Department of University Studies

Home

University Studies

Phone: (409) 880-7571

Email: usadvising@lamar.edu

Location: TAGS 118

Mailing address: PO Box 10883, Beaumont, TX 77710

Department Chair: Dr. Rebecca Boone

Director of Advising: Rachel Klauss

Faculty: Mel Ervin, Theresa Mayper, Lara Jagneaux (adjunct)

Department Academic Advisor: Tina Rich

Department Administrative Associate Senior: Crystal Reed

LU Online Academic Advisors: Stephanie Allen, Brittany Wood

UAC Academic Advisors: Trevor Poppke, Sharon Sanders

Department Mission

The Department of University Studies is dedicated to advancing the academic and professional goals of our students. We offer unique and innovative degree plans that allow our diverse student body the ability to customize their coursework, acquire advanced interdisciplinary knowledge, cultivate critical thinking skills, and establish a pathway toward lifelong learning. Through our portfolio courses, faculty help students discover, refine, and market their strengths for career success. Our team of advisors draws from a wealth of knowledge and experience to guide students toward academic and professional achievement. University Studies graduates are ready to meet the challenges and needs of today’s workforce and are prepared for advanced degree programs.

Overview and History

The Department of University Studies houses the University Studies bachelor’s degree program. Offered as both a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts, University Studies is an innovative and marketable multidisciplinary program of study with various “dash” degrees (see dash degrees listed below). The program was implemented for the Spring 2021 semester during the 2020-2021 catalog year and consolidated the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS) and Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) programs under the Multidisciplinary dash degree, which was made available to students immediately. Additional dash degrees are currently in development with the hope of being available to students for the Summer 2021 term. Students who were under the then BAAS and BGS programs were encouraged, but not required, to transition to the University Studies program. The degree is offered both online and on-campus through the Departmental program and entirely online through the LU Online program.

Academic Policies

Graduation Requirements

In addition to the degree requirements stated in the 羞羞视频 University catalog, University Studies students must satisfy the following for graduation:

Earn a C or better in any course applied to the advanced electives block; earning a C or better in ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302 in the core is strongly encouraged to meet prerequisite requirements.
Earn at least 12 hours of senior-level credit within the advanced electives block.

ENGL 1301 and/or ENGL 1302 Exemptions

In order to meet prerequisite requirements for the AASC/UVST 3301 course, all University Studies students must earn a C or better in both ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302. However, the following exemptions hold for the University Studies program:

Students who completed freshman English composition course requirements prior to the Fall 2005 term are exempted from the above C or better rule; therefore, a final grade of D earned before Fall 2005 in ENGL 1301 and/or ENGL 1302 will be accepted as meeting University Studies degree requirements. This exemption applies to both 羞羞视频 and transfer students.
Students who transferred to 羞羞视频 Fall 2005 or after may use a grade of D in ENGL 1301 or its equivalent to satisfy degree requirements provided they have completed a writing-intensive English course at or above the level of ENGL 1302 with a C or better. The same exemption applies to LU students who transition to University Studies from another major.
Students who transferred to 羞羞视频 Fall 2005 or after may use a grade of D in ENGL 1302 or its equivalent to satisfy degree requirements provided they have completed a writing-intensive English course at or above the level of sophomore literature with a C or better. The same exemption applies to LU students who transition to University Studies from another major.

ENGL 3311 Exceptions

Any University Studies senior may, at the semester of graduation, substitute one of the following courses for ENGL 3311*^ only if completion of ENGL 3311 is not possible by the end of that semester:

ENGL 3310*^
ENGL 3326^
BCOM 3350
COMM 3301
COMM 3315^
COMM 3320
COMM 3340
COMM 3390^
COMM 4302
COMM 4365
COMM 4381

Any student changing to University Studies who has already completed one of the following courses with a C or better may use that completed course in lieu of ENGL 3311*^ to satisfy University Studies degree requirements:

ENGL 3310*^
ENGL 3326^
BCOM 3350
COMM 3301
COMM 3315^
COMM 3320
COMM 3340
COMM 3390^
COMM 4302
COMM 4365
COMM 4381

*ENGL 3310 and ENGL 3311 cannot both apply to a degree in order to satisfy degree requirements.

^Has pre-requisites.

AASC/UVST Course Waivers

The AASC/UVST courses prepare students for their academic and professional careers in different ways. AASC/UVST 3301, which requires a C or better in both ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302, best benefits a student when taken early in the student’s advanced coursework study while AASC/UVST 4301 serves as both a degree capstone and a career preparation course. Thus, students take AASC/UVST 4301 the semester of their planned graduation (if the student intends to graduate after successful completion of a mini term, s/he will take 4301 the semester immediately before the mini term as AASC/UVST 4301 is not offered during mini terms). Additionally, the nature of these 2 courses necessitates that they are taken separately.

The AASC/UVST 3301 course may be waived, however, for any student who has, at the time of the student’s entrance into the University Studies degree program, 15 or fewer hours remaining for degree completion; in lieu of AASC 3301/UVST 3301, the student can select an appropriate junior or senior level, 3-credit hour course to fulfill degree requirements.

