Chowan University’s academic offerings are organized into three schools: the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business, and the School of Education. Each school has structured its degree programs to provide students with a sound general educational background as well as marketable skills.
Degrees and Major Fields
The Bachelor of Arts degree is awarded in the following fields: American Studies, Criminal Justice, English, English Education, Fine Arts Studies, History, Humanities Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, Mathematics, Music, Psychology, Religion, Social Sciences, and Studio Art.
The Bachelor of Science degree is awarded in the following fields: American Studies, Biology, Business Administration, Comprehensive Science Education, Criminal Justice, Elementary Education, Graphic Communications, Graphic Design, Health and Physical Education, History, Humanities Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, Mathematics, Mathematics Education, Music, Music Education, Physical Education, Psychology, Religion, Social Sciences, Social Studies Education and Studio Art.
The Associate degree is awarded in Printing Production and Imaging Technology.
Minor Fields
Students may choose to minor in one of the following fields: Accounting, American Studies, Applied Business, Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry, Coaching, Criminal Justice, Drama, Economics, English, Graphic Design, History, Humanities Studies, Information Systems, Interdisciplinary Studies, Management, Marketing, Mathematics, Missions, Music, Psychology, Religion, Sport Management, and Studio Art. The minor cannot be in the same field of study as major.
Note: Some major fields may require students to have a minor.
General Education
The general education requirements are designed to develop the whole, educated person, one who has developed an intellectual curiosity about things beyond the major. The program accomplishes this mission by providing students with a frame of reference for formal studies and enhancing the qualities of judgment and freedom of mind that distinguish a liberally educated person. The program introduces students not only to the essential knowledge but also to the connections across the disciplines, and, in the end, to the application of knowledge to life beyond the campus. Underlying the requirements is the philosophy that educated people understand that no area of study exists in a vacuum, that all areas of study impinge on all others, and that to be effective members of the community, they must possess knowledge and skills beyond those expected in the area of specialization and be able to adapt to change.
Ringing of the Bell
Located on the west side of the McDowell Columns Building in the gazebo is the Chowan University bell. The bell dates back to the 1800s. “The bell swung from two stone pillars until 1880, when it was placed in the Bell Tower, a favorite meeting place for students. The bell was used to change classes, call students to chapel, and celebrate athletic victories.” (Frank Stephenson, Chowan College, 2004)
The tradition of the bell today is to establish a sense of community that begins in the first year and lasts beyond the confines of the four-year university experience. Each September, following University Convocation, faculty in full regalia and first year students proceed to the gazebo. With faculty lined up on both sides of the brick alumni walk leading to the gazebo, first-year students ring the bell to signify the beginning of their academic studies at Chowan.
The ringing of the bell is repeated again in May of each year. At the close of commencement exercises, the faculty and the graduates in their caps and gowns recess from the campus green to the gazebo. With faculty lined up on both sides of the alumni walk once again, each graduate, with diploma in hand, rings the bell one last time to signify the end of his or her academic studies at Chowan.
Undergraduate Research
Directed Research
Most academic areas offer opportunities for directed research. In a directed research project or course, students work under the guidance of a faculty member to explore an area of interest that is not normally taught in the Chowan curriculum.
The Chowan University Student Research Conference
The purpose of the Chowan University Student Research Conference (CUSRC) is to provide a venue for undergraduate students to present the results of original research in an appropriate professional setting. The CUSRC aims to provide students with valuable experience, to encourage interdisciplinary discourse, and to expose the University and the surrounding communities to the undergraduate research being conducted at Chowan University. The CUSRC is open to students from all disciplines.
Experiential Learning
Internships
For Chowan University students, the university experience is not limited to the classroom. Student internship programs provide practical experience and training. Plans for internships should be made with both academic competency and career plans in mind.
Teacher Education and Certification
The Chowan University Teacher Education Program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Chowan offers programs of study leading to teacher certification in the following specialty areas and for the indicated grade levels: Comprehensive Science Education, 9-12; Elementary Education, 1-6; English Education, 9-12; Health and Physical Education, K-12; Mathematics Education, 9-12; Music Education, K-12; and Social Studies Education, 9-12. These programs of teacher education are approved by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. All students who desire admission to the professional education program must complete an application for admission and receive the approval of the Teacher Education Committee.
Adult Degree Completion Program
The Adult Degree Completion Program at Chowan University is designed for adults, who, because of family and work responsibilities, need to attend college in a manner other than a traditional day school program. The program provides opportunities for students who possess an Associate Degree or the equivalent (60-67 credit hours from an accredited college or university) to earn a Bachelor of Science degree during evening hours. Adult students seeking a baccalaureate degree can choose between weeknight and main campus course offerings to reach their goal.
A student who meets the requirements for admissions will normally take classes at a Chowan off-campus site, two nights a week for two calendar years, including summers. Regardless of the major, the program is 60 hours to complete. All courses necessary to graduate will be offered within a two-year period. Students who take the courses as scheduled for the twenty-four month rotation and successfully complete them will be eligible to graduate. Students may attend classes at the off-campus site or on Chowan’s main campus. Chowan cannot guarantee graduation within the 24 months if the student does not adhere to the set rotation.
Adult students choose Chowan for a variety of reasons, some of which are to earn a degree for career advancement or as a prerequisite to changing careers. Whatever the reason for completing a four-year degree, the Adult Degree Completion Program at Chowan is conveniently designed to meet the needs of adult students.
Academic advisors work closely with their advisees to ensure they are registered for the classes needed.
Academic Agreements
Chowan University and Seoul Cyber University, desiring to enrich their respective institutions and to strengthen and expand the mutual contacts between both institutions, have established an Academic Exchange Agreement. The primary purpose of this agreement is to create a foundation for cooperative efforts between Chowan University and Seoul Cyber University that will provide student participants with an opportunity to study and benefit from the academic and cultural environment of the other and to affect the exchange of academic information between the two educational institutions.
The University has articulation agreements with the North Carolina Community College System and Paul D. Camp Community College in Franklin, Virginia. These agreements address the transfer of students to Chowan. Community college graduates who have earned 64 semester hours of academic credit in approved college transfer courses with a grade of “C” or better in each course and an overall grade point average of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale will receive at least 64 semester hours of academic credit and junior status upon admission to the University. In addition, the University has an articulation agreement with Tidewater Community College’s graphic design program.
Chowan has a dual degree program agreement with Palmer College of Chiropractic. The agreement is designed for students who intend to pursue a chiropractic education, but want to receive a degree from Chowan. Once the student completes the Doctor of Chiropractic degree program, then the student is eligible to receive a degree from both institutions.
The University has a collaborative agreement with Halifax Community College. Under this agreement, Halifax graduates of two-year Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degree programs are assured admission to the University’s Adult Degree Completion program with junior status.
Chowan and the University of Louisiana-Monroe have a teacher candidate exchange program. This program is designed to provide an opportunity for teacher education candidates in both programs an opportunity to explore a diverse community and school environment to broaden their horizons about diversity.
School of Graduate Studies
The School of Graduate Studies offers the Master of Education degree in elementary education. The mission of the School of Graduate Studies is to provide and promote, within a liberal arts setting, excellence in graduate education that identifies scholars and further empowers emerging leaders for both the northeast North Carolina region and the diverse world beyond, reflecting awareness of the needs of the region and the complexities of the global community.
The William. A. Krueger School of Graphic Communication
The William. A. Krueger School of Graphic Communication at Chowan University is a premier program of its kind in the Carolinas and on the East Coast. The program is housed in Horner Graphics Communication Center. With its hands-on laboratories, the facility is specially designed for digital prepress, press operations, bindery and finishing, flexography, screen printing, and interactive multimedia applications. Since internships provide the student with real world experience, each student is required to complete an internship.
