What's New in the College of Arts & Sciences This Year?

It’s the start of a new academic year at UNC Greensboro, and the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) is excited to share a variety of new clubs, degree paths, equipment, labs, and other exciting changes for its students. These new offerings promise to expand the College’s academic offerings while enhancing our students’ overall college experience.

Here’s a look at what’s new in CAS for academic year 2023-24:

New Courses of Study

The College of Arts & Sciences launched a variety of new majors and concentrations, minors, and certificate programs in August 2023. These courses of study are open to all UNCG undergraduate students.

New Majors

Online History B.A.: The Department of History now offers a fully online version of their long-running major in history, which makes this degree path available to distance learners and those requiring more scheduling flexibility.
History B.A. – Public History Concentration: The Department of History has a long-standing reputation for its public history graduate programs. This new bachelor’s degree concentration now makes the department’s public history expertise available to undergraduate students.

New MINORS

The following new minors are available to all UNCG students, regardless of their major:

Videogaming and Esports Minor: Students can gain expertise in this growing field with a robust suite of courses to choose from, including 3D Animation, Video Sports Production, Fandom and Religion, and much more. This interdisciplinary minor is housed in The Department of Religious Studies.
Historic Preservation Minor: Housed in the Department of Interior Architecture, this new undergraduate minor allows students to strengthen their knowledge and training in the preservation of historic resources.
Medical Humanities Minor: This new minor crosses many disciplines but is housed in the Department of Philosophy. Students take courses in the ethics, history, politics, and communication of medicine and public health.

New Pre-Baccalaureate Certificates

Pre-baccalaureate certificate programs signify that a student has reached a standard of knowledge about a certain vocational or professional subject or are competent in a particular skill.

The Department of Psychology has launched the following new pre-bacc certificates:
- Higher Education Student Support and Success Certificate: The Higher Education Student Support and Success certificate program will provide students with foundational knowledge and skills for employment in higher education student support careers.
- School-Based Mental Health Certificate: The School-Based Mental Health Certificate will provide students with specialized training to understand the needs of children with mental and behavioral health challenges.
The Department of Classical Studies has launched three new pre-bacc certificates in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Roman History.

Explore the new B.A. in History – Public History Concentration

New Student Clubs

English Club: The Department of English has launched a student club for English majors and minors. An inaugural meeting was held on August 25. Follow the English Department on Instagram for more updates.
Philosophy Club: After a hiatus, the Philosophy Club is relaunching. Follow the Philosophy Department on Instagram for updates.

New Equipment, LabS, and Spaces

New Green Screen and StarTracker: The Department of Media Studies has a brand new green screen and high-end camera tracking system called StarTracker. This new equipment will greatly enhance the department’s virtual production courses and initiatives, including filmmaking and Esports production.
New 3D Printers, Universal Laser Cutter, and more: The Department of Interior Architecture has added a new Universal Laser Cutter, 3D printers for the Computer-Aided Making (CAM) Lab, and new furniture for the Interior Architecture studio spaces.
The North Carolina Archaeology Lab: The Department of Anthropology now houses the North Carolina Archaeology Lab in the Graham Building. This new area is both a teaching and research lab where students will get hands-on experience working with materials from North Carolina, especially artifacts from local archaeological projects. It also houses a material culture reference library, artifact type collections, and space to temporarily store artifacts that are being processed and analyzed. The lab also has space to digitally record artifacts through 3D laser scanning and photogrammetry!
Greek and Roman Artifact Replica Collection: The Department of Classical Studies has a new collection of artifact replicas from the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. The department has already begun to use the replicas as teaching tools in its courses.

male student works on computer looking at artifacts — Student works in the new North Carolina Archaeology Lab

universal laser cutter equipment — Student works in the new North Carolina Archaeology Lab

Changes in course requirments

New Language Requirement for College of Arts & Sciences students: The foreign language requirements have changed for students pursuing an undergraduate degree in one of the College of Arts & Sciences’ 27 departments and programs. These requirements are for those starting in academic year 2023-24 and on. Following are the new requirements:
- B.A. students need to complete 12 hours, which can be satisfied in one of two ways:
  - Successfully complete a 203 course in an additional language and complete a 204 course in the same language.
  - Successfully complete a 203 course in an additional language and complete an approved Communicating Ideas in Context (CIC) Culture course.
- B.S. students need to complete 6 hours, which can be satisfied in one of three ways:
  - 6 hours of additional language coursework related to a single language, between the 101-204 level, depending on their starting point in the language.
  - 3 hours of additional language coursework, between the 101-204 level, depending on their starting point in the language, and a CIC Culture course.
  - 6 hours of CIC Culture courses.
- A list of approved CIC Culture courses is in the catalo g.
New Requirements for English majors: The Department of English has changed the course requirements for its majors — for those students starting in AY 2023-24 and on. New English majors must take one course in each of three categories: Big Questions; Historical Depth and Context; Theories and Methodologies; and Marginalized and Minoritized Writers. Rather than organizing what students are learning around national traditions (British or America) or time period (pre-1800 or post-1800), this structure explores the kinds of questions we ask in literary studies (big questions), how we go about answering them (theories and methodologies), and two big areas of cultural production (historical depth and marginalized and minoritized writers). Students will take one course in each category and then seven additional courses in any of the categories. These electives allow them to pursue a certificate or minor to meet their interests and career goals. This change does not apply to English majors who started before AY 2023-24. Contact the English Department for more information.
Biology 100: The Department of Biology‘s BIO 100 course is returning this year as a helper course for Biology majors enrolled in BIO 111. This course will help students learn how to study and succeed in Biology courses. Enrollment is mandatory for first-year Biology majors and open to all students who plan on taking advanced Biology courses (Nursing, Chem, Biochem, etc.).