Miami University: Documents and Policies: General Bulletin

The College of Arts and Science has as its primary purpose provision for a liberal education, which has been defined traditionally as one that assures intellectual enlargement through general study of arts and science. A liberal education should expand students' awareness of diverse approaches to understanding and transmitting knowledge and free them from the narrow perspectives of specialization uninformed by a general knowledge of the various systems of scientific and humane thought that have shaped civilizations. This generalized inquiry provides the basis for a sense of community within the College of Arts and Science and the understanding necessary to an enlightened

The divisional requirement in Arts and Science is called the College Requirement (CAS). If you are working toward the Bachelor of Arts (A.B.), you must fulfill all sections of the CAS; if you are working toward the Bachelor of Science (B.S.), you must fulfill only CAS-A (foreign language), but the B.S. requires more hours of concentration in your major. In many cases, you can fulfill sections of the Miami Plan and the College Requirement with the same course. This is shown in a chart later in this section.

All foreign languages taught at Miami are applicable for this requirement. They include Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. If you take a course with a 202-level course prerequisite, that course automatically satisfies CAS-A.

Greek 202 or Latin 202 may fulfill either CAS-A or CAS-B-LIT, but not both.

Requirement: The foreign language requirement may be met in any one of the following ways

CAS-D Natural Science (10 semester hours)

The liberally educated student learns to understand natural phenomena through observations and experimentation. Physical sciences are involved largely with behavior of energy, particles, atoms, and molecules. Biological sciences are concerned with nature, variation, richness, and interactions of phenomena of life. The natural science requirement introduces you to various aspects of scientific inquiry as practiced in botany, chemistry, geology, microbiology, physical geography, physics, and zoology. Laboratory experience is included to demonstrate the relationship between theories or models used within a given science and experimental results.

Requirement: You must complete at least 10 semester hours from courses within the College of Arts and Science natural science areas, including at least three semester hours in physical science and three in biological science. One course must be either a laboratory course or a course that includes laboratory work; these courses are designated CAS-D/LAB in course descriptions. Nine of these hours may also fulfill Group IV (Natural Science) of the Miami Plan if they are designated MPF IV.

Physical science includes all courses offered by the departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Geology, and Physics; AER 118; GEO 121, and GEO 424. (Other geography courses may be used to fulfill CAS-C, social science.)

Biological science includes all courses offered by the departments of Botany, Microbiology, and Zoology and GEO 431, 432.

CAS-E Formal Reasoning (3 semester hours)

Liberally educated students enhance their capacity to reason through the study in inductive and deductive thinking. Disciplines that employ formalized languages as the means to develop such thinking include mathematics, statistics, logic, and linguistics.

Courses in formal reasoning explicitly develop the student's ability:

You should consult the mathematics and statistics placement guide in the Academic Planning chapter or an adviser in the department if you are thinking about taking a mathematics course for this requirement.

The College offers a program in departmental honors for students who qualify for and desire independent work in a major field of study under the guidance of a faculty mentor(s). Students who successfully complete such an effort graduate with a departmental honors notation on their transcripts and under their names in the commencement program.

To qualify for entrance into the departmental honors program, you must be a senior, a major in the College of Arts and Science, and have a grade point average of at least 3.5 in the major in which departmental honors work is desired. You must meet specific requirements of the department or academic program in which honors work is to be done; you must consult with the appropriate department or program director about specific requirements.

Students who qualify, register for course 480 (include department abbreviation; for example, BOT 480): departmental honors (1-6, maximum 6) for a minimum total of 4 semester hours and a maximum total of 6 semester hours. These credits may be taken in one or more semesters of your senior year. Approvals of the department chair or program director and the faculty mentor of your honors work are required for registration.

Expectations are rigorous and demanding, but the nature of projects vary. Projects might involve independent readings, creative efforts, internships, or research, based in the laboratory, field, or library. The project must result in a tangible product, such as an examination, written report, paper or monograph, oral presentation, work of art, or documentary.

Departmental honors in the College may be coordinated and integrated with work for Senior Directed Study in the University Honors Program. A common project may serve both departmental honors and university honors but separate and distinct presentations must be made to the department or program and to the University Honors Program for evaluation to earn both honors notations.

