Students of religion undertake one of life’s most difficult but rewarding challenges: learning how to think maturely and critically about their own deeply held beliefs. The integration of faith and learning was central to the founding vision of Ozarks in 1834, and that mission is as important now as it ever was. One way to develop a critical perspective is by learning about religions and worldviews that are not one’s own. That’s why the major in religion requires at least two courses in world religions. Students will also learn to read the Bible using historical, literary, and theological approaches, thereby deepening their knowledge of the foundational text of the Christian religion and much of Western culture. Along with a rich variety of electives, a capstone experience offers the chance to pursue in-depth study in topics of their interest.
Degree Outcomes
Students who complete this major will have the religious literacy they need to begin to make sense of everything from the international headlines to the religious identity of their co-worker in the office next door.
Learning to interpret the Bible from multiple perspectives, students will develop the critical thinking skills necessary to analyze complex texts and discover the benefits of putting different ideas in conversation with each other.
Students will acquire the tools they need to explore the meaning of their own lives and the kind of impact they want to make in the world.
A student majoring in philosophy studies, evaluates, and develops arguments and ideas that touch upon most fields in relation to the basic assumptions they make about reality, meaning, knowledge, reasoning, ethics, and language in general. This means that philosophy touches on religions, the arts, the sciences, and the conceptual problems that have arisen through the whole history of ideas. While many philosophers focus on a single stream doing such thinking--e.g. through the analytic traditions or the so-called continental--the program at the University of the Ozarks aims at a broad knowledge of the field, and a honing of the important methods of critique.
Degree Outcomes
Philosophy majors are often interested in law school.
Students also pursue seminary or graduate school.
They are often hired because of their sophistication in problem solving.
Students pursuing a music major at University of the Ozarks will study and perform a wide range of music from multiple perspectives, including music theory and aural skills, music history, private applied lessons, and participation in choral ensembles. Music majors may choose voice, piano, or organ as their primary area of applied study. Students receive unprecedented individual attention and mentoring from each member of the music faculty, which makes our program unique.
Degree Outcomes
Graduate studies in performance.
Music therapy.
Music education or music business.
Performing Arts Scholarship
Students pursuing a major or minor in Music have the opportunity to compete for performing arts scholarships ranging up to $5,000 per year. This scholarship can stack on top of institutional scholarships and grants up to full tuition and are renewable for four years. Application deadlines are April 15th for the fall semester and December 1st for the spring semester.
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History majors at Ozarks learn how to engage in an important and ongoing investigation about the world and its people. By learning to ask good questions and to make careful inferences about various kinds of historical evidence, they can understand and help explain how humanity's past has influenced the challenges and opportunities of the present day. The history major program at Ozarks offers instruction in many areas of history within the United States, Europe, and the world as a whole, while also guiding students through their own explorations of the historical topics that interest them.
Degree Outcomes
Graduate Study in History
Law School and Other Pre-Professional Studies
Public History
English majors at Ozarks engage with the greatest authors and ideas from the rich traditions of American and British literature. Students learn to critically read and think about poetry, prose and drama, and they are introduced to the primary research and theoretical approaches to that literature. Along the way, our majors explore all aspects of the life of the mind--in research at the library, poetry readings on campus, and literary discussions in the coffee house. In the tradition of a Liberal Arts education, our majors become great writers, thinkers, communicators, and problem solvers.
Degree Outcomes
Many education majors tailor their degree to pursue their teacher licensure.
Students may continue their education at graduate school, law school or seminary.
English majors are well positioned for careers in journalism or public relations.
The art curriculum at Ozarks blends an intense fine arts studio experience with creative problem solving, abstract thinking, and critical analysis. Students are engaged in learning and responding to the content and complexity of the human experience. Students will find small class sizes that provide a challenging yet supportive atmosphere, and a strong sense of community. On evenings and weekends, it is not unusual to find the art studios filled with students working on projects and sharing ideas. The art program is diverse and provides students a foundation of technical knowledge while having the freedom to investigate a range of meaningful ideas to discover their own creative voice.
Degree Outcomes
By combining an Art Major with a minor such as Education, artists can go on to become K-12 educators.
An art degree can go beyond creating powerful works of art. Students often go on to work in the advertising / graphic design field.
Art major students can gain a breadth and depth of knowledge to prepare them to further study in graduate school for art of psychology.
