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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Mission and Values Statement

We affirm the centrality of an engaged education in the liberal arts and sciences to the mission of Bradley University and to an open, vibrant society.  We are a community that seeks insight into the self, society, and the natural world with courage, humility, and open minds and hearts.  We empower students to be capable, imaginative, responsible, and compassionate individuals who embrace the challenges of the twenty-first century.

We cultivate in ourselves and foster in others:

  • advanced analytical, computational, and communication skills
  • historically informed and comparative insights into diverse societies
  • in-depth understanding of the natural world through scientific methods
  • habits and methods of ethical thinking applied across disciplines and life experiences
  • reflective approaches to the human condition in all its complexity
  • intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm to enable lifelong learning 
  • knowledgeable and engaged citizenship across communities from the local to the global
  • steadfast commitment to the democratic ideals of freedom, justice, civility, and equality

 

Curricula

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers curricula leading to majors in over 24 areas of study. The major consists of not fewer than 24 semester hours of courses taken in one department, or in an approved interdepartmental program, including not fewer than 24 semester hours in courses above the first-year level. All of the departmental and interdepartmental curricula require a nucleus of core courses in humanities, social sciences, and natural and computational sciences. Each student in the College must declare a major in one of the following fields: biochemistry; biology; biomedical science; chemistry; computer science; computer information systems; criminology; economics; English; environmental science (with options in biology, chemistry, and physics); history; interdisciplinary major program; international studies; mathematics; medical laboratory science (interdepartmental, biology and chemistry); philosophy; physics; political science; psychology; religious studies; social work; sociology; statistics; world languages (French, Spanish).

High School Teaching Curricula

Students who wish to prepare for a teaching career in the secondary schools may fulfill the requirements for a teaching certificate while working on a degree program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Certification requirements are independent of graduation requirements; students may graduate, as long as they have met the graduation requirements of the University, the College, and their department, without being certified. Requirements for certification are added to those for graduation, but, in most cases, the student may meet certification requirements through planned use of elective hours. Secondary education requirements are outlined in detail in the College of Education and Health Sciences section of this catalog.

Preprofessional Preparation for the Health Professions

The College has long prepared preprofessional students interested in the health professions. For example, the Department of Biology offers a specific curriculum leading to a degree in biomedical science with concentrations in pre-medicine, veterinary science and biomedical research and development; the Departments of Chemistry and Physics also offer preprofessional curriculum options. However, experience has shown that virtually any major is acceptable for professional education provided the student is careful to select, as electives, those courses necessary for admission to the professional school of his or her choice. Biology, chemistry, psychology, and physics are appropriate majors, but students majoring in the social sciences or the humanities have also been admitted to medical or dental school. Preprofessional students who prefer to design their own major or to obtain a general background in the College without concentrating their courses in a major, may do so under the liberal arts and sciences interdisciplinary major program.

Pre-Law Curriculum

Most American law schools desire their students to have a broad educational background and do not generally recommend any particular undergraduate major. Courses emphasized as effective preparation include those which contribute to organized and precise thought, to the proper use of English, and to an expanded perspective of one’s social environment. Of basic importance is the ability to communicate competently in oral and written form; facility in this respect should be cultivated through both appropriate course work and independent effort.

While virtually any major is acceptable, breadth of knowledge is vital. The academic program should, therefore, provide significant coverage of the humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences. In addition, students will further benefit by undertaking, on their own initiative, a reading plan to supplement their formal study.

Pre-law students who prefer to design their own major or to obtain a general background in the College without concentrating their courses in a major, may do so under the liberal arts and sciences interdisciplinary major program. Bradley's Center for Legal Studies will enhance the strong academic foundation already provided to students interested in attending law school by offering an extensive array of experiences and resources.

Experiential Learning

The programs of the College provide opportunity for “hands on” learning through cooperative education/internships, practica in clinical settings, work/study opportunities, research participation, and undergraduate assistantships. These experiences link the world of the intellect and the world of work and practical affairs.

Cooperative Education/Internship Program

The College participates with employers in an optional Cooperative Education/Internship Program. Students either alternate periods of full-time study with full-time employment or have part-time employment while attending classes. The program provides academic- or career-related work experiences. To be eligible, the student must have sophomore standing and a 2.0 minimum overall grade point average at Bradley and in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Graduation Requirements:

The College confers two degrees, the Bachelor of Arts (which requires a world language) and the Bachelor of Science (see University requirements for the B.S. degree). The requirements for the degrees are outlined below; the degree received depends upon the course of study of the individual student.