Notes on Credit Restrictions
Before registering for your courses, you should keep in mind these restrictions on credit:

Combined programs require students to transfer to other institutions to complete professional training programs. These are also called 3+1 or 4+1 programs (three or four years here, one year at another institution) or 3-2 programs (three years here, two at another institution).

Please understand that in most cases we cannot guarantee your acceptance into a program at another institution.

Clinical Laboratory Science

Clinical laboratory scientists apply scientific background and skills to supervision and performance of diagnostic procedures to determine presence or absence of disease and to monitor response to treatment.

Miami offers two baccalaureate degree programs that include a 12-month laboratory "clinical year." In the 3+1 program, you take three years at Miami followed by an internship to receive a B.S. in clinical laboratory science. In the 4+1 program, you take four years at Miami to earn an A.B. or B.S. in zoology, chemistry, or microbiology, and then you enter the clinical year.

After completing either program, you are eligible to take national registry examinations. Please understand that Miami cannot guarantee your acceptance into a clinical year site.

3+1 Program

This program requires 96 pre-clinical year semester hours at Miami, 32 in advanced courses. You take an interdepartmental sequence of courses in chemistry, microbiology, and zoology. Specific requirements include: general microbiology, pathogenic microbiology,and immunology, a year of general chemistry and a year of organic chemistry (or organic chemistry and biochemistry), one year of general biology; a course in mathematics; competency in computer usage; and completion of a foreign language at second-year level.

You must have at least a 2.5 cumulative grade point average to be eligible for this program.

During your junior year, you must file a petition in the dean's office of the College of Arts and Science to be graduated in this program. When you apply for a clinical year at a hospital, you must have a letter of intent from the Registrar of Miami University.

During your clinical year, you will be registered for MBI 487-488-489 at Miami. These courses fulfill the Miami Plan Capstone Experience requirement. Clinical laboratory rotations and lecture series may include hematology, chemistry, bacteriology, immunology, virology, parasitology, mycology, forensics, and toxicology. After you complete your clinical year and certify this to the Office of the Registrar, you will be awarded the B.S. in clinical laboratory science.

Affiliated training hospitals for this program include University of Cincinnati Hospital in Cincinnati; Wright State University in Dayton; Southwest General Health Center near Cleveland; Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron; St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Covington, Kentucky; Parkview Memorial Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

4+1 Program

For this program, you choose a major in chemistry, microbiology, or zoology and fulfill all departmental, Arts and Science, and Miami Plan requirements for the baccalaureate degree. Pre-clinical year course requirements are: a year of general chemistry, a year of organic chemistry (or organic chemistry and biochemistry), a year of introductory biology, and one course in mathematics and general microbiology.

During fall semester of your senior year, you apply to enter a clinical year program at any hospital approved by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences in the U.S.

For more information about either program in clinical laboratory science, see the program adviser in the Department of Microbiology.

Engineering

Students desiring an engineering degree from another school in addition to a Miami degree may arrange either A.B. or B.S. 3-2 programs with any engineering school.

A.B. requirements for the 3-2 program are in the next section under Arts-Professional Arrangement. B.S. requirements for the 3-2 program are equivalent to these, except for deletion of the A.B. College of Arts and Science Requirement sections A through E, inclusion of the B.S. College of Arts and Science Requirement section A, and substitution of an appropriate B.S. curriculum instead of an A.B. curriculum. Completion of the 3-2 engineering program satisfies the Miami Plan Capstone Experience requirement.

At Miami your major requirements must be completed unless they are continued in engineering school by recommendation of the major professor and approval of the Committee of Advisers. In particular, you may wish to major in engineering physics, a pre-engineering program described in this chapter with the College's major programs.

Miami has cooperative arrangements with Case Western Reserve University, Columbia University, and Washington University (St. Louis), so that any student satisfying the appropriate 3-2 program requirements will be accepted by Case, Columbia, or Washington University and will receive the Miami degree (A.B. or B.S.) upon receiving the engineering bachelor's degree or sooner.

Environmental Management and Forestry

Miami has a cooperative agreement with Duke University School of the Environment, which allows students to attend Miami for three years and Duke for two years. You receive a B.S. from Miami and either a Master's in Forestry (M.F.) or a Master's in Environmental Management (M.E.M.) from Duke.

Miami students accepted by Duke can enter the professional master's degree programs at the end of the junior year. Your Miami degree (B.S.) is granted after your first year at Duke when Miami's requirements are met.

