Peter A. Braza, Dean
Columbine Hall, Room 2025
Telephone: (719) 255-4550
Fax: (719) 255-4200
web.uccs.edu/lasdean/
The College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences at UCCS, established in 1972, is a community of teaching scholars whose mission is to advance an understanding of the human condition and the natural world and communicate this understanding to the people of Colorado and the world at large.
The College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences provides breadth of instruction for all students of the UCCS campus, including those in professional schools and colleges. This breadth exposes all students to the challenge, excitement and demands of clear self-expression, analysis, reasoning, comparison, experimentation, and awareness of alternative perspectives. The College also provides depth in specific academic disciplines for majors within the college. This specialization is important not only for skills, perspectives, and knowledge gained, but also as the key to success in subsequent education and careers.
The College offers Bachelor’s degrees in a full range of traditional liberal arts majors and minors, selected Master’s graduate programs, and a PhD in psychology. LAS also offers pre-professional programs, certificate programs, and cooperative degree options (with the College of Education) for students seeking licensure in elementary teaching, secondary teaching or special education.
Mission
It is the mission of the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences to:
- Provide collaborative programs that enrich the community
- Promote the creation of a vibrant and creative cultural life
- Strengthen and sustain a productive and responsible economic sector
- Facilitate the solution of community and regional problems
- Increase the safety, health and welfare of individuals and groups
- Advance an understanding of the human condition and the natural world
- Sustain scientific and technological innovation
- Enhance the understanding and practice of civic duty and responsibility
Vision
The College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences affirms and accepts the ideal purposes and traditional goals of all great universities: the creation, interpretation, dissemination and application of knowledge. The College strives to maintain these goals while formulating and forging innovative and creative programs.
Advising
The Student Success Center will provide students with information on college requirements, course selections, study options, summary sheets of major requirements, and senior audit. Students can walk in or make an appointment at Main Hall, second floor, or by calling (719) 255-3260.
Individual Department Chairs & Departmental Faculty are responsible for advising students on the requirements for their majors. Contact information is provided within each department information.
The programs at the academic level that are available for completion through the University of Colorado Colorado Springs are listed on theLetters, Arts & Sciences Programs of Study table.
Preprofessional Programs
Preprofessional programs of two to four years which may be completed at UCCS are Pre-Dentistry, Pre-Medicine, Pre-Pharmacy, Pre-Physical Therapy, Pre-Child Heath Associate/Physician Assistant, and Pre-Veterinary. For more information click here Pre-professional Curricula. Preprofessional programs are a group of courses which meet specified professional school requirements, but by themselves do not meet degree requirements for a major.
Extended Studies
The Extended Studies Program for the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences (LAS/ES) provides a variety of accessible educational opportunities in traditional and nontraditional formats with a focus on career preparation and advancement, enhancement of personal knowledge and experience, and the acquisition of additional university credit for licensure and certification purposes. Most LAS/ES credit classes are transferable to UCCS degree programs.
LAS/ES serves as an educational outreach arm to the community, with on-campus credit courses, video and cable credit courses, online credit courses, third-party accreditation programs, certificate programs and individualized study programs. Students benefit from outstanding instruction and the experience of participating in a university environment, whatever their educational background or experience. LAS/ES also administers the campus preparatory courses in Math (90 & 99) in cooperation with the Math Department.
LAS/ES is a self-funded program and part of the Colorado Statewide Extended Campus. Contact by phone at (719) 255-4071 or by e-mail at lases@uccs.edu. Additional program information and a list of current courses may be found at http://www.uccs.edu/~lases/.
Certificates
The College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences offers a number of undergraduate certificates to degree and non-degree seeking students. The Department of Economics offers a certificate in Economic Education; the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies offers a certificate in GIScience; the Department of Psychology offers a certificate in Gerontology; the Department of Sociology offers certificates in Criminology ad Justice Studies, Sociology of Diversity, and Teaching Sociology; and the Women’s and Ethnic Studies Program offers certificates in Latino/a Studies, Global Studies, and Native American and Indigenous Studies. For further information about particular certificates, please go to the relevant departmental and program pages, listed below at the end of this college page.
