Virginia Commonwealth University VCU Scholars Compass VCU Bulletins VCU University Archives 2012 Virginia Commonwealth University Undergraduate Bulletin Virginia Commonwealth University Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/vcubulletins © Virginia Commonwealth University Downloaded from http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/vcubulletins/46 This Bulletin is brought to you for free and open access by the VCU University Archives at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted for inclusion in VCU Bulletins by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Virginia Commonwealth University VCU Undergraduate Bulletin 2012-13 1 Virginia Commonwealth University VCU 2012-13 Undergraduate Bulletin Table of Contents Virginia Commonwealth University .................................................................................3 University College ..............................................................................................................6 College of Humanities and Sciences ..............................................................................16 L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs School of Mass Communications School of World Studies School of Allied Health Professions ...............................................................................67 School of the Arts .............................................................................................................75 School of Business .........................................................................................................108 School of Dentistry .........................................................................................................123 School of Education........................................................................................................127 School of Engineering ....................................................................................................142 School of Medicine .........................................................................................................156 School of Nursing ...........................................................................................................158 School of Pharmacy .......................................................................................................164 School of Social Work ....................................................................................................166 VCU Life Sciences ...........................................................................................................171 Graduate School .............................................................................................................177 Undergraduate study .....................................................................................................179 Admission to the university Tuition, fees and expenses Financial aid Undergraduate General Education Program Academic regulations and general degree requirements Effective bulletin Division of Community Engagement ...........................................................................212 Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services .................................................215 Global Education Office .................................................................................................222 Office of Research ..........................................................................................................225 da Vinci Center for Innovation .......................................................................................227 The Honors College ........................................................................................................229 Index ................................................................................................................................232 This bulletin is archived in PDF format, with functioning links, at www.vcu.edu/bulletins. 2 Virginia Commonwealth University VCU 2012-13 Undergraduate Bulletin Virginia Commonwealth University 3 Undergraduate Bulletin 2012-13 Located in the heart of Richmond, the capital of Virginia since 1779, Virginia Commonwealth University serves an integral role in the economic health of the Specialized program accreditation or certification city and the state, educating the current and future work force, reaching out to the Campus Police community, advancing research and enhancing patient care. Police Academy VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden-Sydney Certified by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the General Assembly merged MCV with the Richmond Professional Institute, founded in Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services 1917, to create Virginia Commonwealth University. University Counseling Services Today, VCU offers comprehensive undergraduate, master’s, doctoral and American Psychological Association professional programs and encompasses one of the largest academic health centers in the nation. With a record $256 million in sponsored research funding last fiscal Student Health Services year, VCU became one of only 28 public universities in the country with an Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations academic medical center to be designated as a research university with very high research activity as well as a Community Engaged Institution, both by the Hospital accreditation Carnegie Foundation. Its centers and institutes of excellence support the VCU Health System university’s research mission and involve faculty from multiple disciplines in the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations arts, public policy, biotechnology and health care discoveries. VCU enrolls more than 31,000 students in 222 degree and certificate programs in Mission statement the arts, sciences and humanities. Sixty-six of the programs are unique in Virginia, As the premier urban, public research university in Virginia, VCU’s mission is to many of them crossing the disciplines of VCU’s 13 schools and one college. VCU advance knowledge and student success through its commitments to: has a full-time instructional faculty of more than 2,000 who are nationally and internationally recognized for excellence in the arts, business, education, • An engaged, learner-centered environment that fosters inquiry, discovery and engineering, the humanities, the life sciences, social work and all the health care innovation in a global setting professions. With more than 19,000 employees, VCU and the VCU Health System • Research that expands the boundaries of new knowledge and creative also have a significant impact on Central Virginia’s economy. expression and promotes translational applications to improve human health Building on the foundation of VCU’s nationally ranked academic programs and • Interdisciplinary collaborations that bring new perspectives to complex academic medical center, research and scholarly productivity, and engagement problems and mobilize creative energies that advance innovation and solve with the communities it serves, the university’s strategic plan, Quest for global challenges Distinction, launches a new vision for VCU: to elevate its stature and become the nation’s top urban, public research university. This focused plan capitalizes on the • Health care that strives to preserve and restore health for all people, to seek outstanding assets of the VCU experience and truly distinguishes VCU as a major the cause and cure of diseases through groundbreaking research, and to research university committed to academic quality and student success at all educate those who serve humanity levels. • Diversity that provides a climate of inclusion, a dedication to addressing Quest for Distinction also embodies VCU’s commitment to human health through disparities wherever they exist, and an opportunity to explore and create in an the VCU Medical Center, which includes the university’s health sciences schools environment of trust and offers state-of-the-art care in more than 200 specialty areas, many of national • Sustainable, university-community partnerships that enhance the educational, and international note, including organ transplantation, head and spinal cord economic and cultural vitality of the communities VCU serves in Virginia trauma, burn healing and cancer treatment. and around the world VCU and the VCU Health System have been honored with prestigious national and international recognition for top-quality graduate, professional and medical- Vision statement care programs, reflecting a commitment to be among America’s top research VCU will be a premier urban, public research university distinguished by its universities focused on student learning. commitment to: Administration • The intellectual and academic success of a diverse student body • Research and discovery that advances knowledge, inspires creativity and VCU administration provides leadership and organizational structure for the improves human health university, overseeing its goals and mission. Refer to each unit’s Web site for a current listing of administrators. • The global engagement of students, faculty and staff that transforms lives and communities Deans Core values Deans provide leadership for their respective school or college. Refer to each unit’s Web site for a current listing of its deans, departmental chairs and program 1. Accountability