College of Humanities & Sciences (JCHS)

About Us

Our students tackle real-world issues through collaborative and experiential studies, exploring their passions as they develop communication skills and learn ethical professional practices.

Human interactions with social, natural, and physical environments are the focus of the College of Humanities & Sciences, where we take an interdisciplinary approach to learning at the intersections of the liberal arts with the social and behavioral sciences to form a truly innovative curriculum.

Our students explore their passions, develop communication skills, and learn ethical professional practices. They tackle real-world issues through collaborative and experiential study. With attentive advising, community engagement, and participation in faculty research, our students are prepared to succeed in the professional realm in a wide range of careers or to continue their academic studies in graduate and professional programs. Whatever career path they choose, our graduates are valued for their integrative thinking, collaborative work ethic, and global perspectives.

The Hallmarks Core 

Jefferson achieves its mission by combining world-class pre-professional majors with a customized and comprehensive approach to general education: The Hallmarks Core curriculum. 

The Hallmarks prepares Jefferson students to imagine and realize better futures, empowering them to:

  • Question--based on rigorous inquiry and critical analysis
  • Adapt--based on contextual communication and global perspectives
  • Contribute--based on intercultural insight and collaborative creation
  • Act--based on intellectual risk-taking and ethical reflection

This statement identifies eight Hallmarks Core learning goals that we consider vital to our students' personal and professional success. 

Key Capabilities Hallmarks Learning Goals: Your "Power Skills
Rigorous Inquiry Create strategies for expanding knowledge through reflection and research
Critical Analysis Challenge concepts, practices and experts with reasoning and evidence.
Contextual Communication Develop and share insights using appropriate means of expression.
Global Perspectives Navigate diverse environments and complex issues by managing multiple systems of knowledge and behavior.
Intercultural Insight Consider multiple perspectives in order to relate to others and strengthen communities.
Collaborative Creation Achieve goals by integrating skills and knowledge in a team setting.
Intellectual Risk-Taking Take creative and intellectual risks when exploring ideas and real world problems.
Ethical Reflection Affirm an ethical compass to guide personal, civic and professional life.

The Hallmarks Core curriculum prepares students for professional success and civic engagement through a coherent and general education core curriculum that develops these eight outcomes progressively across four years of study.

Year One Year Two Year Three Year Four
American Visions Writing Seminar II Contemporary Global Issues Philosophies of the Good Life
Writing Seminar I American Diversity Integrative Seminar
First Year Seminar (1 credit) Ethics
Global Citizenship
Global Diversity
Scientific Understanding
Mathematics
Mathematics or Scientific Understanding

The curriculum chart below identifies the prerequisites and course options for the different requirement categories in the Hallmarks Core. The Hallmarks Core sequences its requirements over four years in order to build skills, knowledge and learning outcomes progressively. In most cases, majors have scheduled these requirements in specific years or semesters within their curricula. Students should consult with their academic advisors before registering each semester and use the chart provided here to ensure that they are on track in terms of sequencing and prerequisites.

