Mar 19, 2024  
2019-2020 Undergraduate Bulletin 
    
2019-2020 Undergraduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

College of Arts, Sciences, and Education


Brian Anderson, Dean

Purpose Statement

The purpose of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education is to provide quality classroom instruction, practical learning experiences, and academic and cultural enrichment opportunities that will lead to successful student learning. Through the programs in its nine departments, the College provides students with a focused course of study that will prepare them for graduate or professional schools or employment. The College also provides students with a solid educational foundation in the liberal arts that will prepare them for continued personal and intellectual growth after graduation.

Programs

The College of Arts, Sciences, and Education offers academic programs through the departments of Art and Design; Communication; Education; History, Political Science, and Geography; Languages, Literature, and Philosophy; Music; Psychology and Family Studies; Sciences and Mathematics; and Theatre. Additionally, the College offers minors or courses in American Studies, Film Studies, French, International Studies, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Philosophy, Geography, Religious Studies, and Women’s Studies, as well as certificate programs in Teaching English as a Second Language, Public Administration, and Applied and Professional Ethics. For students interested in going to professional schools after MUW, academic advisors help students select the appropriate courses to meet application requirements for medical or dental schools, pharmacy or veterinary medicine programs, law or other professional schools.

Department of Art and Design

Department Chair: Shawn Dickey

Faculty

Professors: Shawn Dickey, Robert Gibson, Beverly Joyce
Associate Professors: Ian Childers, Alex Stelioes-Wills

Accreditation

Mississippi University for Women is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

General Program Information

The Department of Art and Design offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fine Art (BFA) degree. Students complete course requirements in one of the following studio art emphases: Drawing and Painting; Graphic Design; Printmaking; Ceramics; or Photography. The BFA degree is a more intensive degree in art and design and is intended for professional practice. 

The Department of Art and Design also offers minors in Art History and Studio Art, open only to non-art majors.

Exhibition Requirements:

All freshman, sophomore, and junior art students in any art major are required to enter artwork in the Annual MUW Juried Student Exhibition. In their senior year, all art majors must participate in a final Senior Exhibition. 

Art Core Requirements:

All art students must complete the Art Core  . Note: Some courses taken for the major may also fulfill requirements for the University core curriculum.

Programs

Department of Communication

Department Chair: Barry P. Smith

Communication Faculty

Professors: Van T. Roberts, Barry P. Smith
Associate Professor: Melissa M. Smith
Instructor: Eric E. Harlan

Programs

Division of Education

Division Head: Martin L. Hatton

Education Faculty

Professor: Twila Alpe
Associate Professor: Chrystal Hodges
Assistant Professors: Kelly Bennett, Alina M. Harges
Visiting Assistant Professor: Leigh Todd
Instructors: Rose Ford, Linda Mahoney, Ashley Matthews
Visiting Instructor: Deana Pendley

The “Educator as Reflective Decision Maker” is the model for the conceptual framework for the educator preparation programs at Mississippi University for Women. The programs have adopted the Core Standards of the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards as goals for teacher candidates, the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders for school administrator candidates, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards for early childhood educators. Further explanations of requirements and expectations for undergraduate teacher candidates are in the Teacher Education Handbook published by the Office of Field Experiences, and available through the MUW website.

All undergraduate Education students are admitted into the Early Childhood Development program. Students interested in Elementary Education remain admitted as Early Childhood Development students until they meet the qualifications to be accepted into the Elementary Education program

NCATE (CAEP) Accreditation

The  MUW Educator Preparation Unit and all programs in education are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).The MUW teacher certification programs are also approved by the Mississippi Department of Education, which makes graduates of these programs eligible for Mississippi Educator Licensure in the approved areas. The NCATE accrediting body has merged with another accrediting organization (TEAC) to form the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The accreditation covers both initial and advanced educator preparation programs. Since many states have reciprocity agreements based on graduation from  NCATE/CAEP accredited schools, graduates of NCATE/CAEP accredited institutions will generally find it easier to apply for educator licensure when they move out of state.

Quality Assurance Policy

All teacher education programs are covered by the Mississippi Institution of Higher Learning Quality Assurance Policy. The university warrants the quality of our graduates for a period of two years immediately following graduation. Certain guidelines do apply. Contact the Division of Education and Outreach for more information.

Admission to Teacher Education

Students seeking admission to Teacher Education must submit documentation of the following to the Division of Education and Outreach through a Mississippi University for Women TaskStream Account:

  1. Application for admission to Teacher Education.
  2. Tentative Program of Study.
  3. Minimum grade of C in ED 300 .
  4. Minimum grade of B in ED 302 .
  5. Overall 2.75 GPA on a minimum of 44 semester hours completed.
  6. Satisfactory score on the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators (CORE) Subtests (Reading, Writing, and Math) OR minimum ACT scores, composite of 21. Official score reports must be on file with the MUW Division of Education and Outreach.
  7. Verification of completed criminal background check through the university approved vendor.
  8. Elementary Education Majors only: Satisfactory score on the Mississippi Foundations of Reading Exam. Official score reports must be on file with the MUW Division of Education and Outreach.

Guidelines for this submission are reviewed in the course ED 302  Art and Science of Teaching.

Note to Transfer Students:

Before registering, students transferring to MUW during the junior or senior year who intend to apply for a teaching license should contact the Division of Education and Outreach for guidance.

Admission to Teacher Internship

Following admission to Teacher Education, a student must complete a minimum of one semester of coursework before being admitted to Teacher Internship. The Teacher Internship application is made available in Taskstream during the advising periods of the fall and spring semesters:

Admission to Teacher Education at least one semester prior to applying for the Teacher Internship.
Submit all parts of the Teacher Internship application in Taskstream by the published deadline. Secondary and K-12 majors must submit verification of experience with school age children and/or youth (75 hours).
Completion of 84 semester hours of credit (to include all required professional education courses).
Minimum grade of C in each of the following: EN 101  and EN 300  (EN 102  if transferred prior to first semester of attendance at MUW); COM 101 ; MA 113  or higher; MA 111  and MA 112  all professional education courses and all endorsement area courses.
Overall GPA of 2.75.
Obtain the Intern 101 Mississippi Educator License.Obtain liability insurance.
 

Professional Field Experiences

As part of the program of study, students in teacher education are required to complete field-based experiences aligned with education courses. Students in teacher education curricula should plan their schedules to allow additional field experience-hours per week in related field-based activities as outlined by the requirements of their program of study. Elementary education majors will complete their hours of field experience within the residency courses. These field experiences are assigned and coordinated through the Office of Field Experiences in the Division of Education and Outreach. Students in field experiences will be required to complete a criminal background check through the MUW Office of Field Experiences. The Professional Semester is the final semester of the senior year when students complete the Teacher Internship. During this final semester, students are enrolled in either ED 401  Classroom Management or ED 351  Educational Measurement. The program of the Professional Semester is followed without deviation. No regular college course, no other coursework may be taken during the Professional Semester, except with the approval of the Admissions/Exceptions Committee for Teacher Education.

Recommendation for Licensure

The student will be eligible for the recommendation by the institution for a Mississippi Educator’s license on completion of all degree requirements and approved teacher education program requirements, to include a minimum grade of “C” in Teacher Internship. Students must have an official score report for the Praxis Series and MS Reading Foundations Exam (elementary education only) forwarded to the Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Educator Licensure.

Notice Regarding Licensure

Requirements governing licensure in the State of Mississippi are continually revised. As a result, requirements for degrees leading to licensure are subject to change from those published in this Bulletin. The student is advised to refer to the current online version of the Teacher Education Handbook and the Mississippi Department of Education Office of Educator Licensure to insure that both degree requirements and license requirements are met.

Teacher Education Curricula

All students preparing to teach should follow the appropriate program in the next section. This includes Elementary Education; Special Subject Area-Grades K-12 (Music, Spanish and Theatre) and the various subject areas of Secondary Education-Grades 7-12 (Chemistry/Physical Science; English; Biology; Mathematics). A minimum grade of “C” is required in each Education course, in EN 101 - English Composition I  and EN 102 - English Composition II , MA 111 - Modern Elementary Mathematics I  and MA 112 - Modern Elementary Mathematics II  (for elementary education majors), MA 113 - College Algebra , COM 101 - Oral Communication , and in each endorsement area course. See academic advisor for program planning.

