UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM COURSE CATALOG 2016–2018 2 | SIMMONS COLLEGE UNDERGRADUATE COURSE CATALOG | 2016–2018 Table of Contents THE COLLEGE . 7 About Simmons . 7 The Educational Program . 8 The Simmons Education in Context . 8 Academic Advising . 8 Program Planning . 9 Table of Contents of Table Majors . 9 Minors . 10 Other Academic Programs . 10 n Honors n Pre-Law n Pre-Health and Pre-Medical n 3 + 1 Accelerated Master’s Degree n 4 + 1 Accelerated Master’s Degree n Study Abroad n Credit for Prior Learning Degree Requirements . 12 • Degree Requirements • Department or Program Recommendation • Completion of 128 Semester Hours with a Passing Evaluation The Simmons PLAN (Purpose Leadership ActioN) . 14 Marks and Evaluations . 25 Academic Honors and Recognition Programs . 26 Principles and Policies . 27 Student Principles . 27 Educational Record Privacy Policy . 28 Equal Access Policy . 28 Withdrawal from the College . 28 Community Commitment to Diversity . 28 Notice of Non-Discrimination and Grievance Procedure . 29 Grievance Procedure . 30 Information for Students with Disabilities . 30 Religious Observance . 30 Other Policies . 31 Administration . 31 Admission . 32 First-Year Students . 32 Transfer Students . 35 International Students . 37 Adult Undergraduate Students . 38 2016–2018 | SIMMONS COLLEGE UNDERGRADUATE COURSE CATALOG | 3 Financial Aid . 40 Scholarships and Grants . 40 Loans: Federal and Institutional . 41 Parental Loan Programs and Payment Plans . 41 Part-time Employment . 42 Applying for Financial Aid . 42 Registration and Financial Information . 43 Expenses: 2016–2017 . 43 Payment Policies . 43 Refund Policies . 45 Dropping a Course . 46 Registration and Billing . 47 . 48 Guide to Course Descriptions Table of Contents of Table 4 | SIMMONS COLLEGE UNDERGRADUATE COURSE CATALOG | 2016–2018 DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS . 49 Africana Studies . 49 Art and Music . 53 Art . 53 Arts Administration . 62 Music . 64 Biology . 68 Chemistry and Physics . 81 Program in Children’s Literature . 93 Contents of Table Communications . 94 Computer Science and Informatics . 106 East Asian Studies . 117 Economics . 119 Education . 126 General . 128 Special Education . 132 English . 140 History . 149 Honors Program . 159 School of Management . 165 Mathematics and Statistics . 184 Modern Languages and Literatures . 191 Nursing . 203 Nutrition . 211 Philosophy . 221 Physical Therapy . 225 Physics . 227 Political Science and International Relations . 231 Psychology . 244 Public Health . 251 Social Work . 254 Sociology . 258 Women’s and Gender Studies . 264 DIRECTORY OF FACULTY . 271 Emeriti Faculty . 279 Awards . 282 INDEX . 287 2016–2018 | SIMMONS COLLEGE UNDERGRADUATE COURSE CATALOG | 5 6 | SIMMONS COLLEGE UNDERGRADUATE COURSE CATALOG | 2016–2018 THE COLLEGE • Extraordinary professional prepara- About Simmons tion with an emphasis on intellectual exploration and rigor, the integration Core Purpose: Transformative learning that of theory and practice, leadership, and links passion with lifelong purpose . informed citizenship; and • An outstanding location in the heart Values: of Boston, a world-class center for • We are at our best when students are education, medicine, and technology, first . with unlimited educational, career, and About Simmons • We cross boundaries to create opportu- social opportunities . nities . In this spirit, the College fosters open ex- • We prepare students for life’s work . change of ideas among students, faculty, and • We make a collective investment in the general Simmons community . community . Simmons College is a nationally recog- nized private university located in the heart of Boston . It includes a women-centered un- dergraduate college, the nation’s first MBA program designed specifically for women, and graduate programs for women and men in health sciences, social work, library and information science, education, liberal arts, and communications management . Simmons consistently ranks among the nation’s top schools in its category in the U .S . News & World Report annual survey . A comprehensive college, Simmons is nation- ally recognized for its experiential learning programs, its blend of graduate and under- graduate offerings, and its commitment to liberal and professional education . Student success is a priority at Simmons and is founded on these core characteristics of the College: • A close-knit, accessible community that encourages collaboration and challenges students to do their best work; • Faculty and scholars who focus on stu- dents’ educational and career objectives; 2016–2018 | SIMMONS COLLEGE UNDERGRADUATE COURSE CATALOG | 7 of their own initiative, and to connect their The Educational Program academic work