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Columbia Campus    
2017-2018 Graduate Studies Bulletin (Archived Copy) 
    
 
  Mar 19, 2024
 
2017-2018 Graduate Studies Bulletin (Archived Copy) [Archived Catalog]

College of Arts and Sciences


Lacy Ford, Dean
Roger H. Sawyer, Executive Associate Dean 
Robert C. Thunell, Senior Associate Dean for Natural Sciences
Hans-Conrad zur Loye, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies
Cynthia Davis, Associate Dean for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Tracey Weldon-Stewart, Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion
Ginger Nickles Osborne, Assistant Dean for Academic Planning and Enrollment
Loren W. Knapp, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Student Affairs and Advising
Derlene Lowder, Assistant Dean for Administration, Faculty Data and Research



Overview

Since 1805, the College of Arts and Sciences has been the intellectual core of the University of South Carolina. The college is a richly diverse community dedicated to the discovery, dissemination, and application of knowledge about the natural and human world. It is committed to enriching the academic experience of graduate and undergraduate students through a wide and innovative array of courses, programs, and opportunities in the arts, humanities, and sciences; to developing the next generation of intellectual leaders through its graduate programs; and to excelling in research, scholarship, and creative activity. With its broad coverage of academic disciplines, the college is uniquely situated to promote opportunities for graduate and undergraduate student research and interdisciplinary and international learning. As the heart of a major research university, the college encourages positive change with the broader society. The College of Arts and Sciences aspires to transform the lives of our students and improve the world they will inhabit by creating and sharing knowledge at the frontiers of inquiry.

The College of Arts and Sciences consists of the Departments of Anthropology; Biological Sciences; Chemistry and Biochemistry; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Earth and Ocean Sciences; English Language and Literature; Geography; History; Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; Mathematics; Philosophy; Physics and Astronomy; Political Science; Psychology; Religious Studies; Sociology; Statistics; and Theatre and Dance, as well as the School of the Earth, Ocean and Environment and the School of Visual Art and Design. The Departments of Aerospace Studies, Military Science, and Naval Science administer the University’s ROTC programs. In addition, the college includes interdisciplinary programs in African American studies, African studies, comparative literature, environment and sustainability, European studies, film and media studies, Islamic world studies, Jewish studies, Latin American studies, linguistics, marine science, professional science, Russian and Eurasian studies, speech communication and rhetoric, and women’s and gender studies.

Centers and institutes within the college include the Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences, Center for Asian Studies, Center for Colon Cancer Research, Center for Digital Humanities, Center for Geographic Education, Center for Science Education, Confucius Institute, Earth Sciences and Resources Institute, Electron Microscopy Center, GISciences Research Laboratory, Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute, Interdisciplinary Mathematics Institute, Institute for African American Research, Institute for Mind and Brain, Institute for Public Service and Policy Research, Institute for Southern Studies, McCausland Center for Brain Imaging, McKissick Museum, Parenting and Family Research Center, Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center, Psychological Services Center, S.C. Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, Statistical Consulting Lab, Ted Mimms Foreign Languages Learning Center, Walker Institute of International and Area Studies, and the Writing Center. Please refer to the section of this bulletin titled “The University ” and departmental sections for further information about centers and institutes in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The School of Visual Art and Design is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is approved by the American Chemical Society. In the Department of Psychology, the graduate degrees in clinical-community psychology are accredited by the American Psychological Association; graduate degrees in school psychology are accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) through a partnership with the National Council on Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE.) The Master of Public Administration degree offered by the Department of Political Science is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA.) The Department of Theatre and Dance is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre and the University/Resident Theatre Association. Through selected degree programs, the College of Arts and Sciences participates in the teacher education programs of the University that are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Oak Ridge Associated Universities

Since 1950, students and faculty of the University of South Carolina have benefited from its membership in Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). ORAU is a consortium of 98 colleges and universities and a contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. ORAU works with its member institutions to help their students and faculty gain access to federal research facilities throughout the country; to keep its members informed about opportunities for fellowship, scholarship, and research appointments; and to organize research alliances among its members.