First Year Sophomore Year Junior Year Senior Year
First Year Seminar Writing Seminar II: Multimedia Communication Contemporary Global Issues Philosophies of the Good Life
FYS 100 (1 credit) WRIT 201 (Prereq: WRIT 101/WRIT 101G) CGIS 300 (Prereq: WRIT 201/WRIT 202, GDIV 2xx or GCIT 2xx) PHIL 499 (Prereq: CGIS 300, ISEM 3xx, ETHC 2xx, ADIV 2xx, GCIT 2xx, MATH 1xx, Scientific Understanding)
Global Diversity Integrative Seminars
GDIV 221, GDIV 229, GDIV 231, GDIV 233, GDOV 234. GDIV 235, GDIV 236, GDIV 333 (Prereq: AMST 114, WRIT 101/WRIT 101G) ISEM 300/DECM 300, ISEM 301, ISEM 302, ISEM 303, ISEM 305, ISEM 308, ISEM 313, ISEM 340, ISEM 360 (Prereq: WRIT 201/WRIT 202, GDIV 2xx or GCIT 2xx)
World Languages
FREN 101/FREN 201/FREN 301/FREN 401: Italian I-IV, JAPN 101/JAPN 201/JAPN 301/JAPN 401: Japanese I-IV, SPAN 101/SPAN 201/SPAN 301/SPAN 401: Spanish I-IV, SPAN 202, SPAN 302
Writing Seminar I: Written Communication Ethics
ETHC 200, ETHC 201, ETHC 202, ETHC 204, ETHC 207, ETHC 215 (Prereq: AMST 114, WRIT 101/WRIT 101G)
American Diversity
ADIV 200, ADIV 201, ADIV 202, ADIV 203, ADIV 204, ADIV 206, ADIV 211, ADIV 212, ADIV 213, ADIV 214, ADIV 215, ADIV 216, ADIV 217, ADIV 218 , ADIV 219, ADIV 220, ADIV 221 (Prereq: AMST 114, WRIT 101/WRIT 101G)
American Visions Global Citizenship
AVIS 101 GCIT 200, GCIT 210, GCIT 211, GCIT 214, GCIT 215, GCIT 225 (Prereq: AMST 114, WRIT 101/WRIT 101G)
World Languages
FREN 101/FREN 201/FREN 301/FREN 401: French I-IV, GER 101/GER 201: German I-II, ITAL 101/ITAL 201/ITAL 301/ITAL 401: Italian I-IV, JAPN 101/JAPN 201, SPAN 101/SPAN 201/SPAN 301/SPAN 401: Spanish I-IV, SPAN 202, SPAN 302
Mathematics
MATH 100/MATH 101, MATH 102, MATH 103, MATH 104, MATH 110, MATH 111
Scientific Understanding
SCI 101, SCI 102, SCI 106, SCI 108, SCI 110, BIOL 101 CHEM 101, PHYS 101, CHEM 103, BIOL 103, PHYS 201
Mathematics or Scientific Understanding
Any third course from the above two categories (or STAT 201 in some majors – please consult the check sheet for your program)

Hallmarks Humanities Concentrations

As you move through the Hallmarks Core curriculum, you can customize your education by choosing to follow one of three special sequences of courses relevant to your personal interests or future profession. When you complete 3 courses in your chosen sequence, your transcript will reflect your Concentration in Health Humanities, Design Humanities, or Environmental Humanities. Completing a concentration is completely optional and requires no additional course work beyond the standard Hallmarks Core requirements. 
You can declare your chosen Humanities Concentration by submitting this form to the Registrar's Office.

Concentration in Health Humanities

To earn this concentration, complete any 3 of the following options from the Hallmarks Core requirements:

Concentration in Design Humanities

To earn this concentration, complete any 3 of the following options from the Hallmarks Core requirements:

Concentration in Environmental Humanities

To earn this concentration, complete any 3 of the following options from the Hallmarks Core requirements:

Introductory and Fundamental Courses

Some students begin the Hallmarks Core sequence with appropriate preparatory courses in reading, writing and mathematics (determined by placement testing).  Courses at the 100-level (WRTG 100 Introduction to Academic Writing, WRTG 100G Introduction to Academic Writing: Global, and TXIS 100 Textual Analysis for International Students) carry academic credits that apply towards graduation.  Courses at the 099-level (MATH 099 Fundamentals of College Mathematics) carry credits that do not apply towards graduation.   

Arlen Specter Center

The (Senator) Arlen Specter Center at Jefferson facilitates and promotes public service and civic education in a cross-disciplinary, nonpartisan setting. The Center is also home to Senator Specter's historic archive of papers, photographs and political documents for the benefit of researchers, scholars and the public.

The Specter Center Includes:

  • Arlen Specter Collection
  • Roxboro Roundtables
  • Knowledge Exchange
  • Special Events
  • Research Fellowship
  • Historic Roxboro House

Academic Programs

Undergraduate

  • Biopsychology, BS
  • Communication & Media Studies, BS
  • Interdisciplinary Studies, BS
  • Law & Society, BS
  • Psychology, BS

Accelerated/Dual Degree

  • BS Psychology & MS Community & Trauma Counseling, BS & MS1
  • BS Psychology & MS Occupational Therapy, BS & MOT1
1

See Program Director for Plan of Study.