Academic Program Information

Undergraduate Programs

A Vision for Undergraduate Education

Steeped in Dominican Ethos, Liberal Learning

Through Foundations, Breadth, Depth and Integration

for Responsible Global Citizenship

We educate one student at a time in the company of others, each unique yet all distinctly Dominican. In dialogue with a Dominican ethos, our students grow as liberal learners through creative and rigorous study marked by solid foundations, disciplinary breadth and depth, and ongoing integration as they aspire to become ethically responsible global citizens. Each student develops an emerging sense of personal and professional vocation through a variety of means, including thoughtful interaction with courses, professors, and other students, and intensive advising and mentoring. We encourage students to participate in internships, study away (international and domestic), community-based learning, and undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative investigations. Diverse insights coalesce in each student’s distinctive educational trajectory, purpose, and plan, as we inspire students to discern the big picture and name their place within it-to stand somewhere and to stand for something, conscientiously positioned in relationship to the world.

Dominican ethos describes the distinctive character of our university’s culture. It includes an environment of Caritas et Veritas, in which we contemplate the meaning of existence and strive collaboratively for a more just and humane world. It understands that study is at once contemplative and communal. It unites reflection and dialogue as we collaborate in the search for truth. It enables students to develop a sense of care and responsibility for oneself, one’s community, and the wider creation. It fosters trust, tolerance, mutual accountability, and belonging. Students enter into conversation with a Catholic intellectual tradition that affirms the compatibility of faith and reason, a universe marked by both intelligibility and mystery, the sacredness of all creation, the dignity of every living being, and concern for the common good. They acquire basic knowledge about Christianity in its various dimensions, and how it interacts with secular and other religious beliefs, practices, and worldviews.

Upon graduation, undergraduates educated at Dominican University possess character, knowledge, and skills to take informed, ethical action in the world and to influence others for the good.

Foundations

Foundations are the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for further learning. They are generally cultivated during the first year, and they are continually developed and built upon in later academic work. In alphabetical order, these are: 

• Application Software. Effective use of application software is the ability to solve real-world problems using computer applications and includes being able to determine the appropriate application to use for a particular need.
  • Students will be able to:
    • create and use dynamic spreadsheets to analyze and present information;
    • create and use databases to organize data and answer data-driven questions;
    • create and manage digital content, including word processing, e-portfolios, and digital video; and
    • independently research questions regarding application software use and effectively employ learning resources as a means for learning new and updated applications.
• Communication. Effective communication is purposeful expression that increases knowledge, fosters understanding, and/or promotes change in attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors.
  • Written communication is the development of effective expression of ideas in writing.
    Students will be able to:
    • use rhetorical conventions appropriately;
    • use appropriate examples, sources, and evidence in support of their own ideas;
    • incorporate supporting materials (e.g., visual images, statistics) when appropriate; and
    • demonstrate effective organization, syntax, and mechanics.
  • Oral communication is the development and expression of ideas orally.
    In class discussion and/or oral presentations, students will be able to:
    • use rhetorical conventions appropriately;
    • use appropriate examples, sources, and evidence in support of their own ideas;
    • incorporate supporting materials (e.g., visual images, statistics) when appropriate; and
    • use effective delivery techniques (e.g., posture, gesture, eye contact, vocal expressiveness, clarity).

• Critical thinking. Critical thinking is a habit of mind animated by a spirit of inquiry and problem solving characterized by the rigorous exploration, analysis, and evaluation of diverse issues, ideas, artifacts, data, and events in order to formulate an opinion, conclusion, or solution.
  • Students will be able to:
    • comprehend the content necessary for an appropriate understanding of the topic;
    • examine one’s own and others’ assumptions;
    • evaluate the claims and arguments or tools under consideration based on explicit criteria; and
    • formulate a defensible opinion, conclusion, or solution.
• Cultural knowledge. Students develop the willingness to engage diverse dimensions of human experience and understand with empathy other cultures. Students demonstrate the ability to interact with a diverse contemporary America and the world, in relation to differences that include but are not limited to: race, ethnicity, nationality, language, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, physical and intellectual abilities, and ways of knowing.
  • Students will be able to:
    • identify one’s own cultural rules and assumptions;
    • recognize the rules and assumptions important to another culture;
    • demonstrate ability to communicate in a second language;
    • express openness to interactions with culturally different others.
• Information literacy. Information literacy is the ability to find, evaluate, and use information responsibly and effectively.
  • Students will be able to:
    • access needed information effectively and efficiently;
    • evaluate the information and its sources critically;
    • incorporate selected sources into their work products; and
    • use information responsibly (i.e., ethically and legally).
• Quantitative reasoning. Students develop competency in comprehending and analyzing numerical information. Students conceptualize problems in terms of quantitative dimensions and reason and solve quantitative problems from a wide array of authentic contexts and everyday life situations. They understand and can create arguments supported by quantitative evidence, and they can clearly communicate those arguments in a variety of forms (using words, tables, graphs, mathematical equations, etc., as appropriate).
  • Students will be able to:
    • interpret information presented in mathematical forms;
    • represent information in various mathematical forms;
    • perform calculations, applying the appropriate mathematical processes; and
    • draw appropriate conclusions based on the quantitative analysis of information.
• Reading. Students develop competency in understanding and interpreting written and visual works.
  • Students will be able to:
    • develop strategies to engage written texts and visual media;
    • identify the purpose(s) of the works;
    • analyze and discuss works in ways that enhance understanding; and
    • critically evaluate written and visual works and their sources.
• Research fundamentals. Conducting research entails rigorous inquiry through which students join a community of scholars in order to pursue truth. This pursuit is conducted with sincerity and respect for the rights of others.
  • Students will be able to:
    • formulate a research question;
    • identify relevant resources and strategies for answering the question;
    • distinguish among modes of inquiry; and
    • access and use material found in print or on the internet responsibly (i.e., ethically and legally).
       

