College of Arts and Sciences

Paul B. Semmes, Dean
Kurt Eisen, Associate Dean

Departments and Programs

Mission and Scope

The College of Arts & Sciences provides a liberal arts education for all TTU students, strong major programs in more than thirty areas of study, high-quality foundational courses for students in programs outside the College, and new knowledge through faculty and student research. In pursuing this mission, the College emphasizes the skills and perspectives vital to lifelong education and decision-making in a democracy. These include critical and contextual thinking, effective communication, active learning, and proficiency with technology. Across the ten departments, many courses address one or more of the following major issues: environmental problems, the complex relations of science and society, and the coexistence of differing cultural or ethnic groups within the U.S. and around the globe.

General Requirements for a Baccalaureate Degree in the College of Arts and Sciences

A student must satisfy the general university requirements for a baccalaureate degree. The departmental chairperson, or a faculty member designated by the chairperson, serves as the student’s academic advisor.

Minor in Arts and Sciences

A minor for Arts and Sciences students requires the completion of 15 semester hours, including 6 upper-division hours, in a coherent program of study. The criterion of coherence may be met in either of two ways: (1) by following the minor curriculum prescribed by any department or college at TTU, so long as it includes at least 6 upper-division hours; (2) if such a minor curriculum is not available in the chosen department or college, by taking the 15 semester hours, including 6 at the upper division, in a single discipline—i.e., normally, courses with the same course prefix, but students should check with the department offering the minor before assuming this. Exception: A minor in physics will consist of at least 15 hours of coursework including PHYS 2110 , PHYS 2120 , PHYS 2420 , PHYS 2920 and one upper division physics course. Approved interdisciplinary minors in the College of Arts and Sciences are:

Interdepartmental Programs and Activities

All College of Arts and Sciences programs cross over departmental lines to bring in appropriate experiences from other disciplines. Some programs, however, require an unusually broad set of activities to accomplish their goals. The B.S. in International Business and Cultures uses the resources of two colleges in preparing students to solve complex problems in international commerce. The pre-professional programs draw from a wide spectrum of sciences, humanities, and social sciences as they prepare students for careers in medicine, law, and the allied health sciences. In addition to department-based minor programs, students can choose from several interdisciplinary minors: Women and Gender Studies, Environmental Studies, Education or Business. Finally, the Internship in Technology and Community Development adds an applied technology credential to the student’s major.

Pre-Professional Programs

The College prepares students for professional training in law, medicine, dentistry, and other health sciences. All the courses required or recommended for pre-professionals are annually revised and updated to make certain students are well-prepared and are competitive on required aptitude tests (DAT, LSAT, MCAT, OAT, PCAT, VCAT). Among the many opportunities for active learning related to pre-professional studies are: the mock-trial team, speech and debate teams, internships and work experiences, and pre-professional student groups, such as the Chem- Med Club, which provide trips to professional schools and interactions with other pre-professional students and with prominent practitioners in the various fields. Should a student later decide not to pursue entrance to a professional school, TTU offers a wide range of degree options that capitalize on the pre-professional work already accomplished. https://www.tntech.edu/cas/healthsciences/

Pre-Law

Pre-law students have no fixed requirements, but law schools recommend they major in a discipline known for its rigor in analytical thinking and communication. Pre-law students are advised by a team of professors–in Business, English, History, Political Science, and Sociology–led by Associate Professor Lori Maxwell (lmmaxwell@tntech.edu) of the Sociology and Political Science Department.

Pre-Professional Health Sciences

The pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, pre-pharmacy, pre-optometry and pre-allied health science students must take certain courses required by the professional school while at TTU, but they can do so while pursuing almost any major. In most pre-professional health science areas, students have the option of obtaining a B.S. in Applied Chemistry from TTU after three years at TTU and one year at a professional school. Pre-veterinary students have the special option of majoring in Agriculture with a concentration in animal science. Pre-professional health science students are advised by Instructors Ann Marie Carrick (acarrick@tntech.edu) and Janet Coonce (jcoonce@tntech.edu) and advisor Thomas Turner (tlturner@tntech.edu) https://www.tntech.edu/cas/healthsciences/. Pre-veterinary students are advised by Professor Bruce Greene (bgreene@tntech.edu) in the School of Agriculture.

Internship in Technology and Community Development

This internship program is designed for the student who is completing a bachelor’s degree program that does not include a significant application of current computer technologies to “real-world” problems and needs. During three of the student’s last four semesters in a major program in the College of Arts and Sciences at Tennessee Tech, he or she will register for CAS 4910 , CAS 4920 , and CAS 4930 , in that order, for one semester each, and not simultaneously. A certificate is awarded upon completion of all three courses, each with a passing grade.

Graduate Programs

Graduate curricula lead to the Master of Science degree in biology, chemistry, and mathematics, the Master of Arts degree in English, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Environmental Sciences. For details, consult the TTU Graduate Studies office.

Teacher Licensure

Students may major in the College of Arts and Sciences and work towards teacher licensure, although in some cases they may be required to earn more than 120 hours.

For more information consult the College of Arts and Sciences web page: www.tntech.edu/cas/.