Major Descriptions & Plans

ECU offers a variety of undergraduate majors. Below you will find a list of the majors offered with a brief description and same four-year plan for each.

A

Accounting

The Accounting (Bachelor of Science in Business Administration) degree provides a broad overview of significant issues in management accounting and a detailed examination of internal accounting issues affecting multiple entity types. The courses include an array of topics needed for an accounting manager in a dynamic environment. The BSBA degree is ultimately designed to prepare students for careers in corporate accounting, governmental accounting, and internal auditing. This degree does not meet the requirements for professional certification as a CPA in North Carolina.

Sample Four-Year Plan

African and African American Studies

African and African American Studies (Bachelor of Arts) is an interdisciplinary degree that provides students with a broad perspective on the values of racial and ethnic diversity. This major includes sociopolitical, religious, and historical perspectives related to African peoples, both in Africa as well as throughout the complex and diverse diasporic communities of North America and the Atlantic world. The program draws from a broad range of disciplines in the social sciences, humanities, and fine arts.

Sample Four-Year Plan

Anthropology

Anthropology (Bachelor of Arts) is the study of people and their cultures, both in the past and present, and consists of three subfields: biological anthropology, archaeology, and cultural anthropology. Biological anthropologists discover when and why humans appeared on earth, analyze how they have changed biologically over time, and apply their research methods to forensic analyses. Archaeologists excavate the remains of past societies to discover how people lived in the past and work to conserve artifacts and display them in museum settings. Cultural anthropologists use participant observation to immerse themselves in other cultures to understand why people think and behave differently.

Sample Four-Year Plan

Applied Atmospheric Science

The Applied Atmospheric Science (Bachelor of Science) degree prepares students to apply knowledge of weather and climate, meteorological observations, and forecasting to the societal challenges of natural hazards and climate change. Students learn the latest geospatial technologies, such as geographic information systems and cartographic design, and will apply them to understanding coastal hazards, severe weather, and hydrology. The Geography Department maintains two state-­‐of-­‐the-­‐art weather stations to monitor weather and climate variables in the heart of the city and at a remote field site.

Sample Four-Year Plan

Art

The Art (Bachelor of Fine Arts) degree requires an area of specialty (a concentration) in Animation Interactive Design, Cinematic Arts Media Production, Ceramics, Graphic Design, Illustration, Metal Design, Painting and Drawing, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, or Textiles.

Sample Four-Year Plan

Art Education

The Art Education (Bachelor of Fine Arts) curriculum is designed to prepare students for certification in art at the elementary through secondary school levels and to develop their competence both as creative artists and as teachers. It is also geared to develop understanding of goals, content, motivational techniques, use of materials, evaluative processes, and procedures involved in art instruction at pupils’ various developmental levels.

Sample Four-Year Plan

Art Histories

The Art Histories (BA in Multidisciplinary Studies) program is dedicated to helping students achieve a historical understanding of the visual arts from various perspectives that include formal, iconographic, critical, and social analysis.

Sample Four-Year Plan

B

Biochemistry

The Biochemistry degree is designed for students seeking careers in a variety of fields including health professions, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and research. The curriculum has a strong foundation in biology, chemistry, calculus and physics. We offer two concentrations one in chemistry that focuses on the structural aspects and one in biology that emphasizes the molecular aspects of biochemistry. Students are strongly encouraged to carry out undergraduate research projects in biochemistry for which they can earn course credit.

Sample Four-Year Plan

Biology

The Biology department offers both a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degree. The bachelor of science degree is designed for students seeking career opportunities in health, industry, business, academia, research, or governmental and non-governmental organizations; or advancement into professional and graduate programs. The bachelor of art degree prepare students for careers in education, industry, public health, and environmental monitoring. Both degrees provide a broad-based biological background with increased hand-on experience. The bachelor of art degree includes foreign language proficiency and enough flexibility for students to tailor their curriculum in key areas to facilitate career development in the STEM field.

Sample Four-Year Plan

Biology (BA)
Biology (BS)
Ecology & Evolution
General Biology
Molecular & Cell Biology
Molecular & Cell: Pre-Vet
BS in Biology with Chemistry
BS in Biology with BS in Clinical Laboratory Sciences

Birth Through Kindergarten Teacher Education

The Birth Through Kindergarten Teacher Education (Bachelor of Science) degree prepares individuals to work with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners with and without disabilities, including those at risk, and their families. In addition to working in public school classrooms, graduates may find employment in early intervention programs, child care and education centers, residential placement centers, and other child and family settings. Upon completion of program requirements, majors are eligible to apply for a North Carolina teaching license. Students take courses in child development, special education, family relations, reading, professional education, and general studies.

Sample Four-Year Plan

C

Chemistry

The Chemistry (Bachelor of Arts) degree provides a flexible major designed to provide the student with a broad education in chemistry appropriate for further study in a wide range of fields, such as business, medicine, pharmacy, and law. The curriculum, in conjunction with two semesters of laboratory-­‐based biology courses, satisfies the course requirements for application to most US medical schools. The BA chemistry degree, compared to the BS degree, requires fewer chemistry and math courses, as well as a lower level of physics, but adds the University requirement of four levels of foreign language.

The Chemistry (Bachelor of Science) degree equips students with skills that enhance their marketability to a wide variety of employers in technology and science and are also well positioned to apply for graduate study in chemistry and related fields. The BS chemistry degree differs from the BA degree in that it is more rigorous; more courses are required not only in chemistry, but in mathematics and physics as well. The BS degree in chemistry is the appropriate program for students considering advanced degree programs in chemistry, biochemistry, and other related fields or a professional career in chemistry. Additionally, it is an appropriately challenging major for competitive students interested in pharmacy, dental and medical school.

Sample Four-Year Plan

Chemistry BA

Success in Chemistry is dependent upon math skills. Chemistry placement is determined by Math scores on the ACT or SAT, or an appropriate score on our math placement test.