College of Letters & Science
Welcome to the College of Letters & Science!
First watch a video welcoming you to the College of Letters & Science. Then click on your declared major to expand a section of important videos and information. After you have watched the videos, read the content, and most importantly, feel confident that you understand all of the information, you may return to your Orientation/Class Registration pathway in CatsConnect to proceed with scheduling an appointment with your Academic Advisor.
Please note:
- Only expand the appropriate sections for your major. Expanding extra sections may be confusing.
- You only need to read the information and watch the videos for your own declared major.
Welcome to the College of Letters & Science!
Select Your Declared Major
Major Overview
The American Studies program is designed to meet the needs of students, including non-traditional majors and lifelong learners, who want to pursue a flexible, multi-disciplinary curriculum in American Studies. Students explore the experiences and values of the people of the United States as embodied in their history, literature, art, and other forms of cultural expression.
All undergraduate students are required to choose one of three program focus areas:
- American Arts - Students explore the creative role of music, film, and popular culture in shaping American values, desires, tastes, and behavior. They are invited to examine the ways in which the visual arts have shaped, and are a product of, the social, economic, and political developments that have defined the American experience.
- American History - Students acquire a broad understanding of the interplay of culture, society, and political change in America's past, present, and future. This focus explores how present day problems are contingent on past actions and belief systems.
- American Literature - Students will read poetry and prose, fictional and dramatic works of representative American writers. They will acquire an understanding of critical approaches to the study of literature, and of the relationship between culture and literary studies.
Meet Your Advisor
Alex Reynolds is an academic advisor team lead advising first and second-year students. She holds a B.S. in Sociology and a Master of Science in Management and Leadership. She has been advising for almost a decade through various universities and truly enjoys helping students on their education path!
Advising & Curriculum for American Studies Majors
Major Overview
Students earning a B.S. in anthropology obtain a broad, anthropological perspective on the study of humankind. As part of the curriculum, students are expected to become familiar with and understand the interrelationships among the diverse aspects of our humanity – both present and past. These include the biological evolution of our species, the adaptive advantage of human symbolic capacities and technological abilities, and the development of culture from earliest recognizable traces through the emergence of complex civilizations. Historical concerns include investigations of the diversity of human languages, the relationship between language and world view, the ethnography of speech practices, the cultural construction of the social and physical world, and the social and structural relationships that people use to make sense out of their daily activities. These concepts are introduced and applied through course offerings in the four sub-fields of anthropology: social/cultural anthropology, archeology, evolutionary/biological anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. Students work closely with faculty to gain a well-grounded knowledge of anthropological theories and methods that allows them to pursue research in one or more sub-fields of study.
Anthropology is a diverse field that provides students with a solidly-grounded liberal arts education. At the same time it is a cornerstone for understanding issues of diversity in an increasingly global world. In order to gain the skills needed to pursue research, students will learn how to think critically, read in a discerning manner, formulate logical arguments, and write in a coherent fashion. The B.S. degree in Anthropology prepares students for graduate work in this discipline. Graduate degrees are typically required for professional participation in this field. In addition to professional employment as research scientists or college-level professors, anthropologists often find positions as consultants, teachers, museum curators, or as specialists in historic preservation. Equally, domestic and foreign assignments with international, federal, or state agencies and institutions, and jobs in private industry, are available. Anthropologists are also found in public service organizations, medical and public health programs, environmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, and in positions that require community organizing abilities or ethnographic and social survey research skills.
Meet Your Advisor
Jeffrey Nelson is an academic advisor for the College of Letters and Science at Montana State University. He advises the social science majors: Anthropology, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. Jeffrey loves talking with students about their interests and academic plans. He is always available to meet with students who are considering adding a social science minor as well. He looks forward to meeting you at your orientation!
Welcome to the Department of Anthropology & Sociology!
Advising & Curriculum for Anthropology Majors
Major Overview
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry offers programs that are certified by the American Chemical Society and that emphasize modern areas in chemistry and biochemistry at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The curriculum for the Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry provides basic education in chemistry with sufficient breadth and flexibility to allow students to enter a variety of chemistry-related careers. Several curricular options are available, each of which is career- and employment-directed. Employment opportunities are extensive. For example, at least 36 percent of the research and development workforce in the United States have degrees in chemistry, more than any other discipline. The different options allow the student to emphasize his or her personal choices in course selection.
All of the options emphasize current aspects of chemistry and biochemistry with particular attention given to instrumentation, modern concepts and methods, and use of computers to help solve chemical problems. Participation in undergraduate research within an active research group in the department is an important and rewarding part of the overall program. A wide range of fundamental research programs are ongoing in all major areas of chemistry: analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic and physical.
