Bachelor of Science and Arts

The requirements for the bachelor of science and arts degree are designed to give each student an opportunity to combine a core mathematics or science experience with an interdisciplinary curriculum which complements his or her major. Students pursuing the Bachelor of Science and Arts will major in a discipline within the College of Natural Sciences and complete one of the following: a transcript-recognized minor, transcript-recognized certificate, or 15 hours in a single field of study. This will allow the student to explore applications of his or her major in the broader society, allow the student to see the impacts of the sciences in other fields of study, and develop a complementary expertise, which supports multidisciplinary study.

All students pursuing an undergraduate degree must complete the University’s Core Curriculum. The prescribed work requirements for the Bachelor of Science and Arts consist of the University's Core Curriculum, college flag requirements, language, arts, and culture requirement, major requirements, additional requirement, and electives.

In the process of fulfilling the core curriculum and other degree requirements, all students must complete courses with content in the following areas:

1. Core curriculum
2. Skills and experience flags:
   1. Writing: two flagged courses beyond Rhetoric and Writing 306 or its equivalent, including one at the upper-division level
   2. Quantitative reasoning: one flagged course
   3. Global cultures: one flagged course
   4. Cultural diversity in the United States: one flagged course
   5. Ethics: one flagged course
   6. Independent inquiry: one flagged course

​​Courses that may be used to fulfill flag requirements are identified in the Course Schedule. They may be used simultaneously to fulfill other requirements, unless otherwise specified. Please note, students may not earn the cultural diversity in the United States and the global cultures flags from the same course. Students are encouraged to discuss options with their academic advisors.

Students may earn an honors major in their fields of study upon graduation by completing the following requirements:

1. Good standing in the Health Science Scholars Program or the Polymathic Scholars Program;
2. A section of Undergraduate Studies 302 or 303 that is approved by the departmental honors advisor;
3. Six hours of coursework in the major must be at the honors-level;
4. Natural Sciences 371;
5. A University grade point average of at least 3.50.

Prescribed Work Common to All Majors

1. Language, Arts, and Culture Requirement:
   Twelve hours selected from at least two of the following four areas:
   1. Fine arts: courses chosen from design, ensemble, fine arts, music, studio art, performance, visual art studies, art history, and theatre and dance
   2. Humanities: courses chosen from American studies, ancient history and classical civilization, classical civilization, comparative literature, creative writing, English, humanities, philosophy, religious studies, and rhetoric and writing
   3. Social and behavioral sciences: courses chosen from anthropology, economics, geography, government, history, linguistics, psychology, and sociology
   4. Foreign language and culture: foreign language courses or culture courses chosen from an approved list available in the college advising centers. Students who elect to pursue a foreign language must complete a beginning level competency. Students who complete intermediate or advanced level foreign language courses rather than courses equivalent to beginning level competency may count only one intermediate or advanced course toward the language, arts, and culture requirement

A maximum of six semester hours earned through credit by examination may count toward the language arts and culture requirement.

2.  Major Requirements: The specific courses required for the major vary with the major selected and are described in the links to the right. Unless the requirements of the major state otherwise, a major consists of at least 36 but no more than 55 semester hours. The major consists of the mathematics, primary science, and secondary science requirements.
3. Additional Requirement: The Bachelor of Science and Arts requires the completion of one of the following: transcript-recognized minor, transcript-recognized certificate, or 15 hours in a single field of study. Students who complete a transcript-recognized minor or 15 hours in a single field of study must select a minor or field of study that is outside the College of Natural Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Cockrell School of Engineering, Jackson School of Geosciences, and School of Nursing.
4. Electives: Enough additional coursework to make a total of 120 semester hours.

Special Requirements

1. Students may not use a course counting toward one area of prescribed work to fulfill the requirements of another area of prescribed work unless expressly permitted as follows:
   1. Courses counting toward the university core curriculum may also count toward the major requirements, the additional requirement, and electives.
   2. Courses counting toward the university core curriculum writing flag may also count toward the language, arts, and culture requirement.
   3. Courses counting toward the college flag requirements may also count toward the university core curriculum, language, arts, and culture requirement, major requirements, additional requirement, and electives.
   4. Per university policy, a minimum of nine hours of the transcript-recognized minor may not be also used to satisfy the major.
   5. Per university policy, a minimum of one course taken in a transcript-recognized certificate to satisfy the additional requirement may not also count toward the major.
2. Students who seek a transcript-recognized minor or transcript-recognized certificate must meet the minimum grade requirements and grade point average requirements of the program.
3. Students must earn a University grade point average of at least 2.00 in all courses taken at the University (including credit by examination, correspondence, and extension), a grade of at least C- in each mathematics and science course counted toward the major, and a grade point average of at least 2.00 in the courses fulfilling the major.
4. Students must complete a minimum of 60 hours in residence at the University, including at least 18 hours of the major. The 18 hours of the major in residence must include at least nine hours of advanced coursework.