A Liberal Arts Curriculum

We believe the best educational experiences we can provide for you are those that allow you to develop skills that will serve you throughout a lifetime of learning. Consequently, we offer a curriculum founded upon a rich and acknowledged liberal arts tradition. We offer five bachelor degree programs, each with a common foundation of general education requirements designed to support the educational goals of the College.

You may choose to major in any of the recognized disciplinary or inter-disciplinary areas or, in consultation with a faculty committee, you may design your own major to aid in any specific academic interest or goal you might have. This option for allowing students to participate in designing their own academic programs is one that we believe not only encourages enthusiasm and responsibility but also adds to the intellectual vitality of the College. We also provide for tutorials and independent study in which you may pursue a topic of special interest in close cooperation with a faculty member.

There is historically recognized a common body of knowledge and skills possessed by well-educated people. Our degree requirements are framed with that body of knowledge and skills in mind, and our courses are intended to foster and preserve it. At the same time, we work hard to keep our programs flexible, our courses up-to-date, and our outlook toward education innovative. Therefore, three other types of learning experience are available: practicums and internships in off-campus and non-traditional settings, international experiences, and interim term projects.

The College operates on a four-one-four academic calendar, which means that students enroll in four courses in the fall, one in the winter, and four in the spring. The interim term each January offers students an opportunity for intense investigation of a particular subject for a period of approximately four weeks. It may be a project proposed by a faculty member or one designed personally by you and a faculty sponsor; it may be held on campus or anywhere off campus, domestic or foreign; it may be an overall introduction to a subject area or a specialized interest investigated in depth. Whatever the project you choose, interim term is a time intended to provide you with a unique opportunity for creative, experiential, and independent study.

Personal Attention

Our obligation as a liberal arts college is to help you develop your capacity to make and communicate responsible decisions based on information accurately gathered and astutely analyzed. Guiding you to that end, the faculty will direct you in developing your skills in reading, writing, and speaking; in understanding the methods and principles of the sciences and their significance in the modern world; in cultivating appreciation of the arts; in understanding and appreciating our spiritual, social, political, and economic institutions and heritage; and in achieving competence in at least one field of knowledge that will help prepare you for a profession or vocation.

Our faculty comprises a talented and well-qualified group of men and women-more than ninety-two percent have a doctorate or the highest degree granted in their field-who recognize effective teaching as their primary obligation to the College. In class they present knowledgeable, up-to-date material pertinent to their disciplines and strive to engage students with that material. Out of class they make themselves available for student inquiries, individual instruction, and directed research. We believe personal attention to your individual academic concerns and needs is an essential factor in the effectiveness of our teaching and in the continuance of a healthy, inquisitive, intellectual environment.

While the faculty in general will be concerned with your scholastic progress, you will be assigned one faculty member in particular to be your advisor. This person will work with you in planning your course schedules and in evaluating your progress toward your degree.

Because of its size, Birmingham-Southern enjoys a small faculty-student ratio of 1:12. That, combined with a genuine concern on the part of the faculty for the total-intellectual and personal-welfare of our students, creates an atmosphere in which many advisor-advisee relationships become ones of friendly understanding and mutual respect. Especially during your first year we encourage you to consult freely and frequently with your advisor in adapting to all aspects of campus life.

Special Counseling

Recognizing that not all of your concerns might be dealt with by your faculty advisor, the College provides a Counseling and Career Services Center staffed and equipped to give assistance in a variety of areas including personal counseling, testing of aptitudes and vocational interests, and career counseling. The Career Services Center also provides pre-professional guidance through special advisors in the arts, behavioral and social sciences, church-related vocations, economics and business administration, education, health careers, and law.

Student Government

The Student Government Association of Birmingham-Southern College, chartered to operate under a constitution developed by students, faculty, and administrators and approved by the Board of Trustees, is to a large measure responsible for the self-governance of the student body. The SGA strives to create and to maintain a well-balanced intellectual, educational, and social program for all students.

Honor Code

One of the SGA's most significant responsibilities is the selection of the Honor Council, which handles any cases involving students who are accused of violating the Honor Code. If it determines that a student has violated the Honor Code, the Council imposes appropriate penalties. This process serves as an important force in maintaining the academic integrity of the entire college community. Through this system of self-governance, students play an integral role in providing a campus atmosphere in which each may develop intellectually and socially with maturity and a sense of self-esteem. Since high standards of conduct are essential for the well-being of the total community, and since violations could result in penalties ranging from reprimand to dismissal from the College, the Honor Code is fully explained during orientation. You are also provided with a copy of the Student Handbook, which details the provisions of the Honor Code as well as social regulations and policies.

A Closing Message

One final point of information we would like to give you concerns finances. Birmingham-Southern's annual tuition and fees remain below the national average and significantly below the tuition and fees of most comparable private colleges in the South. Furthermore, to help you meet these expenses we offer more than nine million dollars in financial aid for eligible students from all sources. During recent academic years, more than ninety-two percent of our students received some form of financial aid from either institutional, outside, federal, or state sources. Aid is also available through the Alabama Grant Program for Alabamians enrolled in in-state private colleges.

At Birmingham-Southern we take pride in our tradition of providing a high-quality liberal arts education; we are pleased with our continued ability to take a flexible approach to maintaining proven educational goals and standards; and we value mutual respect among all segments of our college population. Now that you have an idea of who we are and what we represent, we hope you will read further in our catalog and consider carefully our degree requirements, curriculum, and co-curricular activities. We hope you will choose to be an active member of our community.