Degree Program Information

Undergraduate Degree Program Model
General Degree Requirements
Residence
Academic Majors and Minors
Electives
Undergraduate Programs of Study
Requirements for a 2nd Bachelor's Degree
Post-Baccalaureate, Non-Degree Programs

Undergraduate Degree Program Model

The Values Statement, Mission Statement, and Educational Goals of Central Methodist University are pledges about the character of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the education it seeks to provide to all students. As these pledges make clear, the University understands education to be concerned with the formation of the self, not merely with providing information to an individual who is unchanged by it. Liberal education is formative as well as informative. At their best, both liberal arts education and education for professional preparation provide the intellectual knowledge, skills, and disciplines from which the student constructs his or her unique character as well as prepares for a career and for life.

The educational program described in the following pages is intended to fulfill the mission of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences by providing a curriculum that enables students to reach the Educational Goals of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences through acquiring the habits of mind, habits of heart, and habits of action that embody the good. The development of such habits requires both knowledge and mental discipline in many fields of study. Habits of mind should move beyond knowledge toward wisdom. And wisdom requires an understanding that decisions and actions should be based on both knowledge and the will to do the good. Our curriculum is designed to help students make responsible life choices with deep concern for the common good.

General Degree Requirements

The BAcc, BA,BBH, BASM, BME, BS, BSN, BM, BHS, and BSE degrees require a minimum of 120 hours of credit. The AA and the AS degrees require a minimum 60 hours of credit.

Residence

Candidates for a baccalaureate degree must complete at least 30 of the last 36 hours of credit in residence at Central Methodist University. Exceptions to this residence requirement may be made in the case of military veterans whose programs of study have been approved by the Provost of the University. For extraordinary circumstances, students may petition the Faculty Committee on Academic Standards and Admissions. A candidate for the associate degree must earn the last 24 hours of credit in residence at Central Methodist University. Students enrolled in Cooperative Programs are not required to meet the residence rule.

Academic Majors and Minors/Secondary Field of Study

All students must have a major field of study and may elect a secondary field of study (either a second major, a minor, or the alternative to the minor). Requirements for the major and minor in each academic field are described in this catalog on each discipline's pages; academic disciplines are listed alphabetically.

Academic Majors. Central Methodist University believes that every person with a college education should have one or more areas of both in-depth and extensive knowledge. The academic major ensures all graduates have one or more widely recognized fields of study in which they can function at a sophisticated, advanced level. Students choose a degree program, and within it they choose an academic major. Within the major field, students again have both some freedom of course selection as well as a structure of requirements to fulfill.

For the BA and BS degrees, majors require at least 27 hours, and they may not require more than 65 hours in the discipline named as the major. Students may, however, elect courses beyond the 65 hours required in the major field. All undergraduate degrees other than the BA and BS require a major with at least 27 hours, but the major is not limited to 65 hours.

For more information on differences between the requirements for BA and BS degrees, see the General Education Requirements section of the catalog.

If selecting a double major, students must complete degree plans for both programs and must complete all requirements for each major. At least 27 hours of coursework in each major must be distinct from the other major. That is, at least 27 semester hours in each major cannot be counted in the courses which satisfy the other major.

Academic Minors/Secondary Field of Study. Students should decide on the coursework to build their degree in consultation with their advisors. If students do not choose to add a secondary field of study, they must still fulfill the general requirements to earn a degree, including at least 30 hours of 300- or 400- level credit. Degree programs may include a significant secondary field of study in addition to the major and the General Education . Students selecting a secondary field of study have the following two options:

1. Select a second major (see “double major” above).
2. Select an academic minor from a number of fields on the basis of further support for the major or personal interest. Minors require at least 17 hours. Students must submit at least 44 distinct credit hours in the major and minor combined.

Electives - As Provided By Each Degree Program

As a part of every college education, students should explore areas of interest beyond what is required of them. These interests, formally pursued in college courses, may form the basis for continued learning throughout life. Formal college education should support and encourage such continued, informal learning.

Limitations

A maximum of 14 hours in any combination of applied Music courses which have been approved by the faculty may be applied toward the BA degree. No more than four (4) activity courses in Physical Education may be applied toward any degree.

Undergraduate Programs of Study

Accounting - BAcc, minor
Applied Behavior Analysis - BSBA
Art - minor
Astronomy - courses
Behavioral Health-BBH
Biology - BA, BS, BSE, minor
Business - AS, BA, BS, BASM, minor
Chemistry - BSE, minor
Child Development - BS, minor
CMU-Prefix Courses
Communication - BA, BS, minor
Computer Science - BA, BS, minor
Criminal Justice - BA, BS, minor
Cybersecurity - BS, minor
Economics - minor
Education:
    Early Childhood Education: BSE
    Elementary Education: BSE
    Middle School Education: BSE
    Secondary Certification: BA, BS
Educational Studies: BS
English - AA, BA, minor
Exercise Science
    Pre-Athletic Training
Geology - courses
German - courses
Graphic Design - minor
Health Care Administration - BS
Health Sciences - BHS, minor
Health Sciences-General-BS
History - BSE, minor
Interdisciplinary Studies - AA, AS, BA, BS, minor
Mathematics - AS, BA, BS, BSE, minor
Music Education - BME
Nursing, RN to BSN - BSN
Nursing, accelerated program - BSN
Occupational Therapy Assistant-BOTA
Physical Education - courses
Physics - courses
Political Science - minor
Psychology - AA, BA, BS, minor
Religion and Philosophy - minor
Science and Earth Science - minor
Sociology - BA, BS, minor
Spanish - minor
Special Education: Mild–Moderate Disabilities - BSE
Sports Management - BS, minor
Theatre Arts - minor

Requirements for a 2nd Bachelor's Degree

Students with a CMU Degree. To be eligible for a second bachelor's degree, a student must complete at least 26 hours in addition to those counted for first degree. These hours must be earned in courses approved by the Provost of the University, must be taken at Central Methodist University, and must satisfy all the specific course requirements for the second degree.
Students with a Bachelor's Degree from another institution. To be eligible for a second bachelor's degree, a student must satisfy all the specific course and degree requirements for the second degree.