Academic Programs

The State of Louisiana Board of Regents, in its Master Plan for Higher Education, designated LSU as Louisiana’s single “comprehensive university.”

LSU is also the “flagship university” of the state of Louisiana.

LSU students have the opportunity to experience a rich diversity of courses, curricula, students, faculty, and settings that stimulate and challenge individual growth. As the state’s comprehensive university, LSU offers numerous choices for intellectual development, career options, and cultural exposure. The undergraduate classroom is enhanced through LSU’s research status, ensuring that students are aware of the most recent discoveries and are taught innovative modes of inquiry.

Bachelor’s degrees are offered in 69 major fields, a post-baccalaureate certificate is offered in one major field, certificates of education specialist are offered in 2 major fields, graduate certificates are offered in 15 major fields, master’s degrees are offered in 76 major fields, and doctoral degrees are offered in 50 major fields.

The university has no more important mission than to provide its students with outstanding learning opportunities. LSU offers programs of study that are both rigorous and exciting. These programs attract bright, energetic students who wish to prepare for the career challenges of the 21^st century.

Undergraduate Degrees

Academic programs and services at LSU provide students with the opportunity to obtain a strong general education, explore a variety of fields and majors, and have direct contact with faculty in their major field. Freshmen are admitted to the University College where they either declare a major or examine educational and career alternatives while completing the general education requirements. To complete degree requirements, students must meet the admission requirements of a senior college.

Students select from degree programs offered by ten senior colleges and schools.

College of Agriculture

Bachelor of Science

College of Art & Design

Bachelor of Architecture
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Interior Design
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture

E. J. Ourso College of Business

Bachelor of Science

College of the Coast & Environment

Bachelor of Science in Coastal Environmental Science

College of Human Sciences and Education

College of Humanities & Social Sciences

Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies
Bachelor of Science

Manship School of Mass Communication

Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication

College of Music & Dramatic Arts

Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music Education

College of Science

Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science in Geology

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate

A post-baccalaureate certificate program that the university is currently authorized by the Board of Regents to offer is listed below. Please see LSU Online Orientation for additional information.

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Construction Management

Graduate Degrees

Graduate degrees that the university is currently authorized by the Board of Regents to offer are listed below. Please see “The Graduate School ” for additional information.

Course Offerings

Instruction is provided through a wide variety of on- and off-campus courses. The academic year is divided into fall and spring semesters and a summer term consisting of one or more sessions. Most classes are taught between 7:30 a.m. and 10 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The fall semester starts in mid-August and ends in mid-December; the spring semester lasts from January to May. The summer sessions are generally held from early June to early August. There are three intersession terms: between the fall semester and the spring semester, the spring semester and the summer term, and the summer term and the fall semester. During the three-week intensive intersessions, students attend classes for approximately three hours each day. Many students take advantage of the summer term and intersessions to expedite graduation, to take courses unavailable during the fall or spring, or to lighten their academic load for the following semester.

Some courses are taught through independent learning, online, or in off-campus locations through Continuing Education. These offerings provide maximum flexibility for students, particularly adult students and those who work during the day. Also available are educational opportunities through ROTC, the “Artist and Lecture Series,” the LSU Olinde Career Center, LSU-Baton Rouge Community College Cross-Enrollment Program, and LSU-Southern University Cooperative Programs.

Special Programs

Continuing Education offers instruction to traditional and non-traditional students by extending the educational services of LSU through a wide range of outreach efforts. Programs include on- and off-campus credit and noncredit courses and certificate programs; distance learning programs; programs for professional advancement, conferences, seminars; precollege programs, intensive English, lifelong learning programs, leisure courses, and other specialized instructional programs. For more information, see “Continuing Education ” in this catalog.

The Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes (CCACSA) is comprised of an academic affairs team, a student affairs team, and an information technology team. Collectively, the purpose is to provide an all-inclusive student-centered support structure for all student-athletes from matriculation through graduation and life beyond.

Artist and Lecture Series and Lectureships

LSU sponsors artist and lecture series and lectureships to foster intellectual inquiry, stimulate dialog, and cultivate unique experiences with outstanding performance in a variety of fields. Among these programs are:

