College of Arts and Sciences

Click here to view department information.

217 VARNER HALL (248) 370-2140
Fax: (248) 370-4280
http://www.oakland.edu/cas

Dean: Ronald A. Sudol

Office of the Dean:

Kathleen H. Moore, associate dean; Robert B. Stewart, Jr., interim associate dean; Sandra K. Dykstra, assistant dean; Steven R. Meyer, assistant dean; Janice M. Baker, administrative assistant; Gerard Jozwiak, director of computing resources; Kelly A. Conway, director of development; Kristen L. Clark, donor relations and events coordinator; Shannon A. Esselink, director of advising services; Paul Battle, academic adviser; Matthew Prentice, academic adviser; Lorin Wright, academic adviser.

Ambassadors

The College of Arts and Sciences Ambassadors are a volunteer body comprised of community leaders committed to the vision and mission of the college. Ambassadors serve as advocates taking an active part in furthering the college’s objectives.

Members of the College of Arts Ambassadors are:

Joel Dean, chief operating officer, Casemer Tool & Machine, Inc.
Nino Dicosmo, vice president of operations, New World Systems
Marianne Fey, executive vice president, McCann-Erickson Detroit
Lisa Flynn, M.D., St. Clair Specialty Physicians
Robert Gebbie, partner, Natural Bridge Technologies
Grant Gerhart, senior research scientist, U.S. Army Tank and Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC)
William Goldenberg, first vice president, Raymond James and Associates, Inc.
Michael Glass, D.D.S., Endodontic Associates PC
Gail Haines, state representative, Michigan State House of Representatives, 43rd District
Jean Holland, M.D., dermatologist, Grekin Skin Institute
William Horton, president and partner, Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton, P.C.
Thomas E. Kimble (retired), General Motors Corporation
Sue Mancuso, director of marketing, Guardian Angel Home Care
Richard Pennock, business unit leader, Kelly Scientific Resources
Vito Pianello, associate managing director, The Private Bank
Lynne Portnoy
Richard Rassel, director, Global Client Relations, Butzel Long
Robert Schostak, president, Schostak Brothers & Company
Lois Shaevsky
Kimberly Whipple

Role and Mission of the College

The intellectual and creative capacity of the College of Arts and Sciences provides students with multiple opportunities to develop distinctive individualized academic and cultural experiences, which serve as a foundation for civic engagement, creative problem solving, entrepreneurial endeavors, and professional goals.

The college is home to a wide range of disciplines representing the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and fine and performing arts, as well as several interdisciplinary programs. Students share experiences that enhance written and oral communication, problem-solving, and analytic skills. The college offers many opportunities to develop these skills beyond the classroom through internships, field placements, and research experiences. Students learn to think creatively about the problems they confront and be adaptive in a rapidly changing world. The college faculty inspires students to become engaged citizens and professionals and individuals with an inclination toward lifelong learning.

Programs Offered

The college offers instruction leading to the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Social Work, Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, Master of Music, Master of Public Administration, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. In conjunction with the School of Education and Human Services, it offers instruction leading to secondary teaching certification in biology, chemistry, dance, economics, English, history, mathematics, modern languages and literatures, music, physics, political science, sociology and studio art, and secondary teaching endorsements in integrated science and social studies.

Admission

Departmental rather than college-wide regulations govern admission to the college’s majors. Students should maintain close contact with faculty advisers in the department in which they wish to major and with the college advising office.

Academic Advising

In order to help students develop and achieve their academic goals, the college offers an advising program staffed by faculty advisers in each academic department and by professional advisers in the College of Arts and Sciences Advising Office, 221 Varner Hall, (248) 370-4567. All students are expected to meet with an adviser on a regular basis. Students who need assistance with course selection, registration, major and career choice or have questions about college and degree requirements, academic standing, transfer credit and petitions of exception should meet with an adviser in the College of Arts and Sciences Advising Office.

Undecided students interested in programs offered by the college should meet with an adviser in the College of Arts and Sciences Advising Office each semester until they declare a major. Once a major in the college has been declared, students should meet initially with a departmental adviser to establish a program plan and periodically thereafter to ensure that they are completing major requirements. Frequent adviser contact will help ensure that the student has current academic information and is making good progress toward a degree.