Finally, for a student changing to University Studies, AASC/UVST 3301, AASC/UVST 4301, and ENGL 3311 may be waived only if the student can graduate the current semester.

SE Final Grade Policy

As the Multidisciplinary dash is the consolidation of the BAAS and BGS programs, the SE Final Grade Policy adopted by BAAS and BGS for the Spring 2020 semester (see below) will also be adopted by the University Studies—Multidisciplinary dash degree. Therefore, for the Bachelor of Science in University Studies—Multidisciplinary, a final grade of SE will be accepted as satisfying degree requirements except in the core components of ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302, both of which will still require a letter grade of C or better.

For the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences and the Bachelor of General Studies degree programs, a final grade of SE will be accepted as satisfying degree requirements except in the core components of ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302, both of which will still require a letter grade of C or better. This policy is in direct response to the COVID-19 crisis and applies only to Spring 2020 courses where a grade of SE is assigned.

We adopt this policy as an endeavor to accommodate various and evolving student needs and circumstances, to mitigate difficulties faced by our students, and to allow fairness for all. It also serves to ease the transition of on-campus courses to online and alternative formats and to allow students experiencing hardships the best chance for academic success during the Spring 2020 semester.

Of course, there may be significant consequences of an SE grade, including those for pre-requisite course requirements, GPA calculation, GPA minimums for certain programs, academic standing, financial aid, veteran’s benefits, scholarships, athletic progression as well as admission to other programs or universities. Students should contact their advisor about an SE grade and its impact on their academic goals before seeking a modification.

Physical Activity Credit Limit

Up to 2 physical activity courses can be applied to a University Studies dash degree; however, the total credit hours between the 2 applied activity courses combined cannot exceed 4 credit hours. A physical activity course is one in which a student engages in the kinetic exercise only and no theory, history, or other academic knowledge is presented. Military basic training is not considered a physical activity course.

Effective until census day for Fall full term 2021, however, any BAAS student who transitions to the University Studies—Multidisciplinary dash degree will be allowed to apply up to eight hours of previously earned physical activity credit to the University Studies—Multidisciplinary dash degree.

Minors

A minor cannot be declared under any University Studies dash degree.

Technical Credit

The University Studies bachelor’s degree program can accept technical credit provided the credit satisfies the University’s technical credit policy. Technical credit can be applied to the University Studies—Multidisciplinary dash degree without review. However, technical credit applied to any other University Studies dash degree is subject to departmental review and approval.

The University Studies program also allows students with substantial work experience the unique opportunity to potentially translate their knowledge into academic credit via prior experiential learning credit (PELC). In order to do so, students must enroll in and successfully complete AASC/UVST 3102 Prior Experiential Learning. In this course, students are directed through the organization of a written portfolio that describes in detail what they have learned. Upon satisfactory completion of AASC/UVST 3102, students can submit their portfolios for credit evaluation (please note that PELC is not guaranteed). If a portfolio demonstrates a student’s college-level learning, the evaluation committee will determine the number and level of credit hours to be awarded. The following applies for PELC awards

At most, 24 hours of PELC credit with a maximum of 12 hours of upper (3000) level credit can be awarded.
Credit is applied en bloc to the student’s 羞羞视频 transcript.
PELC can apply to any University Studies dash degree.
If credit is awarded, it will appear as transfer credit on a student’s transcript; thus, the maximum amount of credit that can be awarded is further limited by a student’s total transfer hours.
The evaluation committee comprises the AASC/UVST 3102 course instructor, the USAAC, and the University Studies Department Chair; thus, any PELC award is final and incontestable.
AASC/UVST 3102 can be taken only once if a portfolio is submitted for evaluation

Please note that PELC cannot be combined with technical credit; if a student has already applied technical credit toward a degree, s/he is ineligible for the PELC. Conversely, if a student receives a PELC award, no technical credit can be applied to her/his University Studies degree

University Studies as a Second Degree/Major

A student may want to earn a University Studies dash degree (1) as a second baccalaureate degree or (2) simultaneously with another major. The following hold for any such student:

1. Any student who has previously earned a BAAS, BGS, or their equivalents may not earn the University Studies—Multidisciplinary dash degree as a second degree. The student may earn an alternate University Studies dash degree if the declared dash degree is “significantly different” from the student’s previous BAAS, BGS, or BAAS/BGS equivalent degree(s).
No student may declare University Studies—Multidisciplinary as her/his major simultaneously with another major; however, a student may declare a second major with another University Studies dash degree provided the second degree is “significantly different” from the primary degree. At least 30 hours applied to the second degree must be exclusive to that dash degree

The University Studies Department will determine if a degree/major is “significantly different”. In addition, a student must satisfy the requirements for earning a second degree/major as well as any requirements specific to the declared University Studies dash degree.

Bachelor of Science in University Studies - Ethnicity, Race and Gender

Overview: The Ethnicity, Race, and Gender dash degree will allow students to examine a wide variety of issues related to intercultural relations. The knowledge and skills obtained through this program of study can be employed in careers focused on diversity, inclusion and advocacy. Students interested in using this degree as a foundation for graduate school should consult their advisor(s) for methods to align coursework options for specific programs of advanced study.