Administration Building 110 - (504) 520-7652 - http://www.xula.edu/cas/index.html

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) consists of six Academic Divisions comprised of twenty Academic Departments which together with the College Deans share responsibility for the quality and integrity of the academic programs of the College and fidelity to Xavier’s mission.

The CAS Dean’s Office provides service to faculty and students on matters pertaining to teaching and learning including curricula, academic progress, and degree requirements. The office staff is accountable for implementation of established policies and procedures found in this University Catalog.

Through the CAS Academic and Planning Councils, the Dean’s Office provides oversight of the college core curriculum as well as departmental/divisional and interdisciplinary curricula. This includes provision for assessment at all levels within the college as well as monitoring all programmatic and attitudinal university-wide assessment procedures.

An academic faculty member in the student’s major is appointed as an advisor to assist each student in registering for appropriate courses and in determining academic progress. Students who are uncertain about a major or who are not making satisfactory academic progress in their chosen major are temporarily assigned as “Deciding Majors.”

CAS Divisions and Departments

Undergraduate Degrees Offered

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) with majors in:

Bachelor of Music (B.M.) with majors in:

Music Education 
Music Performance

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) with majors in:

Graduate Degrees Offered

Master of Arts (M.A.)
Master of Arts in teaching (M.A.T.)

Certificates Offered

Entrepreneurship Certificate  
Health Communication Certificate  

Requirements for the Degree

In the College of Arts and Sciences, a candidate for the degree must complete a minimum of 120 semester hours of course work with at least a 2.0 cumulative average in an approved program. Each program must include the core curriculum, a major, and a minor (or a double concentration in place of the minor). The candidate must also pass a comprehensive/performance/capstone examination in his/her major field usually in the senior year. A student who has not passed the senior comprehensive, or the Praxis II or GRE for the departments/divisions which allow these tests to be used as a substitute for the senior comprehensive, will not be allowed to participate in the commencement ceremony or to receive a diploma. Approved substitutions for the senior comprehensive are stated in the departmental sections.

Major

Each candidate for a degree in the college must complete an approved major concentration of at least twenty-four, and no more than seventy-three, semester hours. Eighteen hours of these must be completed at Xavier. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required by the college in the major field, but individual departments/divisions may require a higher average. Students are expected to receive a “C” grade or better in each course in their major. The approved programs are listed under the departments/divisions which offer them.

See Second Bachelor’s Degree   for more information about earning a second degree.

See Requirements for more information about earning a double major  .

Change of Major or Minor

The student who wishes to transfer from one major or minor department/division to another must observe the following procedures:

1. Report to the Registrar’s Office to obtain a request for change of department/division form;
2. Consult the head of the prospective department/division to ascertain whether the head is in favor of the change;
3. Obtain written approval from the current departmental/division head; and
4. Return to the head of the prospective department/division to obtain written approval.
5. Return the completed form to the Registrar’s Office.

The student must follow the academic program and requirements of the department/division that are in effect at the time of transfer.

Minor

Each student’s program of study must include a minor in an academic discipline other than the major discipline. The minor is composed of not less than 18 or more than 21 semester hours. When a major curriculum has a “built-in” minor, the student is required to complete that minor. Each student must declare a minor at the beginning of the junior year unless it has already been declared or has been determined by the major. Declaration of the minor is completed when the appropriate form is submitted to the Registrar’s Office by the student.

Prescribed minors are found in this catalog within the descriptions of the various departments/divisions which offer them. Successful completion of an official minor will be designated on the student’s official record. The official minor designation requires that a minimum of nine (9) of these hours be completed at Xavier.

A student may also satisfy the minor requirement by successfully completing an interdisciplinary minor, which has been approved by the Academic Council of the college, or by successfully completing a double concentration. A double concentration consists of at least twelve hours in each of two disciplines. The specific twelve hours must be approved by the head of the student’s major department/division and the head of the other two departments/divisions as well as the Dean of the College.

Any exceptions to the above must be approved by the student’s department head and the Dean of the College.

The Core Curriculum

Xavier’s core curriculum is the basis of the University’s liberal arts education and supports Xavier’s Mission. To fulfill the core curriculum, students select from a variety of courses in order to develop an intellectual curiosity that broadens their mind and spirit in an effort to instill a desire for life-long learning. The core curriculum consists of sixty hours of required courses from Fundamental, Essential, and Expansive core areas. Every graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences must demonstrate competency in all three core areas either by taking courses, transferring courses or AP credits, or by successful completion of examinations.

The three core areas are as follows:

1. The Fundamental Core (18 semester hours) consists of the introductory college areas in English composition, mathematics, natural science, and a world language other than English. Students who demonstrate competency in any of these areas prior to their first year of enrollment will be given Xavier by-pass credit. Students who do not demonstrate competency in any of these areas must enroll in these courses during their first year.

Courses and/or sequences that fulfill the Fundamental Core are:

• ENGL 1000  or ENGL 1010 , then ENGL 1020  (or ENGL 1023H ) (6)
• Any 1000-level MATH offering (3)
• Any BIOL, CHEM, IPSC, or PHYS offering that includes a laboratory component (3)
• Foreign Language (6 semester hours of the same language)

Students may demonstrate competency and earn by-pass credit in a Fundamental Core area by meeting at least the minimum score determined by Xavier for credit on the Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), or International Baccalaureate Program (IB) tests. See “Credit by Examination” on the university web site for details. Students are strongly urged to consult their major departments/divisions regarding such credit because not all major programs accept credit by examination for courses required by a major or minor.

2. The Essential Core (36 semester hours) is aligned with Xavier’s Mission. Xavier requires students and graduates to demonstrate academic excellence, continually develop leadership skills, and show a dedication to service and commitment to furthering a more just and humane society. The Essential Core courses consist of the Freshman Seminar, African American and Diaspora Studies, communication studies, fine arts, history, philosophy, physical education, natural science, social science, theology, and world literature. These courses are essential to holistic self-reflection and the development of values, ethical behavior, celebration of diversity, and an understanding of Xavier’s history and mission within a global context.

Courses and/or sequences that fulfill the Essential Core are:

• FRSM 1000  and FRSM 1100  (2)
• AADS 2000 , AADS 2010 , AADS 3020 , or AADS 3370  (3)
• CMST 1010 , CMST 1011H , CMST 1080 , CMST 1400 , CMST 1500  (3)
• Any ART course (except ART 2600 ), CMST 2010 , MSCM 2580 , any Music course, or CRWT 1050  (3)
• Any 1000- or 2000-level HIST course (3)
• Any introductory level PHIL course (3)
• Any upper level PHIL course (3)
• Any activity PHED course or test-out (1)
• Any biology, chemistry, computer science, integrated physical science, mathematics, or physics course (3)
• ECON 1030 , ECON 2010 , ECON 2020 , EDUC 3040 , PSCI 1010 , PSCI 1020 , PSCI 2040 , PSYC 1010 , PSYC 3040 , SOCI 1010 , SOCI 1011 , or SOCI 1015  (3)
• Any two theology courses (6)
• ENGL 2010  or ENGL 2011H  (3)

Students who successfully complete two semesters of ROTC are exempt from the core requirement of a one-hour physical education activity course.

3. The Expansive Core (6 semester hours) permits students to broaden their knowledge and learning beyond their major and minor. The Expansive Core has broad categories of Fine Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. Students are required to select courses designated in the catalog as Expansive Core from at least two of these categories from courses that are outside their major and minor prefixes.

The current list of Expansive Core Curriculum courses are listed on Xavier’s website at http://www.xula.edu/cas. At printing of this catalog, the Expansive Core courses are: