College of Arts & Sciences

W. Brent Lindquist, Ph.D., Dean

202 Holden Hall | Box 41034 | Lubbock, TX 79409-1034
T 806.742.3831 | F 806.742.0893
Arts-and-Sciences@ttu.edu | www.as.ttu.edu

About the College

The College of Arts & Sciences offers a broad spectrum of programs and courses in the liberal arts; humanities; mathematics; and social, behavioral, and natural sciences. The primary function of the college is to impart to students the knowledge, skills of thinking and communicating, and values and attitudes that constitute a liberal education. The faculty of the college seek to instill in their students a humanistic spirit, an appreciation of creativity, a commitment to excellence and truth, an ability to think critically and communicate effectively, and a desire for lifelong learning. The courses and programs in the college also provide a base of knowledge and skills from which students may enter such professional fields of study as law and medicine.

Undergraduate Curriculum

General Degree Requirements

Baccalaureate Degrees. Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree apply to all baccalaureate degrees offered through the College of Arts & Sciences unless specifically shown to the contrary. Not more than 24 hours in agriculture, architecture, business administration, education, engineering, honors, human sciences, media and communication, and/or visual and performing arts may be counted (and not more than 6 additional hours if the minor is taken outside Arts and Sciences). In addition, students will be allowed 3 to 6 hours in visual and performing arts to fulfill the general degree requirement.

Major, Minor and Electives. Students must take major, minor, and elective courses sufficient to total 120 semester hours, although some majors may require more total hours.

The minor may be any departmental minor, an established interdisciplinary minor, or a student-initiated interdisciplinary minor (with approval of the associate dean in the Student Division of the College of Arts & Sciences).

Many departments and programs have residency requirements for the major and minor. See departmental or program listings for specific information. Courses used to fulfill the writing intensive requirement are to be taken in residence at Texas Tech.

Students should have selected their major and minor fields by the time they reach their sophomore year. For the major subject they will be required to complete a minimum of 30 to 36 semester hours, including 6 hours of intensive writing courses. As indicated in the degree programs on the following pages, some majors require more than the 30-hour minimum. At least 24 hours of the major subject must be in courses at the junior-senior level. For the minor, a minimum of 18 semester hours must be completed (except in certain foreign languages as explained in the curriculum for languages), at least 6 of which must be of junior or senior level. All courses in the major and minor must be approved by the appropriate academic unit. Students are expected to develop a degree plan no later than the first semester of the junior year. Forms and information are available in department offices.

A minimum of 40 semester hours of junior and senior work must be presented; not more than 8 hours may be counted in applied music and/or music ensemble; not more than 8 hours of personal fitness and wellness as well as exercise and sport sciences activity courses may be counted except for students offering exercise and sport sciences as a major, minor, or specialization.

Core Curriculum Requirements. The core curriculum requirements ensure breadth in each academic program. These requirements have been incorporated into the college’s various degree programs. Students have no need to refer to the core curriculum requirements unless so directed by their specific degree program.

Course Load. A normal full-time course load is 15 hours or more per semester. Course loads in excess of 19 semester hours require approval by the associate dean in the Student Division of the College of Arts & Sciences. The maximum course load for a student on probation is 16 hours. To receive full-time financial aid, students must be enrolled for a minimum of 12 hours. Some financial aid programs allow enrollment in less than full-time hours. The normal course load for a single summer term is 6-8 hours. To meet graduation requirements, a graduating senior may petition to take 9 hours in one term.

Credit by Examination. Students at Texas Tech University may attempt credit by examination for degree credit during their freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years. The student is responsible for taking the tests early enough to allow sufficient time for scores to be reported to the university and processed by the Office of the Registrar, which in the case of Arts and Sciences degrees is generally two semesters prior to the semester of graduation. Arts and Sciences degrees require fulfillment of two years of foreign language, rather than one year, and generally require that Arts and Sciences students who wish to attempt credit by examination for degree credit in foreign language do so before the end of their sophomore year. This ensures that these students will have time to complete their foreign language requirement within four years if they do not succeed in earning credit by examination. Seniors must receive written permission from their academic dean’s office prior to attempting credit by examination and provide proof of notification upon registering for an exam at Academic Testing Services.

Grading Practices. The College of Arts & Sciences conforms to university grading practices as set forth in the major section entitled Undergraduate Academics in this catalog. Credits for a course in which a grade of D is earned may not be applied toward fulfillment of the major, adjunct, minor, concentration area, or teaching field requirements for any degree program.

