College of Arts and Sciences

Liberal Arts Building 153 ~ 260-481-6160 ~ ipfw.edu/as/

The College of Arts and Sciences offers programs and courses in the traditional liberal arts disciplines. In addition to providing students with opportunities to develop skills required for the workplace or for advanced study, it seeks to foster well-rounded development of the individual. The college recognizes the role of nontraditional students at IPFW and makes special efforts to meet their needs.

Graduates of the college’s baccalaureate programs should have knowledge and awareness enabling them to be effective citizens and lifelong learners. They are expected to have a working understanding of the knowledge and methodology appropriate for their discipline and should be aware of the major issues in their field and able to communicate field content effectively.

The College of Arts and Sciences offers an Associate of Arts degree for the Purdue Women’s Studies program, as well as the Chemical Methods Associate of Science program that serves students who are preparing for a career as a chemical technican (this is not recommended for students who wish to pursue a bachelor’s program).

The service and research missions of the college are those appropriate to a comprehensive regional university. The college is responsible for basic-skills courses in mathematics and oral and written communication, as well as the majority of the courses fulfilling college and IPFW general-education requirements. Faculty engage in research  or creative endeavor linked to their teaching as well as to IPFW’s role as the regional center for higher education. Through research, faculty maintain their qualifications as teachers and, in their contribution to knowledge in their disciplines, enhance the reputation of the campus. Through research and service, the college seeks to make itself a vital resource for business, industry, public and private education, the arts, and government in northeast Indiana.

Academic Programs

The College of Arts and Sciences offers a broad range of minors, transfer programs, and interdisciplinary certificate programs. Each program with its sponsoring unit in the college is listed below for each degree. If you are undecided about a major within the college, you should, with the help of your advisor, choose courses carefully to assure reasonable progress as you narrow your choices and finally decide on a specific plan of study. If you change your major within the college, your degree requirements and your university affiliation may also change.

All bachelor’s degrees require a major of at least 24 credits in courses specified by the major department. Minors include (a) a minimum of 12 credits with at least 8 credits at the 200 level or above; (b) at least half the credits taken as resident credits; and (c) a grade of C or better in each course.

Associate of Arts

Associate of Science

Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Science

Minors 

 Certificates

Transfer Programs

The college’s transfer programs in agriculture, journalism, forestry and natural resources, prepharmacy, and preveterinary studies are described in Part 5 of the Bulletin. You may also complete at IPFW one or two years of work toward many bachelor’s degrees offered by the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington and by the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Science at Purdue University West Lafayette. If you are planning to complete your degree at another campus, make this interest known the first time you see your IPFW academic advisor.

Preprofessional Programs

The college provides academic advising and programs for students who wish to prepare to compete for admission to professional colleges at one of the public universities in the state or at other institutions. In the list below, the years refer to full-time study, 30 to 32 credits per academic year: 

*Although some colleges offer early admission to highly qualified students who have completed 90 credits, most applicants have completed a bachelor’s degree. If you think you may qualify for early admission, you should consult your advisor about completing requirements for the bachelor’s degree from the College of Arts and Sciences during the first year of professional college.

Academic advising for prepharmacy and preveterinary students is provided in the college office; for predental, premedical and pre-optometryy students in the Department of Biology; and for prelaw students in the Department of Political Science. If you are not majoring in the department that provides this advising, you should consult the appropriate preprofessional advisor before you see your department advisor to select your courses.

The Science and Engineering Research Semester (SERS)

Students majoring in natural sciences, mathematics, or computer science are encouraged to consider participating in the Science and Engineering Research Semester sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. If you are admitted to the program, you spend a fall or spring semester at one of six national laboratories conducting research under the mentorship of a staff scientist or engineer. The laboratories include Argonne in Illinois, Brookhaven in New York, Lawrence Berkeley in California, Los Alamos in New Mexico, Oak Ridge in Tennessee, and Pacific Northwest in Washington state. In addition to being directly involved in research, you also may enroll in one academic course during this semester. Credit for research and course work is determined in consultation with your academic advisor, the department chair, and the SERS campus advisor. Students accepted into the program receive a stipend, housing, and limited travel reimbursement. Inquiries should be initiated at least seven months prior to the anticipated starting date. You should begin planning in your freshman year to reserve time for this opportunity. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship or permanent resident alien  status, completion of the sophomore year, and a GPA of 3.00 or higher. For further information, contact the College of Arts and Sciences or the College of Engineering, Technology and Computer Science.