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry participates in several instructional and research programs of an interdisciplinary nature. These include nanomaterials, optical technology, thermal biology, biofilm engineering, computer modeling of proteins and nucleic acids, and the WWAMI medical education program. The department has active graduate programs leading to the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy. These degrees may be obtained in either chemistry or biochemistry.
Welcome to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry!
Curriculum
Major Overview
There are several options within the Biological Sciences Major:
- Conservation Biology and Ecology: gives students a clear understanding of the ways that natural and human-related processes affect species, communities and ecosystems, and relate this knowledge to its broad societal context.
- Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management: provides a professional degree program for those students who have an interest in employment in these fields. Study leading toward a bachelor's degree emphasizes basic principles of animal ecology, with considerable work in related fields.
- Organismal Biology: provides a rigorous program of study in plant or animal biology at the whole-organism, species, population, and community levels, while allowing students flexibility in selecting those biology courses that best meet their interests and objectives.
- Biology Teaching: certifies graduates to be qualified to teach secondary school biology and provides a solid education in biology and basic sciences with professional preparation courses required for state teacher certification.
Welcome!
Meet Your Advisors
Alex Reynolds is an academic advisor team lead advising first and second-year students. She holds a B.S. in Sociology and a Master of Science in Management and Leadership. She has been advising for almost a decade through various universities and truly enjoys helping students on their education path!
Advising & Curriculum for Biological Sciences Majors
Major Overview
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry offers programs that are certified by the American Chemical Society and that emphasize modern areas in chemistry and biochemistry at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The curriculum for the Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry provides basic education in chemistry with sufficient breadth and flexibility to allow students to enter a variety of chemistry-related careers. Several curricular options are available, each of which is career- and employment-directed. Employment opportunities are extensive. For example, at least 36 percent of the research and development workforce in the United States have degrees in chemistry, more than any other discipline. The different options allow the student to emphasize his or her personal choices in course selection.
All of the options emphasize current aspects of chemistry and biochemistry with particular attention given to instrumentation, modern concepts and methods, and use of computers to help solve chemical problems. Participation in undergraduate research within an active research group in the department is an important and rewarding part of the overall program. A wide range of fundamental research programs are ongoing in all major areas of chemistry: analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic and physical.
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry participates in several instructional and research programs of an interdisciplinary nature. These include nanomaterials, optical technology, thermal biology, biofilm engineering, computer modeling of proteins and nucleic acids, and the WWAMI medical education program. The department has active graduate programs leading to the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy. These degrees may be obtained in either chemistry or biochemistry.
Meet Your Advisors
Alex Reynolds is an academic advisor team lead advising first and second-year students majoring in Ecology (Biological Sciences). She holds a B.S. in Sociology and a Master of Science in Management and Leadership. She has been advising for almost a decade through various universities and truly enjoys helping students on their education path!
Welcome to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry!
Curriculum
Major Overview
The department offers a Bachelor of Science in Earth Sciences degree which may be earned in any one of five options (Geography, Geographic Information Science/Planning, Geology, Paleontology, and Snow science). Each option requires courses from within the Department of Earth Sciences and courses outside the department. Some of the courses fulfill both departmental requirements and University Core Curriculum requirements.
Welcome to the Department of Earth Sciences!
Meet Your Advisor
Alex Reynolds is an academic advisor team lead advising first and second-year students majoring in Ecology (Biological Sciences). She holds a B.S. in Sociology and a Master of Science in Management and Leadership. She has been advising for almost a decade through various universities and truly enjoys helping students on their education path!
Advising & Curriculum for Earth Sciences Majors
Major Overview Ecology
The Department of Ecology offers a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences which emphasizes a solid grounding in biology and the fundamental sciences, and which allows students to specialize within four options: Organismal Biology, Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management, Conservation Biology and Ecology, and Biology Teaching. Organismal Biology emphasizes the basic sciences of zoology and botany; Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management and Conservation Biology and Ecology emphasize the application of knowledge to the conservation of the biota and natural resources; Biology Teaching prepares students for career as a high school biology teacher.
Major Overview
The Bachelor of Science degree in economics stresses the use of economics as a means of understanding current economic activities and problems and their relationship to our social environment. Economics is the study of critical decision-making behavior. It is a mode of thinking and reasoning with widespread application. The skills that employers value most highly are the ability to think critically and carefully, the ability to learn new skills and the ability to solve problems. Some vocations may require very specific skills (for example, knowledge of a particular computer software package). However, skill requirements change over time. The need for people who can think, learn and solve problems is timeless. Economics hones these time-honored abilities.
