College of Arts and Humanities

The College of Arts and Humanities offers undergraduate and graduate study in the humanities, the social sciences, and the visual and performing arts. The College strives to prepare students for productive lives in a diverse multicultural world by developing intellectual and creative skills, communication abilities, and critical thinking. It provides majors and minors in specialized subjects in arts, humanities and social sciences. Teaching provides advanced knowledge and skills in a setting that emphasizes interaction among students and faculty. The College seeks to develop habits of learning and a commitment to lifelong inquiry and intellectual growth.

Students of the College of Arts and Humanities learn by:

• participating in and completing the University Core Curriculum Program;
• pursuing undergraduate study in a major that provides an understanding of the specialized content of the major and its methodology;
• pursuing graduate study focused on understanding the literature, theory, research methods, and professional skills of a field; and
• attending lectures, symposia, and visual and performing arts events, which enhance formal instruction.

The College has a well-qualified faculty committed to teaching, learning, scholarly and creative activity, and service. The College emphasizes excellence in teaching and academic counseling of students throughout their academic careers. It seeks to foster scholarly and creative activity among faculty and students. Recognizing the importance of service to the community and the region, the College of Arts and Humanities provides South Texas with expertise, consulting services, and cultural events.

DISCIPLINES
The College of Arts and Humanities offers undergraduate courses in the following areas:

Undergraduate Courses

PRE-LAW
Pre-law students should consult with a pre-law advisor about the proper selection of a major and of elective courses. Pre-law advisors also have information about law schools, admission requirements, and the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT).

SPECIALIZED ACCREDITATION AND APPROVAL
The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi music program is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music.

BACCALAUREATE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Total Hours
A minimum of 124 semester hours of credit is required for the baccalaureate degree. Some curricula or combinations of fields require more. No remedial course work may apply toward the degree.

Upper-Division Hours
A minimum of 45 semester hours of upper-division credit (junior- and senior-level course hours) is required for the baccalaureate degree.

Major-Study Requirements
A student must attain a minimum of 30 semester hours in the major field of study, not including any course work taken as part of the University Core Curriculum Program. At least 18 of these 30 hours must be upper-division (numbered 3000 or above) courses. Some curricula or combinations of fields require more. Specific course and major-study hour requirements for each discipline are given in the discipline course listing section of this catalog. Please consult that section for specific requirements that must be met for each disciplinary major.

Minor-Study Requirements
To attain a minor in the College of Arts and Humanities, a student must complete the program designed for that minor. Each minor consists of a minimum of 18 semester hours, at least 12 semester hours of which must be at the upper-division level. Some specific fields may require more. Courses that count towards a student’s major or another minor may not be counted towards the minor. At least 9 semester hours in the minor must be taken in residence at A&M-Corpus Christi. The student must have an overall GPA of 2.0 in the minor field. Specific course and major-study hour requirements for each discipline are given in the discipline course listing section of this catalog. Please consult that section for specific requirements that must be met for each disciplinary minor. Requirements for interdisciplinary minors are listed in this section of the catalog.

Course Requirements
Students are expected to meet all course requirements indicated in the course syllabus.

Residence Requirement
The term “residence” is here defined as “course work completed at the degree granting institution.” To be granted a baccalaureate degree from A&M-Corpus Christi, a student must successfully complete at least 36 semester hours of upper-division course work from this university. A minimum of 12 hours of these 36 must be in the major. Hours earned by credit by examination may not be used to fulfill the residence requirement. Hours earned through credit by examination at another institution will likewise not affect the residence requirement calculation.

Grade-Point Average
A minimum grade-point average of 2.0 (“C”) on a 4-point scale in all work taken at this University is required for graduation. Additionally, a minimum grade-point average of 2.0 (“C”) is required in all courses taken in the student’s declared major field of study, and in all courses taken in any declared minor field of study for conferral of degree. Individual disciplinary fields, however, may set higher standards than the College minimum for their majors and minors.

Activity Courses
A maximum of 4 semester hours of Kinesiology activity course work may be included as elective credit in the BA, BM, BFA and BS degree programs.

