Radford University
Graduate Catalog
for 1999-2000
Academic Programs
COURSES OF STUDY
Art
Business Administration (MBA) Degree
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Computational Sciences
Corporate and Professional Communication
Counseling and Human Development
Criminal Justice
Educational Studies
English
Environmental and Engineering Geosciences
International Economics
Music
Nursing
Physical and Health Education
Psychology
School of Social Work
Special Education
Special Course Descriptions
ACADEMIC TERMINOLOGY
Degree:A degree represents the academic level of a program and the general category into which it falls. For example:Master of Arts, Master of Science, etc. At Radford University, the term "Arts" in a graduate degree generally implies a language and thesis requirement.The minimum number of semester hours for a Radford University graduate degree is 30.
Major: A major represents a student's principal field of study; that is, the academic discipline he or she wishes to study intensively, for example, Psychology, Music, etc.
Program:The term "program" defies unique definition. One use of the term involves a combination of a major and a degree, e.g., Master of Science in Criminal Justice. Occasionally, a program may consist only of a degree and not have a specific major, as in the Master of Business Administration. "Program" may also be used in a more generic sense to modify degree/major combinations, as in "School Psychology Program."
Minor: A minor represents a student's secondary field of study and, by implication, is different from the major. This distinguishes the minor from concentrations and options.The minimum number of semester hours in a graduate minor is 12.
Concentration: A concentration is a field of study within a major. An example is Curriculum and Instruction within Education. The number of semester hours for a concentration varies, but are always included within the semester hours for the major.This distinguishes concentrations from options, which represent semester hours beyond the major.
Option: An option is a set of related courses and/or experiences that complements the major (as distinguished from being a field within the major). The principal example is in education where Elementary, Middle, and other options complement the Education major by preparing the student for a specific career path. As noted above, option semester hours are in addition to those for the major.
COURSE IDENTIFICATION
In the course descriptions in this catalog, a course number indicates in a general way the difficulty and level of the student group for which the course is offered. Courses numbered 100 to 199 are primarily for freshmen; 200 to 299 for sophomores; 300 to 399 for juniors and seniors; 400 to 499 for juniors and seniors.
Some 500 to 599 courses which have been approved for graduate credit (see departmental sections and/or Special Course Descriptions) may be taken by qualified seniors and graduate students. Courses numbered 600 and above are restricted to graduate students.
The number in parenthesis after a course (3) indicates the credit in semester hours.
A hyphen (-) between the numbers of a course indicates no credit will be given until all of the course sequence is successfully completed.
A colon (:) between the numbers of a course and semester hours credit indicates credit will be given as each semester of the course is completed; courses must be taken in sequence.
A comma (,) between the numbers of a course and semester hours credit indicates credit will be given as each semester of the course is completed, and they need not be taken in order.
The line following the course title and credit tells the number of lecture and laboratory hours a week.The third line gives the prerequisite, if any.
Following some course descriptions will be listed the semester in which the course is offered (fall, spring). When no semester (or semesters) is listed at the end of the course description, then in most cases that course is offered each semester during the academic year. However, students should consult with their academic advisers to verify exact schedules for course offerings.
To obtain detailed information regarding a specific course, students may view the complete course syllabus for a specific course by accessing the course through the Radford University computer network.
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