Baccalaureate Degree Program

Departments are groupings of faculty and disciplines that ascribe to a similar content area or pedagogy. A department may consist of a variety of programs of study (majors and minors). See Departmental and Divisional structure. In addition, Augustana has several programs of study which have no "home" department because they are by design interdisciplinary. Descriptions of the organizational areas of the curriculum appear below. The Classification for Instructional Program (CIP) Codes for each of our programs is reviewed every five years by the Office of Institutional Research and the Office of the Registrar. The current CIP codes reflect the IPDEDS 2020 code table. 

Graduation with a Bachelor of Arts degree requires completion of a major. There are two types of majors —departmental and interdisciplinary—and many options within these. A major must be completed with a grade-point average of 2.00 or better in all Augustana courses. All courses listed in the catalog as required courses for the major, including those outside of the department or with a different subject coding, are considered part of the major and will count in the grade point average. At least 12 credits applicable to the major must be in 300- and 400-level courses taken at Augustana. Applicable courses may not be taken Pass-No Credit unless approved by the appropriate department chair. The completion of a major is rec­orded on the student’s permanent academic record and transcript. Students are required to declare a major at the point they have earned 60 credits. 

Departments offer majors consisting of a minimum of 24 credits, often with options, and may offer a major for secon­dary school teaching.  While the gen­eral requirements for the baccalaur­eate degree provide breadth of study in several disciplines, the major pro­vides depth of study and advanced work in one area. With limited discretion, the department chair may request to a substitute a major requirement with other coursework in rare and unusual circumstances. A list of our programs and their specific requirements for each major are listed in the Courses and Programs of Study section of this catalog.

Augustana offers a broad selection of coursework in areas of study where no major or minor is awarded, but complementary coursework is offered. These courses often provide students the opportunity for exploration within disciplines they hope to pursue in their graduate studies or potential career paths following completion of their degree program at Augustana. 

The purpose of the Contract Major (CM) is to allow highly motivated students to follow a course of study outside the boundaries of established majors. In offering the option of a CM, the faculty of Augustana College encourages students to be creative in constructing their learning experiences. The CM allows students to draw upon the wealth of coursework offered at the College to develop a major that corresponds to their particular interests and goals. In addition, this program allow students to create a course of study outside department and interdisciplinary majors.

Eligible students must be pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree, be in good standing, with an overall grade-point average of 3.30 or above at the time of application. Contract majors consist of a minimum of 28 credits and are represented by at least three different academic disciplines. Students with a contract major will not double or triple major, but may pursue a minor if they choose. 

See the Contract Major section of the catalog for the proposal process and requirements. 

Students pursuing a degree and who have declared an academic major may elect to add a minor (or minors) to their degree pursuits under their major program of study if their schedule allows. A broad selection of minors is available to complement or supplement work in a major. A minor also may be used to study an area which holds a special interest for the student. The minor must be completed with a grade-point average of 2.00 or better in all applicable Augustana courses. All courses listed in the catalog as required courses for the minor, including those outside of the department or with a different subject coding, are considered part of the minor and will count in the grade point average. At least 6 credits applicable to the minor must be 300- and 400- level courses taken at Augustana. Applicable courses may not be taken Pass-No Credit unless specific approval is granted by the advisor. The completion of a minor is recorded on the student's permanent academic record and transcript. Students may not major and minor in the same discipline/program. 

Most departments offer minors consisting of 17 to 24 credits for students who wish to concentrate in a second area. For a list of minors and their specific requirements see the Courses and Programs of Study section of this catalog.

A student pursuing an Augustana experiential minor must meet all of the requirements of a minor noted above. These programs will demonstrate an academic value consistent with the mission, values and programs at Augustana. These experiential minors are tied to the college-wide Student Learning Outcomes, respond to actual or potential demand and in instances where they are not tied to a major or other program, should have some sort of application process or entrance standards. Like other minors, experiential minors, are not stand-alone programs and cannot be pursued alone. These programs must be attached to a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Experiential minors are distinct from disciplinary and interdisciplinary majors and minors in that they:

• Are focused on outcomes-based problem solving skills and/or use of specific practical knowledge that may meet future educational or career goals.

• Include a substantial experiential and/or experiential learning component beyond the borders of the classroom and/or campus.

Participation and completion requirements

• At least 75 percent of the credits applied to the program requirements must be taken at Augustana.

• Students must have declared an academic major before they can pursue an experiential minor and must complete the requirements for a degree to earn the experiential minor (unless enrolled in an approved one-year, international exchange program.)

• Include a reflective paper or culminating experience or project.

Experiential Minor proposals will:

• Include a clear statement of the purpose of the program and the anticipated benefits to the department(s), college, and students.

• Identify target audience(s) and evidence of long term or short term need as appropriate.

• Identify an academic team of faculty members or a department to house the program, provide administrative oversight and assure continuity.

• Reflect consultation with appropriate colleagues to assure that this program will not impinge on the quality and availability of regular programs and opportunities for degree-seeking students. The proposal should be endorsed by all affected departments.

• Establish the availability of resources needed to support the program, including the availability of qualified staff to teach the courses and supervise other activities.

• Define standards of minimum success for students and point to how the quality of student experiences outside the classroom will be measured.

• Propose arrangements for ongoing advising for students enrolled in the program.

• Draw from courses regularly offered at the college and generally available to the student body, and that, whenever possible, apply toward requirements for graduation.

Assessment and review

Because experiential minor programs are new at Augustana, there is a particular need to monitor developments and provide for adaptation based on experience. Accordingly, approval of experiential programs will be contingent on an understanding that the programs will be submitted for renewal after a trial period of five years. The renewal process could lead to permanent approval of the program, extension of the trial period, a request for modifications, or other actions.

The renewal process would consider, among other things:

• Evidence that the program meets the learning goals of the program.

• Evidence that the program is operating with sufficient interest from the students and sufficient support from the faculty, administration, and other stakeholders.

• Evidence that the program has not had an adverse impact on other aspects of the college curriculum and has had a beneficial impact in terms of recruitment or post-graduate outcomes.

Experiential Minor Programs

Entrepreneurial Studies

Food Studies

Inter-religious Leadership

Non-profit Leadership Development

Experiential only programs with no credential

American Cultural Exploration

                                                      Adopted by full faculty 12-7-17

In alignment with our mission, Augustana College encourages every student to pursue a major that helps develop their gifts, skills and talents toward a career and/or graduate school path meaningful to them. 

With this in mind, some international students who are interested in STEM majors (science, technology, engineering, math) and wish to extend their OPT beyond one-year post-graduation, may wish to consider a STEM field which can help facilitate this. The chart of SEVIS-approved Augustana STEM majors linked below is provided as a courtesy and was collected as of the date noted above. It is the responsibility of every student to verify this information for themselves with SEVIS.

Augustana makes no guarantee that pursuing or completing a Bachelor of Arts degree with one of these majors will qualify any student to extend their stay in the United States following graduation. The sole responsibility for verification of this information with the Department of Homeland Security lies entirely with the student.

The CIP code information provided by SEVIS in consultation with the Department of Education has been adapted for the qualifying Augustana programs and may be found HERE. A complete list of all Augustana programs of study and their CIP codes is linked above. 

                                            updated 7.2.24