Academic Schools


School of Arts and Sciences
University of Houston – Victoria : Suite 213, University West : 3007 N. Ben Wilson
Victoria, Texas 77901 : 361.570.4201 : Fax:  361.570.4207
Email:  artssciences@uhv.edu

Introduction

Mission Statement
The School of Arts and Sciences seeks to provide high quality academic programs that serve the educational needs and offer lifelong learning opportunities primarily for those in the regions served by UH-Victoria and its off-campus sites.  Research and service are also important parts of this school’s commitment to providing quality and excellence in education.

The School of Arts and Sciences offers a variety of bachelor’s and master’s degree programs designed to serve different student needs.  These degree programs provide the knowledge and skills students need to enter the workforce, make career transitions, advance in their chosen fields, or continue on to graduate school.  In addition, students who want simply to improve basic skills, explore new interests, or enrich their understanding of the background and values of their culture can select from numerous courses in the school to enhance their education.

The School of Arts and Sciences strives to meet these commitments and continuously improve its offerings by:

  • Hiring and retaining highly qualified faculty who stay abreast in their field through research and professional development.
  • Providing students with access to faculty advisors who help them design programs of study to meet their individual needs and goals.
  • Emphasizing the ethical values, conceptual knowledge, global and multicultural understanding, analytical skills, technical skills, and communication skills needed in the specific fields of study.
  • Assessing and revising programs and course offerings to ensure quality and to keep current with and anticipate changes in workforce, educational, and social needs.
  • Offering students hands-on learning opportunities such as internships, practical, laboratories, and class project collaborations with local organizations.
  • Ensuring that educational opportunities in the community are available and accessible through a variety of efforts including distance learning, off-campus sites, and weekend course offerings.
  • Participating in service and outreach activities that contribute to the educational enhancement of the students, school, university, system, the professions, and community served by UH-Victoria.
Majors and Degrees Offered

The programs of the School of Arts and Sciences consist of the following majors and academic concentrations within each major as depicted below.

Secondary Teacher Certificate:

Students seeking secondary teacher certification in mathematics, computer science, English, history, or composite science should refer to the certification requirements listed in the School of Education section of this catalog.

MAJOR

DEGREE

CONCENTRATIONS

Applied Arts and Sciences

B.A.A.S.

  

Biology

B.S.

  

Communication

B.A. / B. S.

  

Computer Science

B.S.

Computer Science

Information Systems

Criminal Justice

B.S.

  

Humanities

B.A.

English (Literature)

Workplace Writing

History

Interdisciplinary Studies

M.A.I.S.

  

Mathematical Sciences

B.A. / B.S.

Mathematics

Preliminary Actuary

Psychology

B.A. / B.S.

  
 

M.S.

Counseling Psychology

School Psychology
Academic Minors

Policy:  Several areas in the School of Arts and Sciences offer minors. 

Students may earn a minor by satisfying the following requirements:

  1. Students must complete a minimum of 15 semester hours of work in the minor field.  Some minors may include additional coursework, not to exceed 21 semester hours.
  2. Students must complete any prerequisites required by the program offering the minor.
  3. At least 12 semester hours must be upper division courses, although individual minors may require more hours at the upper level.
  4. At least nine of the 12 upper division hours must be taken with UHV.
  5. Students must earn a 2.00 minimum cumulative grade point average on courses attempted in the minor.
  6. The minor field must be different from the major.
  7. No credit hours may be used to satisfy both major and minor requirements.
  8. Students must complete all coursework required for a minor in addition to all courses for the degree prior to graduation.

Minors are not available for students in the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree or in any undergraduate program leading to secondary school certification.

Students should inform their academic advisors or the degree plan counselor when they begin their degree plan that they plan to complete a minor so that appropriate coursework can be completed.

Academic Minor Requirements

COMMUNICATION—15 hrs.

  • Students must complete a minimum of 15 semester credit hours in communication in addition to any communication courses taken to satisfy major requirements.
  • At least 12 of these hours must be taken at UHV.

COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS—21 hrs.

  • Lower Division: 3 hours of C/C++ and 3 hours selected from Advanced C/C++, Pascal, Ada, Java, or Visual Basic (Advanced C/C++ or Visual Basic highly recommended)—6 hours
  • ISC 3317, 3331, 3333, and 3315 are required—12 hours
  • 3 hours upper-level ISC excluding 4305—3 hours

COMPUTER SCIENCE—21 hrs.

