University of Nebraska at Kearney

1996-98 UNK Undergraduate Catalog

COLLEGES

Undergraduate degrees at UNK are offered through the four undergraduate colleges: the College of Fine Arts and Humanities, the College of Natural and Social Sciences, the College of Business and Technology, and the College of Education.

The faculties of the colleges generally determine and govern their programs, including special admission requirements and degree requirements.

Two of these colleges--the College of Fine Arts and Humanities and the College of Natural and Social Sciences--primarily offer degrees in the traditional academic areas and provide most of the courses for the General Studies Program required of all graduates.

The other two colleges--the College of Business and Technology and the College of Education--primarily offer professional degree programs. The College of Education has special admission requirements. The following are brief descriptions of the goals and missions of each of the colleges.

College of Fine Arts and Humanities

Harold J. Nichols, Dean

The College of Fine Arts and Humanities strives to provide students with a strong liberal arts education through a commitment to strong majors in all of its departments and programs. The College seeks to instill the necessity and the centrality of the artistic and humanistic imagination to all students. It is committed to a strong, talented faculty who believe in the traditional humanities, liberal arts, and fine arts, while also training students in the use of modern technologies.

Six departments, Art and Art History, English, Modern Languages, Journalism and Mass Communication, Music and Dance, and Speech Communication and Theatre Arts, as well as the Philosophy program, comprise the College of Fine Arts and Humanities.

College Of Natural And Social Sciences

Michael W. Schuyler, Dean

The College of Natural and Social Sciences participates fully in the traditional missions of teaching, research, and service. The curriculum provides students with a scientific and humanistic perspective which is necessary for a quality liberal arts education. Students in the College are encouraged to develop habits of critical thinking, to value academic rigor, to appreciate the complexity and diversity of the human condition and the world around them, and to develop a base of knowledge which will allow them to be successful and responsible members of the community. The College's commitment to excellence in teaching is complemented by its commitment to scholarship. Faculty and students in the College engage in research and other scholarly activities to generate knowledge, to learn and practice their chosen professions, to be current in their disciplines, and to create a stimulating learning environment. Ultimately, the overarching goal of the College is to provide students with the best and most challenging education possible.

There are 11 departments and 2 programs in the College: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science and Information Systems, Criminal Justice, Geography and Earth Science, Health Science Programs, History, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics and Physical Science, Political Science, Psychology, Social Work, and Sociology.

The College of Business and Technology

Galen Hadley, Dean

The College of Business and Technology provides a superior comprehensive student learning environment through

1. excellence in teaching;
2. meeting student academic needs both individually and collectively;
3. preparing students for professional careers; and
4. scholarship and service that support excellence in teaching.

Within the College, teaching, scholarship, and service are particularly concerned with small and mid-sized organizations. This unifying focus differentiates the College from other institutions and it is hallmark.

There are six departments in the College: Accounting & Finance, Business Administration/Education, Economics, Family and Consumer Sciences, Industrial Technology, and Management & Marketing. There are four services centers in the College: Center for Rural Research and Service, Vocational Education Center, Nebraska Business Development Center, and the Safety Center.

College of Education

Jean C. Ramage, Dean

The professional education faculty of the University of Nebraska at Kearney has developed a quality instructional program leading to initial certification for admission into the education profession at the baccalaureate level. As a result of coursework and experiences, graduates will be able to demonstrate professional and ethical practice through use of basic knowledge and skills.

A set of three basic beliefs, referred to as the first principles, provides direction and motivation to move toward this outcome: a belief that all students can be successful learners; a belief that there are many ways to learn and educators have a professional and ethical obligation to establish learning environments that provide a range of appropriate learning tasks; and, a belief that professional educators have a responsibility to analyze, practice, and modify behaviors that may be discriminatory or injurious to students. These first principles and a commitment to quality and equality in education create the linkage of faculty to students, curriculum objectives to outcomes, and the College to the world of practice.

The various programs of study offered by the College have been developed by the faculty, in consultation with internal and external advisory committees. The purposes of entry level programs are to: provide a quality instructional program that will result in personal growth and development for all persons associated with College; improve professional practice in schools and in roles in professional education. The professional education faculty is also committed to linking entry level programs to development and delivery of effective programs of in-service and continuing education at the professional level.

UNK offers undergraduate programs for the preparation of elementary teachers, secondary teachers and K-12 teachers. The college offers master's degree programs for elementary teaching, secondary teaching, special education, elementary administration, secondary administration, curriculum supervisor, speech-language pathologist, counselors and reading teachers. Specialist degree programs in school psychology, educational administration, and counseling are also offered.

The faculty of the teacher Education Program at the University of Nebraska at Kearney is committed to an emphasis on multicultural education, human relations and successful living in a pluralistic society. Elements of these concepts are infused into key professional teacher education courses.

There are six departments in the college: Counseling & School Psychology, Educational Administration, Elementary/Early Childhood Education, Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Leisure Studies, Professional Teacher Education, and Special Education/Communication Disorders. KASE and the Learning Center are also part of the College of Education.