Economics:
Economic Education
(click www.uccs.edu/~economics/courses-and-programs.html for information)
Geography and Environmental Studies:
GIScience
Psychology:
Professional Advancement in Gerontology
(click www.uccs.edu/geron/professional-advancement-certificate.html for information)
Sociology:
Criminology and Justice Studies
Sociology of Diversity
Teaching Sociology
Women’s and Ethnic Studies:
Latino/a Studies
Global Studies
Native American and Indigenous Studies
LAS Special Study Programs
Freshman Seminar
ID 1010 - Freshman Seminar is a three-credit interdisciplinary learning experience to help freshmen succeed in college. Students refine their skills in speaking, critical thinking, writing, teamwork, and technology. Students also examine a topic based on the fundamental of various disciplines; and work closely with faculty and peers. The course emphasizes faculty coaching, collaborative learning, and campus resources through a variety of assignments. Freshman Seminar is an early start-up class. It meets from 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. on Thursday, August 22 and Friday, August 23. After these two full days, Freshman Seminar courses continue to meet once a week at their listed time for the first 11 weeks of the semester, ending in early to middle November. Freshman Seminar is a course designed to introduce students to academic life at UCCS. As students pursue a topic, they will be introduced to a wide range of disciplines and campus resources that can make them more successful in their academic work. Topic groups break into sections of 15 students. For more information, please visit www.uccs.edu/~freshsem/.
Academic Fitness
ID 1110 is a one-credit course to help students refine their academic skills. Small groups of students meet with an instructor on a weekly basis to discuss practical topics that apply to academic success in all their courses: goal-setting, learning styles, time management, note-taking, reading and study skills, test-taking, speaking and writing, and wellness.
Study Abroad Programs
Opportunities for study abroad are offered for selected students in the college, usually in formal programs in foreign universities under the direction of faculty members from this university or institutions cooperating with the University of Colorado. Normally, these programs accept students for the junior year. They carry full credit toward graduation from the University of Colorado. Inquiries may be addressed to the university’s Center for Global Education, Main Hall 322, 719-255-3215.
Research Centers, Programs, and Facilities
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Colorado Center for Policy Studies
The Colorado Center for Policy Studies addresses issues important to state and local governments such as:
- What can states and localities do to improve the standard of living in their area?
- How can economic development strategies be restructured to be more cost effective and to create more broadly based benefits?
- Does local or state population growth “pay its own way”? What groups benefit from growth? What groups bear most of the costs?
- Does tax policy affect our ability to practice “smart growth”?
- How can community-developed indicators be used to measure quality of life and sustainability?
- Has school funding been equalized within states? How different is it between them?
- How do schools fit into urban redevelopment and revitalization plans?
- Are there better ways to deal with local water shortages?
- How do TABOR and other aspects of Colorado tax policy affect revenues and services?
- Are state policies to deal with undocumented immigrants cost effective? Socially equitable? Economically productive?
Selected faculty and students at UCCS, as well as scholars from across the country, participate in research papers and policy briefs, on these and other subjects. Grants and contracts fund some of this work, while the remainder is underwritten by the Elizabeth Cushman Public Policy Fund and Student Internship Fund at the University of Colorado. The Center sponsors periodic public talks, meetings and conferences. For information about these, see web.uccs.edu/ccps or contact Professor Daphne Greenwood, Director of the Center, Dwire Hall, Room 255, at 719-255-4031, or dgreenwo@uccs.edu.
Center for Economic Education
This Center, established in 1978, is sponsored by and affiliated with the Council for Economic Education (New York City) and the statewide Colorado Council for Economic Education (Denver). The Center engages in programs and activities designed to raise the general level of economic understanding, with special emphasis given to K-12 school teachers and school districts in Colorado, including international economics study tour travel opportunities for teachers. The Center also conducts additional economic education programs that involve the community. The Council for Economic Education is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational organization incorporated in 1949 to encourage, improve, coordinate and service the economic education efforts in the United States and many other countries around the world. There are approximately 47 state councils and 250 Centers for Economic Education in the U.S. The Center is located in Dwire Hall, Room 259. For more information, contact (719) 255-4033 or jbrock@uccs.edu.