  • Lower Division: 3 hours of C/C++ and 3 hours selected from Advanced C/C++, Pascal, Ada, Java, or FORTRAN (Advanced C/C++ highly recommended)—6 hours
  • ISC 3317, 3331, 3333, and 3332 are required—12 hours
  • 3 hours upper-level ISC excluding 3325 and 4305—3 hours

CRIMINAL JUSTICE—15 hrs.

  • Students must complete a minimum of 15 semester credit hours in criminal justice in order to receive a minor in criminal justice.
  • At least 12 of these hours must be taken at UHV.

ENGLISH—15 hrs.

  • Students must complete a minimum of 15 semester credit hours in English in addition to any English courses taken to satisfy major requirements.
  • At least 12 of these hours must be taken at UHV.

HISTORY—15 hrs.

  • Students must complete a minimum of 15 semester credit hours in history in addition to any history courses taken to satisfy major requirements.
  • At least 12 of these hours must be taken at UHV.

MATHEMATICS—21 hrs.

  • Lower Division: Calculus I, Calculus II are required—6 hours
  • MAS 3391, 3361, 4310, and 4311 are required—12 hours
  • 3 hours of upper-level course work in math are required; no independent study allowed—3 hours

PSYCHOLOGY—15 hrs.

  • Students must complete a minimum of 15 semester credit hours of psychology in addition to any psychology courses taken to satisfy major requirements.
  • At least 12 of these hours must be taken at UHV.

Degree Requirements for the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (B.A.A.S.)

Students first entering college in Fall 1999 or after should see section on “New Core Curriculum” under “General Requirements for a Bachelor’s Degree.”

1.        Satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements for students entering college in Fall 1999 or after.  See “General Requirements for a Bachelor’s Degree.”  (It may be necessary for students in this program to obtain additional English, history, or government courses from community colleges in order to meet UH-Victoria’s requirement.)

2.       General Requirements: 

·  Lower Division - 24-44 vocational/technical courses; 3 semester hours of speech and satisfy computer literacy/proficiency requirement.

·   Upper Division - 16 semester hours; ENG 3430 Professional  Writing; COM 3313 Public Relations Communication; COM 4314 Intercultural Communication; HUM 4322 Ethics; MGT 3311 Principles of Management.

3.  Concentration/Specialization – 17-21 semester hours chosen from one of the following alternatives:  

  1. General Business: 21 semester hours of business courses from at least 3 of the following areas: Accounting (ACC), Finance (FIN), International Business (IBS), Management (MGT), Marketing (MKT).  No more than 9 hours may be taken in any one area.  All 21 semester hours must be designated as upper division courses.  At least 50 percent of the upper division credits must be taken from the University of Houston-Victoria.
  2. Psychology: PSY 4311 Abnormal Psychology; PSY 4320 Principles of Learning; PSY 4314 History and Systems; and 9 semester hours of upper division courses by advisement.

c.    Communication: COM 3316 Organizational Communication, and 15 semester hours of upper division communication courses by advisement.

d.    Computer Information Systems: 21 semester hours of upper division computer science courses by advisement.

  1. Legal Assistance and Administration: CJS 3316 Ethics of Social Control, or MGT 3312 Legal Environment of Business, and 15 semester hours from one of the following groups of courses.  Students must take at least 3 semester hours from each group.

·  Group 1- Management Courses - MGT 4311 Human Resources Management; MGT 4312 Staffing; MGT 4313 Compensation; MGT 4315 Contemporary Issues in Management; MGT 4300 Selected Topics in Management (by advisement).

·  Group 2 - Criminal Justice - CJS 3321 American Court Systems; CJS 4310 Computers in Criminal Justice; CJS 4312 Alternatives to Incarceration; CJS 4313 Juvenile Justice System; CJS 4318 Victimology; CJS 4321 Policing in a Democratic Society.

