Pre-Sorter Bound Printed Matter BSC Birmingham-Southern College U.S. POSTAGE PAID Birmingham, AL Permit No. 2575 BULLETIN Arkadelphia Road Birmingham, AL 35254 CATALOG Birmingham-Southern College Birmingham-Southern 2011-2012 CATALOG BSC CO G Birmingham-Southern College 2011-2012 All information in this catalog pertains to the 2011-2012 academic year and is correct to the extent that the information was available during its preparation. However, Birmingham-Southern College reserves the right to change course offerings, tuition, fees, rules governing admission, requirements for graduation and the granting of degrees, and any other regulations affecting its students. Such changes are to take effect whenever the administration deems it necessary, whether or not there is actual notice to individual students. Given budgetary considerations and the decision to publish this catalog every year, the College chooses to tell students about interpretations or policy changes as they occur from time to time. Such information is made available through student publications or other means. Each student is responsible for fulfi lling the degree requirements in effect during his or her fi rst year of enrollment at the College or under the requirements of any one catalog in effect during the period of his or her enrollment. The requirements specifi ed by a student’s catalog of entry are applicable for a maximum of seven years. After that time, a student is responsible for fulfi lling any other requirements in force. BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN COLLEGE CATALOG (USPS 056-880) August 2011 Vol. LXXXX The Birmingham-Southern College Catalog is published by Birmingham- Southern College, 900 Arkadelphia Road, Birmingham, Alabama 35254 . CORRESPONDENCE DIRECTORY Administrative Affairs and General Matters Concerning the College .................................. The President Academic Information .............................................The Provost Academic Records and Transcripts ..........................The Dean of Records Admission Information for The Associate Vice President for Prospective Students........................................ Admission Financial Aid ......................................The Director of Financial Aid Financial Matters .................................The Vice President for Finance Gifts and Bequests ........................The President or The Vice President for Institutional Advancement Student Life Information ........................The Associate Vice President for Student Development Correspondence concerning the various subjects listed above should be sent to the appropriate College offi cial at the following address: BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN COLLEGE Birmingham, Alabama 35254 Telephone: 205-226-4600 National: 800-523-5793 Birmingham-Southern College Web Site: http://www.bsc.edu Birmingham-Southern College is an equal opportunity educational institution and, as such, does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, veteran’s status, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local law. Birmingham-Southern complies with Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction .................................................................................................... 7 Mission of the College ..............................................................................9 History of the College ............................................................................. 10 Accreditation and Memberships .............................................................11 Consortial Associations ..........................................................................12 Philosophy of Education ........................................................................13 Academic Policy and Information ...............................................................19 General Information ...............................................................................21 Coursework .............................................................................................22 Grading System .......................................................................................27 Transfer Credit ........................................................................................ 31 Academic Progress ..................................................................................35 Academic Records ...................................................................................40 Academic Honors ................................................................................... 41 Academic Awards ....................................................................................42 Honor Societies .......................................................................................46 Courses of Study ...........................................................................................49 Graduation Requirements ...................................................................... 51 Degrees Conferred ............................................................................ 51 Requirements for any Bachelor’s Degree .........................................51 Explorations Curriculum Requirements .........................................53 Exploration Term ..............................................................................56 Academic Majors .....................................................................................57 Individualized Majors ............................................................................59 Academic Minors ....................................................................................60 Curriculum .............................................................................................. 61 Disciplinary Major and Minor Requirements .......................................62 Interdisciplinary Major and Minor Requirements ..............................208 Special Programs ...................................................................................239 Individualized Study ............................................................................257 Pre-Professional Programs ................................................................... 261 Dual Degree Programs ..........................................................................264 Cooperative Programs ..........................................................................269 Admission ....................................................................................................273 Admission to the College .....................................................................275 Entrance Requirements .........................................................................276 Application Procedures ........................................................................278 Finances .................................................................................................282 Financial Aid .........................................................................................286 The College Register ....................................................................................299 Faculty ................................................................................................... 301 Administration ...................................................................................... 317 Board of Trustees .................................................................................. 319 Index ............................................................................................................323 INTRODUCTION BSC INTRODUCTION 9 MISSION OF THE COLLEGE BirminghamSouthern College provides a liberal arts education of distinctive quality. The College challenges students to think independently, to examine the arts and sciences aesthetically and critically, and to communicate clearly. It fosters the advancement of scholarship, personal and resourceful learning, and comprehensive advising. The total educational experience at BirminghamSouthern College focuses on individual students and their intellectual and ethical development, and offers opportunities for spiritual and physical wellbeing. The academic program challenges students to understand a range of disciplines and requires the indepth study of one. The College is distinguished by a dedicated faculty, undergraduate scholarship and research, exploration term, leadership studies and service-learning, crosscultural opportunities, on and offcampus mentor relationships, and by graduate education within a liberal arts context. BirminghamSouthern College operates under the auspices of the AlabamaWest Florida and North Alabama Conferences of the United Methodist Church, with its most responsible service to the Church being to perform its educational mission with distinction. 10 INTRODUCTION HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE Birmingham-Southern College is the result of a merger of Southern University, founded in Greensboro, Alabama, in 1856, with Birmingham College, opened in 1898 in Birmingham, Alabama. These two institutions were consolidated on May 30, 1918, under the name of Birmingham- Southern College. In 1824, the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church recommended that each conference establish