Distributed Studies, BA

The Distributed Studies BA is not a “general studies” degree with assorted course work in a variety of subjects. Distributed Studies is a degree that is structured out of courses offered by two or more programs of study. The Distributed Studies major was initiated before minors were offered at UCCS; it served the needs of students who wanted a concentration of courses outside the major. Now, many students complete a major and minor rather than a Distributed Studies degree.

General Requirements

The Distributed Studies major requires 60 credit hours of course work, 30 of which must be upper-division (3000+ level), completed in two to three subjects areas. At least 30 credit hours of course work (15 of which must be upper-division), must be taken in one primary and in one secondary subject. Courses taken as part of a Distributed Studies major can be counted toward the college area requirements.

There are two approaches to a distributed studies degree: Individualized Distributed Studies Built on Stand-Alone Minors, and Structured Interdisciplinary Programs.

Individualized Distributed Studies Built on Stand-Alone Minors

Students may design a Distributed Studies major around a core curriculum provided by the following stand-alone minors or others approved by their host department(s). Before embarking on such a program of study, a student must negotiate a Distributed Studies contract with the director of the stand-alone minor that will constitute the primary area of the program.

In this option, a stand-alone minor becomes the primary curriculum for the degree. Because most minors do not require 30 credit hours, the student must negotiate the remaining credit hours of primary subject with the director of the minor program. At least 15 credit hours must be from upper-division (3000+ level) courses. No more than 8 credit hours of independent study can be applied to the primary subject area.

The student, in consultation with the director of the primary subject, selects a secondary subject area in which he or she completes 30 credit hours (these cannot include credit hours taken to complete the primary subject requirement). The secondary subject area will consist of 30 credit hours in one discipline, or 30 credit hours divided between two disciplines (15 and 15, or 18 and 12). The degree requires 60 total credit hours, and students must maintain a 2.0 grade point average in all course work included in the program.

Structured Interdisciplinary Program Options

These include options in business economics, justice studies, and public administration. These programs include a standard set of courses and electives. Students should check with department advisors before enrolling. The structured interdisciplinary program options are described below.

Distributed Studies Major in Business Economics

Economics is both a social science and a business field (or discipline). On many campuses students can choose to major in economics in either the business school or in arts and sciences. However, UCCS students interested in both business and economics often choose between these interests by majoring in one or the other. The Distributed Studies major in Business Economics, offered through the Department of Economics, offers students a formal opportunity to pursue both interests.

The Distributed Studies major in Business Economics major requires at least 60 total credit hours of course work. Its primary area is economics, and business is its secondary area.

The Distributed Studies major in Business Economics closely resembles the regular major in economics, in that the required economics and math courses for each major are identical. However, the Distributed Studies major in business economics requires 30 credit hours in ECON courses, rather than the 36 credit hours required for the economics major.

In the secondary area of business, students complete selected courses that fit their interests in business economics.

Students choosing a Distributed Studies major in Business Economics enroll in the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.

Course Requirements

MATH 1120 Calculus for Business and Economics
or
MATH 1350 Calculus I

Primary Area - Economics
ECON 1010 - Introduction to Microeconomics
ECON 2020 - Introduction to Macroeconomics
ECON 2810 - Introduction to Statistics and Computing in Economics
ECON 3010 - Intermediate Microeconomic Theory
ECON 3020 - Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory
Complete 15 credit hours of ECON courses. At least 9 credit hours must be upper division.
Secondary Area - Business
ACCT 2010 - Introduction to Financial Accounting
ACCT 2020 - Introduction to Managerial Accounting
FNCE 3050 - Basic Finance
FNCE 4000 - Advanced Corporate Finance
FNCE 4100 - Cases and Concepts in Finance
Complete five of the following.
ACCT 3010 - Intermediate Accounting I
BLAW 2000 - Business Law
FNCE 4200 - Investment and Portfolio Management
FNCE 4400 - International Financial Management
FNCE 4500 - Money and Banking
MGMT 3300 - Introduction to Management and Organization
MKTG 3000 - Principles of Marketing
MKTG 3300 - Marketing Research
MKTG 4800 - Marketing Planning and Strategies

Distributed Studies Major in Justice Studies

The Distributed Studies major in Justice Studies promotes a curriculum in the broad area of studies in legal and social justice. The primary area provides breadth of content and general learning within the academic disciplines which are generally acknowledged as most basic to understanding law, society, and legal institutions and culture. The secondary area provide skills of analysis and evaluation which both promote understanding of the law in action as well as provide an opportunity to apply these skills in the criminal justice setting in the community.

The major requires 60 total credit hours: 30 credit hours from primary area and 30 credit hours from secondary area (15 in analysis, application, and work force preparation courses, and 15 in a disciplinary emphasis area).

Course Requirements

Primary Area

Complete 30 credit hours chosen from the following. Complete at least one course in at least four different disciplines.

Secondary Area

Complete 30 credit hours of coursework as follows.

SOC 3570 - Field Experience in Sociology
PSC 9480 - Prelaw Internship
Complete at least one of the following Social Statistics courses. Other options may be available.
ANTH 3000 - Quantitative Methods in Anthropology
COMM 4510 - Quantitative Methods for Communication Research
ECON 2810 - Introduction to Statistics and Computing in Economics
PSY 2100 - Introduction to Psychological Statistics
SOC 3170 - Social Statistics
Complete at least one of the following Social Research Methods courses. Other options may be available.
COMM 2500 - Research Methods
GES 3030 - Introduction to GIS
GES 3050 - Introduction to Cartography
PSY 2110 - Introduction to Psychological Research and Measurement
PSC 3500 - Introduction to Political Inquiry
SOC 3070 - Social Research Methods
Complete one elective course in statistics, methods, or work force preparation.

Disciplinary Emphasis

In consultation with the advisor, students must select and complete a minimum of 15 credit hours to comprise an academically integrated area of emphasis related to justice studies. Although there is much discretion in how this area of emphasis is created, three general approaches can be suggested:

Select 15 credit hours from any one discipline.
Select 15 credit hours from those recommended for other interdisciplinary programs.
Create an individualized course of study which will promote understanding of a specific area of justice studies, i.e., business crime, hate crimes, environmental crime, cross cultural/comparative approaches, jurisprudence, deviance, crimes and corrections, etc.

Distributed Studies Major in Public Administration

The major requires 60 total credit hours: 30 credit hours from primary area and 30 credit hours from secondary area

Course Requirements

Primary Subject

Students must choose, with advice and consent of the chair of the Public Administration Program, an additional 15 credit hours of course work in economics, political science, or sociology, in order to complete a primary subject field with a total of 30 credit hours.

Recommended Courses

In addition to the above requirements, it is highly recommended that Public Administration students also take as many of the following courses as possible: