Oct 27, 2024

2024-2025 Catalog

Undergraduate Academic Programs

Academic Programs
Contract Minor
Developmental Studies
Learning Goals by Degree Level
Millennium III Honors Program
All Academic Programs

Academic Programs

Associate Degrees (two-year)

Associate of Arts (A.A.) is a two-year degree. The program requires a minimum of 60 credit hours. This degree is designed for students who plan to pursue a baccalaureate degree at WNMU or elsewhere with minimal loss of credit.

Associate of Science (A.S.) is a two-year degree which emphasizes a technical program of study. The program requires 60-74 credit hours that includes the following: (a) vocational courses, (b) technical support courses, and (c) electives. The Associate of Science degree enables a student to transfer to another institution or pursue a higher level degree at WNMU with minimal loss of credit.

Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) is a terminal degree with a heavy emphasis on technical courses and practical experience so that the graduate is prepared for technical level positions in the field. The program requires 60-70 credit hours distributed to include (a) vocational coursework, and (b) technical support courses.

Associate Degree Majors and Certificate Programs

Applied Liberal Arts and Sciences, A.A.

Business Administration, A.S.

Chemical Dependency Counseling, Certificate

Construction Technology, A.A.S.

Construction Technology Certificate

Construction Technology Framing & Drywall Basics Fast Track Certificate

Criminal Justice, A.S.

Early Childhood Education and Family Support, A.A.

Early Childhood Education and Family Support Vocational Certificate

Electrical Technology, A.A.S.

Electrical Technology Certificate

Electrical Technology Fast Track Certificate

Electrical Technology Introduction to Basics Fast Track Certificate

Geographic Information System Science, Certificate

Graphic Design, A.A.

Graphic Design, A.A.S.

Human Services, A.A.

International Commerce and Trade Undergraduate Fast Track Certificate

Law Enforcement Training Certificate

Mathematics - Pre-Engineering, A.S.

New Mexico Transfer-Ready Certificate

Outdoor Leadership Fast Track Certificate

Pharmacy Technician Certificate

Teacher Education in Elementary/Special, A.S.

Teacher Education Secondary, A.A.

Welding Technology Certificate

Welding Technology Fast Track Certificate

Welding Technology, A.A.S.

Wildland Fire Science, Fast Track Certificate

Wildland Fire Science, Certificate

Wildland Fire Science, A.A.

Wildland Fire Science, A.S.

Yoga Teacher Training Fast-Track Certificate Program

Baccalaureate Degrees (four-year)

Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) will prepare students for careers in technical and professional fields. This degree requires an additional six credit hours of mathematics or computer science above those used to meet general education requirements. B.A.S. in Rehabilitation Services requires any combination of six credits (beyond General Education) in the areas of Statistics, Math, Biology, Chemistry, and/or Kinesiology.

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) is traditionally the primary undergraduate degree in higher education. The degree enables a student to widen intellectual horizons, to explore new subjects and deepen insights into old ones, and to find areas of learning where dominant interests lie. During the freshman and sophomore years, a B.A. student is expected to complete the foundations of a liberal education by studying a foreign language.

During junior and senior years, the student is expected to think constructively about a major field and attain some measure of competence. Meanwhile, elective courses are taken to add breadth and depth to the student’s education.

Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) is the undergraduate Business Administration degree. It provides a broad base of liberal education courses, a core of business courses and areas of emphasis in accounting, business management, or marketing. This degree requires six hours of mathematics or computer science above those used to meet general education requirements.

Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) is a professional undergraduate program that prepares the student to exhibit competence in an area of the visual arts or choose a blend of visual and performing arts. In either program, students spend a large portion of preparation time in the studio practicing the craft(s) chosen. In addition, students work with eminent practitioners in the field, learning techniques and methods and attending lectures. Students seeking a B.F.A. degree enter by special application within the Expressive Arts Department.

Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (B.I.S.) is an individualized program of study designed to meet a student’s particular needs. The minimum requirements for this degree include the general education core and 42 upper-division credit hours. ENGL 1110 and ENGL 1120 must be passed with a grade of C or better. This degree reflects a major in Interdisciplinary Studies with no minor.

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) like the Bachelor of Arts, is a degree offering a variety of majors and minors, but does not have a foreign language requirement. The B.S. requires an additional six credit hours of mathematics or computer science above those used to meet general education requirements.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) is a baccalaureate program designed for students who already possess a license to practice as an RN. The student will complete general education requirements and upper division nursing courses. The graduate will be prepared to provide health promotion and health restoration care for individuals, families, and group in a variety of institutional and community settings.

Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) will prepare students for a career in the field of social work.

Classical Language - Spanish

General Science - Teaching Field (Earth & Space, General. Life, or Physical)

Health Science Education - Teaching Field

Language Arts - Teaching Field

Mathematics - Teaching Field

Psychology - Teaching Field

Reading - Teaching Field

Social Studies - Teaching Field

Technical Studies - Teaching Field

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages TESOL - Teaching Field

Contract Minor

Baccalaureate degree seeking students may pursue a contract minor when the circumstances warrant such an option. A contract minor provides students the opportunity to pursue a minor in a field, or related fields, not listed as majors or minors in WNMU’s catalog.

The following conditions and guidelines apply:

The contract minor must not duplicate any existing program at WNMU;
The program must be approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs or designee and the department chair(s) of the department(s) through which the contract minor is offered;
To gain approval the student is required to write a proposal which must include, but is not limited to, the following:
1. A full, detailed description of the course of study and rationale for allowing the program;
2. Faculty advisor(s) who will be charged with overseeing the program. Contract minor advisors must be full time WNMU faculty;
3. The names of all faculty, full time or otherwise, who have agreed to work on the program, including their qualifications and a rationale for their inclusion in the program;
4. A list of clearly stated expected outcomes, special skills, expertise, etc. which the student would obtain from such a program.
The student must prepare a detailed learning agreement including program objectives, methods of evaluation, reading lists, cognitive skills to be acquired, and any other component central to the program’s academic integrity;
Both the proposal and the learning agreement must be approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs or designee, the faculty advisor(s), and the department chair(s) of participating faculty;
The semester prior to graduation, a meeting will take place among the faculty advisor(s), the faculty working on the program, and the student. The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the anticipated graduation, possible deficiencies, and other issues pertinent to completion of the program;
At the program’s completion, the student must submit to his/her faculty advisor(s) a program summary assessing the program’s success, a summary of its benefits, and if appropriate, a discussion of its shortcomings or failings;
When all requirements are met and all work is completed, the faculty advisor(s) will submit a recommendation of completion to the Vice President for Academic Affairs or designee, for final approval. The student must also submit required documentation to the Office of the Registrar for a degree evaluation (see graduation requirements).

Developmental Studies

Western New Mexico University offers two levels of developmental coursework in each of the areas of writing, and mathematics. These courses are offered for those students who are underprepared for college coursework in one or more of these areas. Students are placed into a developmental course on the basis of their ACCUPLACER placement test score. The ACCUPLACER test is a computerized placement test that all first-time entering freshmen and some transfer students should take before they register for classes at WNMU, unless the students have a HiSET, ACT, or SAT qualifying score or an ACCUPLACER Placement Testing Waiver.

Developmental Studies courses are also excellent “brush-up” courses for students returning to college after an extended absence. These courses do not meet General Education requirements, nor do they count toward the completion of any degree. They do, however, count as institutional credit for the purpose of Financial Aid qualification and grade point average determination. Students who need to take several developmental courses should plan on taking more time to graduate than students who do not take developmental courses.

Learning Goals by Degree Level

Undergraduate Certificate

Applies tools, technologies and methods common to the field of study to selected questions, problems, projects or situations.
Demonstrates literacy skills appropriate to the discipline.