Interdisciplinary Symposium
In response to a call for greater interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration among Chowan University faculty and the importance of demonstrating to Chowan students the connections among various disciplines in their education curriculum, the university sponsors an interdisciplinary symposium each year. The symposium is based on the premise that if students have an opportunity to see that their course work is inherently linked and that what they learn in one class can be transferred to another, then their education might seem purposeful. Reinforcing the integration of disciplines and building on the ties that bind all disciplines of study is what makes an education valuable. Past themes include “The World of Mark Twain,” “War and Society,” “The American South,” “Exploring the Environment”, “Leisure and Play in Society,” “A Sense of Place,” “Talking About a Revolution,” “A Pop Culture Society,” and From Field to Table: A Foodways Journey.”
The Chowan Academic Forum is a weeklong celebration of the intellectual and artistic life of the University. Held each April, events include the Senior Art Exhibit, drama production, music concert, Interdisciplinary Symposium, Chowan University Student Research Conference, and Awards Day Convocation.
Mary Frances Hobson Lecture and Prize
The annual Mary Frances Hobson Lecture and Prize for Distinguished Achievement in Arts and Letters brings the University and surrounding community together each spring to celebrate the accomplishments of an author of note from the region. Initiated in 1995 by the Hobson Family Foundation of San Francisco, the award serves as a memorial to Mary Frances Hobson (1912-1993), a journalist and poet, who was the first woman to receive the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award in journalism from the University of North Carolina. Previously Hobson Prize recipients are: Kay Gibbons, Mark Richard, Jill McCorkle, Randall Kenan, G.D. Gearino, Amy Hempel, Allan Gurganus, Padgett Powell, Sheri Reynolds, Chuck Sullivan, Shelia P. Moses, Michael Parker, Josephine Humphreys, Judy Goldman, Darnell Arnoult, Lee Smith, Robert Morgan, Silas House, and Joseph Bathanti.
The Brown Lady
The Brown Lady is an academic and creative publication. It brings together the best work of students exploring a range of disciplines in their chosen fields–everything from creative work in the visual arts, creative writing (prose and poetry), and music performance, to academic pursuits represented by undergraduate and graduate-level papers. The magazine is sponsored by the Honors College Student Association and the English Club.
Theatre@Chowan
Threatre@Chowan exists to provide opportunities for artistic and creative expression as well as intellectual exploration. It allows students to discover their unique talents and foster their innate creative abilities. Drama is derivative from the Greek word meaning “to do,” and at Chowan, students have the opportunity to do it all. Students work backstage, on stage, and in various administrative capacities such as box office and ushering.
Pre-professional Programs
Pre-law Advisory Program
The American Bar Association has emphasized that there is no preferred major nor recommended curriculum for those preparing for law school. Individuals interested in going to law school may feel comfortable following most programs of study in conjunction with advising through Chowan’s pre-law advisory program. The program is not a major, but a means of assisting students in meeting the requirements to get into law school, regardless of their undergraduate major.
Pre-medicine Advisory Program
No specific undergraduate major is required for admission to medical school. Chowan’s pre-medicine advisory program can help students prepare for admission to medical school and provide guidance on how to tailor the undergraduate program to meet individual areas of interest. Increasingly, medical schools recommend that the undergraduate education of medical students be as academically diverse as possible. Most medical schools require two semesters of the following introductory science courses with laboratories: General Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physics. Beyond these foundational courses, a student’s major can be shaped to fit individual interests. The pre-medical advisor is located in the Science Department and can assist any student interested in medicine in matters related to admission to medical school. The pre-medical advisor will work with the student to develop an undergraduate program, as well as provide information regarding specific medical schools, the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), and the American Medical Colleges Application Service (AMCAS). Students should make an appointment with the pre-medical advisor early in their academic careers to begin planning the pre-medical component of their degree.
