2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    Dec 10, 2024  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

College-Wide Degree Requirements




General Education Curriculum


The General Education Curriculum provides the key elements of a traditional liberal arts education. Students will learn the foundational skills necessary to be successful in college and will explore the liberal arts through a variety of subcategories designed to offer knowledge across a variety of fields and disciplines.

General Education Curriculum Printable Degree Planner  

FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS (18 hours)


The foundational skills required below are essential for students to be successful in college and in the career paths they choose.

Introducation to College Success (3 hours)


Mountain Lion 1000 will facilitate students’ transition to Young Harris College and encourage the development of foundational skills for academic and personal success. Students will learn how to become members of the college community and engaged citizens in a broader world. By the end of the course, students will explore their personal, geographic, and cultural contexts; identify personal goals and values; develop core literacies and critical thinking skills for scholarly inquiry; and establish organizational and time-management habits.

Student Learning Outcome (SLO1): Students will demonstrate efforts to explore connections with diverse members of the college and local communities.

Student Learning Outcome (SLO2): Identify personal goals and values.

Student Learning Outcome (SLO3): Demonstrate information literacy skills necessary for scholarly inquiry.

Student Learning Outcome (SLO4): Explain how the academic services and policies of Young Harris College support the liberal arts approach to education.

Students must take the following:

Communicate Effectively (9 hours)


Communicate effectively is concerned with creating coherent arguments through both written and verbal methods.

Student Learning Outcome (SLO): Students will construct well-supported, logical arguments.

Students must take the following:

Quantitative Analysis (3 hours)


Quantitative analysis is concerned with solving theoretical and applied problems through mathematical methods. 

Student Learning Outcome (SLO): Students will solve problems by analyzing relationships between quantities.

Students must choose one from the following:

History and Constitution (3 hours)


The state of Georgia requires all candidates for college degrees to possess and demonstrate a reasonable mastery of United States history, Georgia history, the United States Constitution and the Georgia Constitution. 

Student Learning Outcome (SLO):  Students will demonstrate knowledge of the history and constitution of the United States and Georgia by course work or examination.

Students must choose one from the following:

EXPLORING THE LIBERAL ARTS (13 hours)


The required courses below are part of a liberal arts education that provides exposure to and interaction with a broad arrangement of fields and disciplines. 

Natural Sciences (4 hours)


The Natural Sciences seek to understand the physical world and universe through use of the scientific method and the accumulated body of knowledge.

Student Learning Outcome (SLO 1):  Students will demonstrate an understanding of how to apply the methods of scientific inquiry to gain knowledge of the physical world and universe through laboratory experiences.

Student Learning Outcome (SLO 2): Students will demonstrate knowledge of concepts and principles particular to a chosen scientific discipline.

Students must choose one from the following:

Humanities (3 hours)


Humanities are concerned with the understanding of literature, history, philosophy, and religious thought. 

Student Learning Outcome (SLO):  Students will demonstrate a basic understanding of one manner in which literature, philosophy, history, or religious thought has contributed substantially to shaping their own experience and/or the experiences of their fellow human beings.

Students must choose one from the following:

Engage Art (3 hours)


Fine Arts are concerned with the understanding of art, music, and theatre. 

Student Learning Outcome (SLO)Students will conduct historical, contextual, and/or critical analysis of the Fine Arts.

Students must choose one course from the following:

Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 hours)


Social and Behavioral Sciences use scientific methods to understand and explain social phenomena. 

Student Learning Outcome (SLO):  Students will demonstrate an understanding of concepts that shape social phenomena.

Students must choose one course from the following:

 

Introduction to College Success

MTLN 1000 - Introduction to College Success  - will facilitate students’ transition to Young Harris College and encourage the development of foundational skills for academic and personal success. Students will learn how to become members of the college community and engaged citizens in a broader world. By the end of the course, students will explore their personal, geographic, and cultural contexts; identify personal goals and values; develop core literacies and critical thinking skills for scholarly inquiry; and establish organizational and time-management habits. All students who enter the institution as full-time, first-time degree-seeking undergraduate students must complete this course during their first semester at YHC. In addition, all freshman transfer students who do not already have satisfactory credit for the course must all complete the course during their first semester at YHC. Transfer students with at least 30 credits (does not include early college or dual enrollment credit) may be exempted from this requirement. Students who do not pass MTLN 1000 with a grade of C- or better must repeat the course every semester until the requirement is satisfied.

Definition of Major, Minor, Concentration, and Emphasis

Major

A major is a structured plan of study designed to provide knowledge, skills and/or expertise in a specific field or discipline. consisting of a minimum of 30 semester hours. Upon graduation, a student has earned a degree in a specific major, which appears on the official transcript (e.g., a BS in Math or a BFA in Musical Theatre). Most baccalaureate degree programs at Young Harris College are designed to be completed in a four-year timeline. See degree and major requirements for details and/or exceptions.

Concentration

A concentration is a structured secondary plan of study, consisting of a minimum of nine semester hours, which is within a major. A concentration appears on the official transcript. Not all majors offer concentrations.

Emphasis

An emphasis is an intensified focus on an area of study within a major. An emphasis appears on the official transcript. Not all majors offer emphases.

The following restrictions apply to completing a major: (1) No courses used to fulfill any major requirements may be applied to fulfill requirements of the General Education Core or the minimum number of required elective hours. All hours from these three areas in a given degree program must be discrete (i.e., cannot be applied to more than one area of that degree program); (2) No courses used to fulfill one concentration or emphasis within a given major may also be used to fulfill another concentration or emphasis within that major.

Minor

A minor is an optional (elective) and secondary structured plan of study outside the major offering some specialization in another discipline. Minors consist of approximately 18 semester hours (some minors require fewer or more hours). A minor appears on the official transcript. Minors can be in similar or very different disciplines than the major. Pursuing minors may require additional coursework beyond that required for a degree/major program Students are encouraged to pursue minorswhen their interests and time warrant it. Students should consult with their academic advisor to determine if a minor is right for them, and whether additional time or heavier course loads would be required to complete a minor or minors.

The following restrictions apply to completing minors: (1) A student may not major and minor in the same academic discipline; (2) Some semester hours earned toward a minor may also be applied to General Education Core requirements, major requirements, or other minor’s requirements. However, at least 9 semester hours of each minor must be discrete (not also used to fulfill any requirement of any a major, other minor, or the General Education Core). Where they do not fulfill General Education Core or major requirements, hours earned in service of a minor are applied toward the minimum number of required elective hours in the degree program

Completion Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees

Each baccalaureate degree requires at least 120 semester credit hours. A baccalaureate degree program requires at least 30 hours of courses in the major.

To earn a baccalaureate degree, a student: (1) must complete a prescribed degree program with at least a 2.0 grade point average in courses presented for graduation, (2) must complete at least 25 percent of the credit hours required for the degree through instruction offered by Young Harris College, (3) must complete the final 30 semester credit hours of the degree program through instruction offered by Young Harris College, and (4) must file a formal application for graduation and pay the completion fee with the Registrar’s Office no later than the first class day of the semester in which the student intends to graduate. The maximum time in which to complete a baccalaureate degree is eight years. 

Students completing a baccalaureate degree are strongly encouraged to participate in graduation exercises. 

Any student who is within six credits of baccalaureate degree completion may participate in the graduation ceremony, provided the student is pre-enrolled in the courses required for degree completion at the time of the graduation ceremony. Credits to be applied toward a baccalaureate degree following the graduation ceremony must be earned through instruction offered by Young Harris College.

Multiple Degrees and Multiple Majors

Multiple Degrees

With some major combinations, a student may earn two or more different degrees (e.g., Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science). To earn multiple degrees, the student must declare multiple majors associated with two or more degree programs, and complete all requirements for each degree. In this case, the student receives multiple diplomas. The student’s academic record will list each degree with its major (e.g., Bachelor of Arts in Music, Bachelor of Science in Management). Multiple degrees may be earned concurrently or consecutively.

Some degree programs offer more flexibility to pursue additional majors (whether resulting in additional degrees or not) than others, and not all multiple major options are compatible in a 4-year undergraduate experience. Pursuing multiple majors will always require additional coursework beyond the original degree program, and may require more than four years to complete, or may require more than average semester credit hours each term to complete in four years. Students should consult with advisors in each discipline to determine if or multiple majors are right for them, and whether additional time or heavier course loads would be required to complete multiple majors.

The following additional restrictions apply to completing multiple degrees: (1) The student shall have one academic advisor assigned from each department delivering the student’s declared major programs; (2) Only one set of general education core curriculum classes is required to complete multiple majors (whether resulting in one or multiple degrees), as long as all requirements for each major and/or degree are met; (3) All majors require a capstone experience. Students pursuing multiple majors are required to enroll either in a single capstone experience that reflects each major program (provided that at least 15 discrete credit hours are successfully completed for each additional major), or enroll in distinct capstone courses for each major. The student should determine the appropriate capstone experience(s) with his or her academic advisors and/or department chairs of each major.

Multiple Majors

A student may earn two or more majors within a single degree program (e.g., Bachelor of Science). To earn two or more majors, the student must complete all requirements for each major. In this case, the student receives one diploma. The student’s academic record will list one degree with multiple majors (e.g., Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and History). Multiple majors may be obtained concurrently or consecutively.

Some major programs offer more flexibility to pursue additional majors than others, and not all multiple major options are compatible in a 4-year undergraduate experience. Pursuing multiple majors will always require additional coursework beyond the original major program, and may require more than four years to complete, or may require more than average semester credit hours each term to complete in four years. Students should consult with advisors in each discipline to determine if multiple majors are right for them, and whether additional time or heavier course loads would be required to complete multiple majors.

The following additional restrictions apply to completing multiple majors: (1) The student shall have one academic advisor assigned from each department delivering the student’s declared major programs; (2) Only one set of general education core curriculum classes is required to complete multiple majors (whether resulting in one or multiple degrees), as long as all requirements for each major and/or degree are met; (3) All majors require a capstone experience. Students pursuing multiple majors are required to enroll either in a single capstone experience that reflects each major program (provided that at least 15 discrete credit hours are successfully completed for each additional major), or enroll in distinct capstone courses for each major. The student should determine the appropriate capstone experience(s) with his or her academic advisors and/or department chairs of each major.

Declaring a Major

Declaring Multiple Majors or Degrees

To declare multiple majors (whether these result in one or multiple degrees) a student must submit a “Multiple Majors Declaration Form” form to the Office of the Registrar. Multiple majors are not official until they are approved by the Office of the Registrar.

Changing a Major or Minor

To change a previously declared major or minor(s), a student must submit a “Major Minor Change” form to the Registrar’s Office. Majors and minors are not official until they are approved by the Office of the Registrar.