Bachelor of General Studies in Liberal arts and Sciences

at Shorelight Group - University of Kansas USA

The University of Kansas offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Design with a major area of study in Photography, a program dedicated to evaluating and innovating the practice of photography and related media. We provide in-depth instruction in a range of analog and digital, still and moving, lens-based techniques within a rigorous intellectual and creative environment. Our students develop the distinct technical, conceptual and critical thinking skills, and personal vision vital to success as contemporary photographers and professional practitioners. Students enjoy unique access to state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, and studies culminate in a refined portfolio of work.

The B.A. Option in Italian is a program consisting of eight, three-credit courses in which students pursue studies in Italian beyond the beginning and intermediate levels. In consultation with departmental advisors, students combine their work with other academic disciplines and develop particular strengths and interests in Italian literature, language, and culture. Students pursuing the B.A. Option in Italian are strongly encouraged to study abroad.

Honors in Italian
Students may graduate with honors in Italian by completing 3 hours of ITAL 499 and one approved 3-hour course in a relevant field in addition to the 24-hour requirement for the option. Consult the department early in the junior year. To begin honors work and to graduate with honors, students must have minimum grade-point averages of 3.25 in all courses and 3.5 in Italian.

The Mathematics Department offers two undergraduate degrees: the B.A. in Mathematics and the B.S. in Mathematics. The B.A. has fewer mathematics course requirements and more general education requirements. The B.S. requires more mathematics courses, an applied mathematics concentration, and fewer general education courses.

Chinese
In a few short weeks, CHIN 104: Elementary Chinese language students know their four tones and can speak beautifully about basic topics of daily life. Learning characters, the challenging but fun aspect of Chinese, starts slowly the first year, then accelerates the second and third years of study. Advanced-level students from KU can read newspapers and contemporary fiction by the time they graduate; graduating majors are fluent in Chinese.

Japanese
Often considered the "Gateway to the East," Japan is a center for commerce, trade, education, and culture in East Asia. KU alums with Japanese language skills have followed career paths such as acting for Japanese television, banking in Tokyo, and working as a legal expert for Microsoft, as well as many who pursued graduate work in Japanese culture and history. Beyond the practical advantages, studying Japanese possesses its own intrinsic rewards: learning one of the world's most complex languages exercises the mind in unique ways. Japanese language students are never bored!

Korean
Although Korean has been a spoken language for several thousand years, the development of its phonetic alphabet in 1446, hangul, made it the easiest East Asian language to master. Today Korean is the 11th most spoken language in the world. More than half of Korean's vocabulary can be traced to Chinese, and the structure and grammar are similar to Japanese. KU is the only institution in Kansas that teaches intermediate and advanced Korean language courses.

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.

KU's English Department is at the core of the humanities, highlighting the "human" through our individual, one-on-one interactions with our students, our emphasis on community and global engagement, and our abiding interest in our shared humanity through the stories of others. We seek to challenge the mind and to engage the imagination of our students, to teach them to ask questions and to seek for answers.  We encourage them to grapple with the complexity of a culturally and commercially interconnected world and the global networks and processes of cultural exchange. We believe that words and ideas will shape the world. We teach our students life-long skills, so that they learn to write clearly, creatively, and effectively—discovering themselves even as they lay a solid foundation for professional success. 

4 specialized options are available for students who plan professional careers in meteorology or atmospheric science. The general meteorology option satisfies all the traditional professional meteorology requirements for employment with the National Weather Service, airlines, or other agencies. The air pollution meteorology option meets the need for trained specialists. The hydrometeorology option may lead to a career as a meteorologist in one of the many water-related activities in private and governmental agencies. The news media forecasting option can lead to a career forecasting the weather on television or radio. The B.S. degree with any of these specialties also prepares students to begin graduate programs in meteorology or atmospheric science.

Majors in Human Sexuality focus on the social, political, and medical constructions of human sexuality. They draw from interdisciplinary methods, theories, and research to better understand how the social construction and lived experiences of sexuality relate to race, culture, class, politics, medicine, and social movements.

With a major in Human Sexuality, you'll be able to: 

• Explore the diverse range of human sexual practices and taboos  
• Compare scientific, historical, and creative understandings of sexual desire
• Learn to analyze and address problems of sexual violence, reproductive justice, and LGBTQ inclusivity. 

A much more specialized degree, there are fewer general education requirements and a much more concentrated specialization in one of two aspects of Geography. There are two B.S. degree options:

Physical Geography Option- Students prepare for a career in environmental assessment and problem solving. Basic requirements include preparation in chemistry, biology, physics and mathematics. Advanced course work includes the study of the processes that affect the physical environment (soils, vegetation, climate and geomorphology), and techniques for performing statistical and computational analysis of these processes (statistics, GIS and remote sensing).

Geographical Information and Analysis Option- Students prepare for a career in the area of geographic information science and problem solving using a variety of spatial analysis techniques. Basic requirements include preparation in mathematics, science and computer science. Advanced course work includes work in cartography, GIS, remote sensing, spatial statistics, spatial analysis and data presentation and visualization. In addition, students are expected to take some coursework in one of the other areas of geography (physical, human, and regional).

To study with the KU School of Music’s Theory and Composition (MTHC) Area is to engage the passions, both musical and intellectual, of six composers and scholars who have each earned national and international recognition for their contributions to the discipline.

Working with faculty in the division, you will be able to pursue a wide range of scholarly interests and musical styles. Our specialists in music theory research and teach a wide breadth of approaches on diverse subjects. In addition to critical assessment of the standard common-practice and contemporary repertoires, students have the opportunity to learn about specific fields of faculty expertise, including film music, philosophy and critical theory, rhythm and meter, and modern rock music.

Our composers in the division are also skilled teachers who can help you refine your craft and develop your unique compositional voice. Among their vast and varied portfolios, they have each made significant contributions in producing new music for a wide range of genres, including works for wind band and orchestra, opera and choral music, instrumental and vocal chamber music, music for film, and electronic music (particularly involving live performance).