Other Pre-health Advisory Programs
Several other allied health related pre-professional advisory programs are available at Chowan through the Science Department. Included in this category are areas of Pre-Dentistry, Pre-Nursing, Pre-Pharmacy, Pre-Physical Therapy and Pre-Veterinary Medicine. Students planning to continue studies in any of these fields must plan their degree programs carefully. Although all require a similar core of science courses with laboratories, specific entrance requirements, entrance examinations, and admissions procedures vary from program to program. Students interested in these programs should contact the Science Department and meet with the advisor to that program as early as possible.
Special Educational Opportunities
The Honors College
The Honors College at Chowan University is designed to offer attractive and challenging opportunities for intellectual growth to well-prepared and highly motivated students. The college has both curricular and extracurricular components. The Honors College Committee will normally consider for acceptance into the program any freshman who enters college with at least a 3.25 high school grade point average and a 1100 or higher SAT score. Transfer students and Chowan rising sophomores must have earned at least a 3.50 GPA and a B in English composition.
Chowan honor students will complete the program requirements, which include honors-enriched courses. The emphasis in any course designated as honors is on teaching students to articulate an understanding of a given field, to relate that field of knowledge to others, to think independently, and to write and speak clearly and cogently. Honors classes are generally smaller than usual and provide opportunities for intensive class discussion and innovative teaching. Students who successfully complete the Honors College graduate with a special designation on their diplomas and transcripts. Members of the Honors College hold automatic membership in the Honors College Student Association.
Perspectives
The purpose of the Perspectives Program is to enrich the intellectual, cultural, and spiritual development of students beyond the classroom. The program allows students to develop new perspectives by providing them with opportunities to explore issues of current interest, deepen their awareness of the arts, learn about cultural activities they may not have considered otherwise, discover a variety of disciplines, strengthen their understanding of faith and its diversities, grow toward spiritual maturity, celebrate the achievements of others, and develop an appreciation for the concept of campus community.
Study Abroad
Chowan University supports and encourages students to participate in a study abroad experience. A variety of programs are available, including short trips sponsored by Chowan University. These programs may carry academic credit based on prior approval.
As a way to assist students with their study abroad experience, the M. Elizabeth Harris International Travel Study Endowment was established to assist up to fifteen students from Chowan University. Students who participate in this program will receive a scholarship towards the trip, will be known as Harris Scholars, and will also receive academic credit. Past study abroad trips include visits to Turkey, Greece, Israel, Egypt, Italy, Germany, France, and Switzerland.
Upward Bound
Chowan Upward Bound is a federally funded (United States Department of Education) program for high school students who want to continue their education beyond high school. The Chowan Upward Bound program works annually with seventy-five high school students from Hertford, Bertie, and Northampton Counties in the Roanoke-Chowan region of North Carolina. In the truest sense the name, Upward Bound should be “College Bound” because this program is specifically designed to work with students who are seriously interested in attending college after graduation from high school, but who may be having difficulty understanding the process. Upward Bound at Chowan University offers its students a full range of instructional, tutorial, and counseling services. The program at Chowan is purely academic and cultural in nature and is operated in two phases: a six weeks residential summer program on the Chowan campus and an academic year program that runs the course of the academic year. The academic year program does not replace the secondary school year.
Learning Assistance
Academic Advising
Academic advising is a cooperative effort by the advisor and the student to clarify the student’s educational and life goals and to develop plans to reach these goals. While the student is ultimately responsible for setting and meeting goals and published requirements, the advisor provides assistance by helping the student work through the decision-making process and keeping track of the student’s academic progress.
Each new student is assigned a faculty advisor. Each student interacts with this advisor in a series of meetings designed to help students become familiar with university policies and with various university resources, as well as helping them understand their own responsibility for academic planning and personal success.
Academic Assistance
The mission of the Office of Academic Assistance is to promote student success by providing educational assistance and guidance in an environment that is both challenging and supportive: academically, socially, and spiritually. The Office serves to help students resolve issues affecting their academic success such as absences, illness, scheduling problems, administrative paperwork, and appeals processes. The Office also serves as a liaison between concerned parents and the campus community. Parents are encouraged to contact the Office with concerns or suggestions at 252.398.6365.
