Bachelor of Arts in Law and Society

at Shorelight Group - University of Kansas USA

Civil engineering, the oldest and broadest of the divisions of engineering, implements a range of public and private projects for improving society’s physical infrastructure and the environment. The civil engineer integrates scientific principles with engineering experience to plan, design, and construct networks of highways and railroads, airports, bridges and dams, environmental pollution control systems, industrial structures, water purification and distribution systems, and urban transportation systems that maintain, protect, and enhance the quality of life. Civil engineers are trained to consider the social effects as well as the physical and environmental factors that constrain the planning, design, construction, and operation of their projects. Environmental engineering, a technical specialization with its origins in civil engineering, is a growing discipline dedicated to the protection of the environment.

The undergraduate program gives students the theoretical background, instruction in engineering application of scientific principles, and professional attitude to serve the public. It typically leads to entry-level positions or to graduate work in technical specialties (e.g., environmental, geotechnical, structural, and transportation), business administration, or other professions.

Undergraduates in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences and Disorders study the basic processes of human communication. Programs are designed for the student who seeks a career in speech, language, or hearing or is interested in normal communication development and communication disorders.

Beginning with the undergraduate experience, you'll find stimulating course work, clinical observation, and a variety of hands-on laboratory projects. To practice as a speech-language pathologist, you will need to earn a master’s degree. Plan to pursue doctoral studies if you want to practice audiology or do research in speech, language, and hearing processes and disorders.

This concentration is designed for students interested in studying the cultural and social underpinnings of theatre and performance along with courses in acting, directing and design and with participation in University Theatre production. The TCS concentration provides the critical, analytical, and historical education that is the foundation of a liberal arts degree. Both the B.A. and B.G.S. in Theatre, Culture & Society require 40 hours in the major. In addition to KU Core requirement, the B.A. requires foreign language, math, and laboratory experience. 

The Classical Antiquity major provides interdisciplinary training in ancient Greek and Roman cultures and prepares you for graduate study in archaeology, art history, or history.

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Physics is designed to provide a general background within Physics  for individuals with a primary interest in another field (e.g. high school science teaching, journalism, computer programming, etc.) where a broad but not deep understanding of a physical science can be of  benefit, but isn’t critical. Whether the degree ends with the achievement of a BA or BS or serves as a stepping stone to additional study, these programs offer an excellent undergraduate education, training some of the finest problem solvers and analysts of the future! All of our undergraduate BS majors and the majority of BA students are involved in research projects during their years here. Many earn summer scholarship support from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, through research grants to faculty supervising their projects, or through admission to one of the many summer REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) sponsored by the National Science Foundation. KU majors have also competed successfully on a regular basis for summer internships at REU sites around the country.

The overall program mission for the B.S. degree in chemical or petroleum engineering is to provide a modern chemical or petroleum engineering education with proper balance between theory and practice. Graduates are prepared for professional practice in industry or government and for post-undergraduate training in chemical or petroleum engineering, medicine, etc. In addition to scientific and engineering training, students receive training in educational skills and in the humanities and social sciences.

Petroleum engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the drilling, recovery, production, and distribution of petroleum and natural gas. It includes knowledge of the properties of fluids and rocks in surface and subsurface environments as well as methods of exploiting the economic production of oil and gas from petroleum reservoirs. A major subdivision at KU is reservoir engineering, or the development of processes to improve production from oil and gas reservoirs. Reservoir engineers use sophisticated mathematical techniques and computer technology to obtain optimum production. Through such techniques, petroleum engineers continue to extract oil and gas from reservoirs that only a few years ago would have been considered uneconomical. This branch of engineering is somewhat different from the other in that production is far removed from physical observation.

The KU Jazz Studies Program has both performance and academic components, including three big bands, seven combos, and classes in arranging, improvisation, jazz history, jazz theory and jazz pedagogy.  KU Jazz groups and individual students have distinguished national credentials, winning 22 Down Beat Student Music Awards since 1992. With the generous support of the Gregory Harding Memorial Jazz Fund and the Lipscomb Jazz Fund, the Jazz Studies Program also sponsors clinics and master classes during the academic year. Past artists include Michael Brecker, Jerry Bergonzi, Hal Galper, Dr. Billy Taylor, Wynton Marsalis, Jim McNeely, Peter Erskine, Maria Schneider, Dave Douglas, John Fedchock, John Abercrombie, Gary Foster, Kenny Werner, Vince Mendoza, Greg Osby, and many others.

The KU School of Music now offers a Bachelor of Arts degree with a Jazz Studies concentration.  Students in the degree program perform in the KU Jazz Ensembles and Jazz Combos, study privately with KU studio faculty and jazz lecturers, and take courses in jazz studies along with other music courses and liberal arts classes.

A major or minor in Global and international studies will give you the tools to understand the rapid and profound changes that are occurring internationally and trans-nationally throughout the world and across various regions. Global and international studies at KU offers an interdisciplinary program in which faculty and students think critically about some of the most fundamental transnational and trans-regional issues facing societies today: population growth, politics and governance, migration, the global economy, poverty and inequality, religion, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, peace and conflict, and climate change. Through an investigation of these topics, majors in global and international studies acquire an enriched understanding of the world today, which is not only a desirable end in itself but also a useful background for professionals whose careers may involve them in different geographical and cultural areas. A major in global and international studies is helpful for careers in journalism, foreign service, business and industry, education, law, politics and government, and social service agencies.

Ideally, students who choose to major in global and international studies should have a trans-regional focus in mind for their educational goals. KU is also host to a number of excellent international Area Studies Centers that provide the best opportunities and resources for those students whose international interest is predominantly located in a particular region.

The bachelor's degree in sport management at the University of Kansas prepares students for a variety of positions in the sport and athletics industry: professional athletics, intercollegiate athletics, as well as other sport and health-related organizations. Students learn from full-time faculty who are prominent scholars and expert practitioners. Students also get to interact with program alumni and other sport professionals working for organizations such as the Kansas City Chiefs, Sporting Kansas City, Kansas City Royals, and KU Athletics.

The news and information track prepares students to adapt to an ever-changing media landscape.

Students develop core skills in writing, editing, storytelling, multimedia production, video, design and web, and then move deeper into a specialty area. For instance, students who want to become  web or print reporters will learn to tell stories with words, yes, but also with video, photo, audio, design and interactive media. Students who want to pursue TV news will learn not only broadcast production but gain skills in design, online storytelling, and writing.

The idea is to help students gain both depth and breadth to propel them into careers that will change many times over the coming decades.

Students who graduate from the news and information track often go on to jobs at websites, magazines, TV stations, sports organizations, startups and nonprofits. Career choices are limited only by the students' imaginations, though, as a journalism degree provides skills in research, critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, communication and creativity that organizations of all types need.