Center for the Study of Government and the Individual
The Center for the Study of Government and the Individual was established in 2000. Its purpose is two-fold:
- To provide a vehicle for the candid, open, diverse and multi-faceted exploration of all the issues in this topic area in all of their dimensions
- To stimulate the confrontation of perspectives in regard to the role of government in American social and economic systems
The general public and any of the faculty and students of the schools and colleges at UCCS interested in research and teaching activities related to government and the individual may participate in its activities. Dr. James A. Null is the Executive Director and is administratively responsible for the oversight of the Center. Among its activities are the following:
- Public Forums: designed to bring the academic and public community together
- Seminars: by specialists in the subject areas
- Publications: of the proceedings of public forums, papers, books
- Research: funded to provide in-depth analysis of Center’s areas of interest
- Faculty Fellows: participate in the Center Roundtable, act as editors for publications, serve as mentors to students and take on special roles in the Center’s program development
- Funded development courses: focused on the role of government and the individual
- Student Fellows: attached to the Center who will receive scholarships; will be in a field relevant to the topic of the Center; and will work with faculty mentor and participate in Center activities
- Student Interns: work with faculty mentors on projects in the community directly related to the Center
The Matrix Center for the Advancement of Social Equity and Inclusion
www.uccs.edu/matrix
(719) 255-4766 or (719) 255-4139
1867 Austin Bluffs Parkway
(University Office Park, Bldg. 1867)
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
Director: Dr. Abby Ferber; Program Manager: Marqita Jones
In 2005, a consortium of faculty at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs transformed the Center for Women’s Studies into the Matrix Center, a leading national resource for the study of privilege and oppression from an intersectional perspective – one which examines not only gender, but also race, class, sexuality, and other dimensions of identity and inequality. The purpose of the Matrix Center is to examine the intersections of gender, race/ethnicity, and sexuality as they interact with each other and with other dimensions of privilege, oppression, and inequality. Our work is based on the premise that an inclusive and equitable community will improve life and benefit all citizens.
The Matrix Center has gained a national reputation as a leader in the field of intersectional studies and our programs are attended by educators, students, and activists from around the U.S. and internationally. In addition, we offer workshops and training, both on and off campus, facilitated by national experts, authors, and educators involved in shaping the national discourse around diversity and contributing to the development of best practices.
The Matrix Center’s programs and services are led by a Community Advisory Board: a diverse group of leaders who work together to address the needs of the community. Collaborations have been formed with community organizations to annually present a wide variety of events benefiting the Pikes Peak Region.
Our programs and projects include:
- The annual White Privilege Conference
- The Knapsack Institute: Transforming Teaching and Learning, which is offered at UCCS each summer
- Intersections radio show
- On-line journal, Understanding and Dismantling Privilege
- Symposia, lectures, films and events throughout the year, serving the campus and the community
Galleries of Contemporary Art
The Gallery of Contemporary Art, located in the Science Building on the campus of UCCS, was created in 1981 as an art space, which serves the university community and the Pikes Peak region. In 2010, the Gallery of Contemporary Art (GOCA 1420) opened a downtown space, GOCA 121, in the heart of the city. These galleries are the most progressive and experimental contemporary art galleries in Colorado Springs. Exhibitions feature significant national and international artists.
The senior visual arts thesis show is presented at the on-campus GOCA 1420 site annually in May. GOCA 121 focuses on innovative collaborations between local, national and international curators and artists. Both spaces provide students and the community many opportunities to view excellent award-winning work. Gallery programming includes lectures, workshops, readings, films, concerts, and tours for both students and community groups.
