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2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

College of Arts and Sciences

Christopher Culbertson, Interim Dean
Scott Tanona, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Vacant, Associate Dean for Research
Melinda Cro, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Kimathi Choma, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Recruitment, and Retention

110 Calvin Hall
785-532-6900
Fax: 785-532-7004
www.k-state.edu/artsci

The College of Arts and Sciences is the home of a wide range of disciplines across the arts and humanities, the social sciences, and the natural and quantitative sciences. These areas embody the core studies of a university education.

Majors in the college gain a broad-based, liberal education that provides a range of knowledge and skills, opportunities for combining areas of study, and flexibility for their future. An Arts & Sciences education seeks to develop intellectual skills such as critical analysis, effective communication, and creativity. Majors offered by the college prepare students in a variety of ways, providing skills for specific professions, involvement in cutting-edge research, training for graduate or professional school, general readiness for a variety of careers, or experience in an interdisciplinary study across a range of disciplines.

Click on any of the following links for information:

 

University Degree Requirements

At least 120 credit hours are required for graduation.

Courses numbered below 100 may not be applied toward a degree. In addition to the university’s limit on credits for extracurricular work, no more than 4 credit hours in lifetime sports and exercise activity classes may be applied toward a degree.

Common degree requirements

(Three courses, 8 credit hours minimum)

Purpose: to give students practice in oral presentation and in writing and analyzing expository and argumentative prose.

Course Course Title Credit hours
ENGL 100   Expository Writing I 3
ENGL 200   Expository Writing II 3
COMM 105   or Public Speaking IA or 2
COMM 106   Public Speaking I 3

K-State 8

The K-State 8 helps ensure that all K-State students gain educational exposure in various thematic areas: General Education: K-State 8.

College of Arts and Sciences Basic Requirements

The aim of these requirements is to provide breadth in the major areas of knowledge outside of the student’s field of specialization. Introductory and intermediate-level courses are available in departments in humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Basic requirements are to be fulfilled with courses chosen by students in consultation with their advisor. The requirement in the humanities enables students to appreciate and understand creative and conceptual human endeavors.

The requirement in the social sciences improves the student’s ability to analyze and understand human social systems. The requirement in the natural sciences develops the student’s knowledge of the principles of the scientific method as they are applied in the life and physical sciences.

Up to two courses from one department may be used to fulfill the distribution requirements for humanities and the social sciences. They may be used at the same time to count towards the student’s major. No course may be used to satisfy more than one specific requirement for humanities and social sciences. Only courses taken for 2 or more credit hours satisfy these requirements; courses in excess of 5 credit hours count as two courses.

Humanities

Four courses, one course for each section, 11 credit hours minimum

Fine arts (one course, or at least two credits)
Purpose: to ensure interpretive or expressive competence in a traditional, nonliterary mode of artistic expression.

Choose from the following:

Philosophy (one course)
Purpose: to ensure interpretive or expressive competence in the fundamental conceptual issues of human thought and activity.

Choose any philosophy course EXCEPT PHILO 105 , PHILO 110 , PHILO 320 , PHILO 510 , PHILO 610 , PHILO 110 , PHILO 320 , PHILO 510  or PHILO 610 .

Western heritage (one course)
Purpose:  to ensure interpretive or expressive competence regarding the institutions, traditions, and values that have shaped Western civilization.

Choose from the following:

Literary or rhetorical arts (one course)
Purpose: to ensure interpretive or expressive competence in a traditional literary or rhetorical mode of artistic expression.

Choose from the following:

Exception: Students in BS programs who take two courses in one modern language may use these to satisfy the requirements for Western heritage and for literary and rhetorical arts.

Social science

Four courses, 12 credit hours minimum, from at least three disciplines.

Purpose: to acquaint students with the adaptation of the scientific method to the analysis of human social systems.

One course must be at the 500 level or above or carry a prerequisite in the same department.

