The College of Liberal Arts at The University of Mississippi is making a change to its catalog that will allow those majoring within the college to graduate with only 120 hours instead of the 124 hours previously required.
“Dean (Glenn) Hopkins proposed the decrease in minimum total hours for the undergraduate degrees in the College of Liberal Arts to bring our degrees more in line with our peer institutions,” said Holly Reynolds, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “This will impact the advanced work and total grade point requirements in the college. Also, transfer students from community colleges will be able to transfer 60 hours instead of 62 hours of coursework.”
The only exceptions are the BFA in theatre arts, which requires 129 hours, and the B.A. in music and the B.A. in forensic chemistry, neither of which allows enough general electives within the major for students to graduate with only 120 hours. However, most other majors will experience this drop in hours required.
Sophomore Ian Camire, who is getting a B.A. in theatre arts, expressed excitement over this change in hours required. “Well, speaking as someone in the department, I believe this drop is a good thing, seeing that liberal arts majors sometimes have to take classes that don’t seem really necessary,” Camire said. “If anything, this will help lower the required hours of said classes, which means more time to focus on minors.”
Junior psychology major Gregory Pevey also sees the change as a positive one.
“I believe this reduction is good because now students will have one less class they have to take to graduate,” he said. “That’s one less class we have to spend money on.”
The drop in hours will be implemented in the spring 2014 course catalog and will affect those graduating in 2014 and onward.
— Katherine Campbell