Breadth

Dominican University traditionally recognizes distinct areas of study and diverse ways of knowing necessary for students to engage in informed conversations of genuine breadth, both within and beyond the university. Students are enabled to appreciate the content and methods of diverse fields of study, recognize different ways of knowing and creating knowledge, and demonstrate understanding of disciplinary concepts and approaches, specifically in fine arts, history, literature, natural sciences, philosophy, social sciences, and theology.

Depth

Dominican students develop competence in and an in-depth understanding of one or more academic disciplines. After completing significant course work in a particular field of study, students will have developed a body of work that demonstrates substantial domain knowledge and a growing awareness of the underlying structures of an academic discipline. Additionally, they will have had extensive practice in applying disciplinary principles, perspectives, and discourse to diverse problems and in adopting a critical stance to evidence and argument.

Integrative Learning

Integrative learning is the practice of making meaningful wholes-that is, synthesizing knowledge across academic boundaries; connecting personal, academic, work, and community experiences; and evaluating and reflecting on their own learning. This enables students to develop increasingly complex frameworks for future learning and action in multiple communities.

Global Citizenship

The distinctively Dominican global citizen is conscientiously positioned in relationship to the world from within and across cultural, geographic, linguistic, physical, political, religious, racial, ethnic, gender-based, and socio-economic borders. Shaped by a growing understanding of this relational identity, Dominican students become global citizens through study, experience, practice, and reflection. They embrace globally responsible attitudes, develop a critical understanding of global interconnectedness, and act ethically to participate in the creation of a more just and humane world.

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BS), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Degrees

General Requirements

1. Each student must complete 124 semester hours of credit, 3 semester hours of which may be in physical education and health. A semester course may carry from 1 to 8 semester hours of credit, according to the judgment of the department. The minimum requirement for full-time status in any one semester is 12 semester hours of credit, and the maximum permitted is 18 semester hours. See Academic Regulations   for the rule governing an exception to the normal course load.
2. Each student must attain a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 based on all Dominican course work and be in good standing.
3. Each student in a BA, BS, or BBA degree program must complete work in a major field consisting of no fewer than 30 semester hours of credit.
4. Each student in a BA, BS, BSN, or BBA degree program must complete the core curriculum.
5. A minimum grade of C- must be earned in courses for a major or minor, and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00 is required for completion of a major or minor. The satisfactory/fail grade option may NOT be used for any course submitted for a major or minor unless otherwise indicated in department major requirements.

Residency Requirements

One hundred twenty-four semester hours are required for graduation. A certain number of these hours must be earned in residency.

Students may meet Dominican’s minimum residency requirement in any one of the following ways:

1. Complete any 90 semester hours at Dominican University;
2. Complete from 45 to 89 semester hours at Dominican University, including the last 15 semester hours applied toward the degree; or
3. Complete the last 34 semester hours for the degree at Dominican University.

Up to 68 semester hours are accepted in transfer from community colleges and up to 90 semester hours from four-year colleges and universities.

Each department will determine the number of semester hours in the major and minor that must be taken at Dominican.

Major Field

Students must choose a major field prior to or upon completion of 60 semester hours. Students who have completed 60 semester hours and have not declared a major will not be allowed to register for additional courses until a major is declared. Information on declaring a major is available from the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences.

A grade of C- or higher is required in all courses used to satisfy requirements in the major; a course that is required for the major in which a grade of D or F is earned must be repeated. A minimum grade point average of 2.00 is required in the major. It is the responsibility of the student to make certain that degree requirements are met.

Students who intend to complete more than one major must have a minimum of 15 semester hours in each major that are not also used to satisfy requirements in another major.

Minor Field

Students may elect an optional minor field. A department offering a minor may require no fewer than 18 semester hours and no more than 24 semester hours. The requirements for a minor are listed in the Courses of Instruction section of this bulletin under each discipline offering a minor.

Students who intend to complete more than one minor must have a minimum of 9 semester hours in each minor that are not also used to satisfy requirements in another minor.

Degree With Honors

Degree honors are awarded on the basis of the cumulative grade point average of all baccalaureate course work taken at Dominican. For a baccalaureate degree summa cum laude, a student must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.90; for a baccalaureate degree magna cum laude, 3.70; for baccalaureate degree cum laude, 3.50. A student must complete a minimum of 56 credit hours at Dominican in order to qualify for these honors distinctions.

Interdisciplinary Programs

Because of our commitment to integrative learning, a number of interdisciplinary majors and minors are available, including majors in American studies, black world studies, digital cinema, neuroscience, and the study of women and gender, and minors in Catholic studies, interfaith studies, Latin American and Latino Studies, medieval and renaissance studies, pre-law, social justice and civic engagement, and social media.

Interdepartmental Major or Minor

Students choosing an interdepartmental major or minor may design a program suited to their particular needs and interests. This major or minor must be approved prior to the completion of 90 semester hours of credit.

In order for students to declare an interdepartmental major or minor, they need work with a faculty member who will serve as advisor to identify those courses and experiences that will constitute the interdepartmental major or minor, selecting a minimum of 32 semester hours of credit for a major and 18-24 semester hours for a minor, with at least half the credits completed at Dominican. Students must also submit a statement describing how these courses will create a coherent and organized program that furthers the student’s exploration of the topic of interest. Additional requirements are included in the procedures document available in the advising office.

Completed proposals are submitted for approval to the cooperating department chairs from whose areas courses are being drawn; the dean of the college contributing the largest number of courses gives final approval. Approved proposals are filed with the Office of the Registrar.

Core Curriculum

The core curriculum plays a key role in an undergraduate education that is steeped in the Dominican ethos, promotes liberal learning through foundations, breadth, depth, and integration, and prepares students for responsible global citizenship. In distinctive ways, the core curriculum helps students meet the learning goals outlined in the Vision for Undergraduate Education.