Associate Degree

Applies tools, technologies and methods common to the field of study to selected questions or problems.
Identifies and frames a problem or question in selected areas of study and distinguishes among elements of ideas, concepts, theories or practical approaches to the problem or question.
Describes how knowledge from different cultural perspectives might affect interpretations of prominent problems in politics, society, arts and letters, or global relations.
Describes prominent ethical issues and problems, and shows how ethical principles or frameworks help to inform decision making with respect to such problems.
Presents accurate interpretations of quantitative information appropriate to the field of study.
Demonstrates effective communication by developing cogent, coherent, and substantially error-free writing and through structured oral presentations to general and specialized audiences.

Bachelor’s Degree

Constructs a summative project, paper, performance or application that draws on current research, scholarship, and techniques in the field of study.
Differentiates and evaluates theories and approaches to selected complex problems within the chosen field of study.
Describes, explains and evaluates the sources of his/her own perspective on selected issues in culture, society, politics, arts and letters, or global relations and compares that perspective with other views.
Analyzes prominent ethical issues and problems, articulates the ways in which at least two different ethical perspectives influence decision making concerning the problems, and develops and defends an approach to address the ethical issues productively.
Constructs logical or mathematical expressions of quantitative information appropriate to the field of study.
Demonstrates effective communication through discussion by listening actively and responding constructively and through the development of coherent arguments/narratives presented through informal and formal error-free writing and structured oral presentations.

Millennium III Honors Program

The WNMU Millennium III Honors Program serves all undergraduate students with enriched courses based on experiential and interdisciplinary learning and provides activities for highly-motivated students. The program focuses on active rather than passive learning, thereby offering its students a richer return on their investment of time, money, and effort as well as extended opportunities for intellectual and academic growth. Honors courses-either as stand-alone or honors-contract-are intended to be more stimulating, challenging, and exciting than typical courses. An honors contract permits students the unique opportunity to convert any existing course into an enhanced honors course for credit(s) toward completion of the Honors Program, upon approval of the course professor and the director of the Honors Program. Occasional social and cultural events are also offered.

Two Phases: The Honors Program consists of two phases, Honors for General Education and Honors for Majors. Students have the option of completing both phases or only one of them.

Phase I: Honors for General Education is designed to encourage persistence and academic success among students with fewer than sixty credit hours, and who are committed to making an effort toward academic achievement. This phase of the program is open to incoming students with a minimum high school GPA of 2.5. Unless waived, a brief essay will be required as part of the basic application process. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for completion. All students in this phase are required to take three ALAS courses for honors-contract credit and pass each of them with a B or higher. They are also required to attend the Honors Seminar, HNRS 1210, twice for a total of two (2) credit hours.

Phase II: Honors for Majors focuses on academic merit in the student’s major subject and preparation for success after graduation. For completion of this phase, students are required to graduate from WNMU with a minimum GPA of 3.5 overall. Unless waived, a brief essay will be required as part of the basic application process.

In addition to a high average grade in all coursework, for this phase, students are required to complete twelve (12) credit hours of upper-division coursework in their major subject, three (3) credits of honors seminar-one of which must be upper-division (Honors Colloquium)-and a capstone project for three (3) credit hours.

Students who complete Phase I with a high enough GPA (at least 3.0 initially) may continue to Phase II without re-applying to the program and may count their two credit hours of HNRS 1210 toward the three-credit hour requirement for Phase II. Students may also choose to apply to phase II without having completed phase I.

The capstone requirement may be determined by the relevant department of the student’s major subject, or by the department’s representative on the Honors Committee, in consultation with the Honors Program director. Whether an existing major requirement may count toward the capstone is also determined by academic departments.

All of the completed honors courses are listed as such on the student’s transcript. At graduation, each student receives a plaque and a stole for the Commencement ceremony, representing Western New Mexico University’s highest academic honor: graduation through the Millennium III Honors Program.

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