IU Columbus Programs
Undergraduate Programs
Division of Liberal Arts
A liberal arts education begins with the premise that one’s world and one’s self are at the core of the pursuit of knowledge. It leads to viewing the world from more than one perspective and learning something about its social, cultural, intellectual, and spiritual dimensions. Those different perspectives within the liberal arts encompass two major groups of academic disciplines: the humanities, which explore the history and experience of human culture; and the social sciences, which examine the social and material foundations of human life.
Regardless of the perspective, the focus in the liberal arts is on knowledge itself, on both its substance and the tools for pursuing it, on what is known and what is worth knowing. Skills for acquiring and generating knowledge, as well as the preservation of knowledge, are contained within the School of Liberal Arts curriculum.
Visit the IU Columbus website to view degree requirements for the Division of Liberal Arts.
Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies
Students may complete the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies. Students will learn about communication theories, research methods, and competencies from a variety of contexts: rhetoric, public address, organizations, family, health, and media. The department offers a diverse curriculum for students interested in majoring or minoring in Communication Studies. Students learn about the communication process inherent in the areas of interpersonal, small group, organizational, public, and media studies.
Courses in Communication Studies aid students in enhancing their critical inquiry, speech delivery, message design, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills. Students who pursue Communication Studies degrees are well-suited for graduate work in various areas of communication studies, humanities, and in professional programs such as law and business. Course work also assists those students pursuing career fields: public relations, marketing, training and development, human resources, public affairs and social advocacy, and event planning.
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
Students may complete the requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice at IU Columbus. A Criminal Justice degree will provide students with a broad and layered understanding of the history, operations, and implications of criminal justice in America.
The U.S. criminal justice system is designed to enforce defined standards of conduct designed to protect the rights of individual citizens and groups of citizens. The term “criminal justice” is used to describe the policies, procedures, and practices that federal, state, and municipal governments use to uphold legal codes and laws, ensure public safety, deter and mitigate crime, penalize those who violate laws, and rehabilitate offenders. It also aims to reduce crime, deliver justice to victims, and maintain public confidence that the system protects law-abiding citizens.
As a criminal justice student, you will study, explore, and research important societal needs related to law enforcement, the judicial system, corrections, and national security. You will complete classes on research methods, criminological theory and policy, criminal law, courts, corrections, and policing. You may also study cutting-edge topics related to homicide, terrorism, juvenile justice, and cybercrime.
Bachelor of Arts in English
Students may complete the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in Creative Writing or the Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in Literature. The Undergraduate Program in English provides opportunities for personal and professional achievements. Our multi-dimensional program offers courses in professional writing, creative writing and literature that seek to foster students’ abilities to read closely, think critically, research effectively, and write with clarity and purpose. Our English degrees prepare students for meaningful lives and a variety of careers.
Bachelor of Arts in English with Concentration in Creative Writing
Bachelor of Arts in English with Concentration in Literature
Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
Students may complete the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, and may also choose a concentration in Medical Sociology or Criminology to go with their degree. Human beings are social animals. We live in groups and do most things with other people. Much of what we think, say, and do is influenced by what others expect of us and by how others treat us. Sociologists study the patterns of interaction between people in all sorts of settings: at work, at play, at home, etc. They try to clarify what is going on, what lies behind it, what is likely to come from it, and what might be done differently. Their theories and research findings can provide insights into processes and events that affect us in our everyday lives.
Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with Concentration in Medical Sociology
The optional concentration in medical sociology consists of four or five sociology electives from a list of approved courses. The medical concentration provides students with an understanding of the social factors connected to health, illness, patient care, and health-related professions. It prepares students for entry into a variety of those health professions such as nursing, optometry, medicine, social work, medical sociology, and psychology. Once completed, the concentration is noted on the student's transcript.
Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with Concentration in Criminology
Students majoring in sociology will have the opportunity to complete a concentration in the sociological subfield of criminology. Criminology studies the social causes and consequences of crime and deviance. Criminologists help shape policies and procedures designed to address crime. They enjoy careers in law, forensics, corrections, criminal profiling, law enforcement, and counseling. IU Columbus is the only IU location offering a sociology degree with a criminology concentration.
