Majors
Learn about the creative and business practice of the advertising and public relations industry. Students can choose between two tracks: advertising and public relations. Advertising prepares students to understand how to communicate a product, brand, service, and idea, promote them strategically, and create content for various media platforms. The public relations track teaches students to research, write, think strategically, plan, design effective messages for target audiences, and build relationships between organizations and the public. Students in the program build proficiency in research, planning, data analysis, writing, social media, brand management, creative problem solving, digital media and campaign execution.
Program Tracks: Advertising, Public Relations
Anthropology is the study of humankind, past and present, around the world. Anthropologists usually work in one of four subfields: archaeology, cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, or physical anthropology. Each of these sub-fields offers valuable perspectives on the contemporary world by allowing us to make broad comparisons over time and space, as well as developing in-depth cultural analysis and exploring imaginative alternative visions.
The Bachelor of Arts in Visual Art prepares artists, scholars, and educators for graduate work or careers in the visual arts. Majors explore the meaning, theory, and influence of art in visual and cultural contexts.
Concentrations for Bachelor of Art in Art:
- Art History
- Studio Art
The Bachelor of Fine Art in Visual Art program teaches students to critically assess past and present material environments, in order to become thoughtful and ethical scholars, teachers, and designers of the environments of the future.
Concentrations for B.F.A. in Visual Art:
- Animation
- Art History
- Ceramics
- Glass
- Graphic Design
- Painting
- Photography
- Sculpture
Majors in biology receive a broad-based education that includes the chemical, genetic, genomic, microbial, cellular, developmental, and evolutionary principles of life. Biology majors can choose from concentrations that provide them with a well-rounded background in biology, or students may select courses to prepare them for graduate study or a particular area of study such as pre-health professional fields (such as medicine or dentistry), marine biology, or environmental science.
Concentrations for B.S. in Biology:
- Environmental Science
- Marine Biology
- Pre-Health Professions
The chemistry major program provides a balanced scientific education that covers inorganic, organic, analytical, physical, and biological chemistry. Chemistry program courses prepare students for graduate school, industry, and biomedical research. Undergraduate chemistry majors at USA receive an unusually high degree of mentoring and hands-on experience with the tools, instruments, and work environments of the modern chemical laboratory.
Concentrations for B.S. in Chemistry:
- American Chemical Society certified degree in Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- American Chemical Society certified degree in Biochemistry
Communication Studies encompasses critical thinking with a keen understanding of interpersonal, organizational and public communication. Learn the best ways to be heard, read and see no matter where you are communicating. Students can choose to study human and organizational communication or rhetoric and culture. Whether talking to thousands of people or having a one-on-one conversation, a concentration in communication helps you find your voice.
The curriculum in Criminal Justice provides students interested in law enforcement, criminal law, corrections, and the criminal court system with a broad educational background emphasizing social science and a liberal education. Students in the major gain knowledge of the criminal justice field to prepare them to enter graduate schools, or to advance toward a variety of professional careers in law enforcement, government service, and business.
The digital film and television major prepares students to work behind the scenes producing short films and television programs using high-definition equipment, and in the process, students learn a broad understanding of the moving image. Throughout the program, students develop an extensive knowledge to produce, direct, light, shoot, edit, record and manage.
The Department of Theatre and Dance provides its majors a solid and well-rounded program in theatre with a curriculum that is both basic and innovative. Its play productions range from the classics to modern musicals, from the intimate to the large scale, and from student-directed to faculty-produced. Its philosophy and practice are totally professional. Theatre Arts majors receive sound foundation in the theatre arts so that they may enjoy them as spectators or as participants, professionally or as a leisure activity.
Concentrations for B.A. in Dramatic Arts:
- Theatre
- Dance
The Bachelor of Arts degree in English provides students with a broad acquaintance with British, American, and world literature written in English, along with its cultural and historical contexts. Through its focus on the interpretation, analysis, and production of literary and other texts, the English Department teaches students how those texts shape and are shaped by the world around them. In so doing, students acquire the critical skills they need to analyze and participate in these interactions and contribute to the shaping of their worlds. The faculty’s teaching and research in literature, creative writing, and composition/rhetoric combine to foster excellence in critical reading, creative thinking, and effective writing.
Concentrations for a B.A. in English:
- American and British Literature
- Creative Writing
The Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Sustainability Sciences is designed to address the need for a broad understanding of the natural world and its interaction with the demands of human development. Faculty consists of natural and social scientists that have extensive experience working on issues in coastal environments as well as working with communities to sustainably mitigate and manage interactions with them. Students in this program gain an understanding of the science methodologies and applied analyses, applying state-of-the-art field methods, instrumentation, and data analysis to study the natural and human environment from an interdisciplinary systems perspective.
Students of the Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern and Classical Languages and Literature receive a comprehensive introduction to many of the major languages and literatures of the world, as well as to the cultures and complex global contexts that define these cultures today. Majors receive a broad liberal education that allows them to escape a narrow, monolingual view of the world, and offers them the opportunity to develop proficiency in a second or third language.
Concentrations for a B.A. in Foreign Languages:
- French
- German
- Russian
- Spanish
The Geography major course of study combines a comprehensive knowledge of natural and social sciences with a distinctive understanding of spatial patterns. Geography, which is both a natural and a social science, studies the location, spatial distribution, and spatial interaction of Earth’s natural and human environments. Geography majors’ education includes the subfields of Human Geography, Physical Geography, Regional Geography, and Geographic Information Science. A degree in geography prepares students for graduate school or a career in industry, government, or education.