Except for those courses designated “may be repeated for credit” in this catalog, no course may be used more than once on a degree plan unless it has been approved by the associate dean in the Student Division of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Freshman Year. Entering freshmen develop their programs in conference with an academic advisor. The students report to their advisors for such individual conferences or group meetings as are needed for the purpose of orienting themselves to academic regulations and procedures, curricula, and degree requirements in their various areas of interest.

Students are urged to take required freshman courses during the freshman year. During the sophomore year the student should complete the second year of English and all other freshman requirements. Normally, core curriculum requirements should be completed by the end of the sophomore year. Freshmen should not enroll in junior-senior level courses.

Admission of Transfer Students. Students transferring from another academic institution must meet the university-wide admission requirements stated in an earlier section. Students requesting permission to transfer from another college at Texas Tech must have a GPA of at least 2.0. The College of Arts and Sciences will determine the applicability of any transferred credit to academic programs in the college. The last 30 hours prior to graduation must be completed while enrolled in the college.

Arts and Sciences Undeclared. Freshmen or sophomores may be admitted with a general major known as “Arts and Sciences Undeclared” (ASUD) until they select the major degree program in which they intend to graduate. The college offers a broad area of education that includes the social sciences, liberal arts, and humanities, as well as the natural sciences and mathematics. Arts and Sciences Undeclared is only a temporary administrative designation in which students cannot earn a degree. Students in the College of Arts & Sciences are urged to focus on fulfilling general degree requirements during their first two years. This alleviates the pressure to make an immediate decision on a major and career. Students can use their first two years to build a strong academic foundation. At the same time, students can investigate career alternatives and take elective courses in those professional fields or subject areas that are possible majors. Students listed as ASUD are advised by academic counselors in room 102 Holden Hall to help with selecting general degree requirements, electives, and a major. Skill/interest testing is available to students at 79 Holden Hall. After taking courses that are required for most majors (e.g., English, American history, political science, mathematics), students have the flexibility to begin working toward any of the major fields offered within the College of Arts and Sciences. ONLY STUDENTS WITH FEWER THAN 45 HOURS MAY BE LISTED AS ARTS AND SCIENCES UNDECLARED. Students who have completed 45 or more hours will have a hold placed on their records until they declare a major and minor.

Final 30 Credit Hours. The final 30 credit hours applied to a degree program must be completed with Texas Tech enrollments. Credit for courses (other than Texas Tech) taken without prior written approval from the associate dean in the Student Division may not be applied to degree program requirements.

Degree Plan and Intention to Graduate. Students are encouraged to file degree plans with the student division office as soon as their academic goals are clearly defined. Students must file degree plans upon completing 45 hours of coursework, including transfer courses and awarded credit. In addition, the Intention to Graduate form must be submitted at the same time the degree plan is submitted. Students who have completed 45 or more hours will have a hold placed on their records until they file the Intention to Graduate form.

Teacher Education. The curricula of most of the Bachelor of Arts degree programs and some of the Bachelor of Science programs are flexible to permit a student to major in an academic subject, yet meet the requirements for teacher certification by taking the required courses in the College of Education. Those students planning to become high school teachers should minor in secondary education. Students beginning their teacher education program in the spring of 2013 or later will participate in a program that includes a full year of student teaching during the two semesters of their senior year. Prospective teachers should refer to the College of Education section of this catalog as well as consult the College of Education and the chairperson or undergraduate advisor of the department in which they wish to major.

Second Bachelor’s Degree. Permission to enroll in courses to pursue a second bachelor’s degree must be obtained at the Student Division Office (102 Holden Hall). No second bachelor’s degree is conferred until the candidate has completed at least 30 semester hours of coursework from Texas Tech, of which 24 semester hours must be in the major. These hours are in addition to the courses counted toward the first bachelor’s degree. Credit by examination will not satisfy the 30-hour residence requirement. A second bachelor’s degree sought by a student who did not graduate from a public Texas university must include the required core curriculum. The College of Arts and Sciences does not allow students with an undergraduate degree who are seeking to take only “prerequisite” coursework for eventual application to a professional health school to enter a second undergraduate degree program. These students should contact the Graduate School and seek permission to enter an interdisciplinary studies program.

Bachelor of Arts

The curriculum established for the Bachelor of Arts is designed to provide the foundation of a liberal education through a well-rounded study of the humanities; arts; mathematics; and social, behavioral, and natural sciences. It also provides the factual basis and the insights requisite for specialized study and professional work in these fields.

General Requirements. See “Undergraduate Credit by Examination” in the Undergraduate Admissions section of this catalog for information on credit provided by test scores to meet these requirements. Students must take the specified number of hours in the areas listed below. With a few exceptions, courses from the major and minor may be used to satisfy these requirements. Courses taken at State of Texas non-public or out-of-state institutions and transferred to Texas Tech will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and, if acceptable, will be applied to core and general education requirements as applicable. Except for the multicultural requirement, a course may not be counted in two different areas of the general requirements nor may a course be counted in requirements for both the major and minor.