Basic requirements for recommendation to Duke's programs are 96 semester hours at Miami, including 32 at or above the 200 level, a cumulative grade point average of 2.5, and completion of both the Miami Plan and College of Arts and Science Requirement A (foreign language).

In the first semester of your junior year, you must file a petition with the College of Arts and Science to request a recommendation for the program, and you must apply to Duke for admission. Deadline is February 15 for fall admission and October 15 for winter admission. Duke also requires the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) for admission. You should arrange to take this test the first semester of your junior year.

Courses required for the three years of study at Miami Follow.

Departmental Requirements (24 hours, 14 must be advanced hours)
Either BOT 115 and 116 Biological Concepts (4,4) or
BOT 191 General Botany (4) plus either BOT 115 (4), MBI 201 (4) or ZOO 113 (4)
BOT 203 Intorduction to Plant Cell and Molecular Biology(4)
BOT 204 Evolution: Plant Biodiversity (4)

Related Hours
A Thematic Sequence in chemistry (18 hours)
ECO 201
MTH 151, 251, or 249
STA 261

Recommended Electives
ENG 215, 313
GEO 341, 437, 447, 448
GLG 111, 115.L
IES 431, 450
PHY 171, 172, 181, 182
POL 261, 362
SAN 163, 253, 283

Environmental Science Co-Major

The Environmental Science Co-Major provides a broad-based environmental science background preparing students to pursue a wide variety of career paths or post-graduate degrees. The term "co-major" is unique and indicates that students must be concurrently enrolled in and must complete another major at Miami University. The co-major complements the primary major, which provides significant depth and breadth in an academic discipline. There is no specific degree designation (e.g., A.B., B.S.) for the co-major; students receive the degree designation for their primary major. See requirements for the co-major listed later in this Bulletin.

Arts-Professional Arrangement

In addition to the combined programs above, we offer the Arts-Professional Arrangement as another way to earn a professional degree in less than normal time. This arrangement is open only to students working for the Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree.

This program allows you to substitute your senior year at Miami with the first year of an accredited professional school. Schools include those in business administration, dentistry, engineering, forestry, law, medicine, nursing, public health, or theology.

The Miami A.B. is usually awarded at summer commencement following the first year in professional school. If you have not earned at least a 2.0 grade point average for your first year of professional school, your Miami degree will not be awarded until you have finished the professional degree.

To be graduated under the Arts-Professional Arrangement, these requirements must be met: you must earn at least 96 Miami semester hours, including 32 hours at 200 level or above, with a 3.0 grade point average; you must complete the Miami Plan requirements, the College Requirement, and all requirements of your major (except those that can be continued in professional school); and you must file a petition with the College of Arts and Science by the end of your junior year.

Students transferring to Miami at the end of their freshman year may petition for a reduction of the 96 Miami hours required for this program, as long as this reduction does not exceed 32 hours.

For more information, consult an adviser in the College of Arts and Science.

Planning for Law School

Law school is a popular option for Arts and Science majors. Almost 300 students applied to law school in 2000; among these, more than 80% gained admission to at least one institution.

You are encouraged to take a very broad liberal arts program. Common majors include economics, English, history, and political science. Majors in other fields however, such as philosophy, classics, foreign language, mathematics, statistics, and psychology have also been successful preparations for students entering law school.

According to The Official Guide to U.S. Law Schools, "While no single curricular path is the ideal preparation for law school, you should choose courses that sharpen analytical reasoning and writing skills. Law schools prefer students who can think, read, and write well, and who have some understanding of what shapes human experience."

Most law schools have high standards for grade point average (g.p.a.) and all require the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). In recent years, the average Miami applicant has had a 3.2 g.p.a. and a 154 score (on the scale of 120-180) on the LSAT. You should consult a pre-law adviser before taking any course on a credit/no credit (pass/fail) basis.

For more information about law school and the application process, talk to one of our pre-law advisers in the departments of Political Science, English, Classics, and History.

Planning for Medical, Dental, and Vetrinary Schools

Most medical, dental, and veterinary schools limit admission requirements to allow for students from a variety of undergraduate programs. All schools recognize the desirability of a broad education that includes a strong foundation in natural sciences, the basis for study and practice of health professions; communication skills, essential for developing successful relationships with the public and professionals; and social sciences and humanities, in order to better understand yourself and others.