The core curriculum consists of:

• Foundations: courses that equip students with basic skills fundamental to all other facets of the undergraduate course of study;
• Liberal Arts and Sciences Seminars: courses that apply multiple perspectives to the “big” questions and help students integrate what they are learning elsewhere
• Area Studies: courses that introduce students to area studies or “disciplines” practiced by scholars as they explore materials and apply methods of inquiry particular to their academic field; and
• Multicultural Course: engagement of diverse cultures in the United States or beyond its borders.

Foundations

Before graduation each student must demonstrate:

• The ability to read with understanding and to communicate in writing. This requirement may be met by placement examination or by completing with a C- or better Dominican’s ENGL 102  (students with transfer credit will be required to take a writing placement exam and may be required to complete ENGL 190  at Dominican);
• The ability to understand and use mathematics. This requirement may be met by placement examination or by completing with a passing grade college-level course work equivalent to MATH 130 , MATH 150 , MATH 160 , or MATH 170 ;
• The ability to understand the connections between human languages and specific cultures and the ability to interact appropriately with people of diverse cultures. This requirement may be met by placement examination or by completing with a passing grade a foreign or heritage language course at the level of 102 or 192 or by completing SEDU 466 . Foreign nationals educated abroad at the high school level are exempt from the requirement;
• The ability to find, evaluate, and use information effectively; that is, to acquire information literacy. Introduction to these skills will take place in ENGL 102 , where students will learn the basics of library research, including the ability to locate both print and electronic resources by searching library databases for articles and books. They will also learn how to use the internet for academic purposes, how to evaluate information critically, and how to use information ethically and legally. Students who do not take ENGL 102  at Dominican University will be required to complete an Information Literacy Workshop during their first semester at Dominican; and
• The ability to understand and use computers and their applications. This requirement may be met by a proficiency examination or by completing with a passing grade CIS 120  or its equivalent.

Liberal Arts and Sciences Seminars

Each year, students must enroll in and complete with a passing grade an integrative seminar. According to their class standing, they may choose from a wide variety of seminars that have some elements in common but that are offered by instructors representing alternative approaches to the general topics listed below. Seminars invite students to integrate multiple perspectives on personal, social, and philosophical issues by reading, discussing, and writing about the seminar topic.

• Freshman Seminar: The Examined Life
• Sophomore Seminar: Life in Community
• Junior Seminar: A Life’s Work
• Senior Seminar: The Good Life

All entering freshmen enroll in the freshman seminar during their first semester; the seminar instructor is their academic advisor for the first year. Transfer students begin the seminar sequence at the point at which they enter the university (i.e., students who transfer as sophomores must complete a sophomore, a junior, and a senior seminar; junior transfer students must complete a junior and a senior seminar). A student is classified as a sophomore if 28 semester hours have been completed, as a junior if 60 semester hours have been completed, and as a senior if 90 semester hours have been completed. For purposes of determining the point of entry to the seminar sequence, however, transfer students who enter with total semester hours within seven of a higher classification begin the seminar sequence at that higher classification (i.e., students entering the university with 21 hours begin the sequence with the sophomore seminar; students entering with 53 hours begin the sequence with the junior seminar; students entering with 83 hours are required to complete only the senior seminar). However, transfer students must have reached the necessary classification level in order to enroll in that first seminar (e.g. a transfer student with 53 transfer hours may begin the seminar sequence with a junior seminar, but the student is not eligible to enroll in the junior seminar until the student has earned 60 or more total hours).

Students studying abroad for a full academic year are exempt from that year’s seminar requirement.

A description of individual seminars can be found under Liberal Arts and Sciences Seminars  .

Area Studies

Through area studies, Dominican University enables each of its students to engage in informed conversations of genuine breadth, both within and beyond the university. All students will engage in seven distinct areas of study needed for such conversations. In each of these areas, students will:

• become familiar with the relevant language and concepts of that area of study;
• acquire a familiarity with modes of inquiry and methods used in that area; and
• draw upon and apply that knowledge to begin addressing significant questions or issues within that area and beyond its borders.

Courses that fulfill these area studies requirements are indicated both in the departmental course offerings listed in this bulletin and in each year’s schedule of classes.

Fine Arts

apparel, art, art history, communications, digital cinema, modern foreign language, music, and theatre

Students will:

1. Recognize representative works, styles, techniques, or performances from an artistic genre.
2. Explain elements of a work, style, technique, or performance from an artistic genre.
3. Create and/or analyze an artistic work with attention to aesthetic, historical, and cultural influences and context.

History

Students will:

1. Use relevant primary and secondary sources in their own accounts of the past.
2. Analyze the significance of a given historical change.
3. Formulate an argument about historical causality.

Literature

English, French, Italian, Spanish, and theatre

Students will:

1. Describe how a work’s historical or cultural context and genre shape its purpose.
2. Interpret works through specific knowledge of literary traditions and devices, appropriate terminology, and critical approaches.
3. Analyze texts through close readings that engage basic formal and aesthetic features of the works.

Natural Sciences

biology, chemistry, natural sciences, nutrition, physics, and psychology

Students will:

1. Define the scientific terms, practices, and concepts essential to the scientific method.
2. Apply scientific methods to investigate the natural world.
3. Assess observations of the natural world using analytical reasoning.

Philosophy

Students will:

1. Demonstrate a philosophical disposition by showing intellectual flexibility, humility, comfort with ambiguity, and an appreciation of the complexity of core theoretical problems. 
2. Explain key philosophical concepts, texts, and thinkers as they relate to central questions in metaphysics, ethics, and epistemology from a global and/or diverse perspective. 
3. Apply philosophical methods, such as critical thinking and logical analysis (for example: deductive, inductive, and analogical reasoning), in order to situate oneself within ones communities and the world. 

Social Sciences

communications, criminology, economics, political science, psychology, and sociology

Students will:

1. Identify basic terminology, core concepts, and theories in a field of the social sciences.
2. Explain individual behavior, social institutions, governance forms, or social policy from a social science discipline perspective.
3. Analyze an issue or policy at the individual, community, or societal level with an acceptable social science methodology (quantitative or qualitative).

