Arts & Sciences

Communications is the study of how people share information, ideas, meaning, and culture. Communications offerings are designed to develop a student’s understanding and application of research and critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate information, identify and evaluate source material, integrate differing points of view, and establish a reasoned course of action for effectively solving problems and demonstrating effective verbal, nonverbal, and visual skills (i.e. reading, writing, speaking, listening, audience awareness, and conflict resolution).

Humanities/Arts is the study human culture and/or expression. Humanities/Arts offerings are designed to develop a student’s understanding of the relationship between a work of art or text and its cultural context and ability to form judgments through the critical and aesthetic analysis of works of art, literature, religion, history, and philosophy.

Social Science is the study of human society and/or behaviors and cause and effect. Social Science offerings are designed to develop a student’s understanding of individual or social human behavior from the perspective of one or more disciplines of the social sciences, knowledge of empirical methods for studying human behavior, and to use theories and concepts of human behavior with appropriate empirical evidence to analyze contemporary social issues (historical events, cultural and societal differences), consumer behavior, and/or the inter-workings of an economy, how to analyze and interpret data from a social science context, and evaluate society as a whole.

Mathematics is the study of numerical relationships, geometrical and spatial properties, and/or logic. Mathematics offerings are designed to develop students’ understanding of basic mathematical concepts, to develop their abilities to analyze and solve mathematical problems, and to promote the importance of mathematics through analysis of problem solving strategies and the interpretation of results.

Natural Science is the study of the physical world and/or how biological life, non-living systems and matter, and/or energy works. Natural Science offerings are designed to develop a student’s understanding of the natural world, its processes, and the inter-relationships of its systems; how to apply the scientific method including the appropriate collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and effective communication of findings; harness the ability to use scientific terminology appropriately in meaningful scientific dialogue; and gain an understanding of the process of science as an intellectual pursuit and the ways in which scientific ideas evolve and come to be accepted.