Bachelor of General Studies in American Studies

at Shorelight Group - University of Kansas USA

KU's English Department is at the core of the humanities, highlighting the "human" through our individual, one-on-one interactions with our students, our emphasis on community and global engagement, and our abiding interest in our shared humanity through the stories of others. We seek to challenge the mind and to engage the imagination of our students, to teach them to ask questions and to seek for answers.  We encourage them to grapple with the complexity of a culturally and commercially interconnected world and the global networks and processes of cultural exchange. We believe that words and ideas will shape the world. We teach our students life-long skills, so that they learn to write clearly, creatively, and effectively—discovering themselves even as they lay a solid foundation for professional success. 

The undergraduate program in the Department of Chemistry has two primary missions. One of these is to help its majors attain a mastery of the discipline in preparation for further study in chemistry or a chemical science, or for immediate employment in chemistry. The other is to provide an opportunity for students majoring in other disciplines to acquire a basic knowledge of the fundamental areas of chemistry.

The program for majors is designed to enable students to develop in-depth understanding of chemical principles; a working knowledge of the properties of chemical substances; a familiarity with the use of the chemical literature; skill in basic laboratory methods, including modern instrumentation; the ability to observe, record, critically interpret, and communicate experimental results; and a facility in analytical and logical problem solving.

Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Theatre Design is intended as general preparation for the professional designer of scenery, costumes or lighting working in theatre and/or film or as preparation for graduate studies. Students learn through small-class studio courses, laboratories, and involvement in productions in the University Theatre. Students in the B.F.A. Theatre Design program take 69 hours in the Departments of Theatre & Dance, Visual Art, and Art History in addition to the KU Core and electives.

Each Human Biology concentration offers major-level courses in topical categories that allow students to focus on areas that interest them most while retaining the interdisciplinary manner of the major. 

The broad nature of the Human Biology major can prepare students for a variety of post-undergraduate opportunities.  Our Human Biology majors go on to graduate school, medical or another health professional school, and careers ranging from laboratory technicians, biomedical product commercial developers and sales representatives, and teachers.

Undergraduates in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences and Disorders study the basic processes of human communication. Programs are designed for the student who seeks a career in speech, language, or hearing or is interested in normal communication development and communication disorders.

Beginning with the undergraduate experience, you'll find stimulating course work, clinical observation, and a variety of hands-on laboratory projects. To practice as a speech-language pathologist, you will need to earn a master’s degree. Plan to pursue doctoral studies if you want to practice audiology or do research in speech, language, and hearing processes and disorders.

The B.A. in the Department of Religious Studies is a research, analytic, and writing intensive program that features close work with faculty in small classroom settings. It seeks to develop a foundational knowledge of the world’s diversity of religious cultures and critical awareness of the ways in which religion shapes how we see and act toward ourselves, others, and the environment around us. Through the study of specific religious traditions and settings, students come away with a background that is invaluable to understanding and working with people of other cultures, whether in international business or simply as an informed global citizen. Through hands-on training in research and academic writing, students also acquire substantial communication and critical thinking skills that translate easily into most any profession. As a department that encompasses multiple disciplinary and area studies expertises, we share synergies with units across the university that allow students to nurture all manner of specialized interests when it comes to the study of religions, from pan-regional traditions to localized indigenous religions, from gender, ritual, and material religion to textual studies.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design program is a four-year interdisciplinary course of study. Graduates of KU’s Industrial Design program are particularly attractive to potential employers because of our well rounded and rigorous curriculum. Our students find career opportunities in a wide variety of disciplines including product design, furniture design, exhibit design, package design, human factors, design research and product planning. Check out a selection of student work.

The variety of products and systems that fall within the potential scope of an industrial designer's work is extremely broad. Examples range from household appliances to aircraft interiors and from furniture to major electronics equipment, transportation vehicles, and myriad other product areas. Consequently, some industrial designers choose to specialize in particular area, e.g., automobile or furniture design, while others prefer to divide their efforts among several product areas that fall within their own design interests.

Practice is directed toward the creation and development of concepts, designs, and specifications, that optimize the value, function, convenience, safety, utility, and appearance of manufactured products and systems for the mutual benefit of both users and manufacturers of those products.

Civil engineering, the oldest and broadest of the divisions of engineering, implements a range of public and private projects for improving society’s physical infrastructure and the environment. Civil engineers specializing in environmental engineering integrates scientific principles with engineering experience to plan, design, and construct environmental pollution control systems, storm water systems, and  water purification and distribution systems that maintain, protect, and enhance the quality of life. Like all civil engineers,  those specializing in environmental engineering are trained to consider the societal effects as well as the physical and environmental factors that constrain the planning, design, construction, and operation of their projects. 

The undergraduate program gives students the theoretical background, instruction in the engineering application of scientific principles, and professional attitude to serve the public. It typically leads to entry-level positions or to graduate work in technical specialties, business administration, or other professions.

In addition to environmental pollution control and water resources systems, courses that address the behavior and design of steel and reinforced concrete structures, foundations, and surface transportation systems are integrated into the curriculum, culminating in a series of senior-level professional design courses. These simulate the design processes used in the major areas of civil engineering and prepare students for entry-level positions. Most faculty members are licensed professional engineers. KU graduates have successful records in professional practice, research in academic institutions, government and private laboratories, and in managing firms and corporations of all sizes.

Russian is spoken by upwards of 170 million people in Russia, a country that covers one eighth of the world's landmass and that spans eleven time zones across Europe and Asia. Russian is also widely spoken as a second language throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia, making it the fourth most widely spoken language in the world, and thus one of only six official languages of the United Nations. It is the language of some of the world's greatest scientists (including Mendeleev, creator of the periodic table of elements), musicians (including Tchaikovsky, composer of Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and The 1812 Overture), and writers (including Tolstoy, author of War and Peace, and Dostoevsky, author of Crime and Punishment). Study of Russian opens up a myriad of career opportunities in fields ranging from business to diplomacy to environmental studies to technology and cultural exchange.

The news and information track prepares students to adapt to an ever-changing media landscape.

Students develop core skills in writing, editing, storytelling, multimedia production, video, design and web, and then move deeper into a specialty area. For instance, students who want to become  web or print reporters will learn to tell stories with words, yes, but also with video, photo, audio, design and interactive media. Students who want to pursue TV news will learn not only broadcast production but gain skills in design, online storytelling, and writing.

The idea is to help students gain both depth and breadth to propel them into careers that will change many times over the coming decades.

Students who graduate from the news and information track often go on to jobs at websites, magazines, TV stations, sports organizations, startups and nonprofits. Career choices are limited only by the students' imaginations, though, as a journalism degree provides skills in research, critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, communication and creativity that organizations of all types need.