Theology

Students will:

1. Recognize the methods and sources proper to theological and religious reflection.
2. Describe specific ways that religious traditions, especially Catholic Christianity, raise and attempt to answer questions of ultimate meaning and value.
3. Articulate a theologically-informed position on key questions regarding the transcendent meaning and value of human existence and experience.

Multicultural Studies.

Courses that meet the multicultural studies requirement encourage multiple ways of knowing, being, and acting in the world and focus on a culture substantially different from those of the dominant groups in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. These courses address manifestations of institutional injustice, such as racism, systems of privilege, and imbalances of power and foster an understanding of efforts to promote agency, equity, and justice.

Cultural diversity provides an important context for the educational mission of pursuing truth, giving service, and creating a more just and humane world. Thus, in meeting the requirements of the core curriculum, each student must select one course in multicultural studies of at least three semester hours in which the student will:

• Identify specific causes and forms of institutional oppression and injustice and their intersections in the US or in a global context;
• recognize biases and social position;
• describe efforts to promote agency, equity, and justice; and
• analyze the historical and/or cultural contexts that give rise to the experiences and/or expressions of underrepresented groups of people in the US or in a global context.

Illinois Articulation Initiative

Transfer students who enroll at Dominican with 30 transferable hours from a school that is a full participant in the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) General Education Core Curriculum (GECC) have the following options:

• Complete IAI GECC at Dominican using Dominican coursework in lieu of completing Dominican’s core requirements and Dominican graduation requirements noted below
  • The following GECC requirements can be completed at Dominican as follows:

    • IAI GECC	Dominican course
      Composition I	ENGL 101
      Composition II	ENGL 102
      Speech Communication	CAS 155
      Mathematics	A course that satisfies the mathematics foundation requirement
      Life Science	Appropriate course that satisfies the natural science area requirement
      Physical Science	Appropriate course that satisfies the natural science area requirement
      Humanities	Course that satisfies the literature or philosophy area requirement
      Fine Arts	Course that satisfies the fine arts area requirement
      Social and Behavioral Sciences	Course that satisfies social science or history area requirement

  • The Dominican graduation requirements include:
    • Junior liberal arts and sciences seminar
    • Senior liberal arts and sciences seminar
    • Theology area requirement
• Complete Dominican’s core requirements using applicable transfer work and Dominican courses and forgo completing the GECC. 

Additional Major/Minor after Graduation

Dominican University graduates may add an additional major/minor to their Dominican record using the requirements in the bulletin of their original major/minor if completed within two years of receiving the bachelor’s degree; at least one half of the additional coursework must be completed at Dominican,

Dominican University graduates who wish to add an additional major/minor more than two calendar years after receiving the bachelor’s degree must fulfill the major/minor requirements in effect at the time they return to complete their work.

Second Bachelor’s Degree

Students holding a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution may earn a second bachelor’s degree (either the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree) from Dominican University, provided that:

1. All university general education requirements, foundation and core requirements, and major requirements are met;
2. At least 34 semester hours are earned in residence at Dominican University; and
3. A cumulative grade point average of 2.00 is earned in all Dominican course work

The Bachelor of Medical Science  degree is a second-bachelor-degree program designed for students interested in pursuing graduate or professional study in medical fields.

Dominican Honors Program: Mazzuchelli Scholars and Distinction Programs

Bachelor of Arts With Honors or Bachelor of Science With Honors

Socrates challenges us with the claim that the unexamined life is not worth living. The Mazzuchelli Scholars honors program contributes to the mission of the university by providing talented and self-motivated students with the opportunities and skills they will need to become lifelong learners.

Students who accept this challenge are awarded with the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors or Bachelor of Science with Honors on the recommendation of the Honors Committee and upon completion of five hours of community engagement per year and the requirements for one of the two paths described below: Honors through Project or Honors through Course Work.

Entering the Program

The honors degree program is open to full-time students who have been invited into the program. The Honors Committee sets the standards for admission to the program, reviews the progress of the students in the program, and recommends the awarding of the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors or Bachelor of Science with Honors. Interested students should consult the directors of the honors program for current-year policies and guidelines.

In addition to the bachelor degree requirements  outlined in this bulletin, all students intending to pursue an honors degree must complete the following requirements:

1. Five hours of community engagement.

To support our honors community and the integration of curricular and co-curricular goals of the greater Dominican community, each Mazzuchelli Scholar will be expected to complete five hours of Dominican-community engagement a year. Each student is expected to attend the Caritas and Veritas symposium, the Founder’s Day dinner, and the Lund-Gill lecture, but can select from other Dominican co-curricular events (such as URSCI presentations, theatre productions, art gallery openings, sports events, events sponsored by other honor students, etc). This requirement is in place to help build a stronger sense of the honors community here on campus. Questions about appropriate events can be sent to the directors for approval. Students will be required to keep track of their own hours on Canvas and submit them before May 1^st each year.

2. Complete four honors seminars.

Honors students will complete four honors seminars to fulfill the liberal arts and sciences core curriculum seminar requirement. While the form and substance of the honors seminars are subject to approval and change by the Honors Committee, current seminar topics are:

• Freshman Honors Seminar: Thoughts and Passions
• Sophomore Honors Seminar: Human Being and Citizen
• Junior Honors Seminar: Human Being and Natural Being
• Senior Honors Seminar: Wisdom and Power

For more detailed information, students should consult the current list of honors seminars .

Exemption from the honors freshman seminar for students admitted to the honors program in their sophomore year or acceptance of honors course work at another institution in place of the freshman and/or sophomore honors seminars is possible with the written approval of the honors directors. Honors students who follow a full-year study abroad or other academic off-campus program may petition the directors to waive the requirement.

3. Maintain a designated GPA

A cumulative grade point average of 3.30 is required.