• Aesculapian Lecture Series in Veterinary Medicine
• Art & Design Russell Chair Visiting Professorship
• Senator John Breaux Annual Symposium in Media and Public Affairs
• Chancellor’s Distinguished Lectureship Series
• Coastal Sustainability Studio Lecture Series
• Max Z. Conrad Lecture Series
• LSU Curriculum Theory Project Distinguished Lecture Series
• Deep South Conference in Communication Sciences & Disorders
• Delta Mouth Literary Festival
• Department of Entomology Distinguished Speaker Series
• Design Week Visiting Critic, Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture
• School of Library & Information Science SLIS/LAA Diversity Interest Group Mentoring Program
• J. Norman Efferson Lectureship Series
• Festival of Contemporary Music
• Walter Lynwood Fleming Lectures in Southern History
• Frank J. Germano Lecture Series in Civil Engineering
• Max Goodrich Distinguished Speaker Series in Physics and Astronomy
• Jerry B. Graves Distinguished Seminar Series in Entomology
• Giles Wilkeson Gray Lecture Series in Communication Studies
• Alfred C. Glassell Jr. Lecture Series
• Holt B. Harrison/Harrison Paint Co./Elmira H. Harrison Lectureship
• History Graduate Student Association Annual Conference
• Walter Hitesman Lecture Series in Mass Communication
• Hubert H. Humphrey Lectureship in Public Affairs
• J. W. Kistler Conference
• W. A . Lawrence Lecture
• School of Library & Information Science Beta Phi Mu Lecture Series
• Louisiana Environmental Lecture Series of the Coast and Environment
• The Louisiana Natural Resource Symposium
• LSU School of Art Artist in Residence
• Paula G. Manship College of Art & Design Lecture Series
• Paula G. Manship School of Music Guest Artist Series
• Marathon Speaker Series in Geology
• Modern History Colloquium
• Grover E. Murray Lecture Series in Geology
• E. J. Ourso College of Business/LSU Flores MBA Alumni Association Louisiana Looking Up
• Pasquale Porcelli Distinguished Lecture Series in Mathematics
• Patrick Lecture Series in Nutrition, Food Science, and Wetland Science
• The performance studies area in the Department of Communication Studies presents performances of literature, performance art, and experimental productions designed by students, faculty, and guest artists throughout the academic year.
• Plant Pathology & Crop Physiology Graduate Student Invited Lecturer Series
• The Program of Comparative Literature regularly hosts regional meetings of the Association of Literary Scholars, Critics, and Writers.
• Evelyn Pruitt Geography Lecture Series
• William A. Pryor Lecture Series
• Readers & Writers Literary Forum
• Renewable Natural Resources Seminar Series
• Janice R. Sachse Visiting Artist Series
• School of Architecture Lecture Series
• The Underpass/Small Bar Reading Series
• Visiting Poets Series
• Edward Douglass White Lectures on Citizenship
• L. J. Wilbert Memorial Lectures in Geology
• School of Music–Throughout each year, the School of Music presents a comprehensive series of concerts involving faculty and student performers; orchestras; wind ensembles; jazz groups; gospel choirs; choral ensembles; chamber music; and opera.
• LSU Theatre and Swine Palace present six major productions each year featuring students, faculty, and professional artists as well as a Lab Season of student-directed workshop productions and the annual LSU Dance Concert.
• Engendering Scholarship Lecture Series in Women’s & Gender Studies
• LSU Graduate Philosophy Conference
• Philip WIlliam West Lectureship in Analytical Chemistry
• Dr. Benjamin Pierre Boussert Lecture Series for Chemistry
• College of Human Sciences & Education’s Quality of Life Lecture Series - The college’s mission is an important one - to educate students who are dedicated to improving quality of life across the lifespan. Each school within the college invites an expert to speak about addressing the complex education, health, information, and human issues facing our society. 

Board of Regents’ Academic Policy

The university conforms to Board of Regents’ requirements to ensure consistency of official documentation with the Regents’ Inventory of Degree and Certificate Programs. The following standardized terms are used in LSU catalogs, diplomas, commencement programs, transcripts, and other official documents.

Degree ▪ The title of the award conferred on students by a college, university, or professional school upon completion of a unified program of study (i.e., Bachelor of Arts, BA; Bachelor of Science, BS; Master of Science, MS; Master of Fine Arts, MFA; Master of Landscape Architecture, MLA; Doctor of Philosophy, PhD, etc.).

Degree Program ▪ A grouping of campus-approved courses and requirements (i.e., minimum GPA, comprehensive examinations, English and mathematics proficiency) that, when satisfactorily completed by a student, will entitle him or her to a degree from a public institution of higher education.

Degree Designation ▪ A degree designation for each authorized program at public institutions of higher education is listed in the Board of Regents’ Inventory of Degree and Certificate Programs. Some professional programs require the name of the general subject area as part of the degree designation (i.e., Bachelor of Architecture, BArch; Master of Social Work, MSW; Juris Doctorate, JD, etc.).

Degree Subject Area ▪ The primary discipline that constitutes the focus of a degree program. (For example, a Bachelor of Arts in history. In some cases, the degree subject area is part of the degree title, as in Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Landscape Architecture.) When a student satisfactorily completes a degree program, he/she will be entitled to a degree in the appropriate subject area (i.e., biology, history, English, etc.)

Degree Title ▪ The complete label of a degree program, consisting of the degree designation and the degree subject area (i.e., Bachelor of Arts in history; Bachelor of Science in chemistry).

Curriculum ▪ A description of the required and elective courses for a degree program.

Major ▪ That part of a degree program that consists of a specified group of courses in a particular discipline or field. The name of the major is usually consistent with the degree subject area. A major usually consists of 25 percent or more of the total hours required in an undergraduate curriculum. Establishment of a major requires prior approval by the Board of Regents.

Minor ▪ That part of a degree program that consists of a specified group of courses in a particular discipline or field. The minor usually consists of 15 percent or more of the total hours required in an undergraduate curriculum. Minors do not require prior approval by the Board of Regents.

Concentration ▪ An alternative track of courses within a major, accounting for at least 30 percent of the major requirements. Establishment of a concentration does not require prior approval by the Board of Regents. Transcripts list degree titles, majors, minors, and concentrations. Diplomas list only the appropriate degree designations.

Under­graduate degrees that the university is cur­rently authorized by the Board of Regents to offer are presented in this table  by college. Mi­nors within degree programs are listed in this table . Please consult the appropriate senior college section for more information.