2013-2014 Catalog - Virginia Wesleyan College

44PLAN OF STUDY PLAN OF STUDY 45The EducationalProgramVirginia Wesleyan College endeavors toprovide students with a sound liberal artseducation that prepares them for effective living.Such an education must have qualities of breadth,depth, and flexibility.Today’s society requires educated specialists inmany areas; however, the times also demand broadlyeducated individuals who understand their disciplinesin the context of the society and in relation to thefuture. As a society we need liberally educated adultswho possess the breadth of understanding and insightto meet the needs of a rapidly changing world and torespond creatively to lifelong opportunities forpersonal enrichment. The college’s general studiesprogram speaks particularly to this need for breadth.A liberally educated person has also experiencedthe discipline of mastering a particular field ofknowledge. Virginia Wesleyan’s curriculum unitesbreadth with depth by combining general studieswith intensified studies in a major field chosen by theend of the sophomore year.Finally, a strong liberal arts program has flexibility.It allows students to choose courses that add to thebreadth provided by the general studies program andthe depth provided by the major. Approximately onethirdof the courses students take at VirginiaWesleyan are electives. Students also find that theyhave many choices in selecting courses to fulfill thegeneral studies requirements. They work closely withtheir faculty advisors to develop personal educationalgoals and to select courses that will enable them toattain those goals.Four-Year Graduation GuaranteeVirginia Wesleyan College guarantees that allstudents wishing to graduate in four years will beprovided necessary courses as required by the collegein their chosen field of study. Any required coursesneeded beyond four years will be provided to thestudent tuition-free.Entering freshmen wishing to participate in thegraduation guarantee program must complete theguarantee application form upon entry to the collegeand officially declare a major before beginning theirfall semester classes at the start of the junior year. Allparticipating students must be qualified to begincollege-level courses, have their class scheduleapproved by their official advisor, and register forclasses during early registration each semester. TheyPLAN OF STUDYmust also meet any program GPA and course, test,and grade requirements as stipulated in the catalog ordepartmental policy.Students must successfully complete an averagecourse load of 16 hours each semester (32 hours peryear) and remain in good standing at the college. Anycourse failed or repeated will void the guarantee, andany late change in major options may void theguarantee. Students who are interested in detailsabout the program should contact the AdmissionsOffice.Divisional StructureVirginia Wesleyan’s academic program isadministered through the Division of Humanities,the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics,and the Division of Social Sciences. The divisionalstructure affords opportunities for interdisciplinarycommunication and action not normally afforded bya departmental structure. The following disciplinesare included in each of the divisions:The Division of HumanitiesArt/Art HistoryClassicsCommunicationEnglishFrenchGermanHistoryJournalismLatinMusicPhilosophyReligious StudiesSpanishTheatreThe Division of Natural Sciencesand MathematicsBiologyChemistryComputer ScienceEarth and Environmental SciencesEnvironmental StudiesMathematicsPhysical SciencePhysicsThe Division of Social SciencesAmerican StudiesBusinessEducation/Special EducationGeographyHistoryPolitical SciencePsychologyRecreation and Leisure StudiesSocial WorkSociology and Criminal JusticeWhile the primary responsibility for getting fullyinvolved in the academic program rests with thestudent, the interchange that takes place betweenstudents and faculty is a very important part of thelearning process. Because the campus is small, andbecause of their interest in students, faculty membersare generally accessible and ready to assist.The Baccalaureate DegreeThe liberal arts program at Virginia WesleyanCollege offers a bachelor of arts degree, a bachelor ofscience degree, and a bachelor of social work degreewith numerous options for majors in the humanities,natural sciences, and social sciences. Studentscarrying the normal course load of 16 semester hourscan expect to graduate after eight semesters. Thespecific requirements for graduation are described inthis section of the catalog. The following majors anddegrees are offered:Majors and Degrees BA BS BSWAmerican StudiesXArtXBiology X XBusinessXChemistryXClassical StudiesXCommunicationXComprehensive Liberal Studies XComputer Science X XCriminal JusticeXEarth and Environmental Sciences X XEnglishXEnvironmental StudiesXFrench StudiesXGerman StudiesXHispanic StudiesXHistoryXHistory and Social Sciences XIndividualizedXInternational StudiesXLatinXMathematics X XMusicXPhilosophyXPolitical ScienceXPsychologyXRecreation and Leisure Studies XReligious StudiesXSocial Sciences Divisional XSocial WorkSociologyXTheatreXTheatre and EnglishXWomen’s and Gender Studies XAdditional Baccalaureate DegreeStudents may earn a maximum of one B.A., oneB.S., and one B.S.W. at Virginia Wesleyan byfulfilling the requirements for each degree, eitherseparately or concurrently. Students who havecompleted one degree and wish to complete a seconddegree must earn a minimum of 32 additionalsemester hours beyond the first degree. These 32hours must be in traditionally graded courses. At least24 of the 32 hours must be at the 300/400 level, andat least 20 must be in the major field. The grade pointaverage for the second degree is separate from thegrade point average for the initial degree unlesscompleted concurrently.A student pursuing two degrees concurrently atVirginia Wesleyan must earn a minimum of 160semester hours.A degree may not be earned by combining partialrequirements for a B.A. with partial requirements fora B.S. or a B.S.W., nor may a second degree beawarded with a major in the same academic field asthe first degree. Graduation requirements andlimitations, in addition to specific requirements forthe major and minor, are the same for B.A., B.S., andB.S.W. degrees and may serve to fulfill therequirements of both degrees.Once a baccalaureate degree has been awarded,the GPA for the degree is frozen. Subsequentcoursework and grades are not calculated into theinitial GPA for the degree. Coursework completed aspart of the initial degree may be repeated, but thesubsequent grade does not replace the initial grade.All courses and grades from Virginia Wesleyan areincluded in the academic record, and grades earned incourses for both degrees are calculated into the overallVirginia Wesleyan GPA. Coursework that repeatscredit applied toward an initial degree does not counttoward the 32 additional hours in residence that arerequired for a subsequent degree.X