University Requirements
General Education
The UMKC General Education Core is the university-wide curriculum that all undergraduate students will complete. The 30-credit hour core curriculum includes three course types designated as Anchor, Discourse and Focus and is detailed in the General Education section of the catalog.
Constitution Course
Every undergraduate student must take a course covering the United States Constitution and the Missouri State Constitution before graduation. Course options are included in the program requirements section below.
RooWriter Assessment
Candidates for all baccalaureate degrees must complete the online UMKC RooWriter Writing Assessment after they have passed Discourse 200 (or its equivalent) but before they have attained 90 credit hours. Incoming transfer students with more than 90 credit hours must complete the RooWriter by the end of their first semester of enrollment or within one semester after passing Discourse 200 (or its equivalent). Students who have not completed the RooWriter Writing Assessment within two semesters after passing Discourse 200 (or its equivalent) will be blocked from enrollment until they successfully complete the RooWriter. Additional information is available in the Undergraduate Academic Regulations and Information section of the catalog.
Exit Examinations
Information on exit examinations and/or major field exams is available in the Undergraduate Academic Regulations and Information section of the catalog.
Missouri Higher Education Civics Achievement Examination
In accordance with Missouri Senate Bill 807 (section 170.013.1), 'any student entering a public institution of higher education for the first time after July 2019 who is pursuing an associate's or bachelor's degree from such institution shall successfully pass an examination on the provisions and principles of American civics with a score of seventy percent or greater as a condition of graduation from such institution'. To satisfy this requirement at UMKC, students access the exam through the Canvas site. This requirement will be listed in the degree audit system as, 'Take State Mandated Missouri Higher Education Civics Achievement Examination', and listed on the transcript as 'Missouri Civics Examination'.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating from this program will:
- Be able to apply interdisciplinary perspectives to analyze ideas using diverse frames of reference and cultural complexity
- Students will attain at least Intermediate-mid reading, writing, listening and speaking proficiency in a foreign language (according to the ACTFL proficiency levels)
- Students will draw on their knowledge of their selected region to identify and describe at least two dimensions – historical, political, social, cultural, economic – of specific international issues.
- Students will present and discuss their research in compelling, coherent, clear analytical arguments
Program Requirements
Program Specific Recommendations for UMKC General Education Core Coursework
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Anchor I 1 | 3 | |
| Anchor II 1 | 3 | |
| Anchor III 1 | 3 | |
| DISC 100 | Discourse I: Reasoning and Values (Speech and Writing) | 3 |
| DISC 200 | Discourse II: Culture and Diversity (Writing and Speech) | 3 |
| DISC 300 | Discourse III: Civic and Community Engagement (Speech and Writing) | 3 |
| Focus A 1 | 3 | |
| Focus B (Satisfied in program requirements below) | ||
| Focus C (May be satisfied by the Constitution course requirement below) | ||
| Focus Elective 1 | 3 | |
| 'Total credits' in this section indicates the number of General Education Core credit hours that are not met by the degree specific requirements outlined below. | ||
| Total Credits | 24 | |
| 1 | See the UMKC General Education Core section of the catalog for available Anchor and Focus course options. |
Constitution Course Requirement
Section 170.011.1 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, 2015, states that all candidates for a degree issued by a college or university in the state of Missouri must have “satisfactorily passed an examination on the provisions and principles of the Constitution of the United States and of the state of Missouri, and in American history and American institutions.”
Courses at UMKC that satisfy this state requirement are:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| The Supreme Court And The Criminal Process | ||
| U.S. History to 1877 (Focus C) 1 | ||
| U.S. History Since 1877 (Focus C) 1 | ||
| Honors American Government (Focus C) 1 | ||
| American Government (Focus C) 1 | ||
| Total Credits | 3 | |
| 1 | Course may satisfy both the UMKC General Education Core (Focus C) and Constitution requirements. |
There are a few other ways this requirement can be satisfied for students transferring to UMKC:
- Take an equivalent course from the list above at a regionally accredited institution.
- Earn credit for one of the above courses through AP, IB, or CLEP.
- Take a course that directly satisfies the Missouri Constitution Requirement at another Missouri institution.
- Have a previous bachelors degree (or higher) from a regionally accredited institution.
- Have an Associate of Arts degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- Complete the 42 Hour Core at a Missouri institution and have it listed on the official transcript.
College of Arts & Sciences Degree Requirements
Students pursuing the bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees must complete a major. Students pursuing the bachelor of liberal arts degree must complete a minor. Additional details are available in the Student Services section of the catalog.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ALEKS Math Placement | ||
| Arts and Humanities Division of CAS or any UMKC Focus A course 1 | 6 | |
| Science and Math Division of CAS or any UMKC Focus B course | 6 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences Division of CAS or any UMKC Focus C course | 6 | |
| Writing Intensive Course (300-level or above) | 3 | |
| Foreign Language (3rd Semester Level) | 9 | |
| MATH 110 | Precalculus Algebra (or any 200-level or above Math/Stat course) 2 | 3 |
| or MATH 116 | Mathematics For Liberal Arts | |
| or MATH 120 | Precalculus | |
| Laboratory Science Experience | 1 | |
| Total Credits | 34 | |
| 1 | ENGLISH 110, ENGLISH 225, COMM-ST 110, and foreign language courses at 211 or below do not fulfill this requirement. |
| 2 | This requirement may be fulfilled by courses from either the UMKC General Education Core or the College of Arts and Sciences Degree Requirements. |
Major Requirements
The B.A. in Languages and Literatures with an emphasis in International Studies (INTS) requires 36 credits at or above the 200-level, with at least 9 hours numbered 400-level or higher. At least 12 hours in the major must be earned at UMKC.
