Undergraduate Programs

Academic Programs

UW-Parkside offers approximately 40 undergraduate academic majors as well as a number of pre-professional programs; education licensure; and specialized programs such as environmental studies, sustainable management, ethnic studies and women’s, gender and sexuality studies. A consortial program is offered in nursing. The university’s academic programs are organized under four Colleges: Arts and Humanities; Business, Economics, and Computing; Natural and Health Sciences; and Social Sciences and Professional Studies. UW-Parkside is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association. For information on UW-Parkside graduate programs see the Graduate Programs and Policies section of this catalog.

Majors for Bachelor’s Degrees

In order to graduate with a bachelor’s degree, every degree-seeking student must complete a major with a minimum GPA as specified by the major department or program. Usually, this minimum major GPA is 2.00 on a 4.00 scale, but some majors require a higher GPA. Students with transfer work must also attain the minimum major GPA (2.00) on a combination of transfer credits accepted toward the major and credits attempted toward the major at UW- Parkside. At least 15 credits of upper level (300 or above) major course work must be completed at UW-Parkside.

UW-Parkside offers the following majors:

Concentrations for Bachelor’s Degree Majors

A number of undergraduate majors provide students with the option to pursue an area of emphasis within the major called a concentration. Some majors require a student to choose a concentration, others provide them as an option to enhance their major. Concentrations are declared, changed or removed by filing the same plan declaration form used for declaring majors.

The following concentrations are offered by majors at UW-Parkside:

Applied Health Sciences Major¹

Medical Laboratory Sciences
Pre-Athletic Training
Pre-Chiropractic
Pre-General Health
Pre-Occupational Therapy
Pre-Physician Assistant
Pre-Physical Therapy
Pre-Public Health
Radiologic Science: Available beginning Fall 2025

Art Major

Art Education
Interdisciplinary Art
Three Dimensional Studio Art
Two Dimensional Studio Art

Biological Sciences Major

Ecology and Evolution
General Biology
Pre-Health Professions

Business Management Major¹

Finance
General Business
Human Resource Management
Supply Chain Management, Logistics, and Analytics

Business Management Major Online Completion Program¹

General Business

Chemistry Major¹

Biochemistry
General Chemistry
Industrial Chemistry
Natural Products
Pre-Health Professions
Professional Chemistry

Economics Major

Monetary and Financial Economics
Quantitative Economics

English Major

Film and Cultural Studies
Language Arts

Environmental Studies Major¹

Environmental Biology
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental General
Environmental Geography
Environmental Geology
Environmental Policy and Society

Geography Major

Anthropology: Declarations of the this concentration have been suspended beginning Fall 2024.
Applied Environmental Geography
Planning

Geosciences Major¹

Earth Science
Environmental Geosciences

Health Information Management and Technology Major¹

Healthcare Management
Healthcare Technology

Leadership and Personalized Studies Major¹

Humanities
Leadership and Organizational Studies
Social Science Studies
Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Individually Designed

Leadership and Personalized Studies Major Online¹

Leadership and Organizational Studies
Social Science Studies
Individually Designed

Marketing¹

Business to Business Sales and Marketing
Business to Consumer and Digital Marketing
General Marketing

Music Major¹

Contemporary Commercial Music
Jazz Studies and Performance
Liberal Arts
Music Education
Music Performance

Political Science Major

Psychology Major

Neuroscience

Spanish Major

Spanish Language Education

Theatre Arts Major

Acting
Design and Technology
Direction
Musical Theatre
Stage Management

¹: Major requires a concentration.

Majors for Associate Degrees

In order to graduate with an associate degree, every degree-seeking student must complete a major with a minimum GPA as specified by the major department or program. Usually, this minimum major GPA is 2.00 on a 4.00 scale, but some majors require a higher GPA. Students with transfer work must also attain the minimum major GPA (2.00) on a combination of transfer credits accepted toward the major and credits attempted toward the major at UW- Parkside. Associate degree-seeking students must earn a minimum of 15 credits as degree seeking students at UW-Parkside toward their associate degree.

UW-Parkside offers the following majors for associate programs:

Minor Programs

UW-Parkside offers over 50 undergraduate minors, which consist of a formally approved program of 15 or more credits. A minor is not required for graduation.

Minors are declared, changed or removed by filing the same plan declaration form used for declaring majors. Course work in the minor must be completed with the minimum GPA as specified by the department or program under which the minor falls, usually a 2.00 on a 4.00 scale, but higher in some programs. Transfer students must attain the minimum specified GPA on a combination of transfer credits accepted toward the minor and credits attempted at UW-Parkside. At least half of the course work for the minor must be completed at UW-Parkside.