The galleries are also available on a rental basis for community and campus events. As nonprofit organizations, GOCA 1420 and GOCA 121, receive funding through the university, gallery memberships, corporate and private donations, and state and federal grants. Volunteers and students participate in gallery activities as gallery assistants, docents, and as members of the Gallery of Contemporary Art Advisory Board. For further information contact the Gallery: UCCS, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80918 (719) 255-3504.
Gerontology Center
Older adults comprise a growing segment of the population, and estimates are that the percentage of older adults will rise to 18 to 20 percent by the year 2020. Increasing national awareness of this trend is changing the scope of social planning and policy-making. Despite the public’s increased awareness of the aging of our population, much myth and mystery still surround the aging process. The Gerontology Center (formerly Center on Aging) has a three-fold purpose:
- To foster research in gerontology and about the aging process
- To provide students an opportunity to study the processes of aging and the problems of the aged
- To be a community resource for dealing with social policy issues and programs for the aged.
Students may earn a minor or academic certificate in gerontology in preparation for a career working with older adults, or take courses as a way of understanding both their own future and that of an aging society. Students gain an understanding about aging as a process, about problems of the elderly, and about ways to address these problems in meaningful and effective ways. Studies include classroom-based instruction in a variety of academic disciplines and work in the field with older adults.
The Gerontology Center fosters collaborative projects among disciplines and across organizations, especially those that create and test integrated care approaches. Faculty Affiliates in the Center collaborate with community partners to create and test innovative models in long term care, primary care, and social service settings. Faculty also maintain active research in basic and applied sciences on a variety of topics within their discipline.
Continuing education offerings are also available through the Gerontology Center, including the Professional Advancement Certificate in Gerontology. The Center is located at 1434 North Hancock, Colorado Springs. Contact (719) 667-0187 or geron@uccs.edu. See Web site at http://www.uccs.edu/~geron/ for more information.
The Heller Center for Arts & Humanities
The Heller Center for Arts & Humanities is three minutes north of the main UCCS campus, off Nevada Avenue, on 65 beautifully secluded acres, surrounded by an additional 900 acres of open space. The historic adobe compound provides spaces for working artists, small meetings, classes, exhibitions, concerts, and performances. The Heller property functions as an open-air studio for photography, painting, and other creative endeavors. It also serves as an outdoor laboratory for environmental studies. The hiking and biking trails provide outstanding recreational opportunities with unsurpassed views of Pikes Peak.
Given the nature of the facility and its historical importance, the Heller Center offers a unique venue for programs that engage significant constituencies of the Pikes Peak region.
The Heller Center for Arts & Humanities was founded in 2003, at the bequest of Mrs. Dorothy Heller, as an interdisciplinary center combining educational, research, and creative activities in the fields of arts and humanities. As a place where artists gathered for weekend retreats throughout the nineteen thirties, forties, and fifties, the Heller Center preserves and extends an important part of the rich cultural heritage of Colorado Springs. The Main House of the Heller property was rehabilitated in 2010, with assistance from the State Historical Fund. Historic renovation of the Guest House was completed in 2012.
For further information, contact Perrin Cunningham, Curator, Heller Center for Arts & Humanities, (719) 330-3463 or pcunning@uccs.edu, or Suzanne MacAulay, Faculty Director, at (719) 255-3865 or smacaula@uccs.edu. View the Heller event schedule at www.uccs.edu/~heller/.
THEATREWORKS
THEATREWORKS is the region’s leading professional theatre. Founded in 1975, it has produced more than 200 different plays over the last 38 years, winning a Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in 1994. THEATREWORKS normally produces six to eight productions each year, including the nationally-recognized summer Shakespeare festival.
Students may attend productions at the Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theater free of charge and regularly participate in THEATREWORKS productions either backstage or onstage.
For further information, visit www.theatreworkscs.org or e-mail THEATREWORKS at theatreworks@theatreworksCS.org.
