Category: Program

Students on stage reading during language and cultures in action day.

Languages and Literatures

Who We Are

Through the study of language, culture, and literature, students examine the human experience as an individual and in relation to their local and global community as they prepare for a career. The department encourages travel and study abroad, and faculty are either native speakers of the language they teach or have extensive experience abroad. Our small classes make it easy for students to connect with professors and receive personalized instruction.

What You’ll Learn

We offer a major in Spanish; minors in Spanish, French, and German; as well as classes in Portuguese, Cherokee, and Hebrew. UNC Asheville already has exchange relationships and associations with universities and cultural institutions in several countries around the world — Colombia, Cuba, France, Germany, Spain, among others. We encourage our students to study abroad. Students also actively participate in our language clubs, service-learning internships, and undergraduate research.

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Education (Teacher Licensure)

Who We Are

Through the UNC Asheville teacher licensure program, you will have the opportunity to pursue the subject you love while attaining a license to teach it! In four years, you can graduate with both a bachelor’s degree in a specific subject and a teaching license, making you marketable in two areas.

What You’ll Learn

With a liberal arts foundation, UNC Asheville graduates are teachers who have broad perspective; who think critically, reflectively and creatively; who are humane and committed to meeting the learning needs of all students; and who guide students using active inquiry to become effective and productive citizens in the 21st century.

The department also offers post-baccalaureate opportunities for individuals who already hold a bachelor's degree or higher and desire an initial North Carolina Standard Professional I Teaching License.

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History

Who We Are

At UNC Asheville, studying history is more than just learning about the past. To study history is to study change. Everything we do, use, and study is the product of a complex set of causes, ideas, and practices. The study of history is an enriching process

UNC Asheville’s liberal arts focus challenges history majors to investigate some of life’s biggest questions: What is the nature of humanity? What motivates us? How does the past influence our future? The Department of History’s faculty and students explore these concepts and more through research projects, presentations, and collaborative and creative work. Our experienced faculty members have diverse backgrounds and expertise, and thrive on mentoring each of their students.

What You’ll Learn

History majors learn research techniques, sharpen their writing skills, and apply them to the study of Appalachian history, African-American history, American history, the history of cultures around the world, and the history of ideas. Small classes featuring group discussions help students hone their communication skills, preparing them for careers in business, law, education, government, communications, politics, multimedia, and more. Beyond the classroom, many students present their research at professional conferences and participate in the History Student Association or Phi Alpha Theta, the history honor society.

UNC Asheville is founder and host of the African Americans in Western North Carolina & Southern Appalachia Conference, convened annually by Associate Professor of History Darin Waters. Scholars and community activists from around the region gather for presentations from a variety of disciplines—including sociology, history, anthropology, literature, and others. The goal of the conference is to provide an open forum for scholars to engage each other and our community on the vital issues facing Appalachian communities of color.

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Dr. Wingert and students

Health Sciences

Who We Are

In UNC Asheville’s Department of Health Sciences, we offer flexible programs designed to support students in promoting health in a variety of populations and settings. With a focus on holistic approaches to wellness, our curriculum includes and integrates nutrition, exercise science, mental health, and public health. Our faculty are as passionate about creating healthier communities as they are about helping students find their calling. Beyond the classroom, students pursue internships and employment, research projects, leadership experiences and community-engaged learning opportunities.

What You’ll Learn

All students will receive an integrative and holistic educational experience that includes gaining foundational knowledge in human physiology, chronic disease, nutrition, exercise science, mental and emotional health, research methodologies, and public and community health.

Building on this foundation, you will have the opportunity to choose one of three concentrations within the Health and Wellness Promotion major:

About Our Concentrations

Students interested in Health Sciences pursue careers in areas such as physical therapy, nursing, medicine, occupational therapy, neuroscience, counseling, holistic health, nutrition, and exercise science. As many of these career areas require additional education, UNC Asheville also has a Pre-Health Professions Program that provides students additional support for graduate school preparation.