Chowan Tutoring Program
The University offers a tutoring program to provide academic assistance for the entire student body. Student tutors and the coordinator work one-on-one with students. The program, which operates four nights per week, is housed in the Writing Center, which is located in Marks 118. Tutoring is available to students at no additional expense. In addition, online tutoring through Brainfuse is available to students enrolled in mathematics, business, and science courses.
Disability Services
It is University policy to ensure that no qualified student with a disability is denied the benefits of, excluded from participation in, or otherwise subjected to discrimination in any University program or activity. The Learning Center is responsible for ensuring that the academic needs of students with disabilities are met. Accommodations include, but are not limited to, extended time testing, distraction reduced test environments, note takers, textbooks in alternative format, and computer software.
All students with any type of disability are required to contact the Director of the Learning Center for information and guidance. In order to receive any academic accommodation, students must self-identify with the Learning Center and complete an eligibility process, which includes submitting recent, valid documentation of the disability. If the request for an accommodation is granted, the student receives a letter noting the type of accommodation. Students must provide their instructors with a copy of the letter. Instructors must work with the Learning Center to ensure students with learning disabilities received the appropriate accommodation. Students must request an accommodation at the beginning of each semester.
Chowan Critical Thinking Program
The Chowan Critical Thinking Program is designed to assist Chowan students evaluate the dispositions, understand the elements and standards, and apply the processes of the effective critical thinker. As they become effective critical thinkers, students will have a more significant learning experience and will establish a foundation for a lifetime of intellectual growth.
Math Placement
Prior to registration all new students are evaluated in the area of mathematics. In cases where evaluation results indicate specific academic deficiencies, a student may be advised or required to enroll in a developmental course. Because such work is preparatory and supportive of university-level work, no academic credit is awarded for successful completion. The student should complete such work as early as possible in order to make appropriate progress toward graduation.
Writing Center
The Writing Center provides a quiet, supportive and resourceful environment for all students in any major to get help with their writing assignments at any stage of the writing process. The center is located in Marks Hall.
Grades First
Faculty, staff, advisors, administrators and coaches notify the Office of Academic Assistance of students who are not performing satisfactorily (e.g., poor attendance, assignments not turned in, low exam grades). Such notification is accomplished through a web-based service known as Grades First.
Whitaker Library
With its approximately 100,000 books and 1,000 periodical subscriptions, Whitaker Library is conceived as an integral part of the educational process. The library operates on the assumption that the ability to locate and evaluate needed information with confidence is one of the distinctive marks of an educated person. By means of formal and informal instruction in research methods and bibliography, the student is encouraged to progress from the heavy reliance on textbooks and assigned readings characteristic of the freshman to the independent work of the upper-level student who has learned how to discover and gain maximum benefit from modern information resources.
In addition to books and periodicals, numerous electronic resources, including NC LIVE and Project Muse, the statewide electronic library project, are available via the Internet. Whitaker Library also offers access to resources beyond its own by providing interlibrary loan services. Several special collections are available, including the Oscar Creech Baptist Collection, the McDowell Collection of Archives and Antiquities, the Whitaker Collection of Presidential Papers, and the Daniel Hall Music Library. The library also houses the Instructional Materials Center.
Academic Outreach
Academic Outreach is a public service of Chowan University. The purpose of the program is to facilitate interactions between the faculty and students of Chowan University and the faculty and students of public and private schools.
Assessment Program
Chowan University maintains a continuing assessment effort to provide academic excellence to all students. As a part of a comprehensive assessment program, the University also regularly evaluates each academic major. Assessment at Chowan involves faculty, students, administrators, and staff. The Office of the Provost collects and analyzes assessment reports from each academic and administrative unit annually and determines that each unit has developed plans to bring about program improvement and improved student learning. |