Programs

Department of History, Political Science, and Geography

Department Chair: Erin Kempker

Geography Faculty

Visiting Assistant Professor: Ann Fletchall Frazier

History Faculty

Professor: Thomas Velek
Associate Professors: Amber Handy, Jonathon Hooks, Erin Kempker
Visiting Assistant Professor: Kristi DiClemente
University Archivist: Derek Webb
 

Political Science Faculty

Professors: Brian Anderson
Assistant Professor: Chanley Rainey

Programs

Department of Languages, Literature, and Philosophy

Department Chair: Kendall Dunkelberg

English Faculty

Professors: Nora Corrigan, Kendall Dunkelberg, Amy Pardo, Bridget Smith Pieschel, Thomas C. Richardson, Leslie Stratyner
Associate Professors: Michael Farris Smith, Kim Whitehead
Assistant Professors: Thomas Kris Lee, Brandy T. Wilson
Instructors: Todd Bunnell, Janet Woodcock

Foreign Languages Faculty

Assistant Professor: Lynn Healy, Derek Webb
Instructors: Erinn Holloway, Robert Raymond

Philosophy Faculty

Professor: Bryan Hilliard
Assistant Professor: Joshua Dohmen
 

Programs

Department of Music

Department Chair:  Julia Mortyakova

Music Faculty

Professor: Carmen Osburn
Associate Professors: Joe Alexander, Valentin Bogdan, Julia Mortyakova
Assistant Professors: Elizabeth Eggerding, Susan Hurley, Phillip Stockton
Visiting Assistant Professor: Cherry Dunn

Music Programs

Accreditation

Mississippi University for Women is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) for the Bachelor of Arts in Music, the Bachelor of Music in Music Education, and the Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy. The B.M. in Music Education program is approved by the Mississippi State Department of Education and accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, thereby enabling graduates to satisfy the certification requirements for the State of Mississippi in Music Education. The Music Therapy program is approved by the American Music Therapy Association.

Programs

Department of Psychology and Family Studies

Department Chair: Dorothy Berglund

Psychology Faculty

Professor: Holleen Krogh
 

Family Studies Faculty

Professor: Dorothy Berglund
Associate Professor: Youn Lee

Accreditation

Mississippi University for Women’s Family Studies major is approved by the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) as a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) program. Students graduating from this program can apply for provisional certification through an abbreviated process.

Programs

Department of Sciences and Mathematics

Department Chair: Bonnie Oppenheimer

Biological Sciences Faculty

Professors: Lauren Brandon, Ghanshyam Heda, Nicole Welch, Ross Whitwam
Assistant Professors: Travis Hagey, Benjamin Onyeagucha, R.C. Sample
Instructors: Thomas Dodson, Bianca Simmons-Diez

Mathematics Faculty

Professors: Dorothy A. Kerzel, Bonnie Oppenheimer, Clifton Wingard
Associate Professor: Joshua Hanes
Assistant Professors: Hwamog Kim

Physical Sciences Faculty

Professors: Dionne Fortenberry, Jiben Roy
Associate Professor: Xiaoxia Li
Instructor: Edward Bruster

The Department of Sciences and Mathematics offers majors in the areas of Biology, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Physical Science.

Before a student is allowed to register for upper-level courses (those numbered 300 or above) within the department, the student must:

  • Have a 2.0 average for all courses taken within the department (including transfer credit)
  • Have completed all prerequisites for upper-level courses with grades of C or better

Exceptions to any of the above requirements require approval of the Chair of the Department of Sciences and Mathematics.

Prerequisite Courses for Professional Programs

For students interested in health-related professional schools, a B.S. degree (typically a biology or chemistry major) at the W allows the students to tailor their course selection to ensure all requirements are met for the professional school of their choice. Such professional schools include: Medical, Pharmacy, Veterinary, Dental, and Optometry.

Engineering Dual-Degree Program

The Department of Sciences and Mathematics has joined with the School of Engineering at Auburn University and the College of Engineering at Mississippi State University in offering a Dual-Degree program in Liberal Arts and Engineering. In this program, a student attends MUW for three years and one of the other institutions for at least two additional years. After completing the academic requirements of both cooperating universities, the student will be awarded a baccalaureate degree from MUW and one of several designated engineering baccalaureate degrees from the second institution.

Programs

Department of Theatre

Department Chair: David Carter

Theatre Faculty

Professors: David Carter
Associate Professor: Lee Crouse
Instructor: Sarah Shotts

Programs