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College of Arts & Sciences Mission

The College of Arts and Sciences seeks to provide a learning environment where students are offered opportunities for intellectual and personal growth through a variety of programs and courses in the liberal arts and sciences. Committed to excellence in teaching and research, dedicated faculty encourage all students to develop their intellectual, moral and spiritual potential.

  Niagara University's Mission

Niagara University's Mission Statement

Goals for the College

1. The nationally-recognized scholarship of its faculty;
2. The research skills and research presentations of its students;
3. The interactive, integrative teaching of its faculty;
4. The large numbers of graduates with an interdisciplinary education;
5. The high percentage of students who continue their education;
6. The preparedness of graduates for careers in the new economy;
7. The preparedness and willingness of its students to be ethical, inclusive leaders in their community and in their profession;
8. An internationalized experience and supportive climate for all students.

  Student Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrated ability to engage in critical thinking appropriate to the discipline.
2. Demonstrated ability to use the information literacy skills, including research skills, appropriate to the major.
3. Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in the discipline.
4. Demonstrated ability to work with others in the discipline.
5. Able to apply ethics appropriate to  the major.
6. Ability to use the techno-logical skills appropriate for the major.
7. Demonstrated awareness of key concepts, theories, and/or knowledge in the discipline (content knowledge).
8. Professional: Able to integrate and apply key principles and concepts in the major field.

  General Education Goals

General Education Goals

1. The nationally-recognized scholarship of its faculty;
   • For the 2005-2006 academic year, our faculty:
     • Gave 100 professional presentations.
     • Wrote 5 books with another 5 accepted for publication.
     • Published over 96 articles, chapters or book reviews
2. The research skills and research presentations of its students;
   • Thirty-one percent of the class of 2006 reported in the A&S senior survey that they had, or planned to, work with a professor on a research project.
   • In 2005-2006 faculty/student research collaborations included:
     • 134 student presentions at the Undergraduate Research Conference, 18 student presentations at ECSC, and 48 student honors theses. 
     • In addition, 15 students were authors/co-authors with faculty on papers presented at professional/student conferences and 1 student co-authored a publication with a faculty member. 
   • In 2006 the Dean established a Fund for Student Research to help promote further student research opportunities.
   • Websites were created to foster student research and recognize students participating in the Undergraduate Research Conference
3. The interactive, integrative teaching of its faculty;
   • The most frequently cited department strength students listed in the 2005-2006 Arts & Sciences Senior Survey was the excellence of their professors (68.4%). 
   • In support of active learning in the classroom, 22 Arts & Sciences Faculty received grants from the Fund for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning and 8 faculty received mini-grants Commitee on College Teaching and Learning in the past year.
4. The large numbers of graduates with an interdisciplinary education;
   • A new M.A. program was founded in Interdisciplinary Studies
   • New model majors were created for the Liberal Arts B.A. degree
   • 70% of the graduating class of 2005-2006 had at least one minor or a double major.
5. The high percentage of students who continue their education;
   • 47.1% of the Class of 2005 were enrolled in graduate school or had completed a graduate program, according to the Employment and Education Report for the Class of 2005.
   • An additional 34.3 percent planned to enroll within the next 5 years, according to the Employment and Education Report for the Class of 2005.
   • Most graduating seniors, 69.9% strongly agreed or agreed that NU had prepared them for graduate school according to the 2006 Arts & Sciences Senior Survey.
6. The preparedness of graduates for careers in the new economy;
   • 84.2% of the Class of 2005 were employed full or part time, in military service, or self employed according to the Employment and Education Report for the Class of 2005.
   • 69.6% of the Class of 2006 agreed or strongly agreed that they felt prepared for employment.  Note that this data was collected prior to their senior year, which includes more opportunities for discussions of career preparation.
7. The preparedness and willingness of its students to be ethical, inclusive leaders in their community and in their profession;
• We are currently collecting this data.
8. An internationalized experience and supportive climate for all students.

