Victor S. Hjelm, Ph.D., Dean
Merwin (Bob) R. Swanson, Ph.D., Associate Dean
Alan C. Frantz, Ph.D., Assistant Dean
The College of Arts and Sciences introduces students to ways of thinking and expression intrinsic to thearts, humanities, and social and natural sciences. Students are there by aided in the development of intellectual skills and personal values which serve them in career planning and lifelong learning.
Some fifty different curricula provide work leading to Associate of Science, Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Public Administration, Master of Natural Science, Master of Science, Doctor of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. These curricula provide a rather wide selection which includes the recognized courses in the main fields of knowledge. The general plan is to provide an acquaintance with the basic tools of culture and to explore one or another discipline in greater depth. The bachelors' degrees which are awarded are considered as evidence of qualification to enter certain occupations directly; in many instances they indicate preparation for more advanced professional study.
Students planning to complete work in a graduate school or professional school, for example, in engineering, law, dentistry or medicine, should pay particular attention to the stated requirements of the institutions which they plan to attend to be prepared for admission. If a particular institution has not yet been selected, the student is advised to consult catalogs and seek advice as to the requirements commonly made in such schools.
All Associate and Bachelor of Arts and Associate and Bachelor of Science degree programs include a general education component intended to provide a breadth of knowledge in liberal studies as a necessary background for the specialized knowledge acquired in the discipline in which the student majors. Additionally, the General Education Requirements are intended to assist the student in developing the intellectual flexibility necessary for a fulfilling career.
By meeting these requirements, students develop their skills in oral, written, and mathematical communication. They also acquire habits of thought traditionally associated with the well-educated person: the ability to analyze and propose solutions to personal, social, and scientific problems; the ability to recognize and assess value structures; and the ability to understand and evaluate the literary and expressive arts.
The general education components for the Associate and Bachelor of Arts and Associate and Bachelor of Science degree programs require students to complete the goal requirements listed under the General Education Requirements section under General Academic Information of this catalog. Students are encouraged to consult with their advisor in determining their curriculum.
Students transferring to Idaho State University who seek a bachelor's degree in the College of Arts and Sciences should refer to the section, Policies Governing Fulfillment of General Education Requirements by Transfer Students (under Admissions in General Information).
In addition to the general education component, all Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degree programs require a concentration in a departmental major of at least 24 credits, of which at least 16 credits must be in courses numbered 300 and above. The particular course requirements of the departmental majors in the College of Arts and Sciences are outlined under the department headings in the catalog.
The College of Arts and Sciences shares responsibility with the College of Education for the Teacher Education Program. Students may fulfill the requirements of the Teacher Education Program while majoring in a discipline within the College of Arts and Sciences. Application for admission to the Teacher Education Program does not require a student to apply for admission to the College of Education. Arts and Sciences majors who apply for admission to the Teacher Education Program must meet the following academic criteria: (1) completion of 24 credits, (2) accumulative grade point average of 2.50 or better, (3) minimum grades of C in Education 200, English 101 and Speech 101. Consult the Teacher Education Program section under the College of Education for additional certification requirements.
(See Special Cooperative Programs for additional information.) Pre-professional preparation for schools of dentistry, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine and veterinary medicine can be carried out at Idaho State University. Advising for such programs is available through the Health Professions Advisory Committee. Anyone interested in health professional programs located at ISU (counseling, dental hygiene, family medicine, health and nutrition sciences, health care administration, medical technology, nursing, physical therapy, physician assistant, pharmacy, radiographic science, and speech pathology and audiology) should contact those departments and colleges directly. Present members of the ISU Health Professions Advisory Committee are:
D. E. Bunde, Ph.D.
Department of Biological Sciences
L. J. Fontenelle, Ph.D.
College of Pharmacy
L. C. Hatzenbuehler, Ph.D.
College of Health Professions and Department of Psychology
C. A. Hofman, Ph.D.
Department of Economics
R. W. McCune, Ph.D.
Department of Biological Sciences, Chair
R. R. Seeley, Ph.D.
Department of Biological Sciences
Pre-health professional students at ISU must satisfy specific pre-professional course requirements for their academic majors at the undergraduate level. Most health professional schools provide substantial latitude in the academic majors pursued by students preparing for application to post graduate professional programs.