Geology majors study the Earth’s physical, chemical, and biological features and evolution over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. A geology major’s education encompasses a broad spectrum of studies and draws from all the basic sciences: chemistry, physics, and biology. The Geology Program is justifiably well known for its integration of education and research opportunities for students.
The study of history is central to a liberal arts education. History majors learn to become investigators who strive to create and disseminate knowledge that connects the present with the past. Majors in History receive preparation for continued study at the graduate level, to teach history, or to enter related fields.
The International Studies major is a rigorous interdisciplinary program designed to prepare students for the needs of our global society. The Bachelor of Arts program combines the study of foreign language and culture with broad training in international studies, regional studies, international relations, and international business. Graduates in International Studies are ready to enter the private and public sectors with the skills needed in an interdependent world, or to pursue further graduate-level study in area studies, international business, language, law or international affairs.
Concentrations for a B.A. in International Studies:
- Asian Studies
- European Studies
- International Relations
- International Political Economy
- Latin-American Studies
Learn the art of creative storytelling and conquer the ever-changing multimedia landscape with a focus in journalism. Students can choose between two journalism tracks: broadcast and multimedia. Broadcast journalism teaches students how to write, report and break news in the broadcast and digital world. Gain hands-on experience filming and editing footage. Multimedia journalism prepares students to investigate and report events and relay information through newspapers, magazines, the internet, social media and mobile. Through copywriting, videotaping, podcasting, reporting and editing, our award-winning faculty teach a wide array of practical skills and provide the competitive edge necessary for aspiring journalists to succeed.
Journalism Tracks: Broadcast, Multimedia.
The Bachelor of Science in Marine Sciences is designed to address society’s growth need for specialized understanding of the marine environment. Whether students are excited about marine plants and animals or computers and technology, the marine sciences program provides opportunities to explore coastal and ocean environments in whatever ways interest them the most. Students are guided by a world-renown faculty with expertise ranging from fisheries sciences to marine ecology to ocean physics. The marine sciences bachelor’s degree prepares students for job opportunities related to the marine environment in government, academic, commercial and industrial settings.
Majors in Meteorology acquire a thorough understanding of the laws of atmospheric behavior. Each student is exposed to the latest techniques in weather forecasting and atmospheric remote sensing. Majors receive a broad scientific education that prepares them for a career in forecasting or related fields. With its close ties with the National Weather Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Keesler Air Force Base, and major area industries, meteorology majors at USA have unique opportunities for field work, and can gain direct experience working with regional industries.
Concentrations for a B.S. in Meteorology:
- Broadcast Meteorology
- Professional
- Graduate School
Mathematics and statistics lie at the foundation of modern technological society. Majors in mathematics and statistics receive a broad liberal and mathematics education, combined with more focused training in any of a variety of different subfields, including analysis, approximation theory, representation theory, statistics, and topology.
The Bachelor of Music degree program, through its innovative curriculum, empowers professional musicians, music educators, and those who wish to enrich their lives through the arts. Music majors can select from a variety of degree concentration programs, each combining comprehensive musicianship with preparation for a professional music career.
Concentrations for a Bachelor of Music:
- Music Education – Instrumental
- Music Education – Vocal
- Performance – Instrumental
- Performance - Vocal
- Elective Studies in Business
- Elective Studies in Outside Fields
The B.A. in Philosophy program trains students to become rigorous and ethical thinkers, debaters, writers, and problem-solvers by examining the moral, social, political, aesthetic, and religious dimensions of human existence. The major program provides a superb preparation for a professional career in law, medicine, or other graduate careers. Students in the USA philosophy program can choose from any of three concentration areas.
Concentrations for a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy:
- Classics
- Philosophy
- Religion
Physics majors investigate the physical universe at all scales, from the smallest to the largest, by combining observation with theory, imagination, and deduction. The Bachelor of Science in Physics program blends a broad training in the basic sciences with a more concentrated focus in any of four areas, depending on the student’s chosen professional path. Majors emerge prepared to meet the complex demands of our modern technological society.
Concentrations for a Bachelor’s of Science in Physics:
- Preparation for graduate studies in Physics (Option A)
- Terminal Bachelor's Degree; for employment in industry or preparation for graduate study in areas other than Physics (Option B)
- Preparation for Medical School or other healthcare fields (Premedical Option)
- Double Major with Meteorology, for Meteorology students considering graduate studies in Meteorology.
Political Science majors study the historical, philosophical, and practical underpinnings of governments, politics, and policies. Political science majors learn to evaluate actual or proposed courses of political action by analyzing them from a historical and comparative perspective, and examining the evidence for and against them. Majors in political science thus prepare to participate actively in public affairs, to enter graduate and professional schools, or to participate directly in a variety of areas including government service, foreign affairs, and business.
Psychology students seek to understand, explain, and predict behavior, thought-processes, and emotions. Majors combine a broad liberal-arts education with the study of historical and contemporary research on human and animal behavior. The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology recipient is prepared for graduate school, or for careers in psychology or related fields.
Sociology students study human social patterns and processes in a way that is grounded in scientific principles and research techniques. The program places a strong emphasis on a thorough grounding in sociological theory and methods. Sociology majors combine a broad liberal arts education with more focused training in areas such as gerontology, crime and deviance, family, gender, the sociology of religion, environmental sociology, and medical sociology.
The Bachelor of Social Work degree is founded on the principles of service. This includes social and economic justice, personal dignity and worth, the importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. The social worker assists people in achieving an effective level of psychosocial functioning and effecting social change to improve the well being of everyone. The major combines a liberal arts education with preparation for entry-level generalist professional social work. Entrance into the Bachelor of Social Work program includes special requirements; talk to an advisor in the Arts and Sciences Advising Center for details.
Entrance requirements for the Bachelor of Social Work Program