• Faculty and staff in A&S are concerned with the rights and dignity of individuals. Students are treated with respect and student problems are handled with sensitivity.
• In 2006 85.5% of the Seniors agreed they had a good relationship with their advisor and 81.9% agreed that they had had a good overall advising experience.
• The Dean’s Office works with academic advisors and appropriate services on campus to ensure that students receive the support and guidance necessary for success. Seniors in the class of 2006 reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with information provided by the dean’s office (82.3%), prompt assistance from the dean’s staff (84%),  knowledge of the dean’s staff (78.3%), and overall experience with the dean’s office (81.2%).

Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Fine Arts degree programs in the College of Arts and Sciences consist of 40 course units; 20 courses are in General Education and 20 are in the Major. General Education courses consists of 9 Foundation courses common to all Niagara University students and a Distribution Component which ensures that every student is exposed to the principal areas of knowledge in the liberal arts.  Major requirements are listed under the respective departments in the Undergraduate Catalog.

To receive a bachelor's degree, a candidate must satisfy the curriculum requirements as specified by the major department, maintain a 2.00 or better QPA overall and in their major, complete the specified number of course units, and be certified by the major department as competent in the major.  Social Work and Nursing majors must earn a C or better in their Pre-Professional courses and have a 2.5 QPA overall and in their Pre-Professional sequence.  To receive an associate degree a candidate must satisfy the degree requirements for the program and have a 2.00 QPA overall and in their concentration.

A&S major curricula click here.

Academic Majors

The College of Arts and Sciences offers 17 majors leading to a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, one major leading to the Bachelor in Fine Arts (BFA) degree and eight majors leading to a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree.

There are also Masters Programs in Criminal Justice Administration and Interdisciplinary Studies. A BS/MS degree program in Criminal Justice allows qualified students to complete both the Bachelors and the Masters degrees in five years.

The College also offers an Associate in Science (AS) degree in Pre-Engineering and an Associate in Arts (AA) degree in General Studies.

The College of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences jointly administer Bachelor degree programs leading to provisional New York State Teacher Certification. Details of the degree programs are described in the catalogue in the College of Education section and under the respective academic departments.

A&S majors & degrees, Click Here.

Academic Minors

For the past four years, well over 50% of the graduates in each class obtained an academic minor in a field of study outside their major.  Just over 84% of the May 2005 graduates completed at least one minor or double major.  The minor allows students to supplement their major field with a coherent sequence of courses which will provide substantive knowledge in a field ancillary to their major, extend knowledge in another area of interest, and develop an interdisciplinary outlook. An academic minor is also an important credential in a job market that values creativity and flexibility.

Students who intend to pursue a minor must complete a Minor Application (available in the office of the Dean of their College) which must be approved and signed by their major advisor, minor advisor and the Dean of their College.

In the College of Arts and Sciences, almost all students will be able to complete their major and a minor within the required 40 course/120 semester hours. In some instances, however, additional courses may be required in order to complete the major/minor sequence. A significant number of students also complete a double major; students seeking to acquire a second major may have to take additional courses beyond the 40 course/120 semester hours.

A&S minors, Click Here.

The Dean meets regularly with a group of undergraduate students from various departments on campus, who:

• Advise the Dean on issues of importance to students.
• Organize the Day of Recognition held in May.
• Supervise the balloting to select the full-time and part-time Arts and Sciences Faculty Awardees for the Day of Recognition

Find out more about the members of the Student Advisory Council here.

Students who are not members of the student advisory group may offer feedback to the Dean's Office by using the contact us page.

One area where the College of Arts and Sciences is pioneering is in student research with faculty.  Students in a number of majors have engaged in collaborative research. In the last few years, over 150 students have co-authored a paper with a faculty member. Many students have presented their research at professional conferences such as the Eastern Colleges Sciences Conference, the Eastern Psychological Association, and the NYS Social Work Association Meetings. Several have even published their research in academic journals. For 2004, 41% of the senior class did research with a faculty member. In 2005-2006 faculty/student research collaborations included:

• 134 student presentions at the Undergraduate Research Conference, 18 student presentations at ECSC, and 48 student honors theses. 
• In addition, 15 students were authors/co-authors with faculty on papers presented at professional/student conferences and 1 student co-authored a publication with a faculty member. 