4. Complete additional requirements, choosing one of the following paths:
   1. Honors through course work requires good standing in the honors program. This path also requires:
      
      Four courses designated as honors
      OR
      Three courses designated as honors and either one study abroad course, one foreign language course at the 200 level or above, or one pre-approved honors contract course (see below for procedures to intensify a traditional course to comply with expectations for an honors contract.
      OR
      Two courses designated as honors and at least two courses in a foreign language at the 200-level or above.
       
   2. Honors through project: The requirements for this path are good standing in the honors program and the completion of an honors project, which is a substantial, independent distinction project approved by the Honors Committee. Distinction projects are detailed below under Bachelor of Arts with Distinction and Bachelor of Science with Distinction.
      Students on this path are required to complete the honors seminars but are not required to take other honors courses.

It is possible to complete both options, and students who do both the coursework and project paths successfully will receive “University Honors with Distinction in…”

Bachelor of Arts With Distinction and Bachelor of Science With Distinction

Students not in the honors program may elect to pursue a degree of Bachelor of Arts with Distinction or Bachelor of Science with Distinction by completing a distinction project. This project is designed to give such students in their junior and senior years the opportunity to complete a distinctive and substantial scholarly or creative work in their major field.

Students who accept this challenge are awarded the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Distinction or Bachelor of Science with Distinction on the recommendation of the Honors Committee and upon completion of the distinction project.

All students intending to pursue an honors or a distinction project will need to complete the following requirements:

Declaring Intent and Finding Readers. Generally, students attempting degrees with distinction begin working on their distinction projects in the first semester of their junior years. The faculty readers in the discipline approve the project, and then the student’s first and second readers recommend the project to the Honors Committee. A project in an interdisciplinary major or one which is interdisciplinary in emphasis is submitted with prior approval from faculty from the most relevant disciplines. A student majoring in a discipline in which Dominican has only one full-time faculty member should seek approval of both project and proposal from a second faculty member who is a member of the major department or from a related discipline in another department, whichever is more appropriate for the project.

GPA. Students must meet the following requirements to be eligible: junior status, a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or higher in the field of the distinction project, an overall grade point average of 3.30 or higher.

Public Presentation. After the final draft is approved, the student will be required to give a public oral presentation on his or her project at the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Investigation Exposition (URSCI). 

Other Information

Deadlines and guides for writing a distinction proposal and project guides for both students and faculty mentors are available from the honors directors or the Departmental Honors Project site.

Students who decide not to complete their projects must send a statement of their reasons to the Honors Committee via the directors. Students who do not make satisfactory progress may be required by the Honors Committee to withdraw their projects.

Additional information regarding both the honors and distinction programs is available from the honors website, the honors directors, or from the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences Office of Academic Advising.

Honors degrees are awarded on the basis of the cumulative grade point average of all baccalaureate course work taken at Dominican.

To graduate with an Honors degree or Degree with Distinction, students are responsible for submitting their “Intent to Graduate” forms to the directors of the Mazzuchelli Scholars Program before graduation. These forms can be located on Honors web site. If a student elects to complete an honors contract for a non-honors course, he or she much agree to the terms of the intensification with the professor and an honors director, ideally before the course is undertaken. The contract must be submitted for approval to the professor of the course and an honors director before the university deadline for Intensifications in the semester the course is being undertaken. Forms for honors contracts are located on the Honors Canvas site and available from the honors directors.

Returning Students

Students returning to Dominican after an interruption of more than five years are subject to bulletin provisions for the general education requirements as well as major and minor requirements in effect at the time they re-enter. (However, every effort will be made to count earlier courses in the way most beneficial to fulfilling current requirements.)

Students returning to Dominican after an interruption of fewer than five years can use the bulletin in effect at the time of their original admission to Dominican or any later bulletin. Returning students who have attended other colleges or universities during their absence must reapply to Dominican. Upon readmission, they may select a bulletin in effect up to five years prior to the term they re-enter, providing they were enrolled during the bulletin year of their choice.

Academic Advising/Academic Success Programs

Advising is teaching and learning for vocation. First in importance and sequence for advising are not the questions, What courses do I have to take? What am I required to do? Instead, advising should begin with and frequently revisit more fundamental questions: Why am I in the university? What should I study, and why? What will it mean for my life, for my future, for my community, and for society? Advising explores the meaning, purpose, and effect of university learning. Assisting students in exploring and selecting major fields, selecting and scheduling courses, internships, and a host of other more practical functions are built upon insights students derive from beginning with and revisiting the reflective questions that go to the heart of each student’s educational project.

Each undergraduate student has a dedicated faculty advisor-initially the student’s freshman seminar professor, and later, a professor from the student’s chosen major field. Faculty advisors and students are assisted by the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences advising office staff.

Students at Dominican are able to exercise a large measure of personal choice in curriculum because of the quality of the university’s academic advising. The university recognizes that while students hold the primary responsibility for their education and hence for their program choices, the advisor’s help is crucial in developing an informed basis for responsible and expedient academic decisions.

Students may not register for courses online without receiving an advising clearance and may not register in person in the Office of the Registrar without their academic advisor’s signature. Please note that successful degree completion is the sole responsibility of the student.

The Office of Academic Success Services and Diversity is committed to supporting and enhancing the academic success of students, discerning impediments to success, and developing means to remove those impediments for undergraduates in general and for particular segments of the student body, including international students, multicultural students, and students at risk. The office assesses the academic, social, cultural, and economic needs of undergraduate students within the scope of the overall work of the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences advising office, and develops and implements support services and programmatic initiatives to address students’ needs.

Academic Success Services assists students as needed in designing an Academic Recovery Plan or an Academic Preparation Plan. These services include monitoring Warning Notices, Focus Reports, Scholars Hour, and students on academic probation.

This office promotes the university’s vision of an inclusive campus community that welcomes a diverse population and honors each individual’s heritage and experience so that all students, faculty, staff, families, and visitors feel welcomed and valued.