Through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), the DOE facility that ORAU operates, undergraduates, graduates, postgraduates, and faculty enjoy access to a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Students can participate in programs covering a wide variety of disciplines including business, earth sciences, epidemiology, engineering, physics, geological sciences, pharmacology, ocean sciences, biomedical sciences, nuclear chemistry, and mathematics. Appointment and program length range from one month to four years. Many of these programs are especially designed to increase the numbers of underrepresented minority students pursuing degrees in science- and engineering-related disciplines. A comprehensive list of these programs and other opportunities, their disciplines, and details on locations and benefits can be found in the ORISE Catalog of Education and Training Programs, which is available at www.orau.gov/orise/educ.htm, or by calling either of the contacts below.

ORAU’s Office of Partnership Development seeks opportunities for partnerships and alliances among ORAU’s members, private industry, and major federal facilities. Activities include faculty development programs, such as the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enrichment Awards, the Visiting Industrial Scholar Program, consortium research funding initiatives, faculty research, and support programs as well as services to chief research officers.

For more information about ORAU and its programs, visit the ORAU homepage at www.orau.org or contact:

Tom Vogt 
Associate Vice President for Research 
ORAU Councilor for the University of South Carolina

Monnie E. Champion
ORAU Corporate Secretary
865-576-3306

Degrees and Certificates Offered

The College of Arts and Sciences offers programs of study leading to the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Industrial Statistics, Master of Mathematics, Master of Public Administration, Master of Science, and Professional Science Master. In cooperation with the College of Education, the college offers the Master of Arts in Teaching in selected disciplines for uncertified teachers and the Interdisciplinary Master of Arts in Art Education and the Interdisciplinary Master of Arts in Sciences for teachers who have been certified. The Department of Statistics offers the Certificate of Graduate Study in Applied Statistics. The Linguistics Program offers the Certificate of Graduate Study in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. The Certificate of Graduate Study in Museum Management is offered through the Department of History. The Certificate of Graduate Study in Women’s and Gender Studies is available through the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. The Department of Anthropology offers the Certificate of Graduate Study in Historical Archaeology and Cultural Resource Management and the Certificate of Graduate Study in Visual Anthropology. For further information about admission and degree requirements, please consult the Graduate Admissions and Degree Requirements  sections of this bulletin and the individual departments and programs listed in the College of Arts and Sciences.

For more information about academic programs in the College of Arts and Sciences visit Programs by College/School  or visit the departmental links below.

Center for Science Education

The Center for Science Education, in conjunction with selected departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, is responsible for developing and coordinating interdisciplinary teacher education courses and programs in science and mathematics. These courses are listed and described below under “Science and Mathematics for Educators” and carry the interdisciplinary SMED designator. Click here to view SMED courses .

The Center for Science Education also assists individual departments in offering content-specific courses in their disciplines designed for in-service teachers.

Departments and Program Areas

Click the links below to view programs and courses administered by each department.

Anthropology  

School of Visual Art and Design  

Biological Sciences  

Chemistry and Biochemistry   

Comparative Literature (see Languages, Literatures, and Cultures )

Creative Writing (see English Language and Literature )

Criminology and Criminal Justice  

Earth and Environmental Resource Management (see School of the Earth, Ocean and Environment )

Earth and Ocean Sciences  

English Language and Literature  

School of the Earth, Ocean and Environment  

Film and Media Studies  

Geography  

Geological Sciences (see Earth and Ocean Sciences )

History  

International Studies (see Political Science )

Languages, Literatures, and Cultures  

Linguistics  

Marine Science  

Mathematics  

Media Arts (see School of Visual Art and Design )

Museum Management (see History )

Philosophy  

Physics and Astronomy  

Political Science  

Professional Science Master

Psychology  

Public Administration (see Political Science )

Public History (see History )

Religious Studies  

Sociology  

Statistics  

Theatre and Dance  

Women’s and Gender Studies  

Some programs offered by the College of Arts and Sciences are available as Graduate Dual Degree Programs.