Other Liberal Arts Degrees
If you are interested in a liberal arts degree that cannot be completed at IU Columbus—like Anthropology, Art, Geography, History, Music, Philosophy, Religious Studies, or a foreign language, for example—talk to us about completing some courses in Columbus and then transferring to the School of Liberal Arts at IU Indianapolis or another IU campus.
In these cases, you will work closely with an academic advisor to develop an individual plan of study around the courses offered at IU Columbus that will apply to your desired major. You and your advisor will develop a timeline for a smooth transfer.
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of human culture, biology, and social interaction across time and place. It includes the archaeological investigation of past and present human material culture; ethnographic study of contemporary cultures around the world and in the United States; research into human evolution and the origins of human physical diversity; and analysis concerning the origins, structure, and social use of language.
Art
IU Columbus offers introductory courses in art appreciation and drawing. Art Appreciation (HER-H 100 Art in Culture) introduces students in any major to the visual arts through the study of history, cultures, and media. Drawing students learn to express themselves through drawing and to critique, evaluate, and interpret drawings of different types.
Geography
Geography, like history, is a way of looking at the world. Whereas historians study variation through time, geographers study variation through space: how and why the earth’s natural and human features vary from place to place. Underlying this spatial approach are such recurring themes as spatial diffusion of people, goods, and ideas; the significance of location in human interaction; the power of place in human conscience; and the interaction of physical and human processes to create landscapes. Geographers can be found in a great variety of positions often not specifically identified as geographic: environmental management, urban planning, conservation, recreation and tourism, transportation planning, international affairs, and many others.
History
History offers students the opportunity to better understand the human social condition through the systematic study of the human past. IU Columbus offers introductory courses in U.S. history and world history. History not only provides opportunities to serve the avocational interest of the liberal arts student, but also provides a foundation for continued work at the graduate level. Courses in history serve the student admirably in fulfilling the tradition of a liberal education. They also provide a solid basis for professional training in fields such as law, business, environmental affairs, historic preservation, public administration, and government.
Language
IU Columbus offers introductory courses in Spanish and American Sign Language.
Music
Students may take a variety of music classes at IU Columbus. In addition to a music fundamentals course designed for teacher candidates, IU Columbus offers classes on musical genres. For example, students may explore African American music, rock music, and the music of social protest.
Philosophy
Philosophic inquiry aims, ultimately, at a general understanding of the whole of reality. It draws on the insights of the great historical philosophers, on what has been learned in all other major fields of study, and on the rich perspectives embodied within ordinary ways of thinking. Philosophers address a diverse array of deep, challenging, and profoundly important questions. Examples include the nature of the self and of personal identity; the existence or nonexistence of God; the nature of time, mind, language, and science; the sources and limits of human knowledge; the nature of the good life; the foundations of state authority; the requirements of social justice; and the nature of art, beauty, and aesthetic experience. Philosophical questions are addressed not by reference to empirical information alone, but by means of analysis, synthesis, argument, and the construction and evaluation of philosophical theories.
Religious Studies
Religious studies offers students opportunities to explore the patterns and dimensions of the many different religious traditions of the world from the perspectives of the academic study of religion. The courses are designed to help students develop basic understandings of the many ways in which religions shape personal views of the world, create and sustain the communities in which we live, and interact with politics, economics, literature and the arts, and other structures of society. Through this curriculum, students are provided the skills that will allow them to understand religions as a part of the study of human history and traditional and nontraditional values.
Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies (WGSS) delivers a deeper understanding of gender and its social construction. WGSS examines societal norms like gender, race, and class as well as the dynamic, fluid definitions of masculinity and femininity and the gendered institutions that we inhabit. IU Columbus offers a robust interdisciplinary minor in WGSS that includes perspectives from sociology, literature, and communication studies among other fields.
Minors available in Liberal Arts
A minor can enhance the breadth and depth of your academic experience, strengthen your marketability and employment opportunities, or enable you to fulfill a life goal to simply learn more about a particular topic.
* Communication Studies
* Creative Writing
* Criminal Justice
* Digital and Professional Writing
* Literature
* Medical Sociology
* Sociology
* Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