Career Advising Program

The career advising program in Career Development aspires to create in students a values-centered work ethic, to educate them to become productive and compassionate citizens, and to equip them with tools to make satisfying career and life plans. Services available to students include assistance with selecting a major, help finding part-time jobs and internships, and full-time job search support.

Career Development provides career decision-making assistance, job search workshops, résumé writing, interviewing techniques, cover letter assistance, and updated career resources to students and alumnae/i of Dominican University. The office interacts with business, industry, education, and government to develop a network of employers for full-time and internship opportunities. The office hosts on-campus interviews, practice job interviews, a business etiquette dinner, and both on- and off-campus job/internships fairs.

Active teacher candidates who complete their student teaching through Dominican University can establish a credential file with this office. A job bulletin listing full-time and part-time teaching vacancies is posted online. Additional information about Career Development is available on the website at www.dom.edu/academics/career-development.

Study Abroad

Dominican University offers a wide variety of study abroad programs, viewing these opportunities as an integral part of a student’s undergraduate education. In Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa, students are perfecting their language skills and/or studying the culture, politics, art, literature, and social systems of the target country. In addition to their course work, students in study abroad programs participate in a wide variety of cultural experiences and excursions and have the opportunity for independent travel. The goal of study abroad is to give students a broader knowledge and understanding of the world and of other peoples and also a new sense of self-reliance and independence. With approval of the major department, some study abroad courses can be used to meet major requirements in the sociology, criminology, or other fields; see a departmental advisor for more information.

Year-Long or Semester Programs

Semester in London, England-Offered during the fall semester only, the London program is open to juniors and seniors in all majors. With a focus on students’ experiencing as well as studying about Britain, the curriculum consists of two parts: an interdisciplinary course in British life and culture and a tutorial/independent study course, generally in the student’s major. The interdisciplinary course includes lectures by British experts in a variety of fields, weekly day trips to such sites as Stratford-on-Avon and Bath, and two study tours-one to Edinburgh and York and one to Dublin, Ireland.

Study Abroad in Milan, Italy-This affiliate program with IES Abroad in the fashion, financial, and commercial capital of Italy is intended for students interested in a semester or an academic year program in Italy. Students live with Italian university students and/or young professionals. Students take a variety of language and area studies courses in art history, cinema, theatre, history, literature, music, and political science at the IES center in Milan or at Milan’s major universities. All courses are taught in Italian. Advanced students of Italian can apply for internships with professionals in any number of subject areas. In addition to Italian language, apparel students can take area courses taught in English and one or two fashion courses at the Istituto di Moda Burgo.

Study Abroad in Poitiers, France-This affiliate program with Oregon State University gives students of French the opportunity to study and live in Poitiers for one semester or an entire academic year. They enroll in courses at the International Center or at the Université de Poitiers while living with a French family. All instruction is in French. Participants must have completed French 202 or above to be eligible.

Study Abroad in Salamanca, Spain-This affiliate program with AIFS (American Institute for Foreign Study) offers one or two semesters of study at the oldest and most famous university of Spain. Students register for classes in language, area studies, or other fields at either the Universidad de Salamanca or the AIFS program, depending upon their language preparation. Students wishing to enroll for courses at the PEI (Universidad de Salamanca) must have written permission from the Spanish Department. All courses are conducted in Spanish. Students live with a host family. Through excursions planned by AIFS and independent travel, students have the opportunity to explore Spain and the rest of Europe.

Study Abroad in Stellenbosch, South Africa-This affiliate program with AIFS (American Institute for Foreign Study) offers one or two semesters at the Stellenbosch University, South Africa’s second-oldest university. Students register for classes taught in English at the university. Students can choose from a wide variety of subjects, including African area studies, South African and African history and politics, theatre arts, and South African literature.

Study Abroad in Limerick, Ireland-This affiliate program with AIFS (American Institute for Foreign Study) offers juniors and seniors the opportunity to take courses at the University of Limerick for one or two semesters. They can choose from a wide variety of courses in the College of Business, College of Humanities, College of Informatics and Electronic Engineering, and the College of Science. Students also are encouraged to take courses offered in Irish studies. The program includes a three-day excursion to London and trips to the West of Ireland and to Dublin. Students live in single rooms in university townhouses on campus. Students in all majors are welcome to apply.

Study Abroad in Blackfriars/Oxford-This program is open to juniors who either are in the honors program or have a 3.7 GPA. Blackfriars Hall is run by Dominican friars within the Oxford University system. Students participate in the traditional Oxbridge tutorial teaching, in which they meet twice a week with a tutor to discuss an essay. Topics for tutorial projects include philosophy, theology, English literature, psychology, and British history with optional classes in Latin, New Testament Greek, and Biblical Hebrew. Accommodations are within walking distance of Blackfriars.

Study Abroad in Salzburg, Austria-This affiliate program with AIFS (American Institute for Foreign Study) offers students with or without prior knowledge of German the opportunity to spend one or two semesters in Salzburg, Austria. All students must study German, along with a variety of classes taught in English, including political science, business/economics, art, literature, and music. Included in the program fee are several excursions, including ones to Munich, Germany, and to Vienna and Innsbruck, in Austria. Students have the option of living in a dormitory or with a host family. Students in all majors are welcome to apply.

Strasbourg: European Business-The Strasbourg Business Study Abroad Program is offered in the fall, spring, full year or four-week summer. This opportunity is offered to students interested in European business and integration, while developing their French language skills. There is no language requirement as business courses are taught in English, although students will enroll in a French language class at the appropriate level. This program takes place in the heart of Europe at the EM Strasbourg Business School, a Grande École, and includes cultural and corporate visits such as a guided boat tour, visits to the Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle, Council of Europe, European Parliament, Mercedes Corporate Headquarters, Deutsche Bank, Siemens and Lufthansa. Limited space available. Must have sophomore or junior standing.