Seniors are urged to meet with an adviser for a graduation check prior to final registration. It is the responsibility of each student to know and meet graduation requirements and to make every effort to obtain adequate academic advising.

Requirements for Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees

General requirements

Each student must:

1. Complete at least 124 credits; the Bachelor of Music degree requires 155-164 credits in music education, and the Bachelor of Science degree in environmental health requires completion of 128 credits. No more than 8 credits in approved physical education courses will count toward a degree in the College of Arts and Sciences.
2. Complete the requirements for a major offered by the College of Arts and Sciences with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00.
3. Complete at least 32 of these credits at Oakland University, of which at least 16 credits must be in the student’s elected major.
4. Complete at least 32 credits in courses at the 300 level or above.
5. Complete the last 8 credits at Oakland University.
6. Earn a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 in courses taken at Oakland University and in the major(s), any elective minor(s), and any elective concentration(s).
7. Complete the university’s general education requirements (see Undergraduate degree requirements ).
8. Complete the college distribution requirements described below.

College distribution requirements

In addition to satisfying the university-wide general education requirements, students seeking either the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, or Bachelor or Social Work degree must complete 16 additional credits distributed in four of the six categories listed below. Students seeking the Bachelor of Science degree need complete only 12 additional credits in three of the six areas listed below. These credit requirements may be lower for students with sufficient preparation in a foreign language (see Note 1 below). An approved interdisciplinary course may be used in lieu of one of the six distribution categories (see Note 2 below). Candidates for the Bachelor of Music degree must complete 4 credits in a modern foreign language at the 115 level or above. None of these requirements may be met by independent study courses, internships, field experience courses or teaching methods courses. Unless otherwise noted, courses in the major may be applied toward these requirements; restrictions apply only to students majoring in social science disciplines (see Note 3 below) and transfer students (see Special provisions for transfer students in college Policies and Procedures). Some courses may be used to satisfy both the college distribution requirements and the ethnic diversity requirement.

Distribution categories

1. Foreign language: 4 credits in a modern foreign language numbered 115 or higher.
2. Arts and literature: An additional 4 credits from either the university general education field category lists in arts and literature; literature courses at the 300 level or higher in a modern foreign language; or art or art history, cinema, dance, English, music or theatre courses at the 300 level or higher, except for writing courses AH 300, ENG 380 , ENG 383 , ENG 384 , ENG 410  and ENG 411 .
3. Civilization: An additional 4 credits from among history, philosophy or international studies courses listed in the university general education field categories of Western civilization or international studies; or history or philosophy courses at the 300 level or higher.
4. Social sciences: An additional 4 credits in anthropology, economics, political science, psychology or sociology from either the university general education field category list in social science, or courses at the 300 level or higher in any of these disciplines or linguistics courses ALS 334 , ALS 335 , ALS 373,  ALS 374 , ALS 375  or ALS 376 . (See Note 3 below.)
5. Mathematics: An additional 4 credits in mathematical sciences courses (MTH, APM, STA, MOR but not MTE) numbered 118 or higher.
6. Science: An additional 4 credits in biology, chemistry, environmental science or physics.

Notes

1. Four credits in a modern foreign language course numbered 115 or higher may be used to satisfy two requirements at once: the general education requirement in language and the foreign language distribution category.
2. An approved interdisciplinary course may be used in lieu of one of the six distribution categories. Interdisciplinary courses which have been approved by the College of Arts and Sciences for this purpose will be listed in each semester’s Schedule of Classes; they currently include AMS 300  and WGS 200 .
3. Note: WGS 200  may be used to fulfill this requirement or the general education requirement in the social science knowledge exploration area, not both. Additional information may also be obtained from the College of Arts and Sciences Advising Office (221 Varner Hall).
4. Majors in one of the social science disciplines who want to use social science courses to satisfy part of the distribution requirement must take these courses in a social science discipline different from the major.

