Areas of Study

The Department of Applied Arts and Sciences provides instruction in communication, mathematics, social science, and science, and writing. A core of these related subjects must be completed prior to graduation and is included with each program's scope and sequence. The department provides developmental course work in writing and mathematics to aid students in obtaining the prerequisite skills necessary for success in required course work. The department oversees the Associate of Arts (A. A.) and the Associate of Science Degrees.

As a discipline within the department of Arts and Sciences, the  Behavioral Sciences faculty is committed to providing quality foundational Behavioral education in the areas of addictions, psychology, human development and organizational behavior for students in both technical and transfer programs. We advance and foster enduring understanding that the roles of psychology, human development and behavior within organizations extends beyond the individual and transcends cultures. Moreover, we are committed to ensuring courses are structured so that students progress to higher levels of thinking, including application of general principles to the broader societal context.

As a discipline within the Department of Applied Arts and Sciences, the communication studies faculty is committed to providing quality foundational communication education for University of Montana students in certificate and two-year degree programs, as well as students matriculating to a four-year degree program. We promote understanding the role of communication choices and behaviors within social contexts, whether public or private, with large audiences or with individual partners within culture or across cultures. We educate students to understand the role communication plays in citizenship and the ethical issues they will face as communicators. We are committed to helping students translate communication goals into effective messages.

Curriculums

The University of Montana catalog details degree specific credits and course requirements.

Subject Type
Communication Studies Associate of Applied Arts
Subject Type
Professional Communications Associate of Applied Arts

The Department of Applied Arts and Sciences provides mathematics courses in two categories: Developmental Mathematics and Lower Division Undergraduate Mathematics. The developmental mathematics program consists of three one-semester courses – Prealgebra, Introductory Algebra, and Intermediate Algebra. The developmental mathematics courses provide prerequisite material for all 100-level mathematics courses at The University of Montana. The lower-division undergraduate mathematics program consists of six one-semester courses – Contemporary Mathematics, Probability and Linear Mathematics, College Algebra, College Trigonometry, Precalculus and Applied Calculus. Each course offered in the lower division undergraduate mathematics program meets the mathematical literacy general education requirement for the Montana University System.

Students in all science courses should become conversant in the scientific process.  They should demonstrate practical application of scientific method in the way they review and evaluate novel information they receive in the normal course of their careers and lives. Besides the scientific process, there are fundamental principles in the physical and biological sciences that include:

  1. The importance of energy transfer in physical and biological systems.  Students should be able to describe and illustrate energy transfer processes in living and physical systems.
  2. The process of genetic change by evolution.  Students should be able to explain how genetic change occurs in organisms.
  3. Students should be able to recall and articulate the fundamental principles of the discipline being studied.

Writing Studies (WTS) offers writing instruction to a diverse student population, including students seeking professional and technical career programs, students matriculating to a four-year campus, and students entering the academic community with provisional status. WTS understands writing as a powerful means of purposeful inquiry, communication, and action in the classroom and in the world. WTS prepares students to be effective writers, readers, and thinkers; to compose and read a variety of genres; and to be effective communicators in academic, professional, and civic communities.

Courses:

  • WRIT 095 – Introduction to College Writing (COT and Mountain Campuses)
  • WRIT 101 – College Writing
  • WRIT 201 - College Writing II
  • WRIT 184A - Introduction to Creative Writing (CRW): Multiple Genres
  • WRIT 185A - Introduction to CRW: Poetry
  • WRIT 186A - Introduction to CRW: Fiction
  • WRIT 240E - Argument and Contemporary Issues
  • LIT 110 - Introduction to Literature
  • LIT 120 - Poetry
  • WRIT 121 - Introduction to Technical Writing
  • WRIT 221 - Intermediate Technical Writing

Learn More

Jessica Dougherty-McMichael, Assistant Professor
Email: Jessica.Dougherty@mso.umt.edu
Phone: (406) 243-7822