Jacksonville State University offers six undergraduate degrees; B.S.Ed., B.S., B.A., B.F.A., B.S.W., B.S.N. Students may be awarded multiple majors within many degrees and may complete more than one degree. However, students seeking to earn additional bachelor’s degrees must complete a minimum of 32 semester hours in residence over and above the previously earned bachelor’s degree and must meet all academic requirements for the degree sought as stipulated in the Undergraduate Catalogue at the time of enrollment in the additional degree program. The student must submit an updated application form to the appropriate Dean’s office for approval in advance. Students may not be awarded multiple degrees in the same graduation exercise. The following section lists the various major areas which may be selected in each of the degrees.

The following summary of general studies requirements must be included in all under-graduate degrees. These represent minimum requirements. Specific degree programs and majors may have additional requirements.

GENERAL STUDIES CURRICULUM (64 SEMESTER HOURS)

A total of 128 semester hours is required for the Bachelor of Arts with a major in General Studies. Of the 128 semester hours, 52 hours must be at the 300 or 400 level, and a minimum of 32 semester hours must be completed in residence at Jacksonville State University. All academic regulations of the University must be met.

Requirements for the major in General Studies are that from the following four areas of courses:

Area I — English Composition and Communications, Literature and Languages
Area II — Humanities
Area III — Science and Mathematics
Area IV — Behavioral Sciences

1-12 semester hours are to be chosen from two different areas and 18 semester hours are to be chosen in a third distinct area called the concentration. These 42 hours are in addition to the University’s core curriculum requirement that each student must meet. Majors must have a minimum of 12 semester hours of 300 or above level courses completed in residence in his/her area of concentration, and must present courses with grades of “C” or better to fulfill the area of concentration requirements.

Courses meeting the above requirements must be selected from a list of approved courses that is available in the office of the Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences or be approved by the General Studies advisor.

1. Where the major is chemistry and the minor is biology or mathematics, a foreign language is highly recommended. However, the taking of a foreign language is encouraged in all programs.
2. Majors for the B.S. degree may be selected from the following fields: finance, biology, merchandising, economics, food and nutrition, recreation, exercise science and wellness, management, marketing, accounting, computer science, computer information systems, chemistry, mathematics, physics, geography, sociology, psy-chology, criminal justice, computer integrated manufacturing systems technology, electronics technology, occupational safety and health, and technology. Students may not take as a second (double) major a subject not permitted as a major in this degree.

Please note that the requirements for graduation, including the Grading System and General Requirements also apply to teacher education degree programs.

Admission to a health professional school will require successful performance on the appropriate entrance examination (the MCAT, DAT, VAT, OCAT, etc.), a GPA of 3.2 or higher that has been achieved through a rigorous program of study, and a successful personal interview. These achievements are usually preceded by a seri-ous dedication to their academic studies and a high degree of competitiveness that has been achieved through activities that demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving skills, such as undergraduate research.

The student must be well prepared prior to seeking admission; in general, this means a basic working knowledge of biology (17 semester hours or more), chemistry (16 semester hours or more), and often physics (8 semester hours or more). Ad-vanced course work in biology and/or chemistry are highly recommended. Admission requirements to specific schools do vary; therefore, the student who is considering a health profession as a career must seek advice from a pre-health professional adviser very early in their course of study. The student should plan their academic program carefully, taking the specific courses required for admission to their school of choice. To insure a successive and positive academic experience, the student should maintain a close working relationship with their adviser. For this purpose, Jacksonville State University maintains a Health Careers Office in the Biology Department. Additional information on careers in the health professions may be found online at http://www.jsu.edu/depart/biology.

There is no single prescribed course of study which pre-law students must follow in order to gain admission to law school. The course most generally recommended is a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in one of the social sciences. Majors in political science and economics are especially recommended as they provide the lawyer with an excellent background for relations with government and business.

In addition to having an undergraduate degree, pre-law students are required to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) prior to entering law school. This should be done early in the student’s senior year. Application forms for taking the LSAT may be secured from the Chairman of the Political Science Department, Martin Hall.