General Education Requirement
Students must meet the University’s General Education requirements, which include the 46-48 hour core curriculum (see sections entitled “Undergraduate Programs” and “University Core Curriculum Program”).

College Language Requirement
All students majoring in degree programs offered by this college, other than the BFA in Art and the BM in Music, are required to take 6 college-level hours of a second language or the equivalent. Language means a language in the traditional sense; i.e., a language with a culture, such as Spanish or French. American Sign Language is accepted. Language does not include artificial or computer languages.

One may demonstrate proficiency in one of two ways:

1. earning a CLEP or AP score equivalent to one year of language study at A&M-Corpus Christi;
2. successfully completing two semesters of a single foreign language at the university

Foreign students who have successfully taken the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) may elect to choose English as their second language. English is considered to be the first language for all other students.

Degree Plan
The degree plan is the formal statement of requirements that must be completed before a degree will be granted. When the student is prepared to declare a major program of study within a particular discipline, he/she should prepare a formal degree plan. It is recommended that the student have decided on a major program of study and prepare a degree plan no later than the second semester of the sophomore year. If the student is transferring into the University at a point after the second semester of the sophomore year, it is recommended that a degree plan be prepared during the student’s first semester of residence.

Degree plans are prepared in the A&H Academic Advising Center, and students will be notified by letter when their degree plans are ready for signature. The degree plan must be signed by the student, faculty advisor, and the Department Chair. Any amendment to an original degree plan must be approved by the student’s academic advisor and the Department Chair, and a revised degree plan filed with the Office of the Dean. All courses and requirements specified in the final plan must be completed before a degree will be granted.

INTERDISCIPLINARY MINORS
In order to fulfill the general objectives of Arts and Humanities, the College offers a number of interdisciplinary minors. Minors require a minimum of 18 semester hours beyond the Core, a minimum of 12 semester hours at the upper-division level, and a minimum of 9 semester hours in residence. See alphabetized program listing for descriptions of the following interdisciplinary minors:

For a description of the Minor in Geography, please see the College of Science and Technology section of this catalog.

TEACHER CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS
Students seeking certification in secondary fields or in all levels in art and music must major in an approved teaching field and complete all major study and related requirements for a baccalaureate degree in that field. Students must also meet teacher certification requirements as stipulated by the College of Education. Students are urged to consult the Certification Office of the College of Education for complete and current information about teacher certification requirements.

Major study programs in the College of Arts and Humanities offering teacher certification are:

Please see the Certification Office in the College of Education for Professional Development courses needed for certifications.

Grade Point Average
A minimum grade point average of 2.5 in all academic work attempted and no grade below “C” in education courses within the professional education block of courses is required. (See College of Education, “Admission to Teacher Education” and “Admission to Student Teaching” for other requirements.) Specific disciplines may require a higher GPA in the field of study than a 2.5. Please refer to the specific certification discipline for GPA requirement in the subject of field.

Certification Examination
Upon satisfactory completion of all subject field and professional development courses, a student may register for the subject field certification examination, called TExES (Texas Exams of Educator Standards). A student wishing to take the TExES prior to program completion must satisfy the following:

1. Make pre-specified acceptable scores on TExES practice tests, or departmental equivalent, and participate in practice test review and analysis session.
2. Provide official permit with signature of Program Coordinator or designated person for each teaching field on the student’s certification plan.

Alteration of a Certification Plan
Any amendment to a degree plan originally filed must be approved by the student’s academic advisor, the Department Chair, and the Certification Officer of the College of Education for the degree to be granted.

SPECIAL COURSES
Cross-Listed Courses
Some courses may be cross-listed by two or more disciplines. Such courses may be counted as part of the required hours for a particular major by registration for the appropriate course prefix. Cross-listed courses may not be repeated under another prefix for additional credit.

Topics Courses (1-3 sem. hrs.)
Undergraduate topics courses are offered in most areas of study in the College under the 4390 number. The subject of study varies and is announced in the Semester Schedule. These courses may be repeated for credit when topics vary.