Degrees

Bachelor’s Degrees Available Through the College of Liberal Arts
The College of Liberal Arts offers five bachelor’s degrees:

• bachelor of arts (B.A.)
• bachelor of fine arts (B.F.A.)
• bachelor of individualized studies (B.I.S.)
• bachelor of music (B.M.)
• bachelor of science (B.S.)

Bachelor of Arts Degree
This degree can be earned through majors in most CLA departments and programs. Its breadth and diversity in general education make it valuable as a base for many kinds of careers or advanced study. CLA offers several professional majors and specializations as well as interdepartmental programs for the B.A.

This degree requires a minimum of 120 total semester credits accepted by CLA. At least 48 of the total credits must be taken at 3xxx, 4xxx, or 5xxx level, also referred to as upper level credits. At least 18 of these upper level credits must be outside of the major. B.A. students must meet all stated UMTC liberal education requirements. They must also complete the college’s second language requirement.

Note: Psychology and child psychology majors cannot use 3xxx, 4xxx, or 5xxx level courses in child and adolescent psychology, child psychology, educational psychology, or psychology courses to fulfill the requirement of taking 18 upper level credits outside their majors.

Note: Students pursuing the following interdepartmental majors are exempt from completing at least 18 credits of upper level credits outside of the major:

• African-American and African studies
• American studies
• Classical civilization
• Global studies
• Individually designed interdepartmental major (IDIM)
• Jewish studies
• Studies in cinema and media culture
• Urban studies

Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree
The B.F.A. is offered in:

• acting
• art (B.A. also available)
• dance (B.A. also available)

The B.F.A. combines general education and the study of a second language (for art majors only) with the development of professional competence. Since the B.F.A. is a professional degree, students must apply through the department to be accepted into the program. Students should contact the departments for more details about their B.F.A. degree programs. Both the dance and acting degrees require a minimum of 120 credits accepted by CLA, and the art B.F.A. requires 126 credits.

Note: Beginning fall 1986, B.F.A candidates in art must complete the same second language requirement as B.A. candidates in art.

Note: Beginning fall 1999, candidates in dance do not need to complete the second language requirements. Prior to fall 1999, B.F.A. candidates in dance may complete a modified version of the second language requirement. Students should meet with an adviser in the dance department for further details.

Bachelor of Individualized Studies Degree
The B.I.S. degree allows students to create their own degree program by combining courses from different CLA departments and other University of Minnesota colleges, rather than majoring in one academic field. The bachelor of individualized studies degree includes three areas of concentration rather than a major. One of these areas may consist of up to 21 semester credits from a college other than CLA.
B.I.S. students may also apply to their degrees, as elective credits, required preparatory courses for their non-CLA area.

The degree requires a minimum of 120 total semester credits accepted by CLA. B.I.S. students are required to complete a minimum of 50 semester credits in upper-level courses (rather than 48 required of other CLA degrees), and these credits must all be within the three areas of concentration. However, B.I.S. students are exempt from completing 18 upper-level credits outside the major. A minimum of 15 semester credits (3/4/5xxx) is required per area. All B.I.S. area credits and IDIM credits must be taken on an A-F grading scale. Second language and UMTC liberal education requirements are the same as for the B.A. degree.

Bachelor of Music Degree
The School of Music offers the bachelor of music (B.M.) degree in

• music education
• music theory
• performance

(Before entering the third year of applied study, students must pass a qualifying examination in which they perform—play or sing—in their area of specialization. Consult the School of Music for details.)

A minimum of 120 total semester credits is required for graduation. The music education and music therapy programs require more than 120 credits to complete the degree. For the B.M. degree, 78 credits must be earned in music courses, and 8 additional credits must be in upper division classes outside of music. B.M. students must meet all stated UMTC liberal education requirements.

Note: Students pursuing the B.M. in music performance, music education, and music therapy are not required to complete the college’s second language requirement.

Note: Students pursuing the B.M. in vocal performance are required to complete one semester each in Italian, German, and French (these courses count toward their upper level outside of the major credits). Students who have taken at least 2 years of French, German, or Italian in high school will be exempt from taking one semester of that language at the college level. Students will be required to take at least one semester of coursework in the other two languages.

Bachelor of Science Degree
The B.S. degree is offered in:

• child psychology
• economics
• geography
• sociology
• urban studies

The B.S. provides a more specialized concentration than the B.A. It is intended that the course of study be considerably more intensive than for the B.A. degree.  Characteristically, these degrees require a heavier concentration of coursework that supports the major, such as math, statistics, or research-related courses.

The degree requires a minimum of a 120 total semester credits accepted by CLA. While the B.S. degree does not require students to complete 18 semester 3xxx-, 4xxx-, and 5xxx-level credits outside their major, the major program typically encompasses courses in related fields as well as courses in the major. B.S. students must meet all stated UMTC liberal education requirements. Students pursuing the B.S. degrees are not required to complete the college’s second language requirement as a major requirement.

CLA Degrees That Do Not Include the Second Language Requirement

CLA Majors

Major project
Each major requires completion of a major project, intended to demonstrate a student’s analytic and conceptual skills as well as an understanding of the modes of inquiry common to the major discipline.
The major project is intended to be the capstone experience of the student’s work in the major fields. For most students, the format will be a paper. Please consult with the major advise or the major program form to learn more about the major project requirement.

Note: Students majoring in economics, geography, or philosophy must turn in a Paper/Project Verification form to their CLA student community before graduation.

Declaring a Major
All students are required to declare a major by 60 credits. If they do not declare the major before reaching 60 credits, a registration hold (MDR) will be placed on their record. Pre-professional interests such as pre-nursing and pre-education do not constitute majors, and declarations of interest in these areas cannot be substituted for declarations of major. In part because admission to professional programs, many of which are competitive, is not guaranteed in advance, students should declare a major that can provide an alternative path to academic and career success. Students should have a genuine interest in the major they declare.

