Academic Programs
Stephens' educational environment draws its strength from a unique blend of career-professional, fine arts and liberal arts programs in three baccalaureate degree programs.
The Bachelor of Arts Degree
The Bachelor of Science Degree
The Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree
Minors
Core Courses
Learning Community Courses
Choice Courses
Liberal Studies Major
Student-Initiated Major (SIM)
Law
Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine
Academic Partnerships
Honors House Program
PLUS Degree Program
Study Abroad
The Bachelor of Arts Degree
A Bachelor of Arts degree may be in a single-discipline or interdisciplinary, or be a student-initiated major.
The Bachelor of Science Degree
A Bachelor of Science degree may be in a single discipline or interdisciplinary, or be a student initiated major.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree
The Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees may be in a single discipline or interdisciplinary, or be a student-initiated major.
Minors
Students completing a baccalaureate degree program may elect to include a minor selected from those offered by the academic areas of the college. There is no student-initiated minor.
As Stephens' Mission Statement explains, the Liberal Arts curriculum grounds all the College's degree programs, striking an appropriate balance between preparing students for the careers they hope to pursue and educating them for the lives they'll lead in the 21st century. The College provides for all students, regardless of their majors, a women-centered, globally-oriented, ten-course, thirty-semester hour Liberal Arts Program. Within that program, students take four Core Courses, four Learning Community Courses, and two Choice Courses. All students take required Liberal Arts Program (LBA) courses unless they bring to the College advance placement, international baccalaureate or transfer credit that matches these requirements. All Liberal Arts courses, regardless of the topics they cover, provide opportunities for students to sharpen their critical thinking and communication skills.
In addition to the LBA courses they take to fulfill LBA program requirements, students may take other LBA courses for elective credit. Departments may approve various LBA courses as electives in their majors and minors. LBA courses may not count as required courses in any major or minor.
Core Courses - 12 semester hours
Students take the composition sequence of courses during their first two semesters.
• Composition 1 - (3 hrs)
• Composition 2 - (3 hrs.)
Sophomore Seminar - 3 hrs.
Students select one of the two Sophomore Seminars during their second year.
• Government and Economics- Fall Semester (3 hrs)
• Global Village- Spring Semester (3 hrs)
Senior Seminar - 3 hrs.
• Global Ethics Offered Fall and Spring(3 hrs.)
Learning Community Courses - 12 semester hours
Students take four area studies courses during their first and second years within a mixed-major Learning Community:
• Cultural Studies- (3 hrs.)
• Historical Studies- (3 hrs.)
• Literary Studies- (3 hrs.)
• Social Science- (3 hrs.)
Choice Courses - 6 semester hours
To complete their Liberal Arts Program requirements, students choose one approved three hour course in Quantitative Literacy, and one approved 3 hour course in the Natural Sciences. Students may take these courses any time during their enrollment.
Quantitative Literary -(3 hrs.)
Approved courses include:
• College Algebra
• Math for Elementary Teachers I
• Math for Elementary Teacher II
• Statistics
• Personal and Family Finance
• Calculus and Analytic Geometry I
If a student's major requires a specific Quantitative Literacy course, that required course will satisfy the LBA program's Quantitative Literacy requirement
Natural Science- (3 hrs.)
Approved courses include:
• Biological Concepts
• Introduction to Crime Scene Analysis
• The Art and Science of Growing Plants
• The Science of Beauty
• Investigations in Biological Concepts I
• Chemistry in Everyday Life
• Physical Science for Elementary Teachers
• Earth and Environmental Science
If a student's major requires a specific Natural Science course, that required course will satisfy the LBA program's Natural Science requirement.
The College will give students who transfer to Stephens every consideration in determining which transfer courses fulfill Liberal Arts Program requirements. Stephens Students who wish to complete part of the Liberal Arts Program requirements at another regionally accredited college or university may seek approval to do so by providing to the Registrar and the Dean of Liberal Arts, for their review, catalog descriptions of the courses they wish to take. Students should seek approval from the appropriate department chair for transfer courses in the major or minor. To ensure transferability, students need to secure approvals prior to enrolling in transfer courses. (Forms are available in the Office of the Registrar and online.)
