Four credits of college-level mathematics from courses that require intermediate algebra or two years of high school algebra as a prerequisite.

Humanities/Fine & Performing Arts (15 credits)

(Art, Communication, English, Foreign Languages and Literatures, Music, Philosophy, Theatre Arts, General Humanities)

1. A three-quarter sequence in one discipline in humanities and fine and performing arts; and

2. Additional course or courses from at least one other discipline in humanities and fine and performing arts.

Social Science (18 credits)

(Anthropology, Criminology, Economics, Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, General Social Science)

1. A three-quarter sequence in one discipline in social science; and

2. Additional course or courses from at least one other discipline in social science.

Science/Mathematics (15 credits)

(Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, General Science)

1. A three-quarter sequence with laboratory in a life or physical science (Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Physics, General Science); and

2. Additional course or courses from at least one other discipline in science, mathematics, or computer science.

Note: Courses used to meet these requirements may also be used to meet other University requirements (major, minor, special BA/BS requirements, etc.).

Guideline for Normal Progress

The following serves as a guide for students and advisors to assess the rate at which students should complete general education and major requirements.

1. At the completion of 48 credits of study applicable to a bachelor's degree, the student should have:

a) A 2.0 or better cumulative GPA; and

b) Completed at least 21 credits of general education requirements, including at least 3 credits toward the satisfaction of Goal 1 (competency in written English).

2. At the completion of 91 credits of study applicable to a baccalaureate degree, the student should have:

a) A 2.0 or better cumulative GPA;

b) Completed at least 42 credits of general education requirements, including 9 credits to satisfy Goal 1 (competency in written English); and

c) Declared a major. Registration is blocked for any student who has not declared a major after the completion of 91 credits.

3. At the completion of 144 credits of study applicable to a bachelor's degree, the student should have:

a) A 2.0 or better cumulative GPA;

b) Completed all of the general education requirements;

c) Completed at least one half of the credits in the declared major; and

d) Completed at least 30 credits of upper division coursework.

4. At the completion of 180 credits of study, the student should have completed all requirements for the baccalaureate degree.

Guideline for Normal Progress Notes

1. Most baccalaureate degree programs at Southern Oregon University are designed to be completed in four academic years at an average academic load of 16 credits per quarter. Some students, however, pursue the degree at an average rate of fewer than 16 credits per quarter and complete the degree in a proportionately longer period of time. The guideline above addresses the content of the program rather than the rate at which the student pursues the degree. Consequently, this guideline is applicable to both full-time and part-time students.

2. The guideline above is designed for a student whose total academic program is at Southern Oregon University. A transfer student's normal progress toward a degree should be evaluated on the basis of credits accepted for transfer to SOU by the Office of Admissions plus credits completed at SOU.

3. Some majors, particularly in the sciences and preprofessional programs, require a heavy academic load in the major and supporting areas during the first two years due to the sequential structure of the major program. Students in these majors may need to delay certain elements of the general education program until their junior or senior year. Such students are expected to complete general education goals 1 and 2 as early as possible within the first two years. However, these students and their advisors may need to modify items 1.b), 2.b), and 3.b) of this guideline to accommodate the special needs of the major.

Accelerated Baccalaureate Degree

Southern Oregon University offers an accelerated baccalaureate degree program for students who have the motivation, maturity, time management skills, and academic strengths necessary to finish a degree in three rather than four years. Advantages of the program are earlier entry into the job market, a focused undergraduate program as preparation for graduate school, and financial savings of one full year of tuition and fees.

Departments participating in the program are: Business, Communication, Computer Science, Economics, Geography, Mathematics, Political Science, and Foreign Languages. For detailed information, see the Special Programs section on page 144 of this catalog.