Each ISU pre-health student must consult with a member of the Health Professions Advisory Committee
in order to successfully combine an academic major with a pre-health professional program. It
is strongly recommended that pre-professional students develop a strong background in co
such as those listed below. Courses required by most health professional schools include, but are
not limited to, the following:
CHEM 121 General Chemistry I 5 cr
CHEM 122 General Chemistry II 4 cr
ENGL 101 English Composition 3 cr
ENGL 201 Critical Reading and Writing 3 cr
BIOS 101 General Zoology 3 cr
BIOS 102 General Zoology Laboratory 1 cr
BIOS 206 Cell Biology 3 cr
BIOS 207 Cell Biology Laboratory 1 cr
CHEM g301 Organic Chemistry I 3 cr
CHEM g302 Organic Chemistry II 3 cr
CHEM g303 Organic Chemistry
Laboratory I 1 cr
CHEM g304 Organic Chemistry
Laboratory II 1 cr
PHYS 211 General Physics I 3 cr
PHYS 212 General Physics II 3 cr
PHYS 213-214 General Physics Laboratory 2 cr
(Note the departmental prerequisites which accompany many of these courses.)
In addition to completing specified prerequisite courses, almost all health professional schools strongly recommend, and occasionally require, that the pre-professional student obtain practical experience in the health professional field s/he plans to enter. The applicant also will usually be required to take a national standardized admission test.
Students who complete three years of the curriculum in zoology with a grade point average of 2.5 or higher may be eligible to receive a B.S. degree in zoology after completion of the first year of study at a departmentally approved school of medicine, dentistry, or veterinary medicine. Students choosing this option must complete a minimum of 96 credits, satisfy all Idaho State University General Education Requirements, and complete all courses numbered 300 or lower which are required by the zoology curriculum. Students are advised to consult with the chair or assistant chair of the Department of Biological Sciences early in their programs if they plan to pursue this program option.
The above courses provide a core for pre-dental requirements of most dental schools. However, some dental schools have additional requirements. Pre-dental students should cosult the atest edit\ion of "Admission Requirements of U. S. and Canadian Dental Schools," published by the American Association of Dental Schools, 1625 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. Members of the Health Professions Advisory Committee have copies of this publication. Dental schools also require that all applicants take the Dental Admission Test (DAT). Idaho residents should be especially awa State of Idaho currently participates in a joint dental education program with the Creighton University School of Dentistry which has available up to s for residents of Idaho.
In the fall of 1982, Idaho State University and the Creighton Uiversity School of Dentistry implemented a decentralized dental eduaction program, the Idaho Dental Dental Education Program (IDEP). Under this program, up to seven seats per year at the Creighton University School of Dentistry are reserved for Idaho residents. The first professional year of the dental school program is on the ISU campus in Pocatello. The students then move to the Creighton University School of Dentistry in Omaha for the second, secohird and fourth professional years.
The core of pre-medical courses required by most medical schools is the same as that presented under General Information. Again, many medical schools have additional requirements. Pre-medical students should consult the latest edition of "Medical School Admission Requirements, USA and Canada," published by the Association of American Medical Colleges, One Dupont Circle NW, Washington, \ D. C. 20036. Members of the Health Professions Advisory Committee have copies of this publication. Medical schools also require that all applicants take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Idaho residents should be aware that the State of Idaho is a participant in the Washington-Alaska-Montana-Idaho (WAMI) decentralized medical education program of the University of Washington School of Medicine and that Idaho also has a contractual agreement with the University of Utah School of Medicine. Each of these programs reserves a certain number of seats in the respective medical school classes (presently 15 at the University of Washington School of Medicine and four at the University of Utah School of Medicine) for residents of Idaho. Therefore, Idaho residents are advised to at least satisfy pre-medical requirements for these two medical schools. Prospective applicants should consult with the chair of the Health Professions Advisory Committee for details concerning these special medical education programs, as well as details concerning the MCAT.
