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Center for Undergraduate Research Cooperative Education Institute for Modern Conflict, Diplomacy, and Reconciliation Institute for Studies in Pragmaticism

Interdisciplinary Studies (Freshman Seminar) Introduction to Library Research University Studies Women's Studies

 

Center for Undergraduate Research

The Center for Undergraduate Research (CUR) collaborates with students, faculty, and campus partners to develop innovative programs and activities to enhance undergraduate research initiatives at Texas Tech University and beyond. CUR provides direction and support for undergraduate students interested in conducting research with a faculty mentor. The center hosts educational workshops throughout the academic year targeted at organizing, conducting, and presenting research; preparing students for graduate school; and preparing students for graduate admission testing.
 
In alignment with the university mission, CUR is committed to the advancement of knowledge, fosters intellectual and personal development, and stimulates meaningful research and service for both faculty and students.
   
Contact information: 341 Administration Bldg., 806.742.1095, www.undergraduateresearch.ttu.edu

Cooperative Education

The Cooperative Education program integrates classroom study with paid, practical, and supervised work training in public and private employment situations. By applying their academic training in a work setting, students not only enhance their self-confidence while earning wages, but they also gain career direction and may receive offers for future full-time employment.

Co-op programs include both the alternating and parallel patterns. The alternating option allows students to alternate semesters of work and school, working a minimum of two semesters. The parallel plan permits students to work at least 15 to 20 hours per week concurrently with their academic progression.

Students considering a Co-Op experience should consult with an advisor in University Career Services as early as possible. In addition, the student must obtain approval from his or her departmental advisor before enrolling. Ordinarily a student must have completed the sophomore year to be considered for the program.

Click here for Cooperative Internship (COIN) course description.
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Institute for Modern Conflict, Diplomacy, and Reconciliation

The Institute for Modern Conflict, Diplomacy, and Reconciliation (MCDR) is an archive-based research facility focusing on America in the world from 1950 to the present. The institute coordinates a program of preservation of archival materials and artifacts related to the Vietnam War and the post-Vietnam War era. In addition to encouraging the study of all aspects of the American Vietnam experience, the institute also focuses on post-Vietnam conflicts, including the global war on terror, and places emphasis on projects and interactions that further the process of international reconciliation.

MCDR coordinates the activities of the Vietnam Center and Archive, the Center for War and Diplomacy in the Post-Vietnam War Era, the Department of Military Science (Army ROTC), and the Department of Aerospace Studies (Air Force ROTC). The institute also offers courses that are required for a Graduate Certificate in Strategic Studies. This 15-hour certificate prepares students to fill the need for officials in all branches of federal government, officers in the armed forces of the United States, and officials in state and local governments to deal with strategic responsibilities.

Contact information: Dr. Dennis Patterson, 806.742.4081, dennis.patterson@ttu.edu, www.imcdr.ttu.edu.

Click here for Modern Conflict, Diplomacy, and Reconciliation (MCDR) course descriptions.

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Institute for Studies in Pragmaticism

The Institute for Studies in Pragmaticism offers an undergraduate course and a graduate-level course on methods and logical problems associated with interdisciplinary endeavors in science. The only prerequisite is approval of the instructor. Students in any branch of Texas Tech University or Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center are eligible to enroll.

Contact information: Kenneth L. Ketner, Director, Institute for Studies in Pragmaticism, Box 40002, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-0002, 806.742.3128.

Click here for Pragmaticism (PRAG) course descriptions.
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Interdisciplinary Studies (Freshman Seminar)

“Tech Transition: The Freshman Seminar” is designed to smooth the advance of students from high school to the university. The one-hour Interdisciplinary Studies course (IS 1100) is taught by regular faculty from throughout the university in a collaborative approach to major concerns of incoming students.

This is a general university course with sections composed of 20 to 25 students from the freshman class without regard to college or major. It cannot be taken pass/fail.

The course has a major focus on learning theory and application, the development of critical thinking skills as they apply to the nature of a university, the purposes and values of a university education, and a wide variety of campus issues. Practical concerns covered in the seminar include time management, essay writing, effective notetaking, choosing a major, test taking, and campus resources.

The goals of this course are to help students take charge of their education by developing a profound understanding of the philosophy and scope of higher education and to foster development of a life of learning.