Cooperative Education (Co-Op) Program

Cooperative education provides an opportunity for you to work in an occupation related to your major. In this program, you may alternate between full-time study and full-time employment. Students normally enter the program at the end of their first year or upon completion of the summer session immediately following the first year. Check with your advisor regarding department requirements for eligibility for this program.

Research Certificate

The research certificate provides opportunities for you to engage in active learning opportunities integrating original research and the undergraduate curricula by learning research methods and tools appropriate to your discipline and your research interests within the discipline; by learning the foundations of research in the history, philosophy, and theory of the discipline; by learning advanced communications skills; and by applying these learnings by designing and executing a research study or project and communicating the results to others.  

Degree Requirements and Academic Regulations for Students in the College of Arts and Sciences

In addition to the academic regulations of IPFW ()see Part 8 ), the following rules apply to you. Where college regulations are sticter than IPFW regulations, the college regulations apply.

Requirements for Associate of Arts

Requirements for Purdue Women’s Studies’ A.A. appears in Part 5 of this bulletin.

Requirements for Associate of Science

Requirements for the Associate of Science in chemical methods appear in Part 5  of this Bulletin.

Requirements for Bachelor of Arts In addition to Areas I through VI of the IPFW General Education program and the requirements for your major, you must satisfy the following college requirements:

1. Parts A through D listed below

2. At least 30 credits in upper-level courses as defined by the departments offering the courses (excluding military science courses).

3. A GPA of 2.00 or higher for all major department courses taken. At most, one approved course in the major discipline may also count toward IPFW General Education Area II–V requirements. No course in the major discipline may count in Area VI.
4. The IPFW General Education Area I computer literacy requirement for the College of Arts and Sciences is met by completing COM 11400, ENG W131, and one additional course selected from the following: ETCS 10600, CS 10700, CS 16000, MA 14900, MA 15300, MA 15400, MA 15900, MA 16500, MA 16600, MA 16800, MA 22900, MA 23000, STAT 12500, or an approved departmentally specified course, or completion of STEPS (or successor Program). The IPFW General Education Area I quantitative reasoning requirement for the College of Arts and Sciences is met by completing, with a grade of a C- or better, any course listed in the quantitative reasoning section of General Education Area I (except MA 10100), or any mathematics course numbered 15300 or higher. Note that for some degree programs, only a subset of the courses listed in the quantitative reasoning section of General Education Area I are allowed. The various courses differ in terms with respect to emphasis on the foundations of mathematical reasoning and their applications. You are strongly encouraged to consult your academic advisor as to which course would be most appropriate for you.
5. The College of Arts and Sciences requires that you complete at least one science course with a scheduled laboratory as part of your IPFW General Education Area II requirements. This requirement may be met either by taking a lecture course that includes a scheduled laboratory (e.g., CHM 111) or a lecture course plus a laboratory course designed to accompany it (e.g., GEOL G100 plus GEOL L100). This provides the opportunity to apply concepts learned in the classroom and to conduct scientific inquiry.
6. A sufficient number of elective credits to bring the total for graduation to 124.

Part A: English Writing

An education in the liberal arts and sciences emphasizes the value of analyzing and presenting ideas in writing; thus the College strives to improve its students’ written communication skills. Consequently, you are required to take a second writing course in addition to the General Education writing course. You will complete ENG W233 or an equivalent second writing course approved for this purpose by individual departments and the College. In general these second writing courses are developed to introduce students to the types of writing they will do in their respective fields. Approved equivalents are ENG L202, HIST H217, ILCS I300, POLS Y205, or SOC S260. You must complete both ENG W131 (or equivalent) and your second writing course with a grade of C- or better.

Part B: International Language

You must complete two courses at the first-year level and two courses at the second-year level in  a single international language (or demonstrate equivalent proficiency). For advanced placement and special credit in an international language, see the additional information for the bachelor’s degree. Under certain limited conditions, students may petition to substitute American Sign Language (plus a course on global issues or three credit hours of study abroad) for an international language. Students who wish to explore this option should consult the department of their major.

Part C: Distribution

A significant component of the College of Arts and Sciences education is the breadth of knowledge throughout the three major areas of Science and Mathematics, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Humanities. You will accomplish this by completing 3 credits in each of these areas. Credits in your major discipline or in directed study courses may not be used to satisfy this requirement.