NOTE: As a general rule, no more than 8 credits of course work used to satisfy one major, minor or concentration may be applied toward another, but exceptions to this rule may be allowed with the written approval of the program coordinators.

Departmental Honors

Requirements for awarding departmental honors to students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement are determined by each department. Please consult the chief academic adviser in each department for the specific details of these requirements. Normally, not more than one-third of a department’s graduates may be awarded departmental honors.

Major Programs

Students must fulfill all requirements of their elected majors as described in the departmental entries. A cumulative grade point average of 2.00 in the major is required for graduation. As a general rule, no more than 8 credits of course work used to satisfy one major, minor or concentration may be applied toward another, but exceptions to this rule may be allowed with the written approval of the program coordinators.

Majors offered by the College of Arts and Sciences are listed below. There are no college-wide regulations governing admission to major standing or retention in the majors. Each department controls its own procedures in these areas. Therefore, students are urged to maintain close contact with faculty advisers in the department in which they wish to major and with the College of Arts and Sciences Advising Office. The majors are:

Acting (B.F.A.)	Journalism (B.A.)
Anthropology (B.A.)	Linguistics (B.A.)
Applied Statistics (B.S.)	Mathematics (B.A. or B.S.)
Art History (B.A.)	Medical Physics (B.S.)
Biology (B.A. or B.S.)	Modern Languages and Literatures (B.A.)
Biochemistry (B.S.)	Music (B.A. or B.M.)
Chemistry (B.A. or B.S.)	Musical Theatre (B.F.A.)
Communication (B.A.)	Philosophy (B.A.)
Dance (B.A. or B.F.A.)	Physics (B.A. or B.S.)
Economics (B.A.)	Political Science (B.A.)
English (B.A.)	Psychology (B.A.)
Environmental Science (B.S.)	Public Administration (B.S.)
Engineering Biology (B.S.)	Social Work (B.S.W.)
Engineering Chemistry (B.S.)	Sociology (B.A.)
Engineering Physics (B.S.)	Studio Art (B.A.)
History (B.A.)	Theatre (B.A.)
International Relations (B.A.)	Theatre Design and Technology (B.F.A.)
International Studies (B.A.)	Women and Gender Studies (B.A.)
	Writing and Rhetoric (B.A.)

Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP)

In cooperation with the School of Education and Human Services, the College of Arts and Sciences offers an extended program of study leading to secondary teaching certification. Generally, eligibility for admission to the STEP requires a GPA of 3.00 in both the major and minor, and an overall GPA of 2.80. No single major or minor course grade may be below 2.0. Second-undergraduate degree candidates completing major and/or minors for STEP may be required to complete coursework at Oakland University beyond the stated minimums. Majors in music education and studio art education complete the requirements for K-12 certification. Majors in French, German and Spanish also complete the requirements for K-12 certification. For more information on program and admission requirements and procedures, please consult with advisers in the appropriate College of Arts and Sciences department and the School of Education and Human Services. The majors in this program include:

Biological Sciences (B.A. or B.S.)	Mathematics (B.A. or B.S.)
Chemistry (B.A. or B.S.)	Choral/General Music Education (B.M.)
English (B.A.)	Instrumental/General Music Education (B.M.)
French (B.A.) K-12	Physics (B.A. or B.S.)
German (B.A.) K-12	Spanish (B.A.) K-12
History (B.A.)	Studio Art Education (B.A.) K-12

Center for International Programs

The center offers majors and minors in international studies; it also sponsors study abroad programs for students and the general public. For information about majors and study abroad programs see the Center for International Programs  section of the catalog and consult with the center’s director, Peter J. Bertocci at (248) 370-2154.

Interschool MBA program

For superior undergraduate students in any major in the college, the School of Business Administration offers the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. This is a two-year professional program in management designed for students with non-business undergraduate majors. Undergraduate business or management majors may take a variation of the standard MBA program. College of Arts and Sciences undergraduates working on a major other than one of the business areas may obtain both the undergraduate degree and MBA in an accelerated program. To be eligible, students should have a grade point average in the top 25 percent of their class. Students should apply to the School of Business Administration for admission to this accelerated program in their junior year (see the Oakland University Graduate Catalog).