The core courses listed under General Information provide some guidance for the pre-optometry student. However, the large number of significant differences in pre-optometry requirements by the various optometry schools requires that the student obtain a specific list of requirements for each optometry school. Prospective applicants should consult the latest edition of "Admissions to Schools and Colleges of Optometry," available free from the American Optometric Association, 243 N. Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63141. The chair of the Health Professions Advisory Committee has a copy of this publication. All optometry schools and colleges require all applicants to take the Optometry Admission Test (OAT). Several optometry schools are members of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and will therefore give preference to applicants who are residents of WICHE states, such as Idaho. Pre-optometry students should consult with the chair of the Health Professions Advisory Committee for complete pre-optometry requirements for each school or college of optometry, and also for details concerning the OAT and the WICHE program.
General requirements for pre-osteopathic medicine are nearly identical to those discussed under Pre-medicine. More information concerning osteopathic medicine can be obtained by writing to the American Osteopathic Association, 212 East Ohio Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611, or by consulting with the chair of the Health Professions Advisory Committee.
The core pre-podiatric medical courses are the same as those presented under General Information. Pre-professional requirements of some podiatric medical schools may vary from that list. Therefore, the pre-podiatric medical student should consult the latest edition of "Podiatric Medical Education," available from the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine, 20 Chevy Chase Circle, N. W., Washington, D. C. 20015. The chair of the Health Professions Advisory Committee has a copy of this publication. All podiatric medical schools require all applicants to take the MCAT (see Pre-medicine). Pre-podiatric medical students should consult with the chair of the Health Professions Advisory Committee about complete pre-podiatric medical requirements and details concerning the MCAT.
The core pre-veterinary medical courses are similar to those listed under General Information. However, there are sufficient differences that the pre-veterinary medical student should consult catalogs of the veterinary medical schools to which s/he eventually plans to apply, as well as consulting with his/her advisor. Students should consult with the chair of the Health Professions Advisory Committee. Idaho residents should be advised that long term agreement has been reached among the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho to share responsibility for the curriculum and program at the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine. This program (WOI) is the major one which will accept Idaho residents. Therefore, Idaho residents should make every effort to become familiar with the pre-veterinary requirements of the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine so proper courses will be taken in pre-veterinary medical work at ISU. Students who are not residents of Idaho should consult with the chair of the Health Professions Advisory Committee concerning the choice of veterinary medical schools to apply to and the proper development of a pre-veterinary medical program at ISU. The pre-veterinary medical student also should be aware that most veterinary schools look upon some practical experience with a veterinarian as a very desirable or even necessary prerequisite for admission. The Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine specifically requires a minimum of 300 hours of experience with a veterinarian. It also requires that the applicant take the Aptitude (Verbal and Quantitative) Section of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Veterinary Aptitude Test (VAT).
The successful attorney is one who understands how changes within society affect the relationships between and among people. An effective attorney should have an understanding of human behavior, social, political and economic change, our ecological systems and the general influence of our philosophical, literary and historical heritage. Hence, the student with a broad undergraduate preparation and a developed insight into many facets of life attains the best educational preparation for the practice of law. There is no set course pattern or curriculum leading to a degree in pre-law. The Association of American Law Schools recommends that pre-law students major in whatever field interests them. Students may benefit from this recommendation in two ways: they will generally do better in areas of study which interest them, and formal training in the major area is a valuable end in itself.
The student who aspires to attend law school should seek the counsel of one of the members of the Pre-Law Advising Committee. Members are:
Dr. C. A. Hofman, Economics
Dr. T. Hale, History
Dr. David Adler, Political Science
Dr. B. D. Loebs, Speech and Drama
Dr. S. B. Pawar, Business
These pre-law advisors will create a pre-law curriculum designed to accommodate the student's major and help him/her prepare for the Law School Admission Test and a career in accordance with the principles discussed above.
Idaho State University Academic Information
Revised: April 19, 1996
URL http://www.isu.edu/academic-info/prev-isu-cat/ugrad96/arts/arts.html