The objective of the program is to provide the student with a liberal university education with particular emphasis on economics. In keeping with this objective, requirements are specified largely in terms of broad subject areas rather than designation of particular courses. The student, with the help of the advisor, is given the opportunity to develop a program to meet his or her own particular needs and interests. With this freedom, however, comes the responsibility of building an overall program that is both cohesive and academically sound. The program focuses on teaching students to think, to use logic and reason, and to organize their thoughts in order to solve problems rather than simply memorize and recite the subject matter. The courses also focus on instilling in students a desire to learn, so that they will leave our courses prepared and eager for lifelong learning.
The economics program, with its flexibility, offers the opportunity to acquire a general university education and the necessary background and preparation for many career objectives. Economics majors pursue a wide variety of careers after graduation. Students with a bachelor's degree in economics are often employed in the financial, retailing, and industrial sectors of the economy. Economics majors also work in such diverse fields as actuarial science, elementary and secondary education, journalism, investment banking, securities analysis, corporate finance, insurance, law, politics, and environmental regulation, as well as in government and academia. Graduate schools regard a degree in economics as excellent preparation for advanced work toward a degree in law as well as a Ph.D. in a number of social science fields such as economics, international relations, public policy, and political science. Economics is also an excellent undergraduate major for students seeking an MBA. What can be done with an education in economics is unlimited!
Welcome to the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics!
Major Overview
The curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Arts in English provides the student three options: 1) the literature option for students who wish to specialize in the study of literature, especially those preparing for a broad range of careers including graduate study in English or related fields; and 2) the writing option for students who wish to specialize in the study and production of expository and creative writing and rhetoric, in preparation for professional writing careers or graduate study; and 3) the English teaching option for students wishing to specialize in the study of literature, language, and composition as preparation for licensure for secondary school teaching.
There are many professional opportunities open to English graduates. In addition to teaching, professional schools (law and business, for example) consider the B.A. in English to be excellent preparation. The study of literature and effective writing is also useful in the areas of corporate management, personnel work, finance, consulting, journalism and public relations, Intermediate Tech Writing and editing, and many other fields, as various industries continue to seek people who are literate and articulate.
Meet Your Advisor
Cassie is an academic advisor in the College of Letters and Science working with students majoring in Psychology and English. She holds a B.S. in Music Education as well as an M.A. in Education with a concentration in Arts Integration. She is excited to work in academic advising and looks forward to meeting you!
Advising & Curriculum for English Majors
Major Overview
The Bachelor of Arts in History allows students to specialize in the study of the American west, U.S. history, environmental history, and the history of science and technology. The history degree also provides an analytical gateway to areas beyond the United States, with courses of advanced study related to South Asia, East Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the ancient world. Internships at historical societies, museums, and Yellowstone National Park are also an important part of the educational experience and are strongly encouraged by the department.
A degree in history prepares students for teaching, graduate studies, public resource management, government service, law school, journalism, and other career opportunities that require critical thinking and clarity of communication. Students participate in original research projects and student-centered learning activities; they learn to read and analyze primary texts, as well as secondary literature, and to write thoughtfully about them. Students learn to create knowledge by thinking creatively and basing their ideas in the empirical authority inherent in careful examination of historical documents.
At all levels of the curriculum, the history degree provides students with the tools to think rigorously, to research and thereby generate knowledge empirically, and to articulate their thoughts coherently. In consultation with an advisor, students may select from a range of fields of concentration that are consistent with his or her interests and educational objectives.
Welcome to the Department of History and Philosophy!
Advising & Curriculum for History Majors
Major Overview
The Liberal Studies degree offers an interdisciplinary approach to a well-rounded education which emphasizes reading, reasoning, and communication skills in addition to substantive knowledge that will allow graduates to thrive in a broad range of career contexts and to pursue life-long learning.
All students are required to choose one of three program options, either the Quaternity option (also available online) which offers the more traditional broad-based liberal arts education, or a cross-disciplinary cluster of thematically related courses (option II), which currently includes the Environmental Studies and the Global and Multicultural Studies options. Courses that are used to satisfy one degree requirement cannot be used to satisfy another. Students must complete a minimum of 30 credits in the program after declaring themselves to be Liberal Studies majors.
