Article by Miranda Mullings and Johan Englen.

The new academic year is already five weeks in, and yet it feels as though it has just begun. In all the hustle and bustle of the new semester, students may not be aware that there are new majors and minors that can be pursued.

There have been three majors added this year: pre-ministry & community engagement, international business and clinical & behavioral neuroscience. The architecture department has also undergone changes to some of its programs and introduced a new minor: design in society.

Pre-ministry & Community Engagement

This major, started by Teresa Hornsby, Drury professor of religion, is an attempt to create an alternative to the already existent religion major. The new major is meant to supply both a real world preparedness for students looking to go into nonprofit or seminary and enough academic rigor to allow students to study religion at a graduate level if they so choose.

Teresa Hornsby, Ph.D. Photo via Drury University.

“We realized that the religion major, as it is, is excellent in preparing students for an academic study of religion at the graduate level. However, we realized we could do much more for those students seeking to go to seminary or those who wanted to do grassroots community work or lead non-profits within social justice organizations,” Hornsby explained.

Hornsby also stated that the major is unique to the Ozarks.

“The [new] major is a program that is not offered anywhere else in our region. It is set up specifically to have a more progressive bent, as opposed to what would be offered at one of the other local Bible and theological colleges, which aligns with Drury’s Congregational founders,” said Hornsby. “The major is designed to include religious diversity, social justice issues, communication styles and global matters.”

The major places students in an internship that best represents their interests, rather than a capstone research project. It also seems to be a relatively easy major to pick up, as some of the major’s requirements can be met through CORE requirements.

Clinical & Behavioral Neuroscience

The new science major, clinical & behavioral neuroscience, combines numerous disciplines, primarily psychology and biology. It is a suitable major for students interested in a wide range of careers, such as counseling, forensic psychology or occupational therapy.

To fulfill the clinical and behavioral neuroscience major, students must take required courses such as introduction to psychology and fundamentals of cell biology and may choose from a variety of elective courses like psychopharmacology or neuroanatomy. An internship is required for the major.

Design in Society minor and other changes

There have also been some changes in the architecture department. There is a new minor, design in society, and revisions to old minors, architecture & design and environmental & sustainability.

Robert Weddle, professor and Dean of Hammons School of Architecture, explained the newest minor: “We now have three minors related to architecture. The newest is the ‘design in society’ minor, which gives a broad understanding of the broad cultural roles of buildings and designed landscapes.”

Weddle said the minor is designed for non-majors, and “allows those Drury students with an interest in architectural issues to do relevant coursework without the studio-based and technical courses required for the major.”

Robert Weddle, Ph.D., AIA, LEED AP. Photo via Drury University.

The architecture and design minor has existed before this academic year but has been revamped.

“This generally appeals to those who begin our program but then transfer into another major,” said Weddle.

The environment and sustainability minor also falls under the jurisdiction of the architecture department. Like the architecture and design minor, it existed before this academic year but has been altered.

Weddle said, “This minor should be broadly attractive to students from various fields who desire to engage environmental themes.”

Weddle explained the need for the new minor and improvements upon the older ones: “Our previous architecture minor only worked for students who took several of our first or second-year courses, including design studios and some fairly discipline-specific and technical courses. This excluded many Drury students from being able to do this minor. We wanted to expand our offerings so that more non-majors would be able to explore course offerings related to the built environment.”

International Business

The Breech School of Business has added a new major to its catalogue.

Katlin Cundiff, professor of management, explained that although much of the business major already covers the international element of business through its content and a mandatory study abroad, they wanted to create a new major.

“Due to student feedback and the popularity of international business degrees worldwide, we decided to increase our program offerings by creating a new international business major,” Cundiff said.

Katlin Cundiff, Ph.D. Photo via Drury University.

Students who decide to major in international business will receive instruction in business, politics and culture. They will also have to become proficient in a foreign language and either study or do an internship abroad.

International business majors will also need to co-major in one of the traditional areas of business, such as accounting, finance, management, economics or marketing. This provides students with the functional tools needed in their career.

“International business students often have careers in international trade or relations, international supply chain activities, such as purchasing managers, international marketers, etc,” Cundiff noted.

Careers in international business can be lucrative, as evidenced by statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which cite salaries for popular careers in international business, such as international financial managers and international marketing managers making more than 100,000 dollars.

Cundiff argued that the growing interconnectedness of the world economy has an increased demand for economic operators who understand the global marketplace.

“In today’s business environment even the smallest businesses either in Springfield or New York can have supply chains and teams that span the globe,” said Cundiff. “Employers want to hire professionals who understand the regulatory, economic and cultural implications of doing business internationally and who have hands on experiences in the international arena. Drury offers students not only classroom international business education, but a truly culturally immersive study/internship abroad experience.”

New CCPS majors and minors

Along with the day school, Drury’s College of Continuing Professional Studies is also welcoming new majors and minors this academic year. CCPS students can now get a major in Spanish, behavioral and community health, or health services management. The newest minor is in business and entrepreneurship. The CCPS is also offering a certificate in law enforcement studies.

The new academic year has brought several new opportunities for Drury students in the form of new majors or minors. If you are interested in any of the majors or minors above, talk with your academic adviser to see if an addition or switch of majors is right for you.