Three of the four courses must be from these areas:

  • American Ethnic Studies—any course
  • Anthropology—Any ANTH course EXCEPT , , , ,  -  
  • Communication Studies:             
  • Economics—any course
  • Geography—any course EXCEPT , , , , , ,  or  
  • Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies—any course
  • History—any course
  • Mass Communications—           or  
  • Political Science—any course
  • Psychology—any course Except , ,  or  
  • Sociology and Criminology—any SOCIO or CRIM course
  • Social Work—, or  

The fourth course must be from the above areas or from:

  • Gerontology—, or  
  • Kinesiology—    
  • Linguistics— 
  • Mathematics -  
  • Modern Languages -  

Natural sciences

Three courses, 11 credit hours minimum, from the following areas (note the BS degree has an additional natural science requirement listed below)

1. Life Sciences with a lab
2. Physical Sciences with a lab
3. Life or Physical Sciences, including additional Natural Sciences

Life science 
Purpose: to introduce students to the systematic study of organisms and their interrelationships.

Choose from the following (for requirement # 1, must include a lab; for requirement # 3, no lab required):

  • Biochemistry—any course
  • Biology—any course
  • Paleobiology—, , or  
  • Physical anthropology—                  

Physical science 
Purpose: to introduce students to the appropriate attitudes and methods that characterize the systematic study of matter and energy.

Choose from the following (for requirement # 2, must include a lab, for requirement # 3, no lab required):

  • Biochemistry—, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  
  • Chemistry—any course
  • Geology—any course 
  • Physical geography—       or  
  • Physics—any course
     

Additional Natural Sciences (for requirement #3 only)

  • Anthropology -     or  
  • Art -  
  • Entomology - ,  
  • Dean of Arts & Sciences –  
  • Kinesiology - , , , ,  

NOTE: Only courses taken for 2 or more credit hours satisfy these requirements and courses in excess of 5 credit hours count as two courses.

Additional requirements for the BA

Modern language
Level 4 (i.e., French 4, German 4, Spanish 4, etc.) or the equivalent of level 4 in a modern language sequence offered by the Department of Modern Languages. Purpose: to bring students to a point at which they are able to proceed on their own to a command of a second language—a key for access both to a foreign culture and too much primary and secondary material in many special fields.

Exception: Students who take a language that is normally offered for only two semesters may complete their requirement by taking two additional semesters in another language.

Mathematics (One 3-credit-hour course, 100–799 level, or any other course for which there is a mathematics prerequisite)
Purpose: to give students a college-level competence in mathematical reasoning and analysis.

Any course used to satisfy this requirement cannot be used to satisfy any other general education requirement.

Additional requirements for the BS

Natural sciences (One course, 3 credit hours minimum, with a prerequisite in the same department; for this requirement, biochemistry courses with a chemistry prerequisite qualify.)
Purpose: to give students who elect the bachelor of science degree an especially solid foundation in the natural sciences.

Courses that qualify are those listed earlier under natural sciences, and:

  • Kinesiology—  or   
  • Psychology— or  

Quantitative and abstract formal reasoning
Purpose: to give students training in a clear, non-ambiguous, simplified language for the efficient transfer and logical analysis of information—a language in which a good deal of discussion is conducted in the sciences.

A course that satisfies this requirement may at the same time be used to satisfy any major requirement for which it qualifies. Students may fulfill this requirement in ONE of three ways:

  1. Three courses, 9 credit hours minimum, selected from:
    Computer science—,  level or above
    Mathematics— level or above
    Philosophy—, , , or
    Statistics—any course
  2. One course and its Level II prerequisite, selected from:
    Geography— (with a statistics course)
    Physics— (with )
                  (with )
                  (with )
                  (with )
                  (with )
    Sociology— (with )
    Social work— and  (with )

  3. Equivalent competency:
    Competency may be demonstrated by taking two Level II courses or one Level III course from:

Level II courses (two courses):
Computer science—
Mathematics—   or
Philosophy—
Statistics— or  or   

Level III courses (one course):
Computer science—
Mathematics—
Philosophy—
Statistics—  or  

Requirements for the BFA, BM, and BME

Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree Requirements

At least 120 hours are required for graduation.