Students who maintain continuous enrollment and who complete work toward the baccalaureate degree within five years from the date of entry may graduate under either the catalog in effect at the time of entrance or under the catalog in effect at the time of graduation. A change in major could mean meeting new requirements in force at the time of the change as a condition for acceptance into that major. Students whose work has been interrupted for one or more semesters may be held to requirements in effect at the time of their re-enrollment.

All-University Requirements:

The student must satisfy the general university requirements as to residence, grade point average, and required courses. See “Academic Regulations” for these requirements.

  1. Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree must present credit for three semesters of college-level world language or its equivalent. The world language requirement is outlined in detail under Department of World Languages and Cultures.
  2. Candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree must successfully complete at least 15 hours of courses selected from mathematics, computer science, and the natural sciences. See requirements for the B.S. degree.
  3. Transfer students from another institution or from within the University who have successfully completed a minimum of 5 semester hours of English composition shall not be required to take additional hours of composition. CLEP composition credit may substitute for ENG 101, but not for the junior-level composition course.

College Requirements:

In addition to the University requirements, the student must satisfy the following requirements which are concurrent, not cumulative:

  1. A minimum of 30 semester hours credit (toward the 40 required for graduation) in courses numbered 300 or above offered by the College.
  2. All students majoring in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences*  will either

a. Take one additional course from any Bradley Core Curriculum Area of Inquiry (excluding Communication and Fine Arts) outside of their major cluster area.This option leads students to pursue a greater breadth of knowledge in Liberal Arts and Sciences disciplines outside their major field of study.

  1. Students majoring in humanities choose from Natural Sciences, Quantitative Reasoning, Social and Behavioral Sciences, or approved Global Perspectives courses.
  2. Students majoring in the social sciences choose from Humanities, Natural Sciences, Quantitative Reasoning, or approved Global Perspectives courses.
  3. Students majoring in the natural sciences choose from Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Quantitative Reasoning, or approved Global Perspectives courses.
  4. Students majoring in the computational sciences choose from Humanities, Natural Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, or approved Global Perspectives courses.

Or

b. Take a 3-credit hour first-year seminar, LAS 101

* Exclusive of those students completing a second major in another college,  a high school education major, or two majors within LAS with over 50 total unduplicated major hours, as well as students who have earned transfer equivalency credit for a 3-credit hour first-year seminar. 

Baccalaureate Articulation: Associate in Arts or Associate in Sciences Graduates

A transferring student who has completed an Associate in Arts or an Associate in Science degree in an Illinois public community college may expect to earn a baccalaureate degree from a College of Liberal Arts and Sciences program upon the completion of two additional years of course work (normally 60-64 semester hours) provided that the following qualifications are met:

  1. that the transferring student does not change his or her intended major or area of specialization
  2. that the College has a program in the transferring student’s intended major or area of specialization
  3. that the 60-64 semester hours of course work represented in the associate degree include only baccalaureate-oriented, college-level courses which appear in the ICCB master course file.

Major Requirements:

The student must complete a major of not fewer than 24 semester hours in one department or in an approved interdepartmental program, including not fewer than 20 hours in courses numbered 200 or above. Because some curricula require more than these minima and/or collateral work in other subject areas, students are urged to check requirements carefully with advisors for their major programs. The student must have a grade point average exceeding 2.0 in all courses numbered 200 or above in the department.

Transfer students who enter the College with 16 or more hours of the major already completed and are candidates for a degree must earn at Bradley at least nine hours in the major field with a grade point average exceeding 2.00. The department or program chair shall have the privilege of waiving some or all of these required nine hours but may not reduce the overall total for the major below 24 hours, 20 of which must be above the first-year level.

