Majors

July 28, 2015 by

Majors, Minors & Areas of Study

Why do people behave as we do?

How and why does human behavior shift depending on the groups we belong to or identify with? Major in sociology at the University of Mary Washington and you’ll unravel the mysteries of human relationships while building skills in critical thinking, writing and research you’ll need to help shape a complex world.

Degree Awarded

Students majoring in sociology who complete all requirements earn the degree of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in sociology.

Areas of Study

At UMW, you’ll get a strong foundation in sociological theory and research methods through the study of socialization, culture, social organization, social change, differentiation, and inequality. Courses focus on such topics as ethnic and racial relations, family, gender, medicine, occupations and professions, organizations, politics and the state, popular culture, population, religion, urban life, aging, juvenile delinquency, and criminology.

Career Opportunities

As a UMW sociology graduate, you’ll be prepared for graduate school or work. A semester-long research project will help you stand out from the crowd and build a career in health or social services, government, business, and more. Recent grads are working for such organizations as First Nations Development Institute, Development Action Awareness Nationwide, AmeriCorps, Jewish Services Corporation, Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault, and the Fredericksburg Department of Social Services. Others are studying toward degrees in social work, law, and sociology. Read more about the careers of recent graduates or check out sociology career resources.

See Career Paths

Internships

Sociology student interns often work with agencies in the Fredericksburg region, but also in Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia. UMW sociology and anthropology majors have completed internships at many organizations, including the following:

disAbility Resource Center
Empowerhouse (against domestic assault)
Refugee Resettlement Services of the Catholic Diocese
Lloyd F. Moss Free Clinic
Rappahannock Legal Services
Probation and Parole District 21
Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice
First Nations Development Institute
The Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region
The Valentine Richmond History Center
Human Rights Campaign – LGBT equality group based in Washington, D.C.
U.S. Census Bureau (D.C.)
U.S. Sentencing Commission (D.C.)
Downtown Greens

Learn more about internships in sociology.

To graduate with honors in sociology, majors must have maintained a grade point average of 3.5 or better and completed all honors requirements including certain upper-level classes and an honors thesis. Find the details at the Sociology Departmental Honors page.

The requirements for a degree in sociology include one introductory sociology course, three upper-level sociology courses that include research methods, history, and contemporary theory, and 18 credits of upper-level sociology courses.

One Bill Hanson Memorial Scholarship is awarded in a late professor’s honor each year to a deserving student. The award is based on merit, financial need, and commitment to peace and social justice.

July 28, 2015 by

Majors, Minors & Areas of Study

Explore a continually changing world.

Major in geography at the University of Mary Washington and uncork your curiosity about how people, institutions, environments and natural phenomena interact. Whether you’re collecting field data near campus or working on forest conservation in Guatemala, you’ll learn by experience while building investigative, analytical, and communications skills for your life’s work.

Degree Awarded

Students majoring in geography who complete all requirements earn the degree of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in geography.

Areas of Study

The geography major has three areas of emphasis:

Society & Politics: A focus on the geographies of people and power that includes classes covering planning, cities, race & place, globalization, and migration.
Culture: A focus on the geographies of how people live and make places meaningful that includes classes covering Latin America, the Middle East, sacred spaces, and development studies.
Environment: A focus on the geographies of natural and human environmental processes that includes classes covering biodiversity, natural hazards, climate change, and urban sustainability.

Geography participates in many interdisciplinary minors and the GIS Certificate.

How can I learn outside of class?

Geography majors work with faculty and community partners to plan and map heritage trails, limit food waste, and delineate microclimates in nearby nature preserves. Common internship sites include regional planning organizations, environmental consulting firms, and sustainability nonprofits. The Geography Department regularly offers Grassroots Development in Guatemala, a study abroad course.

What can I do with a geography degree?