Students interested in Public Health pursue careers in areas including health promotion and program coordination in and with community-based organizations, public health departments, schools, care facilities, hospitals, businesses, and other entities. Graduates also may advocate for systemic policy changes that support the health and wellbeing of populations, working with advocacy and other organizations. Public health graduates also pursue graduate studies in fields such as community health, health behavior and society, epidemiology, health policy and management, mental health counseling, social work and other fields.

Students interested in Health Promotion pursue careers in community health, health education, fitness and nutrition promotion, and holistic health modalities in a variety of settings such as non-profit organizations, gyms and fitness facilities, workplaces, educational settings and government agencies.

Students in the Health Sciences program will also have access to state-of-the-art facilities and equipment for aerobic and anaerobic fitness assessment, body composition testing, biofeedback assessment and training, health promotion and disease prevention research as well as a teaching kitchen for hands-on learning to put nutrition principles into practice.

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Engineering students working on a project

Engineering

Design. Program. Create.

From robotics and automation technology to prosthetic limbs and jet navigation systems, engineering does more than solve problems. It changes the way we live.

UNC Asheville’s engineering programs are offered jointly with NC State University, combining the best that two nationally recognized universities have to offer. Choose between the traditional 2+2 Program (one or two years at UNC Asheville and then a transfer to NC State) and the Bachelor of Science in Engineering with a Mechatronics Concentration, with all four years on the UNC Asheville campus leading to a degree issued jointly by NC State and UNC Asheville.

Mechatronics engineering students take NC State and UNC Asheville course work, all on the UNC Asheville campus. Some NC State engineering courses are taught by engineering faculty residing on the UNC Asheville campus, while other NC State course work is delivered to UNC Asheville via live distance education technology.

What You’ll Learn

Mechatronics engineering is a concentration of mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering that focuses on the computer control of electromechanical systems.

Using sensors, actuators, and microprocessors, Mechatronics engineers design and develop high-performance systems in industries ranging from mechanical and aerospace to automation and robotics. Graduates have the educational preparation necessary to understand how their work affects society in the areas of ethics, sustainability, and aesthetics.

Students in the 2+2 Program begin at UNC Asheville and transfer to NC State University after one or two years to complete their engineering degree in one of many specialized fields.

Many engineering students find employment through internships while earning their degree.

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Ancient Mediterranean Studies

Who We Are

If you love language, history, philosophy, art, politics, law, mythology, psychology, and anything else that influences culture, you’re an Ancient Mediterranean Studies major in the making.

As the only full Ancient Mediterranean Studies department in Western North Carolina, UNC Asheville’s Ancient Mediterranean Studies faculty are actively engaged in all areas of the field, from literature to ethics, religion, and archaeology. Ancient Mediterranean Studies majors can participate in undergraduate research, local and international service learning, teaching internships, and co-curricular activities like The Ancient Gardens Club or Eta Sigma Phi, the National Classics Honor Society.

What You’ll Learn

Ancient Mediterranean Studies majors read some of the greatest literature ever written and study two cultures that are foundational to so much of our own: Latin and Greek. Since Latin and Greek provide the bases for about 80% of English, learning to read these ancient languages will train you to be an articulate communicator and a critical thinker. Because Ancient Mediterranean Studies is an interdisciplinary field, your classes will cover many subjects, and you’ll find career opportunities in education, the arts, government, law, communications, the nonprofit sector, and more.

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Political Science

Who We Are

UNC Asheville’s Political Science department comprises seven full-time faculty members who were trained at some of the nation’s top research universities and are deeply committed to undergraduate education. Political Science faculty members have interests and expertise across the political science discipline and also value interdisciplinarity. The Political Science department boasts a long and proud tradition of community engagement involving collaboration among faculty members, students, and community partners in the service of shared interests and values.

What You’ll Learn

At the foundation of the Political Science department is a rich and rigorous curriculum with a wide variety of courses in American politics, world politics, political theory, and law. In addition, Political Science majors enjoy a variety of unique active-learning opportunities through internships, service learning, community-engaged scholarship, and research assistantships. All Political Science majors complete and present original scholarship under the close mentorship of a political science faculty member, informed by a variety of different methods and approaches.