Secondary Teacher Preparation

Students who wish to prepare to teach in the secondary schools may seek to fulfill the requirements for a teaching certificate while they are working for the baccalaureate degree in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Bradley University will recommend students for a teaching certificate if they have obtained their degree at Bradley and have fulfilled the requirements listed in the College of Education and Health Sciences section of this Catalog. Recommendation for a certificate is, however, considered a privilege and is not automatically granted simply because a student has fulfilled the technical requirements. The student must also receive approval from the faculty of the field in which he or she plans to teach, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the chair of the Department of Teacher Education, and the Dean of the College of Education and Health Sciences. Certificate requirements are completely independent of graduation requirements. It should be noted that the State, for certification purposes, counts all course work, regardless of level, taken in the academic area. Our requirements for a 24-hour major are thus usually more demanding than the State’s, and the student may be able to reach 32 hours by counting all course work in that area. Secondary education requirements are outlined in greater detail in the section of this catalog under College of Education and Health Sciences.

Global Scholars Program

 Academic Mission

  • A cross-disciplinary program of undergraduate study designed to offer students a background in global studies. The term “global” means a phenomenon or force that is worldwide in scope. We use the term to include both global systems and the diversity of cultures therein.
  • A focus on diversified study within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences aimed at expanding cross-cultural and global knowledge, buttressed by for world languages, general education courses, and study abroad.
  • A spotlight on global knowledge that is useful for developing information and skills needed to succeed in a competitive job market.

Program Information

The Global Scholars Program provides a unique opportunity for students majoring in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to gain substantive exposure to a broad spectrum of global and cultural forces. The required coursework spans several academic disciplines, introducing students to relevant content framed in a global setting. As a broad cross- disciplinary concentration, this program seeks to stimulate students’ intellectual involvement in global affairs and helps those students wishing to pursue future international opportunities.

Program Benefits

Students electing to enroll in this program will earn the designation of “Global Scholar” in recognition of their achievement. They may do so within any academic major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This designation confers:

  • Formal recognition by the dean of the college
  • Citation at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Honors Day Ceremony
  • Identification, through an exclusive logo, on the student’s official university transcript and resume


Program Requirements

Beginning Fall 2017

World Languages (0-8 hours)

LAS Global Scholars students must complete at least two semesters of College-level world language study or its equivalent. This requirement may be met in several ways: 1) Completion of a two-semester sequence (101-102) or higher; 2) Transfer of similar credits from another institution; 3) By proficiency examination (AP or CLEP). Note: if a student places into a level above 102, only one course is necessary.

Link to course descriptions in World Languages and Cultures:

http://www.bradley.edu/academic/departments/wlc/courses/

Coursework (10 hrs.)

LAS 125 (1 hour) Global Topics

Required coursework (9 hours): Students will take 9 credit hours, at least 3 credit hours from a course in the Bradley Core Curriculum (BCC) World Cultures category and 3 credit hours from a course in the BCC Global Systems category (for eligible courses, see link below).

https://www.bradley.edu/sites/bcc/approved-courses/

Please note: The third 3 credit hour course can also be from the World Cultures or Global Systems categories (see above link) or, optionally, from one of the following natural science courses:

  • BIO 300 Population, Resources and Environment
  • CHM 102 - Chemistry and Civilization
  • GES 300 Oceanography: The Human Perspective 

Study Abroad (3 hours)

Studying abroad gives students a deeper understanding of the institutions, history, and languages of other societies and cultures. Students in the Global Scholars Program must participate in a university-approved study abroad program for a minimum of 3 credit hours. Bradley provides a variety of study abroad options, including programs offered during Bradley’s Interim and Summer Sessions as well as during the academic year. Study abroad is available to students throughout their academic career in a wide range of academic disciplines at over twenty academic institutions in eighteen countries.

Participants taking any of their required Global Scholars coursework abroad will receive credit for fulfilling both the course and the study abroad requirement. For specific information concerning the Study Abroad program offered by the Bradley University Study Abroad program, please visit the Study Abroad Program.

Capstone (3 hours)

Students have three options to complete this requirement:

  • Completion of an independent study course on a global-themed topic (see list for courses)
  • Completion of ENG 304 (Advanced Writing – Research in Individual Discipline) on a global-themed topic
  • Completion of a capstone course on a global-themed topic (see list for courses)

Student must earn a “B” or better in the capstone course. Capstone application form must be completed (here).

GPA

Students must maintain at least a 3.0 overall GPA at Bradley in order to graduate as an LAS Global Scholar.