1. Science and Mathematics. Courses from the following disciplines satisfy this requirement:

Agriculture (FNR 10300 only)
Anthropology (ANTH B200 only)
Astronomy
Biology (excluding BIOL 10500)
Chemistry
Entomology
Geography (physical geography only)
Geology
Mathematics (excluding MA 10100, 10200, 10300, 10900, 11300 and 12401)
Physics
Political Science (POLS Y395 only)
Sociology (SOC S351 only)
Statistics

2. Social and Behavioral Sciences. Courses from the following disciplines satisfy this requirement:

Anthropology (excluding ANTH B200)
Communication (excluding COM 11400, 21000, 24000, 31200, and 31600)
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Economics
English (ENG G205, G206, and G301 only)
Geography (human, cultural, or social geography only)
Gerontology (GERN G231 only)
International Studies (lNTL I200 only)
Journalism (JOUR C200, C300, J300, and J337 only)
Linguistics
Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS P201 only)
Political Science (excluding POLS Y395)
Psychology
Sociology (excluding SOC S351)
Spanish* (SPAN S425, S426, and S428 only)
Women’s Studies (WOST W210 and W240 only)

3. Humanities. Courses from the following disciplines satisfy this requirement:

Afro-American studies
Arabic*
Architectural Engineering Technology (ARET 21000 and 31000 only)
Chinese*
Classical studies*
Communication (COM 21000, 21600, 24000, 31200, and 31600 only)
Comparative literature
English (except ENG G205, G206, G301, P131, W129, W131,
W140, W232, W233, W234, W331, W364, W397, W398,
 W421, W422, and W460)
Film studies
Fine arts (excluding studio courses)
Folklore
French*
German*
History
International Language and Culture Studies (excluding ILCS I300)
Intrnational Studies (excluding INTL I200)
Japanese*
Journalism (excluding JOUR C200, C300, and J300)
Latin American Studies
Medieval Studies
Music (excluding performance/skills courses)
Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS P200 only)
Philosophy
Religious Studies
Russian*
Spanish* (except SPAN S425, S426, and S428)
Theatre (excluding performance/production courses)
Women’s Studies (excluding WOST W210 and W240)

*excluding courses used to satisfy the Part B requirement

Part D: Cultural Studies

An important element of the College of Arts and Sciences degree requirements is for students to acquire skills necessary to be productive, responsible citizens and community leaders. To do this, you must have a commitment to free and open inquiry and show mutual respect across multiple cultures and perspectives. Students will accomplish this by taking 6 credit hours in cultural studies, including one course in Western Culture and one course in Non-Western Culture.

1. Western Culture. You must complete one of the following 3-credit courses dealing broadly with the Western tradition:

CLAS C205, C405
COM 31200
ENG L101, L102
FINA H111, H112
HIST H113, H114, H225 (when offered as Intro To Pol Theory)
PHIL 11000, 24000, 30100, 33100
POLS Y105, Y381, Y382
REL 11200, 23100

2. Non-Western Culture. You must complete one of the following 3-credit courses dealing exclusively or primarily with a non-Western culture or cultures:

ANTH E310, E320, E321, E330, E335, E340, E341, E345, E356, E375, E398, E401, E402, E405, E420, E445, E455, E457, E462, E470, E479, P360, P370
EALC E232
ENG L107, L113, L364
FINA H415
FOLK F305, F352
HIST A310–A311, C393, D402, D410, E100, E331, E332, E336, E431, F341, F342, F346, F432, G451, G452, H201, H202, H232, T335
NELC N204
POLS Y339, Y340
REL 23000, 30100, 31100
SPAN S246, S412, S471, S472, S477, S479, S480
WOST W301

Requirements for Bachelor of Science

In addition to Areas I through VI of the IPFW General Education program and the requirements for your major, you must satisfy the following college requirements:

1. Parts A and B listed below
2. At least 30 credits in upper-level courses as defined by the departments offering the courses (excluding military science courses)
3. A GPA of 2.00 or higher for all major department courses taken. At most, one approved course in the major discipline may also count toward satisfying IPFW General Education Area II–V requirements.
4. The IPFW General Education Area I computer literacy requirement for the College of Arts and Sciences is met by completing COM 114, ENG W131, and one additional course selected from the following: ETCS 10600, CS 16000, MA 14900, MA 15300, MA 15400, MA 15900, MA 16500, MA 16600, MA 16800, MA 22900, MA 23000, STAT 12500, or an approved departmentally specified course, or completion of STEPS (or successor program).
5. A sufficient number of elective credits to bring the total for graduation to 124.

Part A: English Writing

An education in the liberal arts and sciences emphasizes the value of analyzing and presenting ideas in writing, and  thus the College strives to improve its students’ written communication skills. Consequently, you are required to take a second writing course in addition to the General Education writing course. You will complete ENG W233 or an equivalent second writing course approved for this purpose by individual departments and the College. In general, these second writing courses are developed to introduce students to the types of writing they will do in their respective fields. Approved equivalents are ENG L202,  HIST H217, ILCS I300, POLS Y205, or SOC S260. You must complete both ENG W131 (or equivalent) and your second writing course with a grade of C- or better.