Students may double count up to 12 credit hours from their major toward a minor in French, German, or Spanish. Students choosing to double-major in INTS and another emphasis area in Languages & Literatures may double count up to 18 credit hours. Students should consult the applicable catalog section to review applicability to minors in political science, economics, history, anthropology, or philosophy.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory Courses | 6 | |
| Introduction To Comparative Politics | ||
| International Relations | ||
| Coursework in the same foreign language at the 200-level or above | 12 | |
| Courses selected from Political and Economic Awareness (Politics) | 6 | |
| Labor and the Global Political Economy W | ||
| History Of Economic Thought W | ||
| International Trade And Development W | ||
| International Finance W | ||
| International Management W | ||
| Politics of Developing Countries W | ||
| Terrorism And Political Violence W | ||
| Politics In Eastern And Central Europe EU | ||
| Western European Politics EU | ||
| Conflict Resolution and Cooperation W | ||
| International Conflict and Cooperation W | ||
| Courses selected from Social and Cultural Awareness (Culture) | 6 | |
| Language and Culture W | ||
| Anthropology of Religion W | ||
| Culture and Society W | ||
| Writing Culture: The Craft of Ethnography W | ||
| From Cave Paintings to Cathedrals EU | ||
| From Michelangelo to Modernism EU | ||
| Arts Of African and New World Cultures AF,LA | ||
| Asian Art AS | ||
| History of Music in Western Civilization I EU | ||
| History of Music in Western Civilization II EU | ||
| History of the Designed Environment I EU | ||
| History of the Designed Environment II EU | ||
| History of the Designed Environment III EU | ||
| Introduction to French Literature EU | ||
| Masterpieces Of French Literature II EU | ||
| French Civilization III: Lyon, Crossroads of France and Europe EU | ||
| Advanced Conversation and Composition I EU | ||
| 16th-Century French Literature EU | ||
| 19th-Century French Literature EU | ||
| 20th-Century French Literature EU | ||
| Early French Theater EU | ||
| Francophone Studies AF | ||
| The Francophone World AF | ||
| Orientalism and Literature AF | ||
| Special Topics EU,W | ||
| Introduction to Literary Studies EU | ||
| Romanticism EU | ||
| German Enlightenment Drama EU | ||
| Women's Voices in Germany and Austria EU | ||
| European History to 1600 EU | ||
| European History since 1600 EU | ||
| World History To 1450 W | ||
| World History since 1450 W | ||
| History of Christianity from the Middles Ages to Present EU | ||
| World War II Film and Propaganda W | ||
| Women and Gender in Latin America LA | ||
| Modern Latin America LA | ||
| Medieval Civilization I EU | ||
| Medieval Civilization II EU | ||
| Medieval Women & Children EU | ||
| Reformation EU | ||
| The French Revolution and Napoleon EU | ||
| Nations & Empires:19th Century Europe EU | ||
| 'We Are The Dead': The Great War Experience Through its Artifacts EU | ||
| Medieval England, 1066 To 1485 EU | ||
| Tudor England, 1485-1603 EU | ||
| History of Britain 1603-1832 EU | ||
| History of Britain 1832-Present EU | ||
| Modern German History EU | ||
| Ancient Greece EU | ||
| Ancient Rome EU | ||
| Late Antiquity: The transformation of the Mediterranean World (200–600 AD) EU | ||
| Ancient Philosophy EU | ||
| History of Modern Philosophy EU | ||
| Aristotle EU | ||
| Introduction To Literary Studies EU | ||
| Latin American Civilization LA | ||
| The Search For Mexican Identity LA | ||
| History Of Spanish Literature I EU | ||
| History Of Spanish Literature II EU | ||
| Special Topics EU,LA | ||
| History of the Spanish Language EU,LA | ||
| Early 20th Century Peninsular Literature: From the Generation of 1898 to Surrealism EU | ||
| Medieval Spanish Literature EU | ||
| Cervantes' Don Quixote, Part I EU | ||
| Pre-Columbian And Spanish Colonial Literature LA | ||
| Contemporary Spanish Poetry EU | ||
| The Picaresque Novel EU | ||
| Spain's Transition to Democracy: Literature and Film EU | ||
| Spanish-American Short Story LA | ||
| Special Topics EU | ||
| Senior Seminar (Capstone) EU | ||
| Select additional coursework in one of the two awareness areas above not already completed (Politics or Culture) | 6 | |
| International Experience (see details below) | ||
| Total Credits | 36 | |
Selected Geographic Region in Politics and Culture Courses
The 18 credit hours of Politics and Culture courses should include 9 credit hours that focus on the same world area (Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America). A list of courses in each area are available from your major advisor.
| AF | Africa Region |
| AS | Asia Region |
| EU | European Union Region |
| LA | Latin America Region |
| W | World Region (applicable to any region, with approval of International Studies Advisor) |
International Experience
The International Experience must be an immersion experience in the foreign culture and language, taken outside the student's country of origin and approved by the student's major advisor. The requirement can be fulfilled in one of the following ways:
- A for-credit internship at a company, government agency, or non-profit organization involving significant use of the foreign language (3 credits or more)
- A UMKC faculty-led study abroad program of at least 6 weeks.
- A study abroad experience of a semester or longer.
General Electives
Students must take elective credit hours to meet the minimum credit hour requirement for their degree, including at least 36 credit hours of coursework at the 300-level or above. The minimum required by the university is 120 credit hours, of which at least 30 credit hours must be taken at UMKC, but some degree programs require more.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| General Electives | 23 | |
Minimum GPA: 2.0
Total Credit Hours: 120