  1. Biology:  17 semester hours of upper division biology courses by advisement, with at least 2 semester hours of laboratory coursework.  Biology concentrators should take General Biology, and Anatomy and Physiology or General Chemistry as their lower division natural science courses in the core curriculum.
  2. Marketing:  MKT 3311 Principles of Marketing, MKT 4340 Marketing Management; MKT 4311 Buyer Behavior, MKT 4313 Marketing Research, and 6 semester hours of upper division marketing courses by advisement.   

4.   Additional electives to complete minimum degree requirements of 122 semester hours and 54 upper division semester hours.

These requirements are summarized in the following table:
Applied Arts and Sciences Major
I.  CORE CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS (42 total core hours required).

LD
LD/UD
UD
TOTAL

II.  MAJOR PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

      
4

     A.  General

    
4
3

     ENG 3430 Professional Writing

3

    
3

     Computer Literacy / Proficiency

3

    
3

     SPCH

    
3
3

     COM 3313 Public Relations Communication

    
3
3

     COM 4314 Intercultural Communication

    
3
3

     HUM 4322 Ethics

    
3
3

     MGT 3311 Principles of Management

        

     B.  Concentration / Specialization

24-44

    
24-44

    1.  Specialization (Vocational-Technical)

    
17-21
17-21

    2.  Concentration

      
0-22

III.  ELECTIVES

  
0-22
    
*TOTAL
122
*Total must be minimum of 122 semester hours with minimum of 54 s.h. at upper division levels.
Degree Requirements for the
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
(B.A. and B.S.) 

The following requirements apply to all candidates for the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science.  The Bachelor of Arts option is available to those who choose majors in Communication, Humanities, Mathematical Sciences, or Psychology.  The Bachelor of Science option is available to those who choose majors in Biology, Communication, Computer Science, Criminal Justice, Mathematical Sciences or Psychology.

1.   Satisfy all university requirements for a bachelor’s degree as found in the “UNIVERSITY DEGREE REQUIREMENTS” section of this catalog.

2.   Satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements for students entering college in Fall 1999 or after.

3.   Satisfy the requirements for either the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science, as follows:

a.   Bachelor of Arts

(1)     Lower or Upper Division:  Foreign Language/ Linguistics: 6 semester hours at the sophomore level in one foreign language or 3 semester hours at the sophomore level and 3 semester hours in linguistics.  Students submitting an acceptable score on a standard foreign language proficiency test approved by the School of Arts and Sciences may substitute 6 semester hours of electives.

b.  Bachelor of Science

(1)    Lower Division:  Natural Sciences:  11 semester hours in natural sciences, at least 8 semester hours of which must be in  laboratory courses.  Natural sciences include biology, biophysical sciences, chemistry, geology, and physics.

4.  Satisfy course requirements for the major:   At least 24 semester hours in one major of which at least 18 semester hours must be advanced.
Requirements for Specific Majors

Biology (B.S.)

Students first entering college in Fall 1999 or after should see section on “New Core Curriculum” under “General Requirements for a Bachelors Degree.”

1.   Satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements for students entering college in Fall 1999 or after.  See “General Requirements for a Bachelor’s Degree.”

2.   Satisfy the requirements for the Bachelor of Science.

3.  General requirements:

·    Lower Division - 3 semester hours of speech and satisfy computer literacy/proficiency requirement; BIOL 1406 and BIOL 1407 General Biology for Science Majors; BIOL 2420 Elementary Microbiology; CHEM 1407 Introductory Biochemistry; CHEM 1411 and CHEM 1412 General Inorganic Chemistry; PHYS 1401 General Physics; and MATH 1348 Analytic Geometry.

·    Upper Division - ENG 3430 Professional Writing; MAS 3391 Probability and Statistics.

4.  Concentration -

·    Lower Division - CHEM 2323 Organic Chemistry I

· Lower Division or Upper Division - CHEM 2325 Organic Chemistry II, or BIO 4310 Biochemistry and BIO 4210 Laboratory for Biochemistry.

·    Upper Division - BIO 3320 Genetics;  BIO 4320 Embryology, or BIO 3330 Histology and BIO 3230 Laboratory for Histology; BIO 4333 General Physiology, or BIO 3323 Comparative Anatomy; BIO 3326 Plant Biology and BIO 3226 Lab for Plant Biology, or BIO 4390 Phytochemicals and Human Health; BIO 3337 Cell & Molecular Biology and BIO 3237 Lab for Cell & Molecular Genetics, or BIO 4335 Ecology and BIO 4235 Lab for Ecology;

·   BIO 3340 Animal Behavior, or BIO 3342 Social Biology; BIO 4140 Biology Seminar or BIO 4130 Independent Research in Biology.