Our majors’ favorite answer to this question is “anything you want!” Recent graduates now work as transportation and urban planners, public policy researchers, natural resource managers, and public health analysts. Employers include the National Park Service, Deloitte, Cooley LLP, US Corps of Engineers, and local governments across Virginia.

See Career Paths

Internships

University of Mary Washington’s proximity to Washington, D.C., gives students access to the greatest concentration of geography-related work sites in the United States. UMW students have held internships with federal agencies, local governments, private industry, and nonprofit organizations.

To graduate with departmental honors, you must be a declared geography major by the beginning of your senior year. You must have a grade-point average of 3.5 in major courses and a 3.0 grade point average overall at the beginning of the second semester of your senior year. In consultation with an advisor, you’ll propose, research, and write a thesis. You’ll defend it before a committee, which determines whether it merits departmental honors.

Students completing a major in geography earn the degree of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in geography. The major requires at least 35 credits, including core and methods courses, one course from each of three areas for breadth, plus three more to create a specialization, and a senior seminar. Study abroad may fulfill some requirements.

The Geography Alumni Scholarship currently covers one semester of in-state tuition and is granted to a rising junior or senior geography major who demonstrates excellence and a commitment to the discipline.

July 28, 2015 by

Majors, Minors & Areas of Study

Your international life begins with French.

Immerse yourself in the language, cultures and histories of French-speaking countries when you major in French at the University of Mary Washington. You’ll explore one of the world’s richest literatures, spanning centuries and continents, and examine French cinema, poetry and politics. Study abroad in Paris, and consider a minor in business French to prepare for an international career in banking, tourism, or diplomacy.

Degree Awarded

Students majoring in French who complete all requirements earn the degree of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Modern Foreign Languages.

Areas of Study

UMW’s French offerings include composition, phonetics and oral proficiency, a variety of French-language literatures, translation, senior seminars, business French, French cultures, and French cinema. You may spend a semester abroad, or learn intensively in spring and summer faculty-led trips to Paris and Provence.

Career Opportunities

Recent UMW French graduates work in interpreting, translating, research, social services, education, the tourism industry, government agencies, the Peace Corps, and international business.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the demand for interpreters and translators will increase by more than 46 percent between 2012 and 2022, making this field one of the fastest-growing occupations.

See Career Paths

Internships

Internships offer hands-on experience and course credit to juniors and seniors. Recent UMW language majors have done internships with Rappahannock Adult Education Programs (teaching ESL), the Virginia Department of Health, Fredericksburg public schools, the Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault, the Rappahannock Council Against Domestic Violence, the Moss Free Clinic, and Rappahannock Legal Services. Some students have taken advantage of UMW’s proximity to Washington, D.C., to intern with the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, and the French embassy.

Students who have at least a 3.5 grade-point average in the French major and a 3.0 GPA overall by the beginning of senior year can apply to complete and defend a research-based thesis for departmental honors.

An undergraduate research grant, awarded through the Office of Academic Affairs, may be available for travel and other thesis-related expenses.

Major Requirements

The major in French requires 36 credits, including composition, phonetics and oral proficiency, literature, stylistics, translation, senior seminar, and electives including business French, culture, cinema, and advanced literature.

Minor Requirements

The minor in French requires 18 credits including lower- and upper-level courses.

The minor in business French also requires 24 credits including a sequence of business or economics courses.

July 28, 2015 by

Majors, Minors & Areas of Study

A beautiful language of millions

Major in Spanish at the University of Mary Washington, and the beautiful language of the Spanish-speaking world opens up to you. Explore the literatures and cultures of Spain and Latin America and take advantage of summer study in Bilbao, Spain. Combine your language and liberal arts knowledge in service learning or internships, or minor in business Spanish to prepare for a career without borders.

Degree Awarded

Students majoring in Spanish who complete all requirements earn the degree of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in modern foreign languages.

Career Opportunities

Graduates in Spanish have pursued careers in interpreting, translating, research, social services, education, government agencies, the tourism industry, the Peace Corps, and international business. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the demand for interpreters and translators will increase by more than 46 percent between 2012 and 2022, making this field one of the fastest-growing occupations.