Part B: International Language

You must complete two courses at the first-year level (or demonstrate equivalent proficiency) in one international language. Students in a teaching program are exempt from the international language requirement. You are urged to begin studying a language as soon as possible. For advanced placement and special credit in international language, see the additional information for bachelor’s degrees, below.

Additional Information for Bachelor’s Degrees

Along with the IPFW academic regulations (see Part 8), the following information applies to all bachelor’s degree programs:

1. Special Credit for International Language.

When you begin your international language study at the second-semester (112 - 113) level or higher, you are eligible to apply for special credit after you successfully complete the course into which you placed. You may receive up to 14 credits of special credit for the courses you skipped.

2. Undistributed Transfer Credit.

Undistributed transfer credit (for courses not equivalent to IPFW courses) may be used to satisfy General Education requirements and distribution requirements and may be counted in the major. You should contact the College office to confirm the application to your program of any undistributed transfer credit you are awarded.

3. Credit Restrictions.

The following restrictions apply to all Arts and Sciences degrees:

1. You may count no more than 4 credits in:
   HPER activities
2. You may count no more than 3 credits in:
   IDIS courses ENG W135 MA 14900, and only by those departments that allow graduation credit for MA 15300
3. You may count no credit in:
   Developmental courses such as CHM 10000; EDUC X15x; ENG R15x, W11x, and W130; and MA 10900, 11100, and 11300.
   
   Courses that provide only surveys of career opportunities, such as AGR 10100, BUS J100, CNT 10100, EDUA F300 (except when offered as Invitation to Teaching) and G250, EDUC X210, ENGR 10100, ETCS 10100, HSCI 10000, HSRV 10000 (1 cr.), HTM 10000, IDIS 10500, MHT 10000 (1 cr.), NUR 10100, RHIT 10000, SPEA V352, and VM 10200.
   
   Courses designed to provide a skill not required to complete the major, such as AHLT Mxxx, AHSP Mxxx; BUFW C124, C125, C293, and X221; BUS K214; DAST Axxx; DHYG Hxxx (except DHYG H240 and H320); OLS 12100; and SPV 39900.
   
   Courses offered by the former Indiana Division of General and Technical Studies (DGTS).

4. Credit for Military Service.

Up to 9 credits for military service in the armed forces of the United States may be counted toward graduation.

5. Overlapping Content.

You may not count toward graduation any courses or sequences considered to have overlapping content. Such courses are listed below; check this list before registering. This list may not be exhaustive. Please consult with your advisor. If you enroll in a course that appears in the left column, and you have completed any of the courses that are listed to its right, only the most recently completed course will apply toward graduation.

Courses with Overlapping Content
 

 Upper-Level Courses

All courses numbered 300 or above are considered upper-level courses. In addition, the following 200-numbered courses, defined as upper level by the departments offering them, may be included in the 30 credits in upper-level courses required for graduation.

BIOL 21500
CHM 21800, 22400, 24100, 25400, 25500, 25600, 25800, 26100, 26200, 26500, 26600, 27500, and 29000
ENTM 20600-20700
GEOL G213, G221, and G222
MA 26100, 26300, and 27500
PHYS 27000
PSY 20100, 20300, 20500, 23500, 24000, and 27200
REL 23000 and 23100

Correspondence Study

Departments may approve enrollment in correspondence-study courses by students pursuing their majors. After you obtain a signature indicating departmental approval, you must bring the enrollment form to the College of Arts and Sciences for authorization to enroll.

Academic Load

You may register for more than 18 credits per semester or 7 credits in a six-week summer session only if: (1) your most recent semester GPA is 3.00 or higher, (2) you have no incomplete grades at the time of registration, and (3) you obtain approval of a dean of the college.

Pass/Not-Pass Option

The following restrictions are in addition to those in the IPFW academic regulations in Part 8 of this Bulletin:

1. You must be classified as a sophomore or higher and must have a GPA of 2.50 or better.
2. You may take no more than two courses per year under the Pass/Not-Pass Option. Summer-session enrollments are counted as part of the preceding academic year for the purpose of this restriction.

Academic Renewal Option

The College of Arts and Sciences participates in the Academic Renewal option for eligible students returning to IPFW after an absence of five or more years. See your advisor for additional details.

Changing Major Within the College

If you change your major within the college, your college requirements will be those specified in the Bulletin in effect at the time the change becomes effective.