The full process for declaring a major varies from department to department. Some departments require a group meeting or other type of preparation before meeting with the major adviser to complete a Major Program Plan. Students should contact the department that offers the major for more information. However, the basic process of declaring majors includes:

• Students discuss the major with their major advisers and complete a Major Program Plan or One-Year Plan form.
• Students bring a copy of the program plan to their student community. (If a major declaration hold had been placed on the student's record, it could now be removed from the Service Indicators panel in PeopleSoft.)

CLA Minors

Completing a Minor
A student pursuing a CLA B.A., B.F.A., B.I.S., B.M., or B.S. degree may also elect to complete one or more of the approved minors now offered by the college of institution (there are several interdepartmental and cross-college minors). The minor(s) will be designated on the student’s transcript.

A minor program generally consists of 14 semester credits in designated 3xxx-, 4xxx-, and 5xxx-level courses. (Most departments also require some 1xxx-level background courses.) Courses required for the minor are almost always selected from an approved course list in consultation with a departmental adviser and are chosen to reflect the student’s interests (consult the Undergraduate Catalog for further information on requirements for specific minors).

Note: No more than 20 percent of the minor credits may be earned through directed study, directed instruction, or independent study.

Minors offered by the College of Liberal Arts

Double Majors and Dual Degrees

Earning a Second Major
CLA students completing a major under one of CLA’s degree programs may complete a second major under another degree program without having to complete all of the requirements for a second degree or 150 total semester credits. For example, a student completing a B.S. degree in speech and hearing science may earn a second major in psychology (a B.A. degree major) by completing all of the major requirements for psychology without completing the B.A. degree requirements. Students completing a second major must meet all of the prerequisites of that major and apply for acceptance into the major if required by the department. Students complete a Major Program form for the second major with the departmental adviser; the student then takes the form to his/her student community. The student’s second major will appear on the student’s transcript. Students who complete two majors are required to do only one major project in the major of their choice.

Earning a Second Baccalaureate Degree
Sometimes a student who already holds one bachelor’s degree wishes to work toward another bachelor’s degree. In this situation, the following policy applies:

1. A student holding a CLA baccalaureate degree (e.g., a B.A. in English) or in the process of earning such a degree will be granted a different CLA degree (e.g., a B.S. in child psychology) upon completion of all requirements for both degrees and a minimum of 150 semester credits.
2. A student holding a baccalaureate degree from another institution may not receive certification from CLA for another degree with the same major.

Dual degree candidacy in CLA and in another University college

Sometimes a student wishes to earn baccalaureate degrees from two different University colleges (e.g., a B.A. in sociology from CLA and a B.S. in business administration from the Carlson School of Management). Although it is likely that the student will have to complete at least 150 semester credits to satisfy all requirements for both degrees, CLA does not require completion of more than 120 semester credits.

Students enrolled in other U of M colleges who wish to complete a CLA degree must fill out the Application for Undergraduate Change of College/Application for Admission to Second Undergraduate Degree Program by published deadlines. Students fill out the section for the admission to a second college.

Note: College of Liberal Arts degree programs include some requirements that students’ first colleges may not. Students who plan to earn a CLA degree in addition to their first degree must meet all CLA degree requirements. In addition to the CLA major requirements, liberal education core and themes, and the writing requirement, students must also meet the following requirements:

• CLA Second Language requirement: pass the Graduation Proficiency Test (GPT) that certifies language proficiency at the fourth semester level or higher.

• Upper Level Writing Intensive: At least one 3/4/5xxx level Writing Intensive courses must be in the CLA major.

• Upper level credits: at least 48 credits must be in 3/4/5xxx level courses. This will include CLA major courses at 3/4/5xxx level, but must also include at least 18 credits at 3/4/5xxx level that are outside the major department.

• Students completing an established interdepartmental major, or a B.F.A, BIS, or B.S. degree are exempt from the 18 credits outside of the major requirement.

• Residency: At least 24 credits in CLA courses must be taken after admission to CLA.

Application for a Major/Minor in a Second College
Students who earn or have earned a degree from another U of M college (including the coordinate campuses), fall 1981 or later, may get majors or minors in CLA without completing the distribution or other requirements for a CLA degree. Note that non-CLA students who graduate from a non-CLA college with a CLA major are not allowed to later complete a CLA degree with the same major.

The steps are as follows:

1. Non-CLA students bring signed major/minor program forms to the Student Information Office (SIO) in 49 Johnston Hall. Student communities DO NOT take in these forms. The departmental adviser should have alerted students with those majors/minors that require a final clearance form after completion of the requirements.

2. The SIO in 49 Johnston Hall arranges to have the major/minor posted onto their Student Plan by the student’s college office.

3. When a non-CLA student applies to graduate, (not through the SIO, 49 Johnston Hall) 49 Johnston receives a copy of the student’s degree application. The major/minor program form and Application for Major/Minor in a Second College form is sent to the appropriate student community during the term for which the student applied to graduate.

4. Advisers clear the student for the major/minor if the requirements have been successfully completed by the term for which they applied to graduate. Clearance forms are sent to the Office of the Registrar, 130 Coffey.

If the requirements have not been completed, advisers send a letter that explains that the major/minor was not completed but the student still has the option of completing the major/minor. In this situation, the student would need to resubmit the form to the SIO in 49 Johnston Hall after completion of all remaining requirements. For those students whose record indicates that they will not be finishing the major/minor, the student community should send the degree application form back to the SIO in 49 Johnston Hall.