 | | The academic program at Texas Lutheran University is designed to provide students with a well-rounded education in the liberal arts and sciences while providing an atmosphere for realistic application in today’s fast paced world and competitive society. Whether a student seeks direct employment after graduation or plans to attend graduate school, the academic foundation at Texas Lutheran serves to strengthen those personal goals. |
Degrees Available at TLU Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Bachelor of Music (B.M.)
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.)
Master of Accountancy (M.A.) |
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General Requirements
| 1. Foundations of Liberal Education |
21 semester hours |
| 2. Core Competencies |
0-33 semester hours |
| 3. Distributions of Liberal Education |
30 semester hours |
| 4. Co-Curricular Modules |
4 Modules |
| 5. The Major |
24-60* semester hours |
| 6. Supporting Courses |
0-42* semester hours |
| 7. Electives |
0-25 semester hours |
*See specific requirements for each degree in the Course Catalog.
1. Foundations of Liberal Education (21 semester hours)
Certain capabilities and skills are essential for success in college as well as in life. These topics address students’ abilities to communicate and to care for their physical, mental, and spiritual health. Students should be exposed to these Foundational competencies very early in their college career.
- Basic Quantitative Literacy: MATH 130 or higher
- Critical Reading: FREX 134*
- Engaging Faith Traditions: THEO 133
- Modern Language: Any modern language at the 131 level or higher**
- Self-Awareness & Development: PRWB 130
- Written Communication: COMP 131 & COMP 132
* FREX 134 Exploring the Arts and Sciences is required of all students, except transfer students entering with 24 or more hours, no more than 12 of which may have been earned through dual participation.
** This requirement is met with three credit hours of language study at TLU in Spanish, French, Greek, Hebrew, or other languages offered through our language consortium (e.g. German, Chinese). Students may also transfer foreign language credit from another institution or take a CLEP exam to complete the requirement. This requirement can also be met by one semester of study abroad.
2. Core Competencies
Through completion of the foundation and distribution courses listed above and through selected courses in their majors, students will be developing important competencies. Course offerings designed to meet each competency will be identified in the schedule of classes with a competency code attached to the course number. Throughout their course of study, students will be required to take at least one course with each of the following competencies:
- Advanced Quantitative Reasoning (Q)
- Aesthetic Expression (A)
- Civic Engagement (V)
- Creative Thinking (C)
- Ethical Reasoning (E)
- Inquiry & Analysis (I)
- Intercultural Global Knowledge (G)
- Oral Communication (O)
- Problem Solving (P)
- Scientific Literacy (S)
- Written Communication (W)
3. Distributions of Liberal Education (30 semester hours)
Throughout their lives, TLU graduates will have to embrace lifelong learning as they ask, analyze, and answer extremely difficult, ill-defined questions. The solutions will not be found in books or on the internet, but rather must be approached creatively from a variety of perspectives. TLU’s distribution classes teach the breadth of perspectives necessary to successfully address these challenging problems, are an important vehicle for teaching core competencies, and provide students the foundation for lifelong learning.
- Arts
- 6 hours (with an attached competency) from the following: ARTS130, DRAM, MUSI, VART
- One of the selected courses must meet the Aesthetic Expression (A) competency
- Humanities
- 6 hours (with an attached competency) from the following: HUMA130, ENGL, GEOG, HIST, MAST, PHIL, WOST
- One of the selected courses must meet the Intercultural/Global Knowledge (G) competency
- No more than 3 hours can be taken in any one discipline
- Natural Sciences & Math
- 6 hours (with an attached competency) from the following: NSCI 140, BIOL, CHEM, ENVS, MATH, PHYS, STAT
- At least one natural science course must have a lab
- One of the selected courses must meet the Scientific Literacy (S) competency
- No more than 4 hours can be taken in any one discipline
- Professional Applications
- 3 hours (with an attached competency) from the following: BUSI, COMM, CSCI,EDUC, ENGR, ISYS, KINS
- Cultural Perspective & Religion
- 3 hours (with an attached competency) from the following: FREN, GREK, HEBR, SPAN, other modern foreign languages offered through our language consortium, THEO
- Social Sciences
- 6 hours (with an attached competency) from the following: SSCI130, CRCJ, ECON, POLS, PSYC, SOCI
- One of the selected courses must meet the Problem Solving (P) competency
- No more than 3 hours can be taken in any one discipline
4. Co-Curricular Modules
Co-curricular modules stretch the educational experience beyond traditional academic boundaries by providing students structured learning experiences outside of the classroom that help them advance toward achievement of the competencies. Module requirements are:
- Four modules contributing to at least two discrete competencies are required for graduation
- All incoming freshmen take the freshmen experience module during their first semester of enrollment with the remaining three modules determined by the student
- Preferably the majority of modules are completed by the end of sophomore year