| Majors - Undergraduate Programs |
Additional Minors: |
| Accounting Biology* Business Creative Writing* Dance* Education* (certification in early childhood and elementary) English* Equestrian* (business management or education) Fashion (communication, design or marketing) Filmmaking* Graphic Design* Health Information Administration Human Development Interior Design* Journalism* (print, TV & radio, or integrated media) Legal Studies* Liberal Studies Marketing* Psychology* Public Relations* Theatre* (arts or management) Theatrical Costume Design
|
Art History Chemistry Event Planning Finance Forensic Science Management Mathematics Music and Voice Social Entrepreneurship Spanish Visual Arts Women's Studies |
Liberal Studies Major
The Liberal
Studies major is a Bachelor of Arts degree program in which the student
combines study in selected concentrations and minors. The major provides
a flexible learning path for students who find their interests and talents
met by selecting study in two concentrations or two minors, or one concentration
and one minor, from concentrations and minors available through academic
programs. Only one minor or concentration from a particular discipline
may be included in a Liberal Studies major.
The degree program for a Liberal Studies major requires completion of
liberal arts requirements and 30 to 45 semester hours in the major.
Depending upon the concentrations or minors selected, the Liberal Studies
major will have 18 to 24 hours at or above the 300 level. Residential
students who elect the Liberal Studies major will complete a senior
requirement (project, essay or internship).
A form for declaring a Liberal Studies major is available in the Registrar's
office or in department offices. The major is expected to be declared
by the end of the sophomore year (completion of 60 semester hours).
Student-Initiated Major (SIM)
The student-initiated
major (SIM) is available for the student whose academic interests, abilities
and career goals are not directed toward a traditional major. This non-traditional
major is designed by the student with the assistance of a faculty planning
committee. Student-initiated majors are drawn primarily from two
disciplines offered in a major or minor at Stephens College. The degree
is named based on the areas chosen, e.g. fashion-art, biology-dance,
or mass communication-women's studies. Transfer credit may be included
in the required degree credits for a student-initiated major only when
the courses are approved by the appropriate department chair(s) to substitute
for courses within the discipline that offers the major or minor. A
student-initiated major may incorporate study abroad as well as programs
that are available through other accredited colleges or universities.
To explore the possibilities of a student-initiated major, a student
discusses her interests with her faculty adviser. When plans progress,
a planning committee is formed which includes the student, the adviser,
department chairs from the primary disciplines, or faculty members who
represent particular academic or career interests. The student writes
a rationale for the major and prepares a projected four-year academic
plan that is inclusive of all degree requirements. The proposal must
meet the general guidelines for a major in the Bachelor of Arts, the
Bachelor of Science or the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree programs. The
original proposal is subject to discussion and revision until approved
by the planning committee and reviewed by the registrar. Once approved,
the plan for the major is forwarded to the Office of the Registrar where
it becomes a permanent part of the student's academic record.
Guidelines
for the preparation of a proposal for a student-initiated major are
available in department offices and the Office of the Registrar. The
application and approval process should be completed by the end of the
student's sophomore year (usually the fourth semester of full-time enrollment).
Transfer students entering with junior standing will be allowed one
semester for the approval process to be completed.
Law
The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) recommends that students who wish to earn a law degree (J.D.) focus their preparation on advanced skills in reading, writing and speaking; logical and analytical reasoning; and creative thinking. An understanding of human institutions and values, especially those affected by law, is also important.
To prepare students for law school, Stephens College offers a minor in Legal Studies and a 3:3 J.D. Program with the University of Missouri at Columbia. The 3:3 J.D. Program provides highly motivated students the opportunity to earn a law degree in six years rather than the traditional seven years. Students who qualify may begin law school at the University of Missouri at Columbia after completion of three years of undergraduate courses at Stephens. After completing the first year of law school (full-time, 30 semester hours) in good academic standing (grade of 70 or above), the student earns a bachelor's degree from Stephens College.
Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine
The Department of Natural Sciences offers a pre-professional course of study for women interested in attending medical, dental, or veterinary professional school. The pre-professional curriculum must be completed by the spring semester of the year in which admission is sought. The curriculum includes:
English Composition/Research requirement (6 hrs.)
Mathematics up to, but not including calculus (note: many professional schools require one full year of calculus in addition) (3-6 hrs.)
College Chemistry I and II with laboratory (8 hrs.)
Organic Chemistry I and II with laboratory (8 hrs.)