Multiple Majors

Students who elect to major in more than one area in the College of Arts and Sciences must satisfy the specific requirements of each of the majors they choose. Such students are single degree candidates with more than one major and must satisfy the general and specific requirements applicable to the awarding of one degree, either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science. As a general rule, no more than 8 credits of course work used to satisfy one major, minor or concentration may be applied toward another, but exceptions to this rule may be allowed with the written approval of the program coordinators. Forms for students requesting an additional major are available in the advising office and should be completed by students wishing to graduate with more than one major. Under certain conditions, a student may earn more than one degree. Such students are double-degree candidates. For information on the restrictions that apply to the awarding of more than one degree and the requirements that double-degree candidates must satisfy, please see Additional undergraduate degrees and majors.

Independent Majors

Students interested in academic areas in which no suitable major program is available may petition the college Committee on Instruction for an individually tailored independent major in place of one of the departmental majors listed above. An independent major also may be taken as part of a double-major program in conjunction with a regular departmental major, provided that no course counted toward completion of the departmental major is also counted toward completion of the independent major. Students will be admitted to the independent major only after completing 32 credits but before completing 90 credits. For the specific requirements of an independent major, consult the College of Arts and Sciences Advising Office at 221 Varner Hall, (248) 370-4567.

Minors for Liberal Arts Degree programs

Minors are not required by the College of Arts and Sciences for baccalaureate programs, but the college offers a number of liberal arts minors that students may pursue in addition to the required major. A cumulative grade point average of 2.00 is required in courses included in the minor. At least 8 of the credits offered for each minor must be taken at Oakland University. Some courses may satisfy a minor requirement, the ethnic diversity requirement and either a general education or a college distribution requirement. As a general rule, no more than 8 credits of course work used to satisfy one major, minor or concentration may be applied toward another, but exceptions to this rule may be allowed with the written approval of the program coordinators. The catalog chosen for the student’s major will also be used to determine degree requirements for any minor the student may be pursuing unless a written plan of study has been approved by the department or school offering that program. Forms for planning and approval of minors are available from departments or from the College of Arts and Sciences Advising Office (221 Varner Hall). If a department or program does not require an approved plan of study, a student is still entitled to negotiate in writing a minor or concentration with the program coordinator.

The college offers the following minors*:

applied statistics	linguistics
advertising (see Communication and Journalism)	mathematics
anthropology	modern languages
art history	music
biology	philosophy
chemistry	physics
Chinese language and civilization	political science
communication	psychology
dance	public relations (see Communication and Journalism)
economics	religious studies: Christianity studies
English	religious studies: Islamic studies
environmental science	religious studies: Judaic studies
graphic design	sociology
history	theatre
international relations	women and gender studies
international studies	writing and rhetoric
journalism

Minors from other academic units are also accepted by the college for students graduating with a major from the College of Arts and Sciences. Requirements for these minors are described under departmental entries as indicated. These minors include: in the School of Business Administration, accounting, finance, business, human resources management, international management, management information systems, marketing, production and operations management and quantitative methods; in the School of Education and Human Services, human resource development, and labor and employment studies; in the School of Engineering and Computer Science, computing and computer science; and in the School of Health Sciences, exercise science and occupational safety and health.

*These minors do not count toward an elementary or a secondary teaching credential. For further information on minors without section references, see the departmental chapter of the same name.

Secondary Teaching Minors

Completion of a secondary teaching minor is required as part of the secondary teacher education program (STEP) in preparation for teacher certification by the Michigan Department of Education. Only programs entitled “secondary teaching minors” are acceptable by the department.

Generally, a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 is required in courses included in the minor, with no single course grade below 2.0. Second undergraduate degree candidates completing major and/or minors for STEP may be required to complete course-work at Oakland University beyond the stated minimums. Courses taken to satisfy general education or college distribution requirements may also be used to meet those for the teaching minor. The College of Arts and Sciences offers the following secondary teaching minors, which are described in detail under departmental entries in this catalog: biology, chemistry, dance, English, history, mathematics, modern languages (French, German, Spanish), physics, political science and sociology. As a general rule, no more than 8 credits of course work used to satisfy one major, minor or concentration may be applied toward another, but exceptions to this rule may be allowed with the written approval of the program coordinators.

