College of Arts and Sciences

Carla Koretsky, Dean

Stephanie Peterson, Associate Dean
Nicolas Witschi, Interim Associate Dean

Mission of the College

Our mission is to ignite and sustain a passion for learning and discovery in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, to help students, staff, and faculty succeed in life and contribute to the betterment of our local and global communities.

Vision of the College

Our vision is to achieve excellence in all aspects of learning and discovery across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences while fostering a climate of intellectual freedom, diversity, and inclusion.

Any student completing a major or minor from the College of Arts and Sciences must earn a minimum of nine (9) credit hours toward their major and at least six (6) credit hours toward their minor from the degree-granting unit at WMU. Academic units within the college may set higher credit hour minima for their programs. Please consult the appropriate program for details.

Accelerated Degree Program with WMU Thomas Cooley Law School

Students with a declared major in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) who are accepted into the WMU Thomas Cooley Law School may enroll in an accelerated degree program, allowing them to count credits earned from their first-year law school courses toward both their law degree and their bachelor’s degree.

Application for this program is required. Students should apply through the CAS Office of Undergraduate Advising. Minimum requirements include acceptance into the WMU Thomas Cooley Law School, junior or senior standing, and a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better. Applications will be reviewed by a joint admissions committee consisting of CAS advising staff, CAS faculty, and a representative from the CAS Dean’s office, and representatives from Cooley Law School.

Students accepted into the program and admitted to the Cooley Law School can transfer back up to 18 hours of Cooley Law School credit to be used for the undergraduate degree. The following courses can be transferred to WMU for undergraduate credit:

CIVP 105 LECT - Civil Procedure I   Credits: 3 hours
CONL 404 LECT - Constitutional Law I   Credits: 3 hours
CONL 503 LECT - Constitutional Law II Credits: 3 hours
CONT 108 LECT - Contracts I   Credits: 3 hours
CONT 213 LECT - Contracts II   Credits: 3 hours
CRLP 107 LECT - Criminal Law   Credits: 3 hours
PRSE 109 LECT - Property I   Credits: 3 hours
PRSE 207 LECT - Property II   Credits: 3 hours
TOEQ 106 LECT - Torts I   Credits: 3 hours
TOEQ 304 LECT - Torts II   Credits: 3 hours

All Cooley Law School coursework will be transferred to WMU as CAS 5100 - Topics in Legal Studies. Up to 18 hours of Cooley Law School credit may be applied to the CAS Legal Studies Minor.

Students in this program still need to complete their major requirements and their general education requirements, and still need a minimum of 122 credits to receive their bachelor’s degree. Students interested in pursuing this option should contact the College of Arts and Sciences Office of Undergraduate Advising to learn more.

Academic Advising Office

Kevin Knutson, Director
Diana Blouin, Assistant Director
Jackie Bizzell, Academic Advisor
Elizabeth Cramer, Academic Advisor Senior, School of Communication
Megan Larson, Academic Advisor Senior
Lindsey Millet, Academic Advisor Senior
Thomas Mills, Academic Advisor
Kayla Jo Mitchell, Administrative Assistant II
Nathan Robinson, Academic Advisor
Sean Williams, Academic Advisor

2318 Friedmann Hall
(269) 387-4366
wmich.edu/cas/advising

Vision

Western Michigan University’s College of Arts and Sciences Office of Undergraduate Advising strives to be nationally and internationally recognized by the College, University and external communities for providing timely, accurate and intentional advising.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to intensify student success by inspiring students to pursue meaningful learning experiences, by developing a network of committed, highly trained professionals, and by providing timely, consistent, and comprehensive support.

The College of Arts and Sciences Academic Advising Office at Western Michigan University, located in 2318 Friedmann Hall, provides general advising regarding university and WMU Essential Studies requirements, pre-professional programs and the College of Arts and Sciences Liberal Education Curriculum. The Academic Advising Office also offers introductory information about the programs, majors and minors available within the College of Arts and Sciences. Major and minor specific advising is offered by professional staff and faculty within each department in the College. Schedule an appointment with a College of Arts and Sciences Academic Advisor online at wmich.edu/arts-sciences/advising or by calling (269) 387-4366.

Liberal Education Curriculum (LEC)

All students who graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences will be enrolled in the LEC.

Liberal Education Curriculum Requirements

All students at Western Michigan University must satisfy the WMU Essential Studies requirements. The Liberal Education Curriculum (LEC) expands these requirements as follows:

1. World Language Requirement:
Two semesters (6-8 hours) of the same world language or American Sign Language, or proficiency by exam.

2. Critical Thinking Requirement:
Students must complete a course approved for Critical Thinking. A list of these courses can be found in the WMU Essential Studies Foundations: Critical Thinking listings elsewhere in this catalog.

College Degree Requirements

1. The Liberal Education Curriculum. Students who enter in the 2005 and subsequent catalogs and who will graduate through the College of Arts and Sciences must complete the Liberal Education Curriculum (LEC) described here. Students who enter under the 2020 catalog are required to complete the new WMU Essential Studies Program.

2. Majors and Minors. Students who will graduate through the College of Arts and Sciences must have a stand-alone major (i.e., not a coordinate major) in the college and a minor in Arts and Sciences or any other college in the university. Students with two majors are not required to complete a minor.

To be admitted to any major in the College of Arts and Sciences, students should apply to the department or program as soon as possible and prior to completion of 35 semester hours. Transfer students with more than 35 hours should apply before matriculation. Students who are not yet admitted to a major may not be permitted to enroll in major core courses. Some departments have restrictive policies for admission to certain majors, as described in the departmental sections of this catalog, which may make it difficult to change curricula during the junior or senior year.

3. The Credit/No Credit option cannot be used in courses that fulfill the critical thinking and world language requirements of the Liberal Education Curriculum. Use of the Credit/No Credit option for courses in major and minor programs must follow the University policies.