NONDEPARTMENTAL A&S MAJORS
A&S offers several major options that are not administered by a specific academic department within A&S: the A&S/business dual major, the interdisciplinary studies major, and the politics and philosophy major. Descriptions of these majors follow:
A&S/Business Dual Major
The A&S/business dual major is offered jointly by Arts and Sciences (A&S) and the College of Business Administration (CBA). To satisfy the requirements, students must combine the business major with any A&S major. The A&S major will be listed first on the transcript as the degree-determining major (BS or BA), and the business major will be listed second. Students will be required to fulfill all A&S curriculum requirements. Students are admitted by a faculty committee that considers the cumulative QPA, specific courses taken and grades earned, SAT scores, and other relevant credentials. Students who have completed at least one full year of course work are eligible to apply to the program. Students interested in the program should seek assistance from their A&S advisor regarding the application process. For more information about the program, see www.cba.pitt.edu/advising/advising.htm.
Major Requirements
To graduate with an A&S/business dual major, students must complete the following:
- Four dual major prerequisites:
- ECON 0100 Introduction to Microeconomic Theory
- ECON 0110 Introduction to Macroeconomic Theory
- MATH 0120 Business Calculus or 0220 Analytic Geometry and Calculus 1
- STAT 1100 Statistics and Probability for Business Management
Note: Competency in Microsoft Excel (spreadsheet software) is required.
- Twelve required business courses:
- BUSACC 0030 Financial Accounting
- BUSACC 0040 Managerial Accounting
- BUSQOM 0050 Quantitative Methods
- BUSENV 0060 Ethics and the Business Environment*
- BUSECN 1010 Business Economics
- BUSORG 1020 Organizational Behavior
- BUSFIN 1030 Introduction to Finance*
- BUSMKT 1040 Introduction to Marketing*
- BUSHRM 1050 Human Resources Management
- BUSMIS 1060 Information Systems Business Process Design*
- BUSQOM 1070 Operations Management*
- BUSSPP 1080 Strategic Management*
Note: Courses noted with an asterisk (*) are considered non-A&S credits. All other courses are counted toward graduation as A&S credits. A&S students may include only 18 non-A&S credits in the 120 credits required for graduation.
- Two dual major program electives selected from a list of courses in the A&S/business dual major student handbook.
All of the above listed courses must be completed with an average QPA of 2.00. All courses for the business major must be taken on a letter-grade basis. However, the two dual business electives may be taken on the S/N option. Students who complete the requirements of the A&S/business dual major are not required to complete a minor or related area.
Interdisciplinary Studies Major
The interdisciplinary studies option is intended for students who wish to design their own major. This major allows students to be flexible and creative in planning a program to match their individual interests and career goals. Completing this major requires sound thought, planning, and extra effort. Students selecting this option must secure the sponsorship of two full-time A&S faculty advisors. Students will formulate a proposal for their major, including a course prospectus (classes chosen) and an essay stating rationale for their desired program of study. They will work on their proposal with their faculty advisors, who must approve the proposal before the interdisciplinary studies faculty committee can approve it.
Major Requirements
A student intending to complete an interdisciplinary studies major must submit a proposal to his/her faculty advisors before the end of the junior year. The faculty committee must approve the proposal before the student can officially declare interdisciplinary studies as a major.
- All A&S degree requirements must be completed (120 credits, 2.0 overall QPA and major QPA, skills and general education requirements).
- The interdisciplinary studies proposal must consist of a minimum of 42 credits, 21 of which must be earned from courses numbered 1000 level or above. Courses are chosen from at least two different departments and arranged in one, two, or three clusters or thematic groupings. Each cluster must contain a minimum of 12 credits.
- A maximum of 6 credits of internship or independent study may be included. A maximum of 6 credits of non-A&S courses (i.e. BUS, BUSERV, ADMJ, ADMPS, IL, PSYED, etc.) may be used. There can be no more than 9 credits of internship/independent study and non-A&S credits combined.
- A W course approved by the faculty advisors must be completed as part of the major.
A QPA of at least 2.00 must be maintained for all interdisciplinary studies course work. Students may achieve honors in interdisciplinary studies by earning a minimum QPA of 3.50 in the courses for the major and approval of a final paper or thesis.
Politics and Philosophy
Politics and philosophy (P&P), a major comprising elements from the political science, philosophy, and economics departments and unified under the auspices of the University Honors College (UHC), is designed to provide students with an interdisciplinary training in the conceptual, empirical, and normative foundations of various fields of public policy. It enhances students’ understanding of the moral and political complexities of public life, and it gives both empirical and philosophical preparation to students interested in pursuing careers in social and public affairs. By combining course work from different disciplines, the program’s scope is broad, yet the structure of the curriculum also requires depth. In addition, essential communication skills in writing and presentation are sharpened in the required seminars. Politics and philosophy is a rigorous and challenging but rewarding major. An academic career is certainly a possible pursuit; the major is also excellent preparation beneficial for careers in the law professions, government, community organizations, and social action groups. For more information on the program, see www.honorscollege.pitt.edu/academics/pnp.html.
Major Requirements
The P&P major requires completion of a minimum of 51 credits, distributed as follows:
- Political science courses (18 credits)
Two introductory-level and four advanced-level courses are required. Whenever possible, at least one of the lower-level courses should be a UHC offering. The four upper-level courses are dependent on each student’s interest and will be decided upon in consultation with the advisor.
- Philosophy courses (18 credits)
Two introductory-level and four advanced-level courses are required. PHIL 0500 Introduction to Logic is highly recommended as one of the lower-level courses for students preparing themselves for a career in law. The four upper-level courses are dependent on each student’s interest and will be decided upon in consultation with the advisor.
UHC ECON 0120 Introductory Economic Theory is recommended as the introductory economics course. In lieu of this course, students may also choose to take ECON 0100 Introductory Microeconomic Theory and ECON 0110 Introductory Macroeconomic Theory as introductory courses. The remaining economics course(s) will be decided upon in consultation with the advisor.
- W (Writing) Seminar Courses (6–7 credits)
UHC PHIL 0850 Philosophy and Liberal Democracy, 3 credits, and UHC PS 0650 Politics and Liberal Democracy, 4 credits, are the recommended W courses for the major. PHIL 0850 is offered every fall term; PS 0650 is offered every other spring term. They are not sequential; students may take them in either order. In order to take these courses, students must have a 3.25 QPA, must have fulfilled the general writing requirement, and should have completed at least one course in political science and philosophy. Other W courses may be used to fulfill the political science W seminar requirement with approval from the advisor.
- Capstone (variable credits)
In consultation with the advisor, students may opt for one of the following: completion of the Bachelor of Philosophy thesis through the UHC; participation in a graduate-level seminar (with permission of the instructor); or completion of a directed research project, independent study, or internship.
Additional Requirements of the Politics and Philosophy Major
- Students are expected to achieve and maintain a 3.25 QPA in order to take the required W seminar courses. In addition, the same level of performance should be maintained in order to complete the major because many of the electives are very likely to be UHC offerings.
- Credit by examination is not available.
- The required W seminar courses fulfill the W course requirement, and students often complete more than the minimum two W courses required by A&S.
- Because the very nature of the program is multidisciplinary, no related area is required. It is, however, not uncommon for P&P majors to combine an area studies certificate or even a second major with the program.
- No requirement beyond that of A&S is required in a foreign language; however, students are always encouraged to pursue language studies, especially those who are interested in international studies or a specific area studies program at the graduate level.
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