School of Arts and Sciences

General Information

Christian Chauret, Associate Dean

Scott Jones, Associate Dean

Courses in the School of Arts and Sciences can be taken in three departments: Natural, Information, and Mathematical Sciences; Humanities; and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Course descriptions and specific degree requirements for each department follow after a general discussion of basic arts and sciences curriculum and degree requirements.

The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program provides students with the opportunity to take an individualized program of graduate courses and interdisciplinary core seminars in a variety of disciplines in the arts and sciences.

The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees are four-year undergraduate degrees. Students may complete all requirements and be awarded either degree at Indiana University Kokomo. Comparable to the traditional arts and sciences degrees awarded by other colleges and universities, the general Bachelor of Arts degrees in natural, informational, and mathematical sciences, humanities, and social and behavioral sciences encompass discipline-specific degree in English, communication arts, new media communication, history/political science, biology, psychology, sociology, fine arts, and chemistry.

Minors in biology, English literature, English writing, , history, international studies, philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology, Spanish, communication arts, women’s studies, mathematics, new media communication and creative arts are available to majors in the arts and sciences. Also, arts and sciences students can complete minors in business, criminal justice, or labor studies. Please consult an advisor for additional information.

The unique nature and flexibility of the arts and sciences programs enable students to be generalists, capable of dealing with the complexities of modern society, and to focus their studies in a particular field of interest, thus preparing themselves for a specific career or graduate school objective.

An arts and sciences student may complete all of the pre-professional requirements for law, medicine, dentistry, chiropractic, or optometry in the process of earning the Bachelor of Arts degree at IU Kokomo. If the student is accepted into medical, dental, or optometry school after completing 90 credit hours, it is possible to earn both the Bachelor of Arts degree and the professional degree in seven years by counting the first year of professional school toward the 120 required credit hours. (See a faculty advisor for details.)

Indiana University Kokomo arts and sciences graduates are well prepared for admission to law school and to other graduate or professional schools. Because the arts and sciences degree requires a basic knowledge of science, the humanities, and social studies, it provides students with a well-rounded, liberal arts education that opens doors to a variety of career options.

Arts and sciences students who intend to continue in graduate school can receive a solid foundation in a variety of fields, including English, communication arts, history, political science, psychology, sociology, and biological science. Students may prepare for careers in business, industry, and government service by concentrating in arts and sciences and by supplementing their concentration with up to 15 credit hours of course work in business, education, or engineering technology.

Mission

The School of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Kokomo plays a central role in the mission of this comprehensive regional campus. It is the largest of the campus’ six schools and has been at the center of IU Kokomo’s academic and intellectual life since the campus’ inception. The school offers a liberal arts education that combines broad exposure to the insights and methods of the principal academic disciplines with focused study in one or more areas. It is also responsible for basic-skills courses in mathematics and oral and written communication, as well as the majority of the courses fulfilling system school and campus general-education requirements. Because of the richness and diversity of its majors and minors, strong undergraduate pre-professional programs, and numerous certificates, students have a variety of choices when selecting programs in the school. Although the content of courses has changed over the years, the primary mission of the faculty housed in the School of Arts and Sciences continues to be to foster the well-rounded development of students to enable them to take their place in society as effective citizens and lifelong learners. Simultaneously, the school provides students with opportunities to develop skills that are required for the workplace and/or for advanced study. A liberal arts education emphasizes the ability to reason clearly, to extract the essential significance of large bodies of information, to apply general principles in new contexts, to communicate effectively, and to be sensitive to human creativity and morality.