College of Arts and Sciences | Stetson University Academic Catalog

From its founding in 1883, the College of Arts and Sciences has offered an energetic and imaginative approach to education in the liberal arts and sciences. In all our degree programs, students work on the skills of gathering, interpreting, questioning, and communicating knowledge about themselves and the world they live in. They seek to become more reflective about their beliefs and principles, more skilled in ways of understanding the world, and more prepared to respond thoughtfully -- even joyfully -- to learning opportunities and personal and social challenges that will come their way over their lifetimes. Our emphasis is not on narrow training, but on the liberal or liberating skills and knowledge that can prepare graduates for fulfilling lives as well as meaningful life’s work. Education in the College seeks to transform students into informed, engaged, and empowered individuals and citizens.

Through small class size and teaching that fosters active learning, we emphasize the rigor, depth, and engagement of our students' academic experiences. In our formal curriculum and campus culture, we offer multiple opportunities out of a range of disciplinary perspectives to respond to enduring and contemporary questions. Learning through first-hand experience is a way to substantial and meaningful education; students are encouraged to develop academic plans that include study abroad, community engagement, community-based research, internships in fields of interest, independent research, and out-of-classroom experiences that complement learning in the major, in general education, and in elective courses. The College is proud to host a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest chapter at a private college in Florida. Alongside that commitment to the highest standards of academic excellence is a commitment to social justice and community engagement that has been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Undergraduate Degrees Offered

B.A. and B.S.

Two undergraduate degrees are offered by the College: the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and the Bachelor of Science (B.S.). Traditionally, the B.A. has emphasized a broad education in the liberal arts and sciences, with a special emphasis on the skills of critical thinking, reading, problem-solving, speaking and listening, writing, and creativity. The B.S. builds on similar learning in the liberal arts and sciences to develop advanced knowledge and skills in more scientific, technical, or applied fields.

At Stetson, all degree programs emphasize breadth of learning, so the difference between B.A. and B.S. degrees is a matter of emphasis in majors. A candidate for either the B.A. or the B.S. degree must complete 32 units of academic work with a C (2.0) average overall. These units are roughly evenly divided into three categories: general education, the major, and electives. A unit in the College is roughly equated to 4 credits.

The Major, Minor, and Elective

In addition to a breadth of study in general education, students in the College develop more advanced understandings through at least 10 courses in one of the College's majors or in the Individualized Major available through the Honors Program. Additional courses in the chosen field of study may be taken as electives. Electives may be selected to pursue a self-defined, intellectual or creative passion or to strengthen preparation for graduate study or professional schools of law, medicine, education, music, counseling, or business. Students may also choose to use elective courses to complete a minor in the College or in the Schools of Business Administration or Music. A minor is not required, but many are available. Details of the requirements for each major and minor are listed separately in the Catalog. To earn a degree, a student must complete all requirements with at least a C average (2.0) in the major, as well as cumulatively in all courses.

Internship Courses in the College of Arts and Sciences

Please visit the University policies page for internships:

View University-wide academic policies for undergraduate internships

The Senior Project

Drawing on liberal study in the College’s program of General Education and the knowledge and skills learned through a major curriculum, each senior undertakes a project appropriate to her or his field of study: an original research paper, an empirical study, development and analysis of a predictive model, a report on a laboratory experiment or field observation, gallery exhibition, a stage presentation, a computer program, a community-based project, or creative work.

Depending on disciplinary expectations, students might design their own research projects or, in other cases, join an ongoing faculty research project. In some cases, students who have pursued two majors might design one project that satisfies the capstone requirement in both majors simultaneously; in other cases, they might complete one senior project for each major. Faculty advisors mentor students in developing, researching, and producing the final project.

While disciplines in the College approach the Senior Project in different ways, the goal is to demonstrate applied, imaginative, and/or critical problem-solving. To do so, students use skills of close reading, careful observation, critical analysis, and persuasive writing and speaking to complete projects of their choosing.

Students have the opportunity to present their work at the Stetson Undergraduate Research and Creative Arts Showcase in the spring. Many seniors also present their work at conferences or publish with their faculty advisors in professional journals. Successfully completing the Senior Project is a capstone experience for all students in the College.

Bachelor of Arts

The College of Arts and Sciences offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in the following areas:

Bachelor of Science

The College offers Bachelor of Science degrees in the following areas:

A B.S. degree in Engineering may be earned through cooperative programs with other universities.

Special programs are maintained to advise and support students from various majors who are preparing themselves for law school, medical school, health-related fields, or public administration.

The minors available to students pursuing either B.A. or B.S. degrees include the following:

¹: Administered through the School of Business Administration.
²: Administered through the School of Music.

All students in the College of Arts and Sciences must meet General Education requirements in addition to specific requirements within the major area of study.

Each student must complete at least four writing or writing enhanced (WE) courses to complete the University Writing Requirement. At least two of these courses must be from General Education. Based upon Admissions application information, students may be placed in ENGL 100; ENGL 100 will count toward the Writing requirement if completed with a minimum grade of C.

A single course may not be used to meet more than one of the General Education requirements, but a single course may count toward a General Education requirement and the student’s major or minor requirements, as well as count as a Writing Enhanced course in the Writing requirement. Students should check with their advisor regarding the eligibility of transfer credits to meet General Education requirements after students have enrolled at Stetson. A key component of a liberal education is to learn about the modes of inquiry from a diverse set of disciplines, so no more than 3 courses used to meet General Education requirements may come from a single department and at least 16 of the 32 units required for graduation must come from departments outside the department of the major.

For many majors, certain courses outside the major field of study are required. These courses are called “collateral requirements.”

A student majoring in Education may count among the 32 units as many in the major as are required for completion of an approved program for teacher certification by the State of Florida.

Course List
Code	Title	Units
Foundations ¹
Writing Requirement
FSEM 100	First Year Seminar	1
Quantitative Reasoning (any Q course)		1
Junior Seminar		1
Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Natural World
Select five of the following: ²		5
Creative Arts (any A course, or 4 - MUSC, MUSA or MUSE credit courses)
Culture and Belief (any B course)
Historical Inquiry (any H course)
Individuals, Societies, and Social Systems (any S course)
Modern Languages (any L course)
Physical and Natural World (any P course)
Personal and Social Responsibility
Select any 'Stetson Values (V)' course		1
Total Units		9

Cultural Events/Campus Engagement

In addition to completing 32 course units, students join Stetson's intellectual and creative life outside the classroom by participating in at least 24 approved cultural events at Stetson. These events include lectures by distinguished visitors, musical performances, plays, and art shows. Students may also view the list of approved cultural events³ under Calendar of Events at https://www.stetson.edu/other/calendar/ and selecting Deland Campus.

¹: Foundation courses may not be taken pass/fail.
²: 1 unit each from 5 out of the 6 areas.
³: The Calendar of Events for the Deland campus identifies Cultural Events as those marked with a turquoise blue colored square in the lower-left corner of the event block.

College of Arts and Sciences Faculty