General Information

General Information

DYSON COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
One Pace Plaza, New York, NY 10038-1598
(212) 346-1518
861 Bedford Road, Pleasantville, NY 10570
(914) 773-3781
www.pace.edu/dyson

ADMINISTRATION
Nira Herrmann, BS, MS, MS, Ph.D., Dean
Joseph Franco, BS, MS, MS, M. Phil., Ph.D, LMHC, NCC, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Richard B. Schlesinger, BA, MA, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

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MISSION STATEMENT
Through innovative teaching, a collaborative student-faculty learning environment, and an inclusive community of student and faculty scholars, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences fully engages students in learning in the liberal arts.  Dyson College provides students majoring in the arts and sciences the depth and breadth they need to continue their studies at the graduate and professional levels or find employment in their field. Dyson offers all students a supportive environment where they master the liberal arts skills needed to succeed professionally and lead rewarding, intellectually and civically engaged lives.

Dyson provides the vital skills every student needs for success, including written and oral communications; critical thinking; leadership; creative analytic thinking that perceives connections among broadly based ideas; and a deeper understanding of global issues and diverse national and international cultures. 

Dyson College's learning philosophy results in graduates who can think analytically and creatively, understand ideas and issues contextually, communicate effectively, act responsibly in their community, and lead confidently in today's global workplace.

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DEGREE REQUIREMENTS AND STANDARDS
1.  Full-time students must register for a minimum of 12 credits per semester. In order to graduate in four years, students must complete an average of 16 credits per semester. Their first-year program consists of required courses in the core curriculum and in their major field of study.

2.  Part-time students are normally limited to a maximum of nine credits per semester. They must complete ENG 110  and 120 within their first 20 credits and the remaining core foundation courses within their first 64 credits.

3.  Students must complete 32 credits and take one half of their major credits and one half of their minor credits at Pace.

4.  It is required that students in Dyson College maintain a 2.0 quality point average (QPA) overall and a 2.0 in their major as a requirement for graduation. Major courses (required and major electives) are listed under Undergraduate Degree Programs. This requirement does not preclude a higher standard when such is appropriate.

5.  Students wishing to complete both a BS and a BA must complete a minimum of 32 credits beyond 128 credits required for a single degree.

6. Students enrolled in BS or BA degree programs in the arts and sciences are permitted to take up to 32 credits in the Lubin School of Business. Students are advised to meet with the chairperson of their major department or program advisor before enrolling in business courses.

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DEGREE OBJECTIVES
Objectives of the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science Degrees
Traditionally, bachelor of arts degrees are focused on a well-rounded foundation which best prepares students for advanced degrees. Bachelor of science degrees have a more technical focus. These majors expose students to both the theoretical and practical aspects of a field, thereby enabling them to enter the career field upon graduation.

Objectives of the Associate of Arts and Associate of Science Degrees
Students enrolled in an associate of art degree will begin to explore the liberal arts through basic survey courses and will begin to develop the skills necessary for higher learning. The associate of science degree has the same basic elements, but also includes exposure to practical or technical aspects of a discipline.

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UNIVERSITY CORE CURRICULUM
The Core Curriculum, a program of study in the arts and sciences, is central to all undergraduate degrees at Pace University. Many students might ask why half their credits are taken in the core before beginning a major program of study. Core courses, regardless of a student's major, address fundamental problems and issues in the arts and sciences. These courses consider these themes from diverse perspectives and approaches, and ensure that Pace graduates achieve competency in a variety of skills that are sought by employers and are needed for graduate-level work. A strong liberal arts education is necessary for virtually every career.

Learning Outcomes of the Pace University Core Curriculum:

Communication-Learn to express ideas clearly and effectively.

Analysis-Think clearly and critically.  Fuse experience, reason and training into considered judgment.  Comprehend, interpret and analyze texts, processes, and media.

Intellectual depth, breadth, integration and application -Examine, organize and use disciplinary ways of knowing and apply them to specific issues and problems in intellectual, professional, and community life.

Effective citizenship-Be involved and responsible in the community.  Act with informed awareness of contemporary issues in their historical contexts.  Develop leadership abilities.  Understand and value diversity within American culture.  Integrate service and learning. 

Social Interaction-Know how to get things done in committees, team projects and other group efforts.  Listen to and understand the views of others and help reach conclusions.

Global, National, and International Perspectives-Become familiar with traditions that shape our world and nation.  Read and discuss texts from diverse traditions and perspectives.  Understand the cultural, economic, social, and biological interdependence of global and national life.

Valuing-Recognize different value systems.  Understand one's own self and one's own values, and the values of others.   Read important texts that foster humanistic values.

Problem solving-Figure out what the problem is and what is causing it.  With others or alone, form strategies that work in different situations; then get done what needs to be done, evaluating effectiveness.

Aesthetic response- Study important works of the human imagination in order to develop aesthetic and literary sensibility.  Make and defend judgments about the quality of artistic expressions.

Information Literacy and Research-Locate, evaluate, and make efficient and ethical use of information resources.

Scientific and quantitative reasoning- Understand the workings of the natural world.  Develop problem-solving strategies using scientific and quantitative reasoning.

Technological Fluency - Make efficient use of technology for personal and professional needs.  Use graphics, electronic media, computers and quantified data.

Pace University offers you an innovative, cutting-edge Core Curriculum designed to promote active learning, student success, and interaction with faculty. In your Core courses you will develop abilities that are essential to success in college study and in careers. The Pace Core allows for flexibility and choice, so you can fulfill the Core according to your own abilities and preferences.