with future employment or graduate study . One third of student Simmons College offers both graduate and internships lead to paid employment after undergraduate programs . Information on graduation . In recognition of the increasing graduate programs appears in the gradu- importance of graduate degrees, Simmons ate catalogs and handbooks of the College offers accelerated BA/BS-MA/MS programs of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School of for qualified undergraduates . Library and Information Science, School of Simmons graduates are lifelong learners . Management, School of Nursing and Health At Simmons, students develop the critical Sciences, and School of Social Work . The fol- thinking skills needed for personal and lowing section describes Simmons’s under- professional success and a sense of commu- graduate curriculum and its philosophy . nity that fosters a commitment to conscious citizenship and global awareness . The Simmons Education in Context Dedicated to women’s education for more Academic Advising than one hundred years, Simmons prides it- Academic advising for undergraduates self on outstanding undergraduate programs is based on the philosophy that advising The Educational Program Educational The taught by high-quality faculty . The College’s enables students to build on their strengths, commitment to excellence in teaching, small identify and improve on their weaknesses, class size, and innovative programs build on and maximize their use of College resources . founder John Simmons’s original mission to Students are assigned academic advisors offer an education that would enable women prior to the beginning of the semester in to earn an independent livelihood . which they enter the College . Advising Today, the Simmons educational program assignments are based on the student’s ex- encourages students to engage actively with pressed area of interest, though faculty and their studies, their communities, and the the staff of the Office of Academic Advising world . Grounded in individualized attention and Support has a broad knowledge of the and positioned at the intersection of theory entire curriculum . and practice, a Simmons education results Most incoming students will meet with in valued relationships among students; a professional advisor or faculty member between faculty and students; and among during orientation to plan their course of faculty, students, and alumnae/i . A long- study . First-year students are required to standing trademark of the undergraduate meet with their advisors each semester to program is a simultaneous grounding in the change courses, discuss academic concerns, liberal arts and sciences and commitment to link their academic interests with their pro- professional studies . Independent learn- fessional plans, and strategize for registra- ing—one of the hallmarks of a Simmons tion for the following semester . education—challenges students to apply the After a student’s first year at Simmons, conceptual skills learned in the classroom they will be transitioned to a faculty advisor to a problem, project, or workplace experi- in their intended area of study and to contin- ence as independent researchers and applied ue their academic journey at Simmons with learners . A rigorous independent learning our well-versed faculty . If a student is still experience enables Simmons students to unsure of what they would like to major in, attain depth and practice in their chosen they can remain with their first year advisor disciplines, to sustain a longer-term project until they have decided upon their major(s) 8 | SIMMONS COLLEGE UNDERGRADUATE COURSE CATALOG | 2016–2018 and minor(s) . Biostatistics Professional and faculty advisors assist Business and Management students in planning academic schedules Chemistry and interpreting the goals and objectives of a Chemistry-Management Simmons education . Advisors guide students Communications through departmental requirements while Computer Science helping them to focus their studies . Advisors East Asian Studies Program Educational The are knowledgeable about the requirements Economics and are also prepared to discuss career and Economics and Mathematics graduate school possibilities . Education: • Elementary, Middle, or High School Program Planning • Social Studies Education The Simmons approach to liberal edu- • Spanish, French, English as a Second cation is flexible . Each student develops a Language program suited to their individual interests • Special Education and career plans . Some areas of study are English sequential and are best elected early in a stu- Environmental Science dent’s program . Many areas of study allow Exercise Science for a minor or even a second major . Faculty Finance and staff advisors assist.