LAS Undergraduate Academic Policies
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Academic Advising
Students are expected to assume responsibility for planning their academic programs in accordance with college rules, policies and major requirements. Advisors in the Student Success Center can answer questions about college policies and graduation requirements, and will assist students in course selection. Students expecting to graduate within one or two semesters should schedule a senior advising appointment by calling (719) 255-3260 or by going to the Student Success Center. Although the advisors provide summary sheets of major requirements, it is the faculty who are responsible for major advising. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange such faculty consultation for questions involving major requirements and graduate school applications. Students should schedule appointments to discuss their questions well in advance of registration.
Academic Progress
Grading Policies
Students should familiarize themselves with the Academic Policies, Registration, and Records section of this Catalog, as well as with the introductory pages of each semester’s official Schedule of Courses, for information about the university grading system, and current procedures for registering on a pass/fail basis, for dropping and adding classes, and for withdrawing from the university.
Pass/Fail Option
Students in the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences may not use the pass/fail option for courses taken to fulfill the area requirements, the composition requirement, the quantitative and qualitative reasoning requirement, or the major requirements. Students may take up to 15 hours of elective credit on a pass/fail basis. Transfer students may take one hour of pass/fail credit for every eight hours of credit attempted at the University of Colorado. For full-time students, maximum pass/fail hours per semester are as follows:
- Fall—6 credit hours
- Spring—6 credit hours
- Summer—3 credit hours
For part-time students, no more than 50 percent of total credit hours may be taken pass/fail in a given semester. If only one course is taken in a semester, it may be taken pass/fail. The P grade is not included in the student’s grade point average; the F grade is included. A pass/fail designation may not be reversed. For further information concerning the pass/fail option, see the Academic Policies, Registration, and Records section of this Catalog.
Repetition of Course
When a student takes a credit course more than once, all grades are used in determining the grade point average. However, if a student has passed the same course more than one time, the College will count that course only once when calculating the student’s credit hours earned toward graduation. The only exception to this rule will be in cases where a course is designated in this Catalog as “may be repeated for credit.”
Latin Honors
In order to graduate with Latin honors, a student must complete a minimum of 45 semester hours on the Colorado Springs campus and achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 for cum laude; 3.7 for magna cum laude; 3.9 for summa cum laude. ALL post-secondary work (including transfer work) is included in this cumulative grade point average.
President’s and Dean’s List Criteria
- The criteria for the president’s and dean’s lists are as follows:
- President’s list: 4.0 grade point average.
- Dean’s list: 3.75-3.99 grade point average.
- Students must complete a minimum of 12 graded hours during a regular semester (fall or spring).
The dean notifies awarded students by letter.
Statement of Academic Standards—Undergraduate
Students are held to basic standards of performance established for their classes with respect to attendance, active participation in course work, promptness in completion of assignments, correct English usage both in writing and in speaking, accuracy in calculation, and general quality of scholastic workmanship. In general, examinations are required in all courses and for all students including seniors. To be in academic good standing, students must have a cumulative CU grade point average of not less than 2.0 (C=2.0) for all course work attempted. This applies to work taken at all University of Colorado campuses.
Academic Probation
Students who have attempted at least 12 hours at UCCS and whose University of Colorado cumulative grade point averages fall below 2.0 will be placed on academic probation. While on probation, students will be required to achieve a minimum acceptable grade point average each term (determined by the individual academic record) or be subject to academic suspension. Students placed on probation will be informed in writing concerning their academic status and the conditions of continued attendance. A more comprehensive statement on the academic probation policy is available in the Student Success Center in Main Hall.
Academic Suspension
The normal suspension period in the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences is one academic year, excluding the summer semester. Students suspended for the first time will be reinstated after the normal suspension period has been served, upon reapplying for admission to the university. Students suspended for the first time may be reinstated before the end of the normal suspension period by the following measures:
- Achieving a 2.5 grade point average on all summer, extended studies, or correspondence work attempted at the University of Colorado since suspension. Six hours minimum must be completed.
- Raising the cumulative University of Colorado grade point average to at least 2.0 by completing summer, correspondence, or extended studies course work at the University of Colorado.