See Career Paths

Internships

For-credit internships may be available to junior and senior Spanish majors. UMW Spanish majors have found internships in Washington, D.C., and with local agencies including Rappahannock Adult Education Programs, the Virginia Department of Health, Hugh Mercer Elementary School, Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault, Bragg Hill Family Life Center, Moss Free Clinic, and Rappahannock Legal Services. You may also complete an internship, volunteer, or participate in service learning in Spain or Latin America.

Students who have at least a 3.5 grade-point average in the Spanish major and a 3.0 GPA overall by the beginning of senior year can apply to complete and defend a research-based thesis for departmental honors. An undergraduate research grant, awarded through the Office of Academic Affairs, may be available for travel and other thesis-related expenses.

Major Requirements

The Spanish major requires 13 courses totaling 39 credits in language, literature, linguistics, and culture courses, plus a required experiential component.

Minor Requirements

A minor in Spanish requires 24 to 27 credits of Spanish classes.

A minor in business Spanish requires a total of 27 credits.

Eligible students can apply for scholarships to defray costs of faculty-led travel programs. Multiple awards are made each semester. A complete list of scholarship opportunities available at UMW can be found with the Office of Financial Aid.

July 28, 2015 by

Majors, Minors & Areas of Study

Open the doors to exploration.

From investigating the molecular genetics of microbes to observing the wildlife of the Galapagos Islands, the biology major at Mary Washington can meet you where your passions lie and pave the way to an exciting career. Our research-intensive program will prepare you to think like a scientist and creatively tackle tomorrow’s challenges in the life sciences.

Biology Degree Requirements

The biology major requires 40 credits, including five required courses, a required senior seminar, one course designated research-intensive, and one additional upper-level course with a laboratory component.

The minor in biology requires 22 credits in core and elective biology courses. You’ll take at least three 300- to 400-level biology courses, two with a laboratory component.

Get ready to dig in. The basics of the scientific method. A basis of molecular biology and ecology. Conservation biology and animal behavior. You’ll have the opportunity to learn it all in a close-knit class setting.

You’ll get hands-on learning with in-depth labs. Certified tissue culture hoods, thermal cyclers, spectrophotometers, and electron microscopes – our labs are full of top-notch tech in spaces designed to facilitate collaboration. Lab classes are capped at 24 students, so you’ll have plenty of room to go deeper into the topic at hand.

Our faculty are experts in their fields and engaged teachers in the classroom. They’re leading research on and off campus. Questions, interests, support – they’re here to guide you every step of the way.

Examine microbes. Recreate an ecosystem. Study the human genome. Our biology faculty offer research opportunities that allow you to further explore the subjects that interest you and get your feet wet in the field. This practical experience is another way to build your working knowledge, and you may even have the chance to publish and present your work as an undergraduate student.

What courses will I take?

You’ll choose from a wide variety of biology courses, including botany, chordate anatomy, plant ecology, animal ecology, entomology, histology, nutrition and metabolism, microbiology, vertebrate zoology, virology, and more.

See Course Offerings

How can I learn outside of class?

The Department of Biology prepares students for internships in the fields of research, medicine, zoology, botany, ecology, and beyond. Conduct independent research under faculty mentorship during the academic year and the Summer Science Institute. Present research at national and regional conferences. Combine that with exciting opportunities in museums in nearby Richmond, Virginia and Washington, D.C., and it’s easy to see why a future with a biology degree is boundless.

Find Internships

What can I do with a biology degree?

Biology graduates go on to work in research, health care, environmental conservation, biotechnology, forensic science, government and policy, science publishing, education, an other related fields. They’re working at places like National Institutes of Health, Quest Diagnostics, Pender Veterinary Centre, and other top employers. Many grads go on to pursue advanced degrees, opening the door to even more possibilities.

See Career Paths