• English: 12

The 12 hours of English must consist of ENGL 1301  and ENGL 1302  and two sophomore literature courses from ENGL 2305 , ENGL 2306 , ENGL 2307 , ENGL 2308 , ENGL 2351 , ENGL 2388 , or ENGL 2391 . However, ENGL 2311  may be used as equivalent to fulfill 3 hours of this requirement. Literature courses taken at the junior/senior level and transferred in will be reviewed to determine applicability to requirements.

• Oral Communication: 3

Course must be selected from the core curriculum options.

• Foreign Language: 11-16

A student must complete 6 hours at the sophomore level or above in a single language. If 4 or more semesters of high school foreign language are accepted for admission, the student should consult the information preceding the course listing for the foreign language department. A student enrolling in the first-year sequence will have a total requirement of 11-16 hours. A student who enrolls in the second-year sequence will have a 6-hour requirement. International students whose native language is not English, whose language of instruction was not English, and who graduated from a secondary school in their native country may satisfy this requirement by bringing their certificate of graduation to the Student Division of the Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office. Students who petition to complete the foreign language requirement via study abroad through a non-Texas Tech affiliated program will agree to have foreign language credit applied to their degrees based on scores on a language placement test administered by the Language Learning Laboratory upon their return from the study abroad. Approval to do this must be granted in advance by the associate dean. For more information, consult the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures.

• Mathematics: 6

MATH 1300 , MATH 1320 , MATH 1321 , MATH 1330 , MATH 1331 , MATH 1350 , MATH 1420 , MATH 1430 , MATH 1451 , MATH 1452 , MATH 1550 , MATH 2300 , MATH 2345 , MATH 2450 , MATH 2360 , MATH 2370 , or MATH 2371 . Only one of MATH 1320  or MATH 1420  may apply. Only one of MATH 1330  or MATH 1430  may apply. Students cannot receive credit for more than one of AAEC 2401 ; MATH 2300 , MATH 2345 ; or PSY 2400 . PHIL 2310  or PSY 2400  may be used to satisfy 3 hours of this requirement. At least 3 hours of mathematics (from the list of courses above) must be taken to fulfill the mathematics requirement.

• Life and Physical Sciences: 8

Courses must be selected from the list of core curriculum options.

• Social and Behavioral Sciences: 6

The first 3 hours must be selected from the university’s core curriculum. The additional 3 hours may be selected from the core curriculum or from SW 2301 , SW 3311 , and SW 3312 .

• United States History: 6

Courses must be selected from the list of core curriculum options.

• United States and Texas Government: 6

Students will enroll in POLS 1301  and normally in POLS 2302 . For more information, see the Department of Political Science  section of this catalog. One course must be taken from a Texas college or university.  

• Language, Philosophy, and Culture: 6

One course must be selected from the core curriculum options. The other course can be selected form the core curriculum options or from the college general education requirements. See www.depts.ttu.edu/artsandsciences/students/undergraduate/.

• Creative Arts: 6

One course must be selected from the core curriculum options. The other course can be selected form the core curriculum options or from the college general education requirements. See www.depts.ttu.edu/artsandsciences/students/undergraduate/.

• Multicultural Requirement: 3

Select from the multicultural requirements approved list. This course may be used to satisfy another general degree requirement.

• Personal Fitness and Wellness: 2

To satisfy the College of Arts & requirement of 2 hours of personal fitness and wellness, students are to complete successfully any two PFW courses. For a specific physical activity, the completion of the course sequence is allowed if the sequence is taken in the appropriate order (i.e., beginning then advanced). Also accepted for fulfilling the requirement are AERS 1105 , AERS 1106 ; DAN 1205 , DAN 1206 , DAN 2202 ; MILS 1101 , MILS 1102 , MILS 3301 , MILS 3302 , MILS 4301 , MILS 4302 ; and MUEN 1103 . Students over age 25 are exempt. Any student who has served honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces for a minimum of 90 days may receive credit for 2 semester hours in personal fitness and wellness. Application for this credit must be made in the first semester of attendance at the university. Students participating in varsity athletics may enroll in the PFW course that corresponds to their varsity sport. A maximum of 1 credit hour per academic year per sport may be earned in this manner.

In addition to the general degree requirements for the Bachelor of Arts, students will have to complete majors and minors based on the various individual departmental requisites. Sample curriculum tables have been provided in the departmental sections for nearly all majors and minors. In some cases, degree requirements may be fewer than the hours presented in the tables.