- Achieving a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 by attending another institution. The cumulative grade point average in this instance is the grade point average at the University of Colorado combined with course work taken at all other institutions.
- Successfully appealing the suspension in writing to the dean.
- Being recommended for reinstatement by the coordinator of academic probation and suspension for the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences in the Student Success Center, Main Hall.
Students eligible for reinstatement before serving the normal suspension period must notify the Student Success Center. Reinstated students absent for either fall or spring semesters or who complete 12 or more hours at another institution must reapply for admission to the university. Students suspended for the first time will be reinstated on probation and will be informed in writing of their academic status and the conditions of continued attendance. Students not meeting conditions of continued attendance will again be subject to academic suspension. Reinstatement after a second suspension requires approval of the dean of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Requests for reinstatement must be made in writing. A more comprehensive statement on the academic suspension policy is available in the Student Success Center, Main Hall.
Committee on Academic Progress
The Committee on Academic Progress (CAP) is a review board that handles student petitions for exceptions to the academic policies and requirements of the College. The committee is made up of faculty of the college and makes recommendations to the dean. The committee evaluates, for example, petitions for exceptions to the residency requirement, acceptance of more than the maximum number of major hours, and substitution of courses fulfilling the area requirement. It also considers certain requests for reinstatement from suspension and matters of academic honesty. Petition forms may be obtained from the Student Success Center in Main Hall.
Course Credit
Correspondence Study and the Division of Extended Studies
A maximum of 30 semester hours may be taken through Colorado Online and Distance Education. Those courses indicated as CU-Boulder and CU-Denver carry resident credit. No more than nine semester hours of regular course work may be taken from the Division of Extended Studies and applied towards the degree. ENGL 99 (formerly ENGL 1210) and courses numbered below 1000 will not count towards the required 120 hours for graduation, nor will they count in the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences grade point average.
Electives from the UCCS Professional Colleges
Students may apply a maximum of 30 credits toward the Bachelor’s degree from course work taken outside the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. Course work taken from the professional colleges at UCCS and transfer course work labeled “non-LAS electives” will be included in the 30 hour maximum.
Independent Study
Students who have completed a considerable portion of their undergraduate studies with distinction may register for independent study with the approval of the appropriate department. The amount of credit to be given for an independent study project shall be arranged with the instructor. Not more than eight hours of independent study may be credited toward the major, and not more than 16 hours toward the bachelor’s degree. No student may register for more than eight hours of independent study in any one term (summer, fall, or spring).
Military Science/ROTC Credit
Students may apply a maximum of 21 semester hours of ROTC credit toward elective requirements and toward the 120 semester hour total degree requirements for the BA degree in the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.
Special Sources of Credit
For Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and International Baccalaureate (IB), see the Admissions section of this Catalog for placement score requirements, course equivalencies and credit hour values. See an academic advisor for information on how these exams might apply to a major.
Course Load
The minimum full-time course load is 12 hours. The normal maximum is 18 hours. If a student wishes to take more than 18 hours per semester, special permission must be obtained from the dean of the college, through the Student Success Center. These totals include all courses taken for credit at any of the university’s three campuses, but do not include correspondence courses, noncredit courses, or courses taken at other institutions. To receive credit, the student must be officially registered for each course. Students who hold or expect to hold full or part-time employment while enrolled in the college must register for course loads they can expect to complete without unusual difficulty. Recommended course loads are given below, but students must weigh their own abilities and assess the demands of each course in determining an appropriate schedule.
| Employed |
Enrolled Semester Hours |
| 40 hours per week |
6-9 |
| 30 hours per week |
8-11 |
| 20 hours per week |
10-13 |
Course Numbering
Course numbers are an approximate reflection of academic level. Freshman courses are indicated as 1000-1999, sophomore courses as 2000-2999, etc. Students are strongly urged to consult with the department prior to registration before signing up for any upper-division course (3000 or 4000 level) in a field in which they have not had lower-division (1000 or 2000 level) preparation.