5.  Students must take a minimum of 4 semester hours of upper division laboratory:  2 s.h. must be BIO 3237 or BIO 4210.

6.   Free electives - Enough electives to fulfill the 122 semester hour requirement and the 54 semester hours of upper division courses.

These requirements are summarized in the following table:
Biology Major
I.  CORE CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS (42 total core hours required).
LD
LD/UD
UD
TOTAL
         
II.  MAJOR PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS        

A.  General

    
4
4

     ENG 3430 Professional Writing

      
3

     Computer Literacy/Proficiency
3
    
3

     SPCH
3
    
4

     BIOL 1406 Biology for Science Majors
4
    
4

     BIOL 1407 Biology for Science Majors
4
    
4

     BIOL 2420 Elementary Microbiology
4
    
4

     CHEM 1411 General Inorganic Chemistry
4
    
4

     CHEM 1412 General Inorganic Chemistry
4
    
4

     PHYS 1401 General Physics
4
    
4

     CHEM 1407 Introductory Biochemistry
4
    
4

     MATH 1348 Analytic Geometry
3
    
3

     MAS 3391 Probability and Statistics

      
3

B.  Concentration

        

     CHEM 2323 Organic Chemistry I
3
    
3

     CHEM 2325 Organic Chemistry II

        

     Or BIO 4310 Biochemistry
     and  BIO 4210 Lab for Biochemistry

  
3-5
  
3-5

     BIO 3320 Genetics

    
3
3

     BIO 4320 Embryology

        

     Or BIO 3330 Histology
     and BIO 3230 Lab for Histology

    
3-5
3-5

     BIO 4333 General Physiology

        

     Or BIO 3323 Comparative Anatomy

    
3
3

     BIO 3326 Plant Biology
     And BIO 3226 Lab for Plant Biology*
     Or BIO 4390 Phytochemicals & Human Health

    
3-5
3-5

     BIO 3337 Cell & Molecular Biology
     And BIO 3237 Lab for Cell & Molecular Genetics*
     Or BIO 4335 Ecology
     and BIO 4235 Lab for Ecology*

    
5
5

     BIO 3340 Animal Behavior
     Or BIO 3342 Social Biology

    
3
3

     BIO 4140 Biology Seminar
     Or BIO 4130 Independent Research in Biology

    
1
1

III.  FREE ELECTIVES – Additional hours to satisfy the 122 minimum requirement of hours on the degree plan and the 54 hour minimum of upper division hours.
** TOTAL
 122

* Students must complete a minimum of 4 semester hours of upper division laboratory, two of which must be BIO 3237 or BIO 4210.

** Total must be minimum of 122 s.h. with minimum of 54 s.h. at upper division level.

General Chemistry

One year with laboratory

Organic Chemistry

One year with laboratory

General Physics

One year with laboratory

Calculus

One-half year

Biology

Two years, one with laboratory

General Chemistry

One year with laboratory

Organic Chemistry

One year with laboratory

General Physics

One year with laboratory

Calculus

One-half year

Biology

Two years, one with laboratory
 

Furthermore, students need to take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) or the Dental School Admissions Test (DAT) to fulfill admission requirements of most medical and dental schools.  These tests are usually taken at the end of the junior year of college.  To prepare for these exams, students will also need to take upper division biology courses such as Genetics, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Human Physiology and Anatomy.  These courses, although not always specified by professional schools, are recommended by the Pre-Professional (Premedical, Predental) Advisor at UHV.

Most professional colleges require the completion of a bachelor’s degree and a high GPA to obtain admission. Some schools will admit exceptionally well-qualified students with high grades and MCAT/DAT scores before they complete a bachelor’s degree.

UHV has an established Pre-medical/Predental advisory board to support and provide advice to applicants.  Letters of recommendation from the Pre-Professional (Premedical, Predental) Advisor/board can be provided only for students who have fulfilled the above requirements and completed at least 3 upper division courses at UHV including the core courses for a BS in Biology.  The recommendations will require above average grades and close interaction with the Pre-Professional (Premedical, Predental) Advisor, and board.