Therefore, you should follow an undergraduate program that is as broad and comprehensive as possible in order to prepare for a career in a people-oriented profession in a changing society. Pursuing a double major in sciences is not advised if it is done at the expense of obtaining a broad education.

Common admission requirements include two years of chemistry, one year of biology, one year of physics, and one year of English. Requirements of schools may vary; schools may recommend additional courses. You should therefore consider individual requirements of schools and plan your curriculum accordingly.

Students who plan to go to professional schools should see an academic adviser before taking any course on a credit/no-credit basis.

Many students planning to attend medical, dental, or veterinary school major in zoology, microbiology, or chemistry.

A recommended program for your first year is:

CHM 137, 142 College Chemistry (4, 3) or CHM 141.M, 142.M (3, 3)
CHM 144, 145 College Chemistry Laboratory (2, 2) or CHM 153, 161 (2, 2)
BOT/MBI/ZOO 115, 116 Biological Concepts (4,4) or ZOO 113, 114 (4,4), or MTH 151, 251 (5,4)
ENG 111, 112 College Composition, Composition and Literature (3,3)
Electives (applying toward the College Requirement and Miami Plan)

Science courses are demanding and, for many freshmen, the first semester is a difficult period. Your elective, then, should not be a difficult course for you.

During your sophomore and/or junior year, take organic chemistry and lab (CHM 241, 242 and 244, 245 or 251, 252 and 254, 255) and physics and lab (PHY 171, 172 and 183, 184 or 181, 182 and 183, 184). A year of biology (BOT/MBI/ZOO 115, 116 or ZOO 113, 114) should be taken sometime during your first two years.

Some students may qualify to enter a health professional school after three years of undergraduate study; students interested in this possibility should contact the advising office in the College of Arts and Science for information about the Arts-Professional Arrangement.

Medical schools require the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), dental schools require the Dental Aptitude Test (DAT), and veterinary schools vary with the test they require (Graduate Record Exam, Veterinary Aptitude Test, or MCAT).

You are strongly urged to talk with your pre-professional adviser about early preparation for an alternative career if you decide not to apply to a professional school or are not admitted.

For information, talk with one of our pre-medicine advisers in zoology or in chemistry and biochemistry, microbiology, philosophy, physics, or psychology. Pre-dentistry and pre-veterinary advisers are also in zoology.

Planning For Optometry School

Typical admission requirements for optometry school include one year of English, one year of biology, two years of chemistry, one year of physics, one year of mathematics (calculus and statistics), one year of psychology, one year of sociology, one semester of microbiology, and one or two semesters of physiology. Since specific requirements vary, you should contact schools where you may apply, and plan your curriculum accordingly. Most pre-optometry students major in zoology, chemistry, or microbiology.

Optometry schools require the Optometry Admission Test, which is given in February and October each year.

A recommended program for your first year is:

CHM 137 , CHM 142 (4, 3) or CHM 141, 142 College Chemistry (3, 3)
CHM 144, 145 College Chemistry Laboratory (2, 2)
BOT/MBI/ZOO 115, 116 Biological Concepts (4, 4)
ENG 111, 112 College Composition, Composition and Literature (3, 3)
MTH 151 (5)

Electives (choose from CAS requirements and Miami Plan Foundation courses)

For more information, consult with the pre-optometry adviser in the Department of Zoology.

Planning for Pharmacy School

Because the Doctor of Pharmacy is slated to become the only accredited degree for pharmacy schools by 2004, you should complete a bachelor's degree (usually in zoology or chemistry), or at least two years of prerequisite course work, and apply to a Doctor of Pharmacy program.

Typical prerequisites for pharmacy school include course work in calculus; inorganic, organic, and analytical chemistry; English, microbiology, physics, statistics, and zoology. Since specific requirements vary, contact schools of interest, and plan your curriculum accordingly. For more information, consult with the pre-pharmacy adviser in the Department of Zoology.

Planning for Physical Therapy School

If you are interested in physical or occupational therapy, you should take courses that meet prerequisites for your program. You can complete a bachelor's degree (usually in zoology or physical education, health, and sport studies) and then enter a professional school.

