Academics
Augustana College, as an undergraduate liberal arts school, grants four-year Bachelor of Arts degrees to its students. The school offers 53 majors, 34 minors, and 12 pre-professional programs within a 4-1-4 academic calendar. The top five most popular majors are nursing, biology, business administration, elementary education and psychology.
Augustana's stated academic goals are to "promote sensitivity to and appreciation of values essential for students to become effective citizens in local, national and international communities." Central to these goals are five core values—Christian, Liberal Arts, Excellence, Community and Service—that serve as the foundation for the College’s academic and student life programs.
The college's curriculum is based on a calendar divided into two 15 week semesters, separated by an interim period of four weeks during January, as well as an optional summer term of eight weeks. Classes may be taken during the month of January. The school offers a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio, notable members including L. Adrien Hannus and Robert E. Wright.
Graduation requires completion of 130 total credit hours, 59 of which are general education courses, with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0. "The Augustana Plan," the name of the 59 credit core curriculum, is "designed to develop articulate communicators, competent writers, creative thinkers, skilled problem solvers, and ethically minded, responsible citizens of the world." Extensive internship, study-abroad, undergraduate research and Civitas, the college’s honors program, supplement the curriculum. Between 2007 and 2008, 285 students participated in an international educational experience, and 44% of students study abroad before graduation.
US News & World Report values Augustana's financial endowment at $53.3 million. Donations have allowed the school to expand its academic facilities, such as the recent $7 million renovation of the Mikkelsen Library and the planned $45 million reconstruction of the Gilbert Science Complex.
Read more about this topic: Augustana College (South Dakota)
Famous quotes containing the word academics:
“Our first line of defense in raising children with values is modeling good behavior ourselves. This is critical. How will our kids learn tolerance for others if our hearts are filled with hate? Learn compassion if we are indifferent? Perceive academics as important if soccer practice is a higher priority than homework?”
—Fred G. Gosman (20th century)
“Almost all scholarly research carries practical and political implications. Better that we should spell these out ourselves than leave that task to people with a vested interest in stressing only some of the implications and falsifying others. The idea that academics should remain “above the fray” only gives ideologues license to misuse our work.”
—Stephanie Coontz (b. 1944)