Basic requirements (44 credit hours) are

  • Communications—English composition 6 hours; and oral communication 2-3 hours
  • Social sciences—6 hours
  • Humanities—9 hours (except ART courses)
  • Philosophy or Mathematics—3 hours
  • Natural sciences—two courses, one with a lab - 7-9 hours
  • US Multicultural Overlay – 3 hours of courses taken with this overlay tag
  • International Overlay - 3 hours of courses taken with this overlay tag

Bachelor of Music Degree Requirements

120 credit hours required for graduation

Basic requirements (27 credit hours)
 

Course Course Title Credit hours
  Expository Writing I 3
  Expository Writing II 3
  Public Speaking IA 2
  General Psychology 3
Any science course with a lab   4
  Introduction to Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies 3
Philosophy course   3
   College Algebra (or higher level math course or grade of C or better on Algebra CLEP test) 3
  Introduction to Statistics (or higher level statistics course) 3

 

Bachelor of Music Education Degree Requirements

132 credit hours are required for graduation, depending on the emphasis

Basic requirements

Course Course Title Credit hours
  Expository Writing I 3
  Expository Writing II 3
  Public Speaking IA 2
Philosophy (  )   3
  Introduction to Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies 3
  General Psychology 3
Any Science course with a lab   4
  College Algebra (or higher level math course or grade of C or better on Algebra CLEP test) 3
  Introduction to Statistics (or higher level statistics course) 3

All other College of Arts and Sciences basic requirements are fulfilled in the area of concentration. For specific music requirements, see the Music, Theatre, and Dance section of this catalog.

Dual Degree BA or BS

Students have the option of seeking a dual degree BA or BS. The dual degree-seeking student is one who is enrolled in two BA or BS programs, only one of which is within the College of Arts and Sciences. The following distribution requirements apply exclusively to dual degree-seeking students. They may not be applied to dual majors, who are students seeking two majors within the College of Arts and Sciences.

Dual degree-seeking BA students must fulfill the requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences listed under Additional Requirements of the BA, except for the Mathematics requirement. They must fulfill all the requirements in at least one of the three other required areas (Humanities, Social Science, or Natural Science), and half of the distribution requirements in the remaining two areas. The choice of how these requirements will be met will be made with the approval of an advisor within the College of Arts and Sciences.

Dual degree-seeking BS students must fulfill all the requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences in at least two of the four required areas (Humanities, Social Science, Natural Science, and Additional Requirements of the BS), and half of the distribution requirements in the remaining two areas. The choice of how these requirements will be met will be made with the approval of an advisor within the College of Arts and Sciences.

Dual degree-seeking students must meet the International Studies and U.S. Multicultural Overlay requirements.

Half of the distribution requirements in each area are:

Humanities

One course in Philosophy (3 credits) and one course in the Fine Arts, Western Heritage, or Literary or Rhetorical Arts (3 credits).

Dual degree-seeking students enrolled in Biochemistry and Molecular Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Physical Sciences, Natural Sciences, or Statistics, are required to take PHILO 501: Perspectives on Science to meet the Philosophy requirement.

Social Science

Two courses, 6 credit hours, from two disciplines.

Natural Sciences

BS or BA Degrees, 7 credit hours minimum, from two disciplines.

Any science course with a lab, and one other science course from a different discipline.

Additional Requirements for BA  

At least a level 2 (i.e., French 2, German 2, Spanish 2, etc.) or the equivalent of level 2 in a foreign language sequence offered by the Department of Modern Languages. No additional Mathematics requirement. Any course used to satisfy this requirement cannot be used to satisfy any other general education requirement.  

Additional Requirements for BS

At least 2 courses or 6 credit hours from option 1 or any Level II or Level III course listed under option 3.

No additional Natural Sciences requirement. Any course used to satisfy this requirement cannot be used to satisfy any other general education requirement.

International Studies Overlay

One course.

Purpose: to equip students better to become citizens of a world where the most important problems are unavoidably defined in international terms and to understand cultures of the world outside the Western tradition.

A student must take one course of which at least half is devoted to economic, political, and social relations or interactions between or among different countries, in which the major focus is upon the interdependency of nations of the modern world; or contemporary features or historical traditions of non-Western cultures (excluding those dealing primarily with Greek, Roman, Western European, or North American experience).

Students may satisfy the international studies requirement at the same time they satisfy requirements in the major, in the humanities, or the social sciences. These courses qualify:

  • Anthropology—                      
  • Art –, , , , , , , , , or  
  • Communication Studies— 
  • Dean of Arts and Sciences—, or  
  • Economics—, , , , , or  
  • English—, or  
  • Environmental Design -  
  • Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies—, or  
  • Geography—, , , , , , , , , or  
  • History—, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  
  • Mass Communications , , or  
  • Management— 
  • Marketing— 
  • Modern Languages—Any Level 4 or above language course and , , , , , ,  ,  ,  , , , , , , , , , ,  
  • Political Science—                     
  • Sociology—        

Students may use the fourth course in a single foreign language sequence (other than Latin) to satisfy the international studies overlay requirement.

