SLS-BA - Science, Letters, Society

Science, Letters, and Society (SLS) is a prestigious program for high-ranking students, the Science, Letters, and Society (SLS) major is an interdisciplinary program that provides a challenging liberal arts education. The overarching goal of the SLS major is to nurture well-educated individuals who will demonstrate a mastery of content knowledge and related skills in the natural sciences and mathematics, the humanities, and the social sciences. SLS is the required major for students who wish to obtain certification as teachers of Early Childhood Education (birth through grade two) and Childhood Education (grades one – six). For those students who are not planning a career in Education, the SLS degree is excellent preparation for further study at the graduate level. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for admission to and continuation in the SLS program.

Honors

Graduating SLS majors may apply for graduation with honors in SLS.

To graduate with honors a student must have:

1. Fulfilled the requirements for the SLS major

2. Earned a 3.5 grade point average or better in SLS courses

3. Completed an honors thesis to the satisfaction of his or her Honors Committee.

Successful honors projects are characterized by originality, depth, and critical thinking; many honors projects include research. Papers must be carefully proofread, and those including research must have accurate citations. Submissions must be typed in clear, letter-quality print and be free of comments by faculty members or others. The honors thesis should be a substantial paper or write-up of a significant research project supervised by a committee of three SLS and education faculty members: a primary supervisor, a reader, and a committee chair. This committee may be comprised entirely of SLS faculty, or may include an Education faculty member as the primary supervisor or the reader. The SLS coordinator will serve as the chair of all committees or appoint chairs as appropriate. The honors candidate may register for up to four credits of Independent Study with the primary supervisor, who will advise the candidate on a new project or on extending a project or paper previously submitted in a course. The SLS coordinator must approve all thesis proposals prior to the commencement of the project. Completed theses submitted to the Honors Committee Chair must have the signatures of both members of the candidate’s committee (the primary supervisor and the reader) on the title page.

Time frame: honors thesis proposals must be approved by the mid-term of the semester prior to the semester of graduation. Completed theses for majors graduating in January must be submitted to the SLS Office by November 20. Completed theses for majors graduating in June or August must be submitted by April 1.