Summer Programs

Florence and the Cultural Traditions of Italy - The Florence program is a four-week study abroad opportunity intended for students interested in Italian language, art, culture, and history. As the center of Renaissance civilization, Florence offers students opportunities to study the cultural achievements of Italy’s past while living in a dynamic and historically rich city. Florence is centrally located, giving students easy access to other important Italian cities and places of cultural interest. Dominican University’s Italian and art departments offer this program taking place from mid-May to mid-June. It is a program that distinguishes itself as a fully immersive humanities experience; it relates literature, art history and philosophy with the hands-on experience of drawing and observation. Students enroll in two courses (STA 223 - Drawing on Florence  and STA 282 - Florence: The City as Renaissance Text ). This program awards three credits for each course. There is no language requirement; both courses are taught in English. However, students seeking credit in Italian may intensify the literature course for fours credits upon approval of the Italian discipline.

China: Tradition, Modernization, and Culture - This three-credit course is designed to introduce students to the study of and involvement with China, in particular its history, religion and culture, political and social life, and increasingly important economy. Participants will visit and study in Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai to experience this complex country, rich in its tradition and dynamic in its transition. Most importantly, they will discover how to adapt to a culture and an environment that are quite different from the American or European conditions to which they are accustomed, a skill that will be increasingly required in the 21st century. Classes are held at Dominican both before and after the trip. The course is conducted in English.

Paris: Essentials of French Fashion - This course for apparel majors and minors provides the opportunity to spend one month in Paris, the fashion capital of the world. Students take all course work at the Paris American Academy. The intensive course consists of an overview of the French fashion industry, an opportunity to become immersed in a specialization (design, couture, merchandizing, or communication) from a French fashion perspective, and a hands-on introduction to the French culture and language. The course is conducted in English.

Cuba: Culture, History, and Politics - This course is a unique interdisciplinary course offered by Dominican University in collaboration with FLACSO-Cuba and the Universidad de La Habana (University of Havana). Course participants will travel across the island learning about the country’s pre- and post-colonial and revolutionary history, contemporary political and economic system, cultural landscape including music, art, and religion, and social institutions including schools, medical systems, and urban farming. This course includes mandatory pre-trip class sessions and orientation meetings, and it fulfills the multicultural core requirement for Dominican students. The course is conducted in English. This course can be used to fulfill a course requirement in the study of women and gender major. Please see advisor for details.

Strasbourg French Language Program - This three-week course offers a total immersion experience in the French language and culture. Students will participate in class sessions, do city-based projects, keep a journal, and complete a photo project. Excursions include a trip on the Alsatian Wine Route and a visit to the European Parliament. The language of instruction and interaction is French. Language requirement: FREN 202 - Intermediate French II  or equivalent.

Córdoba - The al-Andalus in World Literature: Interfaith Dialogue and the People of the Book is a four credit interfaith study abroad course that looks to the past to better understand the present. Participants study a real model of Muslim, Jewish and Christian interfaith community to then reflect on the meaning of its fictional reconfigurations in other contexts. Participants also spend three weeks in Córdoba Spain learning Spanish & Arabic language and culture (different levels are accommodated), (re)visiting the places of the historical al-Andalus. In addition to the many sites in and around Córdoba, travel will include Seville, Granada, and Toledo Spain, as well as Tetuan, Morroco. This course fulfills the literature area requirement, and the World literature requirement for education students; it earns credits in honors, Interfaith Studies, Spanish, &/or English.

Short-Term Programs

Rome Interim Program: The Art of Renaissance and Baroque Rome - This program takes place in early January during the winter semester break. The program consists of three phases: 1) two slide presentation that set up the historical context of the sites that will be seen in Rome (this takes place at Dominican prior to departure); 2) the actual tour of Rome, where students will visit the major Renaissance and Baroque sites as well as ancient sites, such as the Coliseum and the Roman Forum; 3) a final term paper upon return. The program is conducted in English.

Ghana: A Gateway to Africa - This study abroad program occurs during the spring semester. On-campus classroom sessions and orientations are followed by 10 days of travel in the West African country of Ghana during spring break. While there, participants experience Ghana’s political development and participate in Ghana’s independence celebration. Participants also discover Ghana’s rich history and culture traveling to the different regions, exploring the timeless art of Kente weaving; visiting the Manhyia Palace, the home of the Ashanti kings; and touring 14th-century slave dungeons along the coast of Ghana. In addition, participants enjoy both daily lectures and lectures at one of the largest universities in Ghana and learn about traditional religion, Muslim and Christian faiths, and how they have shaped Ghana. Students are required to keep a journal of their experiences and write a term paper. The course is conducted in English.

Community-Based Learning Programs

El Salvador: Election Observation and Democratic Participation - In this course students learn in depth about the political, social, and economic reality of El Salvador and contribute to its democratic process. Democracy depends on a transparent process, and the presence of international observers can help guarantee such transparency. This service learning abroad course is incorporated into an electoral international observer mission in El Salvador.

Guatemala - This short-term intensive international service program is an immersion experience in Guatemalan/Mayan life and culture. Students will engage diverse dimensions of human experience and understand with empathy a culture radically different from their own. The service we do opens doors to building relationships with the people. Through studying, experiencing and reflecting on Guatemalan and Mayan culture, history, religion, economics, society, and community, we deepen our awareness and understanding toward becoming a global citizen. This one-credit course involves preparation classes and participation in the Global Leaning Symposium.

Haiti - Students will serve with the people of Haiti, while learning about the social, cultural, historical, economic, political, and religious aspects of Haitian life and culture. Students will investigate: How does Haiti change our global consciousness and open us to seeing in new ways and understanding in radically different ways? This course involves a week of service in Haiti during spring break, four classes to prepare for the experience, a post-trip reflection session, and participation in a program to present the Haiti experience to the Dominican community.

For complete information on all programs, contact the Director of International Studies.