Bachelor of Science

The Bachelor of Science degree permits a greater degree of specialization than the B.A. and is offered by the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Economics, Geosciences, Kinesiology and Sport Management, Mathematics and Statistics, and Physics and Astronomy. A minimum of 24 hours at the junior/senior level is required in the major. Please note the differences in requirements for the Bachelor of Science and the Bachelor of Arts degrees:

• English: 12

The 12 hours of English must consist of ENGL 1301  and ENGL 1302   and two sophomore literature courses from ENGL 2305 , ENGL 2306 , ENGL 2307 , ENGL 2308 , ENGL 2351 , ENGL 2388 , or ENGL 2391 . However, ENGL 2311  may be used as equivalent to fulfill 3 hours of this requirement. Literature courses taken at the junior/senior level and transferred in will be reviewed to determine applicability to requirements.

• Oral Communication: 3

Course must be selected from the core curriculum options.

• Foreign Language: 11-16

A student must complete 6 hours at the sophomore level or above in a single language. If 4 or more semesters of high school foreign language are accepted for admission, the student should consult the information preceding the course listing for the foreign language department. A student enrolling in the first-year sequence will have a total requirement of 11-16 hours. A student who enrolls in the second-year sequence will have a 6-hour requirement. International students whose native language is not English, whose language of instruction was not English, and who graduated from a secondary school in their native country may satisfy this requirement by bringing their certificate of graduation to the Student Division of the Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office. Students who petition to complete the foreign language requirement via study abroad through a non-Texas Tech affiliated program will agree to have foreign language credit applied to their degrees based on scores on a language placement test administered by the Language Learning Laboratory upon their return from the study abroad. Approval to do this must be granted in advance by the associate dean. For more information, consult the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures.

• Mathematics: 6

MATH 1300 , MATH 1320 , MATH 1321 , MATH 1330 , MATH 1331 , MATH 1350 , MATH 1420 , MATH 1430 , MATH 1451 , MATH 1452 , MATH 1550 , MATH 2300 , MATH 2345 , MATH 2450 , MATH 2360 , MATH 2370 , or MATH 2371 . Only one of MATH 1320  or MATH 1420  may apply. Only one of MATH 1330  or MATH 1430  may apply. Students cannot receive credit for more than one of AAEC 2401 ; MATH 2300 , MATH 2345 ; PSY 2400 . PHIL 2310  or PSY 2400  may be used to satisfy 3 hours of this requirement. At least 3 hours of mathematics (from the list of courses above) must be taken to fulfill the mathematics requirement.

• ​Life and Physical Sciences: 8

Courses must be selected from the list of core curriculum options.

• Social and Behavioral Sciences: 3

Course must be selected from the list of core curriculum options.

• United States History: 6

Courses must be selected from the list of core curriculum options.

• United States and Texas Government: 6

Students will enroll in POLS 1301  and normally in POLS 2302 . For more information, see the Department of Political Science  section of this catalog. One course must be taken from a Texas college or university. 

• Language, Philosophy, and Culture: 3

Course must be selected from the list of core curriculum options.

• Creative Arts: 3

Course must be selected from the list of core curriculum options.

• Multicultural Requirement: 3

Select from the multicultural requirements approved list. This course may be used to satisfy another general degree requirement.

• Personal Fitness and Wellness: 2

To satisfy the College of Arts & Sciences requirement of 2 hours of personal fitness and wellness, students are to complete successfully any two PFW courses. For a specific physical activity, the completion of the course sequence is allowed if the sequence is taken in the appropriate order (i.e., beginning then advanced). Also accepted for fulfilling the requirement are AERS 1105 , AERS 1106 ; DAN 1205 , DAN 1206 , DAN 2202 ; MILS 1101 , MILS 1102 , MILS 3301 , MILS 3302 , MILS 4301 , MILS 4302 ; and MUEN 1103 . Students over age 25 are exempt. Any student who has served honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces for a minimum of 90 days may receive credit for 2 semester hours in personal fitness and wellness. Application for this credit must be made in the first semester of attendance at the university. Students participating in varsity athletics may enroll in the PFW course that corresponds to their varsity sport. A maximum of 1 credit hour per academic year per sport may be earned in this manner.

In addition to the general degree requirements for the Bachelor of Science, students will have to complete majors and minors based on the various individual departmental requisites. Sample curriculum tables have been provided in the departmental sections for nearly all majors and minors. In some cases, degree requirements may be fewer than the hours presented in the tables.

Find more information about the Bachelor of General Studies .

Departments, Program Offerings & Course Descriptions