Graduation Requirements
Senior Audit
Early in the first semester of the senior year or, preferably, toward the end of the junior year, each student must schedule a senior audit with the academic advisors or the college to determine status with respect to the curricular requirements.
Diploma Card
No fewer than 90 days prior to the date of commencement, seniors are required to file a diploma card with the academic advisors in the Student Success Center that gives notice of intention to complete graduation requirements. Failure to complete the diploma card in time may delay a student’s graduation.
Residency Requirements
A candidate for a degree from the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences must earn the last 30 hours in residence in the College. During these 30 hours, the student must be registered in Letters, Arts and Sciences. All 30 hours must be taken on the Colorado Springs campus. Students wishing to attend another university or college simultaneously with UCCS during the last 30 hours must have prior approval of the dean of Letters, Arts and Sciences in order to count these transfer hours as part of the last 30 hours.
LAS Undergraduate Admission
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Candidates for regular admission to the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences are expected to meet the general requirements for admission to the university as described in the Admissions section of this Catalog. The Catalog that governs a student’s graduation requirements is the one in effect at the time of a student’s most recent admission into the college of the student’s degree program.
Freshmen
Test Scores
Freshmen must rank in the upper 40 percent of their high school graduating class, must have 15 units of acceptable high school work (referred to as the Minimum Academic Preparation Standards, or MAPS), and have the following minimum test scores: American College Test (ACT) 24 or Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) 1080.
High School Course Work
Freshman applicants for admission will normally be required to present the following high school units:
| English (2 units of the 4 must be composition) |
4 |
| Foreign language (in one language) |
2 |
| Natural Science |
3 |
| Mathematics |
3 |
| Social Science |
2 |
| Academic electives |
1 |
Total
|
15
|
Acceptable high school courses in each academic field are as follows:
English: courses in the history and appreciation of literature, composition (including all composition given as part of a basic English course), grammar, speech, and journalism are acceptable as English units.
Mathematics: courses in algebra, plane and solid geometry, trigonometry, analytic geometry, calculus, and other courses designed for college preparation and emphasizing basic concepts and principles of deductive reasoning are acceptable as mathematical units. Courses designed for other purposes (e.g., consumer mathematics, business mathematics, many courses entitled general mathematics) are not acceptable as mathematics units.
Natural Science: courses in physics, chemistry, biology, zoology, anatomy, physiology, general science, astronomy and geology are acceptable as natural science units.
Social Science: courses in American government, civics, economics, general sociology, geography, history, problems of democracy, psychology, social science and social problems are acceptable units.
Students seeking admission who do not meet the normal admission requirements may receive consideration for admission by the dean of the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. Inquiries concerning such admissions should be made to the Office of Admissions and Records.
Community/Junior College Transfer Students
Effective for students who enter UCCS from the fall 2003 semester forward, Colorado public four-year higher education institutions will honor the transfer of an associate of science (AS) degree and the associate of arts (AA) degree earned at a Colorado community college. A student who earns an AA or AS degree at a Colorado public community college, with a C or better in each course, and completes the state guaranteed general education courses will transfer with junior standing into any arts and sciences degree program offered by a Colorado public four-year college.
The credits earned in the associate degree program will apply at minimum to 35 credit hours of lower division general education and 25 credit hours elective credit graduation requirements. This two-plus-two agreement ensures that the transfer student will be able to complete a baccalaureate degree in no more than 60 additional credit hours unless there are additional degree requirements recognized by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education.
Students who have not completed an AS or AA degree, or students who transfer from outside of Colorado, will have their transfer work evaluated on a course-by-course basis.
Transfer students from two-year institutions must also meet additional graduation requirements, such as English and reasoning skills competency testing.
Transfer and Former Students
Students who have attended another college or university are expected to meet the general requirements for admission of transfer students to the University of Colorado, as detailed in the Admissions section of this Catalog.