For occupational therapy, you can earn a baccalaureate degree at Miami and apply to a graduate program, or you can complete the first two years at Miami and apply as a transfer student to another university for a baccalaureate degree in the program. You must complete prerequisite courses during your first two years of college to earn a baccalaureate degree in occupational therapy.

For physical therapy, you must earn a baccalaureate degree before entering a graduate program. The American Physical Therapy Association mandates all physical therapy programs offer master's degrees to retain or earn certification.

Because there is no uniformity in prerequisite courses required by physical or occupational therapy programs, you must contact schools for their requirements. Select courses at Miami that will meet requirements for your program.

The following courses are required prior to admission by most programs. Note: This is only a general guideline.

BOT/MBI/ZOO 115 Biological Concepts (4) or ZOO 113 Animal Diversity
BOT/MBI/ZOO 116 Biological Concepts (4) or ZOO 114 Principles of Biology (4)
CHM 137 (4) or 141, 142 College Chemistry (2, 2)
CHM 144, 145 College Chemistry Laboratory (2,2)
ENG 111, ENG 112 English Composition (3,3)
PHS 381 Biodynamics of Human Activity (4)
PHS 468 Physiology and Biophysics of Human Activity (3)
PHY 171, 172 College Physics (3,3)
PHY 183, 184 Physics Laboratory (1,1) or
PSY 111 Introduction to Psychology (4)
PSY 231 Developmental Psychology (3)
CSA 141 Personal Computer Applications (2)
STA 261 Statistics (4)
ZOO 201 Comparative Anatomy(4) (meets human anatomy prerequisite)
ZOO 305 Animal Physiology (4) (meets human physiology requirement)

Other suggested Courses include:
CHM 231 Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry (4)
CHM 332 Outlines of Biochemistry (4)
COM 135 Public Expression and Critical Inquiry (3)
PHL 131 (3) or PHL 375 (4) or SOC 357 (3) (one semester of philosophy/medical ethics)

For more information, contact a physical therapy program adviser in the Department of Zoology or the Department of Physical Education, Health, and Sport Studies.

Special Interest Areas
If you are interested in one of these areas, we suggest you look into the Arts and Science degree program(s) listed beside it.
Area	Arts and Science Major
Advertising	English, mass communication, speech communication
Archaeology	Anthropology, classics, religion
Bacteriology	Microbiology
Biology	Botany, microbiology, zoology
City Planning	Urban and regional planning
Creative writing	English/creative writing
Criminology	Sociology (criminology emphasis)
Environmental science	Botany (environmental science emphasis), geography, geology (environmental science emphasis), zoology
Foreign affairs	Diplomacy and foreign affairs, international studies
Forestry	Botany; see also "Combined Programs"
Gerontology	Gerontology, Sociology
Government work	Political science, diplomacy and foreign affairs, international studies, public administration, speech communication, urban and regional planning
Journalism	English/journalism, mass communication
Language	Linguistics, speech pathology and audiology, foreign languages
Neuroscience	Zoology, psychology
Personnel work	Psychology (industrial organization concentration), public administration, speech communication (organizational communication concentration)
Pharmacy	Chemistry, zoology
Physical therapy	Psychology, zoology
Public relations	Speech communication (public relations emphasis), English/journalism
Social work	Sociology, psychology
Statistics	Mathematics and statistics, statistics
Television and radio	Mass communication
Miami has a graduate degree program in environmental science. See the Graduate Bulletin* for more information.

Teacher Licensure

Combining a teacher licensure program with a major in the College of Arts and Science makes a student eligible for two degrees: an A.B. or B.S. degree in the College of Arts and Science and a B.S. in Education degree in the School of Education and Allied Professions. Students who wish to combine licensure with an arts and science major must observe rules, procedures, and restrictions pertaining to admission to a licensure cohort.

If you choose to earn two degrees, you must meet all requirements for the Miami Plan, the College of Arts and Science, and teacher licensure. Early in your program you should plan your schedule with academic advisers from both the College of Arts and Science and the School of Education and Allied Professions.

The following departments offer the possibility of combining the teacher licensure program with an Arts and Science major: chemistry, English, French, geology, German, history, Latin, mathematics, physics, Russian, and Spanish.

For information, contact the Office of Student Services in the School of Education and Allied Professions, 200 McGuffey Hall (513-529-6418).

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