- For every 15 hours transferred in, one less module would be needed (hours earned from an institution of higher education, not AP, IB, or Dual Credit hours)
- Modules are offered during the fall and spring semesters and registration runs concurrently with class registration, Modules run a maximum of 12 weeks and are assessed as Credit/No Credit
5. The Major (24-60 semester hours)
Work done in a major area permits a student to inquire in depth into a subject and to acquire relative mastery of one specific area of knowledge. The following are the 27 major areas:
Accounting (joint major with Business Administration)
Applied Science
Art Athletic Training
Aviation
Biology
Business Administration*
Chemistry
Communication Studies*
Computer Science
Dramatic Media
Economics
Education*
English Studies*
History* |
Information Systems
International Studies
Kinesiology*
Mathematics*
Multidisciplinary Studies*
Music*
Philosophy
Physics
Political Science*
Psychology
Sociology*
Spanish Studies
Theology* |
*Concentrations/Specializations available 6. Supporting Courses for the Major (0-42 semester hours)
Supporting courses are designed to supplement the work in the major area. Some majors assign specific supporting courses; but in most cases general areas of study are outlined, and the specific courses are selected by the student in consultation with the academic advisor.
The Minor (18-23 semester hours)
As an optional part of the curriculum, the university offers academic minors, which may be interdisciplinary or based in one department. The general requirements include a minimum of 18 semester hours to be completed with at least a “C” (2.0 grade point average). Additionally, the student will present a minimum of six semester hours upper-division and six semester hours in residence. A student pursuing a secondary education course of study may earn a minor in his/her second teaching field provided he/she meets all requirements listed above. Minors are available in the following subjects:
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African-American Studies
Art
Biology
Business Administration
Business of Arts
Business Methods for Historians
Business of Science
Chemistry
Communication Studies
Computer Science
Criminal Justice
Dramatic Media
Economics
English Studies
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
French Studies
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Geography
Greek Studies
History
Information Systems
Mathematics
Medical Health Communications
Mexican American Studies
Music
Philosophy
Physics
Political Science
Psychology
Public Relations
Sociology
Spanish Studies
Theology
Women's Studies
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Additional Requirements
All students must take a senior capstone course as a seminar or practicum course (2 or more credit hours) in their major or a related major discipline. This course will reveal the student’s achievement in the discipline. The course will also include reflection on how one’s involvement in this discipline and an associated vocation can contribute to the betterment of humanity and the world and how one’s leadership potential can best be realized here.
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Second Baccalaureate Degree Requirements Student may earn a bachelor's degree in multiple disciplines or earn two bachelor's degrees concurrently. Students may earn an additional bachelor's degree if one has already been acquired from a regionally accredited instutution by completing a minimum of 33 semester hours at TLU.
Students who already hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and who wish to pursue a second baccalaureate degree at Texas Lutheran, must complete a minimum of 33 semester hours of new coursework in residence at Texas Lutheran. The 33 hours must include:
- Twelve hours of upper division work of which nine hours must be upper division coursework in the appropriate major.
- Six acceptable hours of theology.
- The student must also complete all major and supporting coursework for the second bachelor’s degree.
Students wishing to pursue two different baccalaureate degrees concurrently, e.g. Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science, at Texas Lutheran must earn a minimum of 145 hours of course work including all major and supporting coursework required for both degrees. A minimum of 66 hours must be earned through Texas Lutheran University, including the final 24.
Students wishing to earn two majors within the same baccalaureate degree, e.g. Bachelor of Arts with majors in Communication Studies and English, must earn a minimum of 124 hours and complete all major and supporting coursework required for both majors. If a student meets the requirements for two majors and also earns 145 or more hours, two degrees will be awarded.
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| | The TLU Reader on Amazon
This book was written to help Texas Lutheran University students enter into a community of learning that spans many generations of Texas Lutheran graduates, faculty, staff, and friends. Through chapters written by TLU’s staff members and faculty from diverse disciplines, the readers are introduced to the foundational motivations, commitments, habits, goals, and vision that arise out of our educational mission. The TLU Reader shows what it means to become educated people on a journey of life-long learning. |
TLU Reader authors sit down to talk about what liberal education means at Texas Lutheran University. Together, they have entered into a conversation that is as old as human beings. |
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