Communication (B.A. or B.S.)

Students first entering college in Fall 1999 or after should see section on “New Core Curriculum” under “General Requirements for a Bachelor’s Degree.”

1. Satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements for students entering college in Fall 1999 or after.  See “General Requirements for a Bachelor’s Degree.”

2.  Satisfy the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science degree.

3.   General requirements:

· Lower Division or Upper Division - 3 semester hours of speech and satisfy computer literacy/proficiency requirement.

· Upper Division – ENG 3430 Professional Writing; PSY 4318 Research Methods for the Social Sciences or MKT 4311 Buyer Behavior; PSY 3315 Statistics for the Social Sciences; ENG 3312 Grammar and Rhetoric; 9 semester hours of HUM, HIS, or  ENG courses.

4. Concentration/Specialization: 24 semester hours, including COM 4314 Intercultural Communication; COM 3316 Organizational Communication; and 18 semester hours, which can include up to 3 semester hours of lower division communication or speech classes.

5. Free electives - Enough electives to fulfill the 122 semester hour requirement and the 54 semester hours of upper division courses.

These requirements are summarized in the following table:
Communication Major
I.  CORE CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS (42 total core hours required.)
 
LD
LD/UD
UD
TOTAL

II.  MAJOR PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

       

  A.  General

       

      ENG 3430 Professional Writing

3
  
4
4

      Computer Literacy / Proficiency

3
    
3

      SPCH

     
3

      ENG 3312 Grammar and Rhetoric

   
3
3

      PSY 4318 Research Methods for the Social Science
      Or MKT 4311 Buyer Behavior

   
3
3

      PSY 3315 Statistics for Social Sciences

   
3
3

      Natural Science with Lab (for B.S. option)

4
    
4

      Foreign Language (for B.A. option)  (6 s.h. in same  
      foreign language or 3 s.h. in soph. Level foreign
      language and 3 s.h. in linguistics.)

      
6

      Nine s.h. UD HUM/HIS/ENG

   
9
9

  B.  Concentration / Specialization (24 s.h.)

       

      COM 4314 Intercultural Communication

   
3
3

      COM 3316 Organizational Communication

   
3
3

      COM elective (LD/UD)

 
3
  
3

      COM electives (UD)

   
15
15
III.  FREE ELECTIVES – Additional hours to satisfy the minimum of 122 credit hours on the degree plan and any other minimums such as 54 upper division hours.)        
**TOTAL
      
*122
*Total must be minimum of 122 s.h. with minimum of 54 s.h. at upper division level.        

Computer Science (B.S.)

Students first entering college in Fall 1999 or after should see section on “New Core Curriculum” under “General Requirements for a Bachelor’s Degree.”

The Computer Science program offers a choice of two concentrations:

(a) Computer Science, (b) Information Systems.

1.  Satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements for students entering college in Fall 1999 or after.  See “General Requirements for a Bachelor’s Degree.”

2.   Satisfy the requirements for the Bachelor of Science.

3.   General Requirements:

· Lower Division - 3 semester hours of speech and satisfy computer literacy/proficiency requirement; natural science with lab. 

·  Upper Division – ENG 3430 Professional Writing;  ISC 3317 Object Oriented Programming and Design;  ISC 3331 Data Structures and Algorithms I;  ISC 3333 Data Structures and Algorithms II;  ISC 4320 Software Engineering; ISC 4336 Database Systems; ISC 4337 Operating Systems; ISC 4350 Information Security, Privacy and Ethics; MAS 3362 Discrete Structures;  MAS 3391 Probability and Statistics.

4.   Concentration

a.  Computer Science

·  General requirements:  Lower Division -- 6 semester hours of calculus, 3 semesters of C/C++ programming and 3 semester hours from Fortran, Ada, Pascal, Java, or Advanced C/C++ (Advanced C/C++ recommended);

·   Concentration requirements:  Upper Division -- ISC 3332 Computer Organization and  Architecture; ISC 4331 Structure of Programming Languages; 12 semester hours computer science or mathematics courses by advisement (excluding ISC 3325, and 4305).

b.   Information Systems

·