Our accomplishments in this area were recognized by the Cummings Foundation who awarded NU's Biology Department a $155,000 grant to establish the James H. Cummings Center for Biomedical Undergraduate Research. The lab houses the latest scientific equipment for student research. In 2006 the Dean established a Fund for Student Research to help promote further student research opportunities.

Letters from graduates indicate clearly that they find a strong link between research and success in graduate school. Not surprisingly, the students who do research have a great advantage over others when it comes to applying to graduate school, as seen in this quote from a recent biology graduate who was awarded a 4 year assistantship to earn her Ph.D.:

"As a first year graduate student at UVA, I have found that very few of the other first year graduate students had the kind of opportunities for research training that I had at Niagara. I had the opportunity in the Biology Department to conduct experiments that many graduate level students conduct at other universities. The most impressive fact, however, is that I was published as a co-author on a manuscript in Genome, a well-known scientific journal. There are no other first year graduate students that can boast this kind of experience from undergraduate school" .

A&S Student Research Opportunities

A&S Student photos: Undergraduate Research Conference.

For students who want to enter the job market directly after graduation, we have an extensive program of internships, co-ops, practicums, study abroad and service learning opportunities. To date, figures show that 57% of last year's seniors had done or expected to do an internship at the beginning of their senior year. Similarly, 23% had studied through cooperative education. Our nationally recognized Career Development office can assist students with resumes and finding a position in their chosen careers.

Students in the Theatre program get to hone their skills in the 10 plus professional-quality productions produced on campus each year. All of these opportunities to learn by doing means that our students leave NU highly qualified for work in their chosen field. While the facts support this statement, comments from our graduates also bear this out: A recent CIS major wrote:

"NU really launched me into my chosen career path, information sciences. More specifically, Interactive Voice Response applications ... I very much enjoy my job, and I owe much thanks to the NU community of teachers and staffers. To elaborate, I entered this position well prepared. First was the training. In the IT field you simply can't fake it ... your coding performs right or it doesn't. The learning environment at NU was both comfortable and stimulating; an environment that promotes a high learning curve. The expertise of my professors and their approachability is due credit here. And they are the first to receive my thanks. Second, what also clicked for me was the integration of my learning with the guidance of the Career Development Center. Every step of the way ... from resume critique to establishing internships to ultimate job placement, it was all there for the taking. They're very good at what they do" .

A&S Career Planning Site

Individual departments in the College of Arts and Sciences offer a wide variety of internship and co-op programs. These programs allow students to attain work experience in non-profit and business organizations and in national, state and local governments. Students who participate in an internship or co-op often find their work experience is helpful in securing a job after graduation. Academic credit is available for most of the internships and co-ops. Students interested in either an internship or co-op must see their advisor for approval.

Visit the Co-op Office or contact your advisor / department for more information about how to get involved with these programs.

Several opportunities to study in another country are available to students in the College of Arts and Sciences. Our most popular programs bring students to Mexico, Spain and France to study language, London to study theatre and communications, Australia to study social work and to many other locations around the globe. 13% of the Class of 2004 took advantage of these once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Students interested in pursuing study abroad should discuss the options available to them with their advisor or NU's study abroad coordinator. 

Niagara University Study Abroad Click Here.

At NU we are equally proud of our ability to produce students who have a strong personal value system and are committed to serving the larger community. We require community service through the Learn and Serve Program, and students often continue volunteering after experiencing the personal reward it brings. NU was picked to be on the Honor Roll of outstanding "character-building universities" in the nation by the Templeton Foundation .

A Psychology graduate said of her Niagara education:

"I feel Niagara nourished me intellectually, spiritually and socially.... The Vincentian spirit has been an important part of my life. It has influenced me in my decisions and in my job choices."

For more information on organized volunteer opportunities through NU's Learn and Serve Program, please Click Here.

 Arts & Sciences Dean's Office

  Dunleavy Hall, 3rd Floor

  Niagara University, NY 14109-2026

 Questions / Feedback ?

  Call us at (716) 286-8060

  or visit the Contact Us page