U.S. Multicultural Overlay

Purpose: To educate students on the historical and contemporary inequities related to race and ethnicities that are currently considered as non-white in the United States.

U.S. Multicultural Overlay Criteria

All four criteria must be met in a one-semester course.

1. Courses that fulfill the overlay requirement will have a preponderance of their content on race and/or ethnicities that are perceived as non-white.

2. Courses that fulfill the overlay requirement will promote awareness of the structural nature of inequities in relation to race and ethnicity within contemporary U.S. culture.

3. Courses that fulfill the overlay requirement will incorporate readings and academic research on historically marginalized communities and structural inequities within the United States.
These readings will include writings and/or research by people from these communities and backgrounds. Discipline-specific exceptions will be considered with input from faculty in the discipline.

4. Courses that fulfill the overlay requirement will assess student understanding of structural inequities within the United States through reflective analyses incorporating written, statistical, and/or oral methods.

  • AMETH , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  
  • ANTH    
  • COMM  
  • CRIM  
  • ENGL , , , , , , , , ,  
  • GWSS , , , ,  
  • HIST , ,  
  • MC  
  • PHILO  
  • PSYCH,  
  • SOCIO , , , ,  
  • SOCWK  
  • STRAN  
  • SPAN ,  
  • THTRE 

Select topics courses may fulfill the overlay pending content approval:
, , , , , , , , , ,  

Student Success

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Advising 

Students from any college who have declared open option are advised in the office of the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. A&S interdisciplinary studies majors are also advised in the dean’s office. Students with other majors in the College of Arts and Sciences are assigned advisors in the departments housing the majors. 

Secondary Teacher Licensure

An arts and sciences major may apply some elective hours toward the requirements for a secondary teacher license. In most arts and sciences departments, students can complete an academic major and earn a license within the 120 hours of coursework required for a degree.  Because the teacher education courses are offered through the College of Education, students who choose to combine these two programs are entitled to two advisors, one in the major field of study, and the other in secondary education.

By combining a traditional academic major with a teaching license, students can be assured of varied choices after graduation. By pursuing an arts and sciences major, students also have the option of working toward a bachelor of arts degree and studying a foreign language. In addition, the teaching license will qualify graduates to teach in a public secondary school. For specific licensure requirements in secondary education, see the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in this catalog.

Education Abroad

The Office of Education Abroad should be the first stop for students who wish to study in another country for a year, a semester, a summer, or an intersession. Faculty from the College of Arts & Sciences offers a number of education abroad experiences every year, and there are many other options available from other colleges or through individual selection.

Students may apply for scholarships, such as the Fulbright or the Pearson, or scholarship exchanges, such as the K-State/Justus Liebig year abroad.

www.k-state.edu/oip/students

English Language Program

Ketty Reppert, Acting Director, Associate Director of Academics
Leena Chakrabarti, Associate Director for Student Services

The English Language Program offers intensive English courses primarily for international students who plan to enter degree programs at K-State.

English Language Program | Kansas State University (k-state.edu)

Programs, Degrees, Majors, Secondary Majors, and Minors 

The College of Arts and Sciences offers undergraduate degrees of bachelor of arts, bachelor of fine arts, bachelor of music, bachelor of music education, and bachelor of science. These programs, degrees, majors, secondary majors, and minors can be viewed within the Degrees & Certificates Offered catalog page or College of Arts & Sciences webpage. 

*Students who complete pre-veterinary medicine requirements in the College of Arts and Sciences will be eligible for the Bachelor of Science degree in life science from the College of Arts and Sciences upon completion of the first professional year in a College of Veterinary Medicine.

College of Arts & Sciences Interdisciplinary Programs 

Programs 

Bachelor of Arts 

Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science 

Bachelor of Science 

Certificate 

Non-Degree 

Secondary Major 

Display courses for College of Arts and Sciences. 

 

Programs

Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science

Non-Degree Seeking

Undergraduate Certificate

Secondary Major