Previous to Fall 2017

World Language (0-8 hours)

Students must complete one of the following course sequences: FLF/WLF 101 and 102, FLG/WLG 101 and 102, FLH/WLH 101 and 102, or FLS/WLS 101 and 101 (elementary French, German, Hebrew and Spanish or equivalent.) Students with sufficient training in world languages may fulfill this requirement by appropriately passing the foreign language placement exam, administered by the Department of World Languages and Cultures.

Students who complete a university approved language program abroad will fulfill both the world languages and the study abroad requirements.

Global Forces (6 hours)

Two courses from the following; only one can be from student’s major:

  • BIO 300 Population, Resources and Environment 
  • CHM 300 Chemistry and Civilization
  • GES 300 Oceanography: The Human Perspective
  • HIS 339 Women in Global Perspective 
  • IS 250 Normative Theories of International Studies
  • IS 415 Transnational Forces in World Affairs 
  • PHL/PLS 308 Modern Political Philosophy
  • PLS 205 Introduction to Comparative Politics 
  • PLS 208 Fundamentals of International Relations 
  • PLS 317 International Law
  • PLS 318 International Organization
  • PLS 319 International Political Economy 
  • PSY 474 Cross-Cultural Psychology
  • RLS 101 Comparative Religions
  • RLS 332 Religions of the World
  • SOC 300 Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Gender 
  • SOC 311 Comparative Family Systems
  • SOC 326 Sociology of Globalization 

Cultures from Around the Globe (6 hours)

Two courses from the following; only one can be from student’s major

  • ENG 123 European Writers
  • ENG 381 Literatures of Asia
  • ENG 385 Literatures of Europe
  • FLF/WLF 315/325  Introduction to French Literature
  • FLG/WLG 315/325  Introduction to German Literature
  • FLS/WLS 315/325 Introduction to Literature (Hispanic)
  • FLS/WLS 342 Survey of Hispanic-America Literature I
  • FLS/WLS 343 Survey of Hispanic-American Literature II
  • HIS 205 Non-Western Civilization: Latin America
  • HIS 206 Non-Western Civilization: The Middle East Since Muhammad
  • HIS 336 Early Non-Western History and Geography
  • HIS 337 Modern Non-Western History and Geography 
  • IS 182 Fundamentals of Contemporary East Asian Civilization 
  • IS 275 Political Economy of the Developing World 
  • IS 285 East Asia in the Modern World
  • IS 322 Latin America in the International System 
  • IS 340 Africa in the International System 
  • IS 363 Middle East Nations in International Affairs 
  • RLS 331 Religions of the Eastern World 
  • RLS 336 Buddhism and Asian Civilizations 
  • SOC 305 Peoples and Cultures of the Non-Western World

Study Abroad (3 hours)

Studying abroad gives students a deeper understanding of the institutions, history, and languages of other societies and cultures. Students in the Global Scholars Program must participate in a university-approved study abroad program for a minimum of 3 credit hours. Bradley provides a variety of study abroad options, including programs offered during Bradley’s Interim and Summer Sessions as well as during the academic year. Study abroad is available to students throughout their academic career in a wide range of academic disciplines at over twenty academic institutions in eighteen countries.

Participants taking any of their required Global Scholars coursework abroad will receive credit for fulfilling both the course and the study abroad requirement. For specific information concerning the Study Abroad program offered by the Bradley University Study Abroad program, please visit the Study Abroad Program.

Combined LAS/MBA Program

A special program has been designed to enable students majoring in any undergraduate program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to also earn an M.B.A. in a minimum of five years, with carefully coordinated advising. Interested students should see the director of graduate programs in the Foster College of Business their first year.

Washington Semester

Bradley University has a cooperative arrangement with American University for well-qualified students to study in one of these programs: the Washington Semester in American Politics, the Foreign Policy Semester, the Economic Policy Semester, the Justice Semester, and the Journalism Semester. A package of seminars with public and private officials, internships, research, and coursework provides students with a first-hand view of their area of interest. A full semester of credit is earned through the program.

This is the official catalog for the 2020-2021 academic year. This catalog serves as a contract between a student and Bradley University. Should changes in a program of study become necessary prior to the next academic year every effort will be made to keep students advised of any such changes via the Dean of the College or Chair of the Department concerned, the Registrar's Office, u.Achieve degree audit system, and the Schedule of Classes. It is the responsibility of each student to be aware of the current program and graduation requirements for particular degree programs.