UNC Asheville’s Political Science department is particularly distinguished for its leadership in the field of human rights. The department spearheaded the creation of the new Human Rights minor as well as the student-led undergraduate human rights research journal, Dignity.

The Political Science department’s flexible curriculum allows students to pursue double majors, additional minors, and study abroad. Upon graduation, Political Science majors are prepared to live rich lives and embark on meaningful careers in public service, law, journalism, teaching, international relations, and other related areas.

Master's Degree Programs

The department also offers political science majors the exceptional option of pursuing a joint degree with the University of Essex to earn both a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from UNC Asheville and a Master of Arts (M.A.) or a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in Human Rights from the University of Essex in roughly 4.5 years. For more information, please contact the Political Science Department at political_science@unca.edu or 828.251.6634.

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English

Why English

People have always told stories to explore what it means to be human. Our department is a supportive community of readers, writers, and scholars contributing to this ever-changing story.  Through seminar-style discussion and project-based learning, English majors learn how to analyze texts, think critically, and communicate their knowledge and ideas. Our faculty are active in their fields, publishing their scholarship and creative work; our department brings noteworthy writers to campus for readings, workshops, and conversation. Many of our students take on internships, conduct independent and faculty-mentored research, publish in our university’s literary journal Headwaters, and are active in Asheville’s vibrant writing community.

What You’ll Learn

From antiquity to our contemporary moment, you will study Western and world literature to learn how novelists, poets, playwrights, and literary critics shaped, and were shaped by, our shared cultural and historical contexts.  Creative writing students learn how to critique poetry, fiction, drama, and creative non-fiction in a workshop setting, and craft a longer manuscript of their own in their senior year. Our graduates enjoy meaningful careers as teachers, professional writers, journalists, entrepreneurs, and more.

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Environmental Studies

Creating a Sustainable World

Humans have a major impact on the natural world, and the need to solve environmental issues with sustainable solutions has never been more urgent. Through UNC Asheville’s liberal arts lens, environmental studies provides an examination of our imprint on the planet across many fields, including biology, geology, chemistry, economics, public policy, and other natural and social sciences.

What You’ll Learn

UNC Asheville’s location in the Blue Ridge Mountains puts over a million acres of biodiverse forest at your fingertips and hands-on learning is at the heart of the Environmental Studies Program. Internships are built into the curriculum, and through the McCullough Fellowship, qualifying students can receive funding to conduct sustainability research in Asheville. Students passionate about leading environmental stewardship efforts can join our Student Environmental Center.

The Environmental Studies Program at UNC Asheville prepares students for graduate studies or for employment in government, education, industry, consulting, and nonprofit organizations. For 15 consecutive years, the environmental studies program has been named to the list of pre-professional programs with exceptional strength in preparing students for careers by The Fiske Guide to Colleges.

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Psychology

Who We Are

How does the human mind work, and how does this shape the world we live in? As a psychology major at UNC Asheville, you’ll explore these compelling topics through the scientific study of the mind and behavior. Our exclusively undergraduate liberal arts program combines the rigor of pre-professional training for careers in psychology with the opportunity to explore other related disciplines. Unlike larger universities, we offer smaller classes taught by professors, not teaching assistants, and the opportunity to collaborate closely with faculty. Our department is a community of scholars dedicated to supporting each other as we work together to make the world a better place through the knowledge and best practices of the discipline.

What You’ll Learn

Psychology students learn the fundamentals of the discipline and develop open-minded skepticism through training in psychological theory, research, and application. Students can conduct original research through our nationally recognized undergraduate research program, and the neuroscience minor is popular among students who want to understand brain science from different disciplinary perspectives. Outside the classroom, students can join Psych Club or our active chapter of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology. Our graduates find careers in a range of fields, including healthcare, research, business, and more, while others pursue professional programs in medicine, law, and education.

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