Physics I and II (Algebra based) with laboratory (8 hrs.)
Investigations in Biological Concepts I and II (8 hrs.)
Social science and/or humanistic studies (9-15 hrs.)
Some professional schools may require additional courses of study in biochemistry, nutrition, statistics or animal science. Students may wish to take these courses at Stephens College or at the University of Missouri–Columbia through the Mid-Missouri Associated Colleges & Universities (MMACU).
Academic Partnerships (qualified students only)
Accounting
B.S. from Stephens College Entrepreneurship
and Business Management
M.Acc. from the University of Missouri–Columbia
3:3 Law Program
Law
Partnership
Bachelors degree from Stephens College
J.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law
3:2 Occupational Therapy Program in Biology Natural
Sciences
B.A. from Stephens College
Master's in Occupational Therapy from Washington University (St. Louis)
3:2 Physicians Assistant Studies Program Natural
Sciences
B.A. from Stephens College
Master of Physician Assistant Studies from Chatham College (Pittsburgh)
Doctor of Physical
Therapy Program Natural Sciences
B.S. from Stephens College
Doctor of Physical Therapy from Chatham College (Pittsburgh)
3:2 Equestrian
Instruction and Training Program Equestrian
Studies
B.A. in Equestrian Instruction and Training from Stephens College
Master's in Occupational Therapy from Washington University (St. Louis)
Animal Science Program Equestrian Studies
B.S. from Stephens College
Minor in Animal Science from University of Missouri (Columbia)
Filmmaking Program
Final Cut Pro training and/or certification at Stephens College
Avid training and/or certification from the University of Missouri College of Engineering
Academic Partnerships
With the University of Missouri-Columbia:
Accounting
Animal Science
Filmmaking
Law
With Washington University (St. Louis, MO):
Occupational Therapy
Therapeutic Instruction
With Chatham University (Pittsburgh, PA):
Physical Therapy
Physician Assistant Studies
Honors House Program
The House Plan, a combined living-learning experience, began in the 1960s with Ford Foundation support. It has become a permanent feature of Stephens College. The House Plan offers a program for freshmen honor students interested in taking basic, related liberal arts courses under the leadership of a team of teachers. House Plan students quickly develop a feeling of community and rapport with their teachers and student staff who are former House Plan participants.
PLUS degree Program
Students may be eligible to earn a bachelor's degree followed by a master's degree in as little as one additional year. Students must indicate their intent by their sophomore year. Learn more: www.stephens.edu/plusone
Study Abroad
Stephens College expands the boundaries of the campus with a variety of overseas study opportunities. Stephens women may be found studying in a variety of locations including Cambridge, London, or elsewhere in the British Isles, Australia, South Korea, Spain, Ecuador, Denmark, Austria, and Africa or the Far East. With the aid of an advisor and Study Abroad personnel, students may select from hundreds of academically sound, well-regarded programs offered by the approved, credit-granting institutions listed in the catalog of the Council on International Educational Exchange.
Students must have completed a minimum of one year in residence at Stephens and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better to qualify for study abroad. Students must obtain advance approval for transfer credit and financial aid, and must re-enroll at Stephens College for a minimum of one semester after their study abroad experience to qualify for financial aid. Study Abroad applications are due in early fall semester for winter break and spring semester study, and early spring for summer and fall study. Check with the Study Abroad Office for specific dates, guidelines, and application materials.
Examples of study abroad partnerships:
Cambridge Program
Stephens College offers a Cambridge Program where students have the opportunity to study—for Stephens credit—in Cambridge, England, for a full year. The program is restricted to juniors and seniors who have at least a 3.4 cumulative GPA, an ACT score in Math and English of 29 and are highly recommended by their professors and advisor.
Ewha Woman's University
Ewha Woman's University, situated in Seoul, Korea, is a university of 20,000 women where Stephens students have an opportunity to study for full academic credit. Students may attend this university for a semester, year or summer program. Beginning classes are taught in the Korean language, however all other classes offered to Stephens students are taught in English.
Pontificie Universidad Católica del Ecuador (P.U.C.E.)
Students whose interest is in Latin America may choose to attend P.U.C.E. in Quito, Ecuador. This program is geared toward students who have a fair knowledge of the Spanish language, as all classes are taught in Spanish.
