Radford University Undergraduate Catalog, 2011-2012

Academic Programs
Radford University offers curricula leading
to six undergraduate degrees: the Bachelor of
Arts, Bachelor of Social Work, Bachelor of Science
in Nursing, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor
of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of
Business Administration. For information about
graduate programs, consult the Radford University
Graduate Catalog.
In the Bachelor of Arts degree, emphasis
is on work in the academic fields and the study
of a foreign language is required. The Bachelor
of Science, Bachelor of Social Work and Bachelor
of Science in Nursing degrees are offered
for work in academic as well as in vocational
and professional fields; the study of a foreign
language is not required. Courses in professional
education may be offered to satisfy a part
of the requirement for the Bachelor of Science
degree. The Bachelor of Business Administration
degree is for students who wish to work in
national or multinational businesses or prepare
for graduate work in business. (See “Academic
Terminology” below for additional information
about degrees, majors, minors, concentrations,
options, and programs.)
For the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science,
Bachelor of Social Work and Bachelor of
Business Administration degree programs, the
minimum requirement for graduation is at least
120 semester hours of passing course work. The
Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Music degree
programs place a heavy emphasis on work
in the major field. In these two professional degree
programs, students may have to take course
work in excess of 120 hours; thus, close consultation
with the advisor is recommended. (See p.
202 and 215.)
In consultation with an advisor from a chosen
discipline, undergraduates plan an academic
program consisting of Core Curriculum courses,
major courses, and electives. Students should
choose their departmental major as soon as possible
and not later than the end of the sophomore
year. At least half of the hours counted in the
major and minor must be earned at Radford University.
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Academic Terminology
Degree: A degree represents the academic
level of a program and the general category into
which it falls, e.g. Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of
Science. At Radford University, the term Arts in
an undergraduate degree generally implies a foreign
language requirement. The minimum number
of semester hours for a Radford University
undergraduate degree is 120.
Major: A major represents a student’s principal
field of study; that is, the academic discipline
he or she wishes to study intensively, for
example, Psychology, Music and Accounting.
The range of credits required for an undergraduate
major is 30 to 90 semester hours depending
upon the field of study.
Program: The term program does not have
a unique definition. One use of the term involves
a combination of a major and a degree, e.g.,
Bachelor of Science in Chemistry or Bachelor of
Business Administration in Accounting. Occasionally,
a program may consist only of a degree
and not have a specific major, as in the Bachelor
of Social Work. Program may also be used in
a more generic sense to modify degree/major
combinations, as in Teacher Education Program.
Minor: A minor represents a student’s secondary
field of study and is different from the
major. This distinguishes the minor from concentrations
and options. The range for the number
of semester hours in an undergraduate minor
is 15 to 24.
Concentration: A concentration is a field of
study within a major. Some examples are: Ballet
within Dance and Public Relations within Communication.
The number of semester hours for
a concentration varies, but is always included
within the semester hours for the major. This distinguishes
concentrations from options, which
represent semester hours beyond the major.
Option: An option is a set of related courses
and/or experiences that complement the major.
The principal example is in education where Elementary,
Middle and other options complement
the Interdisciplinary Studies major by preparing
the student for a specific career path. As noted