College of Liberal Arts

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Ray Miles, Dean

The College of Liberal Arts is composed of the departments of English and Foreign Languages, History, Mass Communication, Performing Arts, Social Sciences, and Visual Arts. Curricula leading to the Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees, as well as special departmental requirements, are listed under the appropriate departmental and Graduate School headings.

Purpose

The College of Liberal Arts has as its main purpose the implementation of the basic University purpose. Specifically, the College of Liberal Arts provides specialized training in a large number of distinct academic and professional fields.

In addition, the College offers a broad spectrum of service courses to the other curricula of the University. The College embraces and promotes the philosophy that education is not merely for earning a living; education is for living a life.

Recitals, Concerts, Exhibits, and Major Productions

Effective education in the arts involves frequent participation in performance and experiencing the performance of others. At McNeese, students are provided these opportunities through student and faculty recitals, concerts, exhibits, and major productions.

Student recitals occur weekly during the regular session. Concerts, exhibits, and plays by outstanding professional artists are provided throughout the year by activities scheduled by the arts departments and, during the spring semester, through the Banners Series.

Scholarships

Several scholarships are available to students who take their major work in the College of Liberal Arts. These scholarships are published in the complete list of McNeese scholarships.

Graduation Requirements

Students in the College of Liberal Arts must meet all graduation requirements listed in the section titled “Graduation Requirements” found in the Academic Regulations  section of this catalog.

Students majoring in teacher education preparation degrees must meet all requirements for student teaching and for graduation as described in this catalog under the College of Education.

Preparation for Law School

Law school admissions committees look with favor upon almost any undergraduate degree program that interests the student and challenges him or her to think critically, learn independently, research thoroughly and accurately, and understand basic aspects of human experience. To ensure the broad liberal arts education preferred by most law school admissions committees, four departments in the College of Liberal Arts have planned degree programs to include specific courses recommended by the College of Liberal Arts as a core curriculum for law school preparation. The departments, followed by the curricula especially recommended for prelaw students, are as follows:

Based upon general recommendations of the Law School Admissions Council, the following list of courses is recommended by the College of Liberal Arts as a core curriculum for prelaw preparation:

Students preparing for law school are encouraged to work closely with their academic advisor in the major field, to take advantage of the expertise of the Prelaw Advisor in the Department of Social Sciences, and to take part in the Prelaw and Politics Society.

Students should keep in mind that the decisions of law school admissions committees are based on a number of factors, including undergraduate grade-point average, quantity and quality of course work undertaken, performance on the Law School Admission Test, the recommendations of faculty members and others, and the applicant’s motives for seeking a career in law.

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