Click her for Interdisciplinary Studies (IS) course descriptions.
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Introduction to Library Research

Introduction to Library Research is a one-hour course designed to introduce students to lifelong information literacy skills and establish tools for effective and efficient research in a university library. Because information comes in many forms, students sometimes find the multitude of printed publications, Internet resources, and microform and audiovisual materials overwhelming. They need to know how to identify, find, evaluate, and use resources that are most appropriate for their assignments.

Introduction to Library Research has four main objectives: to present the arrangement and services of the Texas Tech University Libraries; to provide an introduction to resources and search strategies; to outline a transferable, systematic plan for critical evaluation and use of these resources in a variety of ways; and to promote the effective use of information to accomplish specific tasks.

Course content (readings, quizzes, and activities) is accessed through WebCT for onsite and distance students. Onsite students will meet for lecture and hands-on sessions. All students will prepare a portfolio throughout the semester that will count as the final project.

Contact information: Laura Heinz, 806.742.2236.

Click her for Library Research (LIBR) course description.
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University Studies

A bachelor’s degree in University Studies provides students a unique course of study in three distinct areas of study, each of which may be offered in different colleges across the university. By pursuing either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science in University Studies, students have the flexibility to choose a broad field of specialization that combines three areas of study referred to as “concentrations.” This combination of courses may not be available through existing degree programs. For example, a student might focus on a specialization in environmental journalism with concentrations in journalism, plant and soil science, and environmental toxicology.

Coursework in a University Studies degree must total a minimum of 120 semester hours. Prerequisites for courses selected in the areas of concentration must be completed and, depending on the concentration, may not count toward the 18-hour minimum per area of concentration. A total of 40 upper-division hours is required for the degree, with at least 6 hours of upper-division coursework required in each area of concentration. The concentration areas must combine in such a way that they provide an integrated or thematic specialization without significantly replicating any existing departmental major. Students must be in good academic standing to apply for the major.

Students interested in a University Studies degree must begin the process by contacting the University Studies degree advisor in the Office of the Provost to organize a course of study that meets existing university and degree standards as outlined by the Bachelors of University Studies Faculty Advisory Committee.

Each student will develop a degree plan with the assistance of the degree advisor in the Office of the Provost and, whenever possible, a faculty advisor. The plan will consist of (1) a cover form, (2) a statement of educational goals, (3) a listing of all courses completed and/or in progress, and (4) a listing of all intended or enrolled courses related to the degree and major.

The University Studies program is administered by the Office of the Provost. The degree administrator serves as the liaison between student, degree advisor, and the Faculty Advisory Committee. The degree administrator is the final authority for degree plan approval and modification.

University Studies Specializations. When students in the University Studies program choose three concentrations, they are formulating a coherent specialization of interest that is unavailable elsewhere in the university as an organized program of study. Although the areas already exist as separate programs within the university, they have never been combined and studied as a unit. Occasionally a new area of study will evolve that is so interdisciplinary in nature that it has no departmental home other than the University Studies program. The first of these programs to exist solely as a University Studies specialization is the Bachelor of Science in University Studies with a Wind Energy Specialization. This multidisciplinary specialization provides a broad education in the complex field of wind energy as a step toward developing a renewable energy work force.

The director of the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center administers the wind energy specialization under supervision from the Provost’s Office. This bachelor’s degree is science and calculus based and requires students to take prescribed Wind Energy (WE) courses, general education requirements, a summer industrial internship, and courses in two focus areas (18 hours each) related to wind energy. Some of the focus areas are energy commerce, atmospheric sciences, electrical-electronic technology, construction technology, mechanical technology, landscape architecture, international business, and natural resource management. Additional elective courses can be taken to satisfy the 120-hour degree program.

To inquire about the wind energy specialization, contact Dr. Kishor Mehta, Horn Professor of Civil Engineering, 806.742.3479. For further information about the University Studies degree, contact Dr. Juan S. Munoz, Associate Vice Provost, 806.742.2184.

Click here for Wind Energy (WE) course descriptions.
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Women's Studies

The university offers a minor in Women’s Studies. Goals of the minor include encouraging students to reinterpret concepts of gender and gendered identities in different social, cultural, and political contexts.

The Women’s Studies Program is administered by the Director of Women’s Studies. A minor consists of 18 hours of courses as approved by the director. Three of these courses must be Introduction to Women’s Studies (WS 2300), Feminist Thought and Theories (WS 4310), and Women’s Studies Seminar (WS 4399). Courses counted toward a major field of study will not count toward completion of the Women’s Studies minor. Many courses without a WS prefix may be used toward completion of the minor at the discretion of the director.

Click her for Women's Studies (WS) course descriptions.
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