You will be enriched intellectually and personally in your Core courses. As a result, you will be prepared to become a lifelong learner as you respond to the inevitable changes and challenges of your professional and personal life.

Features of the Pace University Core include:

  • Community Building
  • Social Responsibility and Civic Engagement
  • A Focus on Student Learning Outcomes
  • Choice and Flexibility
  • Ability to complete a minor in the Core

The Core Curriculum is composed of three distinct and integrated areas, each of which allows for flexibility and choice, so students can fulfill the core according to their individual abilities and preferences:

Section I, Foundational Requirements, ensures that Pace graduates achieve competency in a variety of communication and quantitative skills. Students entering Pace with a strong background in English, language, or computing may be eligible to place out of some foundational requirements by taking proficiency or placement exams. Students who need additional work and support in these vital skill areas will find the help they need through this series of coursework.

Section II, Areas of Knowledge, offers broad exposure to a variety of approaches and perspectives in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, and to different modes of analysis and understanding. These courses are intended to develop a sense of social, civic, and global awareness and responsibility.

In the required Civic Engagement and Public Values course, students will apply the theories they learn in the classroom to a real-life need within the community. Students will reflect upon the experience, and consider their role as educated citizens and as problem-solvers. Community-based learning is consistent with Pace University's longstanding tradition of applied, experiential, and interactive learning, and our commitment to fostering an engaged campus.

Section III, Inquiry and Exploration, is an area where students have free choice to complete a minor or concentration, take courses of special interest, or auxiliary courses for their majors.

Other core requirements that fit into one of the three sections include:

  • A Learning Community, in which students and their professors experience a purposeful, coherent and integrated learning environment together in linked or interdisciplinary courses.
  • Two Writing-Enhanced Courses, in which students will strengthen their writing and communication skills while learning course content.

Students who matriculated before September 2003 will complete the core curriculum that was effective during that time.
For further information about the University Core Curriculum, visit the core Web site, available from the Pace home page.

NOTES ON THE UNIVERSITY CORE (for English and Math, see also "Placement" in the Academic Policies and Regulations section of this catalog)

Completion of Foundational Requirements
New students are required to complete ENG 120 by the time they attain 30 credits and, in addition, must complete the remainder of the Foundational Requirements of the University Core within 66 credits. 

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SECOND LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY POLICY
All undergraduate students with two or more years of high school study in Chinese, French, Italian, Russian or Spanish, who plan to continue their study of the same language in either the fall, spring or summer semester must take a placement exam to determine the appropriate level of college study. Test scores remain valid for one year. Students who postpone language study beyond that year must retake the placement exam. All students with less than two years of high school study in a language will automatically be placed in the 101-level course in their chosen language.

All students must begin their language study at the evaluated placement level and will not receive Core credit if they start at a lower level.

  • Students placed at 101 must take 101 and 102 in the same language.
  • Students placed at 102 must take 102 and 280 in the same language.
  • Students placed at the 200 level or above must take one 3-credit course at the level of their placement.

Exemptions

Students will be exempt from second language study if they satisfy one of the following requirements:

  • Students who have completed secondary schooling in a language other than English
  • Students who have taken the foreign language SAT II exam  prior to enrollment and have a score of 550 or above
  • Students who have taken the Language and/or the Literature Advanced Placement Exam in a foreign language and scored 4 or 5 will receive 3 or 6 credits that satisfy the Core
  • Students who take the NYU 12 point Proficiency Exam and score 12 points receive 3 credits of language Core credit

Please note that American Sign Language (ASL) may be used to fulfill the Core language requirement.

Students who transfer 25 college credits or more in the Lubin School of Business, the Lienhard School of Nursing, and the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems may fulfill language Core requirement by taking one culture course with a prefix of ARA, CHI, FRE, JPN, GRK, ITA, JPN, LAT,RUS, or SPA.


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TRANSFER STUDENTS
Transfer students must complete 60 credits in the Arts and Sciences. They must fulfill the Foundational Requirements and the Civic Engagement course, with flexibility for the remaining credits. Transfer students in the professional schools, with the exception of the School of Education, may take a culture course to fulfill the second language requirement.

For purposes of determining the appropriate University Core Curriculum requirements for students who come to Pace with transfer credits, a transfer student is defined as one who successfully completes (grade of "C" or better) a minimum of 25 college-level credits prior to the student's attendance at Pace University. Thus students with fewer than 25 transfer credits, (freshmen), will be required to take the entire new core.

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IN-DEPTH SEQUENCES
In completing their core requirements, an alternative for qualified students is to explore a subject area in the arts and sciences in some depth. Pace students are afforded the option of concentrating in a subject area by pursuing an "in-depth sequence."

An in-depth sequence consists of at least nine (9) credits in a subject area within the core, beyond core requirements in that area, and is in a field of study outside the student's major. Students build an in-depth sequence of courses, each of which replaces one course from each of the Areas of Knowledge (excluding Area One: Civic Engagement and Public Values), up to a maximum of three courses. Students may apply the in-depth sequence toward a minor or second major in the Arts and Sciences. Courses in the sequence may not substitute for requirements in the student's school or first major program.

A student wishing to pursue an In-Depth Sequence should consult the Office of the Dean of the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences in order to file an approved program for courses with OSA in advance of study.

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