A grade of C- or better is required in any course for which credit may be granted in transfer from another institution to the university. However, grades received at another institution will not be used in computing the student’s grade point average at the University of Colorado, except for the averaging of all college work attempted by the time of graduation for possible special recognition, such as graduation with distinction and Latin honors.
Transfer students who graduated from high school in 1988 and later are subject to the Minimum Academic Preparation Standards (MAPS) previously described. Transfer course work will be applied to meet MAPS deficiencies as outlined in the college policy and in accordance with existing transfer agreements.
Former UCCS students who have attended another college or university where they have completed 12 or more semester hours must reapply as transfer students and must present a 2.0 cumulative grade point average on all college work attempted to be eligible for readmission. Once readmitted, these students must fulfill the college requirements that are in effect at the time of readmission. This policy also applies to students in the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences who transfer into another college on the UCCS campus and then transfer back into LAS to complete their undergraduate degrees.
A maximum of 72 semester hours taken at community/ junior colleges and/or a maximum of 90 semester hours taken at four-year institutions may be applied toward the baccalaureate degree in the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.
Students should consult the Admissions section of this Catalog for the guidelines according to which transfer credits are evaluated. Because the initial evaluation of transfer credits is completed by the Office of Admissions, transfer students are encouraged to apply early and to have their transcripts sent to the Office of Admissions as soon as possible. Academic advisors will not be able to assess transfer credit applicability to graduation requirements until the admissions evaluation is complete.
Students receive a completed evaluation of their transfer work when they attend the mandatory orientation session, prior to their first registration.
Unclassified Students
Students admitted to the university in Unclassified Student status may enroll in courses offered by the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. Application for this status should be submitted to the Office of Admissions and Records.
A student may change from unclassified to degree status and apply appropriate course work taken as an unclassified student toward a degree. A maximum of 12 semester hours completed as an unclassified student may apply toward a degree in the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.
No student may change from degree status to unclassified status. Students possessing a Bachelor’s degree who wish to register for classes are designated as unclassified students unless they have been accepted in the College for a second Bachelor’s degree or have been admitted to a graduate program.
LAS Undergraduate Academic Requirements
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General Education Requirements
Major Requirements for LAS Students
Specific requirements for the major are detailed within each departmental program description in this Catalog. While some departments may require more, all LAS major requirements will include at least these minimum standards:
- A total of 30-54 hours in major courses
- A total of 30 hours of C grade or better in major courses
- A 2.0 grade point average in all required major courses
- A minimum of 16 hours of upper-division major courses
Not more than 54 hours in one discipline and not more than 30 hours outside the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences may be counted toward graduation requirements.
Students may also complete a second major concurrently or at a later time. To do so, the student will be required to take at least an additional 30 hours, of which a minimum of 16 hours must be upper division. All other major requirements apply.
Minor Opportunities and Requirements
The College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences has approved the opportunity for students to take optional minors in various disciplines, including business administration. Additional information is available from the academic advisors in either the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences or in the College of Business. For information about optional minors, please refer to the appropriate department and program sections in this Catalog.
Requirements for a Minor
The following college guidelines have been established for minor programs:
- A minimum of 18 credit hours of C- grade or better must be taken in a minor area, including a minimum of nine upper-division credit hours.
- Minor requirements may not be taken pass/fail.
- Students will be allowed no more than nine credit hours, including six upper-division credit hours, of transfer work toward a minor.
- Course work applied toward a minor may also be applied toward general education requirements.
- Students may double count up to nine credit hours between a major and a minor. Such double counting is permitted for at most one major and one minor pair.
Program requirements other than those above may be established by departments and program directors. Departments will ensure that minor requirements are consistent with their major requirements.
Upper-Division Requirement
Upper-Division Requirement students must complete at least 45 hours of upper-division work (courses numbered 3000 and above) to be eligible for the bachelor’s degree. Students may register for upper-division courses if they have met prerequisites or obtained departmental approval. Courses transferred from a junior/community college carry lower-division credit.
Doctor of Philosophy
Master of Sciences
Minor
Minor and Certification
Requirements