Concentrations

The College of Arts and Sciences offers a number of concentrations that students may pursue in addition to a departmental major. Concentrations are elective and are not required for graduation. No specific grade point average is required for completion of any given concentration. Some courses may satisfy a concentration requirement, the ethnic diversity requirement and either a general education or a college distribution requirement. As a general rule, no more than 8 credits of course work used to satisfy one major, minor or concentration may be applied toward another, but exceptions to this rule may be allowed with the written approval of the program coordinators. The catalog chosen for the student’s major will also be used to determine degree requirements for any concentration the student may be pursuing. Students should file the university’s Minor and Concentration Authorization Form with the department or school offering that program.

Concentrations are described under Other Academic Options  at the end of the College of Arts and Sciences portion of the catalog and include the following:

American studies	French studies
archaeology	pre-medical studies in medical, dentistry, optometry and veterinary medicine
criminal justice	pre-law studies
environmental studies	religious studies
film aesthetics and history	urban studies

Information about pre-law studies, geography course offerings and the liberal arts minor in science can be found in the Other Academic Options  section as well.

Concentrations from other academic units are also accepted by the college for students graduating with a major from the College of Arts and Sciences. Requirements for these concentrations are described under department entries as indicated.

Additional Information

Special provisions for transfer students

The university’s general education requirements and the college’s distribution requirements call for a distribution of courses among various fields as well as a total number of credits. Students transferring from other institutions may meet a 4-credit field requirement with an appropriate 3-credit transfer course. Such students, however, must take additional courses from any of the field categories to bring the total number of credits completed up to those required for their degree: 40 general education credits plus 16 college distribution credits for the Bachelor of Arts; 40 general education credits plus 12 college distribution credits for the Bachelor of Science.

No more than 8 credits in the major discipline and 8 credits in other courses required for the major may be counted toward these credit totals, except by students majoring in linguistics or journalism. For distribution purposes, cross-listed courses count under the department in whose listing the course description is given in full. Students who have completed the MACRAO agreement must complete the college distribution requirements. Students may transfer applicable community college credits at any time during their course of study. However, at least one-half of the credits required for completion of a specific baccalaureate degree program must be from regionally accredited four-year institutions, with at least 32 credits earned at Oakland University. (see Transfer student information .)

Field experience courses

The College of Arts and Sciences offers, by means of departmental courses numbered 399, opportunities for students to earn credit for academic work concurrent with field work experience. Emphasis is on the academic aspect of this program that incorporates student performance in the field. Students are required to make an intellectual analysis of the field experience based on their academic program.

The 399 courses carry 4 credits each, are numerically graded and may not be repeated for additional credit. Students wishing to participate in this program are expected to be at the junior or senior level and must have completed at least 16 credits in the department offering the 399 course in which they wish to enroll. Individual departments may have specific prerequisites in addition to these. For details, consult the departments or programs that offer these courses: art and art history; biological sciences; communication and journalism; history; modern languages and literatures; psychology; sociology and anthropology; women and gender studies; writing and rhetoric.

Cooperative education

Students majoring in one of the College of Arts and Sciences disciplines have the opportunity to participate in a cooperative education (co-op) program. Co-op offers students the chance to obtain work experience directly related to their chosen careers or fields of study. For example, chemistry majors may work in chemistry laboratories, pre-law students in law offices and journalism and communication majors in various writing jobs. By involving students in an on-the-job experience, co-op helps them make decisions about their future careers. In addition to augmenting their classroom work, it helps them defray the cost of college.

To participate in the co-op program, students should have junior or senior standing, a 2.80 grade point average and the approval of their faculty adviser. Students must agree to accept employment for at least two semesters and should not expect to work only during the summer semester. Interested students should contact the coordinator of cooperative education in the Department of Placement and Career Services.

 Back to Top | Print-Friendly Page (opens a new window)