Meet Your Advisor
Alex Reynolds is an academic advisor team lead advising first and second-year students. She holds a B.S. in Sociology and a Master of Science in Management and Leadership. She has been advising for almost a decade through various universities and truly enjoys helping students on their education path!
Advising & Curriculum for Liberal Studies Majors
Environmental Studies
Global & Multicultural Studies
Quaternity
Major Overview
Many undergraduate courses are sufficiently basic to be of general interest. Detailed and current information on undergraduate course offerings is available from the department.
The four-year baccalaureate curriculum in mathematics is flexible and can accommodate students desiring to concentrate in mathematics, applied mathematics, mathematics teaching, or statistics. Programs in these concentrations are designed with the help of faculty advisors.
Advising & Curriculum for Mathematical Sciences Majors
Major Overview
The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures offers a full range of courses for students interested in language, culture, and literature. The study of foreign cultures, languages, and literatures is an integral part of a basic education and an essential component of one's university training. It provides students with the knowledge to better understand their own language and culture and to function intelligently as members of a multicultural society.
The major in Modern Languages & Literatures offers options in French, German, Spanish, Asian Studies, and Latin American & Latino Studies. In our language programs, lower division courses are designed to help students acquire a strong Intermediate level of proficiency. Upper division courses strengthen Intermediate level skills and develop Advanced level functions through the study of culture (literature, history, art, etc.). For students interested in teaching, K-12 teaching options are offered in French, German, and Spanish. Students without prior language study who are interested in the literature and culture of Chinese, French-, German-, Japanese-, and Spanish-speaking peoples may choose elective credits from a variety of courses taught in English.
The major options and minors in Asian Studies and Latin American & Latino Studies include both a language component and a flexible, interdisciplinary curriculum. Asian Studies also offers more focused minors in Japan Studies and China Studies.
In addition to providing opportunities for students to participate in MSU-sponsored study abroad programs, the department offers advice concerning the role of language study in career planning. Foreign languages are used by interpreters, translators, and teachers; but proficiency in another language also enhances job opportunities in any career. Foreign language training is a critically important skill for careers in business and commerce, health care, government service, law enforcement, social services, and agriculture.
Advising & Curriculum for Modern Languages & Literature Majors
Major Overview
Philosophy is concerned with the underlying assumptions and broad implications of human knowledge and values. The curriculum in philosophy contains a wide range of courses that explore diverse topics through the writings of important philosophers of the past and present. Emphasis is placed on understanding different solutions to questions about such topics as the role of emotion in film, the moral questions surrounding medicine and bioethics, the importance of the environment and animals, the origin of life, the nature of consciousness, etc., and on analyzing and criticizing them.
The Bachelor of Art in Philosophy has traditionally served as a basis for further study in philosophy, law, religion, or related fields. It may also be used as background training for government, business, writing, information management, or any field that depends upon a strong liberal arts education. The department has traditionally encouraged taking a double major and has restricted the number of required courses in philosophy so that this may be possible.
Welcome to the Department of History and Philosophy!
Advising & Curriculum for Philosophy Majors
Major Overview
The physics curriculum is designed with considerable flexibility in order to accommodate the variety of interests, plans, and needs of majors. At the same time, it provides a broad and thorough understanding of the fundamental ideas and concepts related to the physical world surrounding us. Using this broad base, which stresses fundamentals, undergraduates may enter graduate work in one of the pure or applied sciences or one of the non-sciences such as education, business administration, law, journalism, or philosophy. They may also choose to go directly into jobs in education, industry, government, or business.
The Department of Physics offers several undergraduate degree options, as well as Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. The faculty in all research groups are strongly committed to enriching the undergraduate experience by providing opportunities for undergraduates to fully participate in cutting-edge research projects working alongside faculty and graduate students.
Meet Your Advisors
Alex Reynolds is an academic advisor team lead advising first and second-year students majoring in Ecology (Biological Sciences). She holds a B.S. in Sociology and a Master of Science in Management and Leadership. She has been advising for almost a decade through various universities and truly enjoys helping students on their education path!
Advising & Curriculum for Physics Majors
Major Overview
The Bachelors (BA) Degree in Political Science will develop knowledge of American political institutions, world politics, political theory, public administration, and policy. Our students learn to analyze, interpret, and explain political phenomena through the lens, and with the methods, of a political scientist. Our integrated curriculum challenges students to develop their critical thinking, communication, and research skills, preparing our graduates for citizenship and leadership, post-graduate study and diverse employment possibilities. Political Science is an excellent background for students preparing for degrees in government, politics, civil society, the law, and the private sector.
