Academic Approach - The University of Tulsa
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Academic Approach

The possibilities are only as limited as your imagination. The College of Arts and Sciences teaches students to question and think critically. From careers in law to museum curators, our alumni have jobs in a myriad of fields. Our Arts and Sciences programs elevate the level of conversation on campus, and once students develop their own voice, their passion will drive their careers.

Undergraduate

outdoor classThe College of Arts and Sciences has two fundamental requirements. The first is that each student learns to write English with precision and fluency, a process enhanced by continuing practice in courses across the curriculum. The second requirement is that in completing a bachelor’s degree each student acquires broad skills and knowledge complementary to his or her academic emphasis or specialization.

To earn a bachelor of arts degree, the student must complete study of a second language through the fourth-semester level or demonstrate equivalent proficiency. Non-native English speakers should consult the advising office for bachelor of arts requirements. The bachelor of science degree requires the student to complete a sequence of prescribed courses in mathematics and statistics. Selection of course work may be stipulated by the major program. The bachelor of fine arts, bachelor of music and bachelor of music education are preprofessional degrees based on the college’s historic involvement with the fine and performing arts. Degree requirements in these programs vary.

Incoming students complete a sequence of writing courses that provides them with the skills needed to meet the expectations and demands of college-level assignments. Additionally, all incoming undergraduates must complete, place-out of or show proficiency in contemporary mathematics or another basic mathematics course certified by the University Curriculum Committee such as basic calculus, mathematics with applications or pre-calculus mathematics. Incoming freshmen also complete AS 1001, an orientation course that introduces students to a disciplinary topic as well as skills and services necessary to student success.

Undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences complete their course of study with an intensive, rigorous, senior-year academic experience. The nature of this senior requirement varies by discipline but usually consists of a specially designed course in the student’s major area of study.

Graduate

Dr. Hendricks Econ classGraduate education is based upon the principles that no objective lies deeper in a university’s tradition than the nurture of scholarship and that graduate education represents the highest reaches of the college and university endeavor.

The college continues to maintain and strengthen its academic standards by internationalizing its programs, developing substantive research opportunities and seeking distinction in critical fields, including research, the better to equip its students for life in a rapidly changing world.