Internships

Internships enable students to gain appropriate work experience in their field and to integrate their academic course work with professional preparation. By completing an internship, students can better understand the career opportunities offered by their major and establish more specific career goals.

Students entering their junior or senior year of study, having fulfilled any internship prerequisites set up by the department, are eligible to apply to their department for an internship experience. A minimum cumulative career grade point average of 2.00 is required. Transfer students must have completed at least 15 semester hours at Dominican before applying for the internship, and students enrolled in certificate programs should complete the internship at the end of their program of study.

The internship experience is governed by a contract between the student, the faculty coordinator, and the employment supervisor. This contract must be approved by the department in which the internship is being taken and by the career development office. An internship may be taken only in the student’s declared academic program, for 1 to 8 semester hours of credit. The student may register for an internship in no more than two semesters. Credit hours earned in an internship will be applied toward the 124 semester hours required for a bachelor’s degree. Unless explicitly listed as a requirement or option for a major or minor, the internship hours do not satisfy the total semester hours required for completion of a major or a minor.

Prior to the start of an internship, students should consult first with their academic advisor or with the chairperson of the relevant department and then with the career development office. Registration for an internship requires the approval of an academic advisor, an internship application, and a course registration form, which should be submitted to the Office of the Registrar before the start of the internship.

Employer sites and internships must be approved by the faculty supervisor as worthy of academic credit. Special regulations apply to the internship program, and information about these regulations as well as currently available internship opportunities may be obtained from the career development office.

Community-Based Learning

Community-based learning combines community service with academic instruction as it focuses on critical, reflective thinking and civic responsibility. Community-based learning involves students in organized community service that is directly linked to the curriculum and addresses local community needs. This learning experience provides multiple benefits to the students, including the enhancement of course-related academic skills, further development of critical thinking and social analysis skills, and opportunities for meaningful commitment to and civic engagement with the broader community.

Most community-based learning courses are designated in the course schedule by the sentence “Includes off-campus service hours.” These courses engage the entire class in service and reflection and fully integrate service into the learning and understanding of course content. Another community-based learning option can be self-initiated through an agreement between the professor, the student, and the Community-Based Learning Office. This “299” CBL course carries 1 semester hour of credit and can enhance any course. For additional information, contact the Community-Based Learning Office:  Library Link 101.

Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Investigations (URSCI)

Dominican University offers students opportunities to engage in undergraduate scholarly activities that go beyond class assignments. The Office of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Investigations (URSCI) promotes undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship. It administers a variety of initiatives to support undergraduate students involved in scholarly projects in all disciplines. Students may work as research assistants to faculty members, compete for prestigious student-driven summer scholarships or apply for grants to defray the costs of projects or attendance at academic conferences. Students may also learn valuable research skills for different disciplines by taking courses taught within each department. Students can earn course credit for working with a faculty mentor on a research project or creative investigation that is completed independently-not as part of a class assignment. A uniform course number (e.g., BIOL 195, ART 395) has been established to designate participation in independent undergraduate research/creative activities across all departments at Dominican. Students must obtain prior approval from a faculty mentor before they can register for any of these independent research courses. Each course can be completed for variable credit hours (1-3) and can be repeated for two semesters at each class level. Students are encouraged to present their independent scholarly and creative work at the annual Exposition of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Investigations, which is held each spring.

Student Leadership Certificate

The Student Leadership Certificate program is a co-curricular program that combines coursework and out-of-the-classroom experiences to teach and grow in the concepts of leadership. The program is designed to help students understand their individual strengths, leadership identity, and ways in which they can make a difference in the world. The program aims to prepare students to be leaders both during college and beyond. The goal of the program is to put each student in a position to be successful wherever their path leads. Understanding one’s leadership style and strengths is a key to being successful in any situation.

Adult Program

Dominican University offers counseling and other academic support services to students who have been away from college for a number of years or who wish to begin college work some years after high school graduation. Interaction between faculty, students, and career advising staff helps returning students to develop new academic and career possibilities and to become aware of new avenues for personal growth.

For adult students who have acquired academic experience outside the classroom, credit by examination is obtained through the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP). After completing three courses at Dominican, adult students may also apply for academic course equivalency (ACE) credit. Academic course equivalency credit is not awarded to students holding a bachelor’s degree.

Guidelines for applying for ACE credit are available in the Office of the Dean of the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences. A maximum of 28 semester hours of credit, as many as 12 of which may be in the major, is granted through credit by examination, ACE credit, or both. Academic course equivalency and CLEP petitions must be submitted prior to completion of 90 semester hours.

The School of Professional & Continuing Studies (SPCS) offers accelerated bachelor’s completion programs for adult learners. SPCS courses are offered in the evenings and online. Detailed information is available in the SPCS section of the bulletin.

Concordia University/Dominican University Exchange

Under a cooperative exchange plan, full-time Dominican University undergraduates may take, at Concordia University and for no additional cost, one or two courses per semester in subjects that complement courses in the Dominican curriculum. (Students majoring in music may take more than two.) Students need to register both at Concordia University (this should be done first to confirm that there is room in the course) and at Dominican. The exchange agreement does not cover special fees for music lessons, laboratory courses, etc.; students are responsible for these costs.

Concordia University is located one-half mile east of Dominican University’s Main Campus and across from the Priory Campus.

Elmhurst College/Dominican University Foreign Language Exchange

Under a cooperative exchange plan, degree-seeking Dominican University students may take, at Elmhurst College and for no additional cost, one or two courses per semester, limited only to foreign language courses not offered at Dominican. Students need to register both at  Elmhurst College (this should be done first to confirm that there is room in the course) and at Dominican.

Elmhurst College is located 7.5 miles west of Dominican University’s Main Campus.

Graduate Programs

Dominican University offers graduate programs designed to meet a full range of personal and professional development needs, including masters degrees in the areas of library and information science, education, business, social work, and health science fields,  a doctorate degree in library information science, as well as non-degree enrichment opportunities. Use the links below to review graduate offerings from each college: