Gain a solid foundation in general knowledge and enjoy exposure to a range of subjects when you earn an associate’s degree in liberal arts at SNHU. Seven core courses prepare you for further study and deliver a solid set of skills that are valuable both in the workplace and in furthering your education. Because these courses are part of the SNHU four-year degree core curriculum, they smoothly integrate with any of the four-year degree programs, if you choose to continue your studies.
The two remaining core courses help you begin your search for a major, in areas such as political science, psychology, sociology, history, literature and science. An additional six elective courses allow you to further focus your studies in an area of concentration, even within the two-year liberal arts degree program. If you are a transfer student, these electives may align with many of the courses that you wish to transfer from another institution.
Courses in this program satisfy some requirements of the university's four-year degree programs.
Liberal Arts Major Courses
COM-212: Public Speaking
This course is designed to help students develop abilities including organization and delivery skills for all speaking situations The evaluation and improvement of voice diction articulation and posture also are studied May not be used as literature elective
Prerequisites:
ENG-120,
ENG-120: College Composition I
ENG 120 is a college level writing course that introduces students to various forms of academic discourse Students are required to prepare essays in a variety of rhetorical modes including exposition description and argumentation In addition to out of class writing assignments students will be required to compose in class essays in response to readings and other prompts ENG 120 introduces students to process writing techniques library research and MLA documentation procedures The primary focus of ENG 120 is to help students acquire the writing skills they need to succeed in an academic environment Enrollment is kept intentionally small typically 15 students per section to assure maximum benefit
ENG-121: College Composition II
ENG 121 is the sequel to ENG 120 This course concentrates on argumentative writing and requires students to prepare a major research report one that reveals fluency with argumentative strategies and rhetorical conventions In addition students are introduced to analytical reading techniques critical research methods and current documentation procedures Although other kinds of writing are commonly assigned in ENG 121 argumentation remains the major focus of study Enrollment is kept intentionally small typically 15 students per section to assure maximum benefit
Prerequisites:
ENG-120
FAS-201: Introduction to Humanities I
This course offers vocabulary understanding and appreciation of the visual arts in their cultural contexts in history religion literature music and ideas It focuses on the achievements of ancient Greece and Rome the medieval period and the Renaissance while also exploring related issues in non European cultures May be taken independently of FAS 202
FAS-202: Introduction to Humanities II
This course offers vocabulary understanding and appreciation of the visual arts in their cultural contexts in history religion literature music and ideas It focuses on the cultural periods of the Baroque the Enlightenment Romanticism and Early Modernism while also exploring related issues in non European cultures May be taken independently of FAS 201
IT-100: Introduction to Information Technology
This is the fundamental computer fluency course required for all Southern New Hampshire University students It is designed to promote a working knowledge and understanding of computer information technology concepts skills and capabilities that support academic and professionally related goals and requirements Students learn about the application and science of information technology Concepts to master include the fundamentals of computer information technologies along with issues that affect people today such as Internet and other network technologies web publishing digital media hardware software file and database management information security viruses and spyware social impact as well as algorithmic thinking and the limits of computation Students develop capabilities such a managing complexity assessing the quality of information collaborating and communicating using IT anticipating technological change and thinking abstractly and critically about IT Students develop computer related skills in support of their college studies and career goals This is accomplished in part by the mastery of word processing spreadsheet presentation and database software
MAT-130: Applied Finite Mathematics
This course is designed to prepare students for other courses in the core curriculum and in their majors and to provide a basis for making decisions in life after graduation Topics include mathematics of finance probability and counting descriptive statistics and basic linear regression Students who have successfully completed MAT 120 or MAT 150 may not register for MAT 130
ENV-319: US Environmental Law and Politics
How can businesses governments and public interest groups achieve environmental sustainability goals in legal and political contexts that were designed with other goals in mind This interdisciplinary course explores the options in the United States and provides a comprehensive point of comparison for topics explored in ENV 329 and ENV 349 Students spend about half of the course learning how to spot facts that give rise to compliance issues for businesses and other private parties under a full spectrum of federal environmental laws and to identify opportunities for achieving broader sustainability goals within the constraints imposed by the law In the other half students learn both how to predict environmental law and policy outcomes and how to shape them adaptively in pursuit of sustainability goals in a fragmented system of governance that was designed to privilege special interests and to favor the status quo
Prerequisites:
POL-210
POL-210: American Politics
This course offers a broad introduction to the structure and function of the American political system at the national level including the roles played by the president Congress the courts the bureaucracy political parties interest groups and the mass media in the policy making and electoral processes This course places special emphasis on how the efforts of the framers of the Constitution to solve what they saw as the political problems of their day continue to shape American national politics in ours
PSY-108: Introduction to Psychology
This course provides students an introduction to the scientific study of behavior and mental processes Students prepare for more advanced concepts in upper level Psychology courses by learning the basics of how to evaluate research and exploring various areas of specialization within the discipline Offered every semester
SOC-112: Introduction to Sociology
This course studies the organization of social behavior and its relationship to society and social conditions Culture norm stratification systems structure social institutions and social change are emphasized Offered every semester
In addition to the courses listed, students may choose to take:
HIS ELE - One History Elective
LIT ELE - One Literature Elective
PHL ELE - One Philosophy Elective
SCI ELE - One Science Elective
Free Electives: 15 credits
Liberal Arts Electives: 6 credits
Total: 60 credits
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