As a Political Science major, you will construct an individualized course of study drawing on our rich curriculum, internship program, complimentary majors and minors, and study abroad opportunities. Students will take a lower division foundation block of five courses that introduces them to the sub-fields of Political Science and their modes of inquiry. After completion of the five-class foundation block, students individualize their course of study while fulfilling their upper division coursework requirements and a research design class.
Welcome to the Department of Political Science!
Meet Your Advisor
Jeffrey Nelson is an academic advisor for the College of Letters and Science at Montana State University. He advises the social science majors: Anthropology, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. Jeffrey loves talking with students about their interests and academic plans. He is always available to meet with students who are considering adding a social science minor as well. He looks forward to meeting you at your orientation!
Advising & Curriculum for Political Science Majors
Overview
The Pre-Med Intake Major is a program that encourages students to explore and prepare for academic majors leading to careers in the health professions. It is not a major from which students will graduate and it is not intended for Nursing students.
Starting at Orientation and throughout their freshmen year, students will be advised by a dedicated academic advisor from the Academic Advising Center. While students start on their CORE and math/science courses, the pre-med intake advisor provides students with one-on-one assistance in choosing a major to meet their interests, talents and future goals.
This major also works in partnership with the Health Professions Advising (HPA) Office. The HPA advisor offers workshops, advising, and coaching to prepare students in creating a competitive application to medical, dental, pharmacy, physical therapy and other health care professional schools. Assistance from the HPA office is available to all MSU students and alumni.
The Pre-Med Intake major is designed to foster students' awareness of the variety of academic majors and opportunities related to the health professions that MSU offers. Students in the program are encouraged to take advantage of special courses, such as HMED 140, and workshops offered by the HPA office to broaden their knowledge of options in the health professions.
Advising & Curriculum for Pre-Med Students
Video coming soon!
You may schedule your advising appointment now; you do not need to wait for this video to be uploaded.
Major Overview
Psychology is the scientific study and application of knowledge concerning the behavioral and cognitive processes of humans and other animals. The Psychology Department offers a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Psychology. This degree prepares students for employment in applied settings or for graduate study in psychology and related fields. Students who choose not to continue toward a graduate degree may find employment in a wide variety of organizations and agencies as well as in research settings where knowledge of behavior and cognition is useful. For such students, a B.S. in psychology offers a broad liberal arts background. Those students who obtain an advanced degree (typically an M.S. or a Ph.D.) may find employment in research settings, academic settings, or private practice, although individuals with advanced degrees also work in a wide variety of other organizations.
The psychology curriculum introduces students to the basic scientific and applied areas of the discipline. It emphasizes theories, methods, and terminology, as well as research findings in each of psychology's major subareas. Students learn about various research methods used to study psychological phenomena, as well as the strengths and limitations of each. Students conduct psychological research or perform fieldwork in a setting related to psychology, gaining experience that forms the basis for the Senior Thesis Capstone course.
Welcome to the Department of Psychology!
Meet Your Advisors
Jeffrey Nelson is an academic advisor for the College of Letters and Science at Montana State University. He advises the social science majors: Anthropology, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. Jeffrey loves talking with students about their interests and academic plans. He is always available to meet with students who are considering adding a social science minor as well. He looks forward to meeting you at your orientation!
Cassie is an academic advisor in the College of Letters and Science working with students majoring in Psychology and English. She holds a B.S. in Music Education as well as an M.A. in Education with a concentration in Arts Integration. She is excited to work in academic advising and looks forward to meeting you!
Advising & Curriculum for Psychology Majors
Major Overview
The Bachelor of Science in Sociology program provides students the opportunity to combine a liberal arts education with a unique focus on the empirical study of human societies including social dynamics, institutions, and inequality. Students are permitted a large number of elective courses.
A Bachelor's degree in Sociology prepares students for employment in a number of arenas, including governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, for-profit businesses, agricultural organizations, and academic institutions. The fields of law enforcement, probation and corrections, labor relations, business management, personnel administration, market analysis, and various types of industrial research employ students who major in sociology. Many graduates enter social services. Sociology also provides excellent preparation for graduate school and other educational and career opportunities.
The Department offers a Bachelor of Science degree with two options: (a) General Sociology, or (b) Criminology. Both options require 42 credits in Sociology courses.
Meet Your Advisor
Jeffrey Nelson is an academic advisor for the College of Letters and Science at Montana State University. He advises the social science majors: Anthropology, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. Jeffrey loves talking with students about their interests and academic plans. He is always available to meet with students who are considering adding a social science minor as well. He looks forward to meeting you at your orientation!