UW-Parkside offers the following minors:

Undergraduate Certificate Programs

Certificate programs are designed to develop a particular expertise or set of skills and normally consist of 9 or more credits. A minimum of nine credits in a certificate program must be taken at UW-Parkside. Individual departments and programs may require more than nine credits to be taken at UW-Parkside. Both degree-seeking and non-degree seeking students may pursue certificate programs. Certificate programs should not be confused with certification or licensure programs which lead to certification by an outside agency. Certificates are declared, changed, or removed by filing the same plan declaration form used for declaring majors.

UW-Parkside offers the following certificates:

Flexible Option Programs

The UW Flexible Option is an innovative way to make degree and certificate programs more accessible, convenient, and affordable for adult and nontraditional students. The UW Flexible Option includes self-paced, competency-based degree and certificate programs that allow students to make progress by demonstrating what they know, whether that knowledge was gained through prior coursework, military training, on-the-job training, or other learning experiences.

Concentrations for Flexible Option Bachelor’s Degree Major

Business Administration Major (BS) Flexible Option Concentrations

General Business Administration
Business Analytics
Agile Project Management

Pre-Professional Interests

Pre-professional interests pertain to preparation for professional study and to undergraduate interests not corresponding to UW-Parkside programs. A student may indicate one interest by submitting a plan declaration form to the department and may drop an interest or exchange interests by submitting another form. Special pre-professional advisors are assigned to pre-professional interest students. For those professions requiring an undergraduate degree prior to entry to professional school, students must also declare an academic major and any minor they plan to complete. As a result, students may be assigned to both an academic advisor and a pre-professional advisor.

Pre-Professional Programs

UW-Parkside offers special advising for students with pre-professional interests in the following areas:

Architecture
Athletic Training
Chiropractic Medicine¹
Dentistry¹
Engineering²
Genetic Counseling¹
Health Professions¹
Kinesiology
Law
Medicine (M.D. and D.O.)¹
Occupational Therapy¹
Optometry¹
Pathology Assistant¹
Pharmacy¹
Physical Therapy¹
Physician Assistant¹
Podiatry¹
Veterinary Medicine¹

¹: Because of the intensely competitive nature of the pre-health fields, students with 30 or more credits must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.50 to be eligible for special advising in these interest areas. Students with GPAs below 2.50 will be counseled to re-evaluate their career plans and will be referred to the academic department of their chosen major and/or the Advising and Career Center for advice.
²: The articulated pre-engineering/engineering agreement with UW-Milwaukee (UWM) creates a curriculum plan for students at UW-Parkside to complete and transfer coursework toward the first two years of a specified UWM engineering major in the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS), and provides guaranteed transfer to students who complete all articulated pre-engineering courses and UWM admission requirements.

Teacher Education Program

Contact the teacher education advisor for detailed and current information regarding all licensure programs, or visit our website.

Online Programs

Undergraduate degree-completion programs:

Online degree-completion programs enable students with at least 60 transfer credits to earn their bachelor’s degree by attending classes online.

Associate Degree Programs:

Arts and Sciences (AAS)¹

Undergraduate certificate programs:

¹: These programs are offered jointly by UW-Parkside and other UW partners.

Directed Study/Independent Study

Directed or independent study is available for credit in many majors and minors. It consists of focused study by an individual student or small team of students under the supervision of a faculty member. The value of directed or independent study is in focusing on a well-defined topic and working closely with a member of the faculty or teaching academic staff. Directed or independent study is generally not intended for students who are near the beginning of their academic program. An agreement must be signed between the student and the faculty supervisor and approved by the department chair or program director at the start of the directed or independent study. All directed or independent studies must conclude with a completed paper, project, report, or other product. Consult each program section of this catalog for details.

Internships

An internship is a supervised discipline related work experience that integrates career relevant leaning activities into a university education. Internships provide opportunities for students to develop and expand their knowledge and/or skills, gain experience in a work setting, put theory into practice, and expand awareness of potential careers. Internships often take place outside the university in a public or private-sector organization. Internships are offered for credit by most academic departments at the 400 level. Interns may be paid by the employer or may work as volunteers. An internship agreement describing the work involved, specific job duties, expected work products, and all required assignments must be in writing and signed by the student, faculty supervisor and the outside internship supervisor; and it must be approved by the department chair or program director by the start of the internship. An internship should include an experiential learning strategy, an emphasis on professional development, performance assessments, and student reflections. All internships must conclude with a completed paper, project, report or other product. Consult each program section of this catalog for details.

Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (AFROTC)

UWP students have the opportunity to participate fully in the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps (AFROTC) Program through a partnership with the host Marquette University. Students enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program attend AFROTC courses at Marquette University. Through this program, UWP offers its students the opportunity to prepare for initial active duty assignments as Air Force Commissioned Officers. In order to receive a commission, AFROTC cadets must complete all university requirements for a degree and courses specified by the Air Force. AFROTC offers four- and three-year programs leading to a commission as an Air Force officer. Four-year program students complete the general military course and the professional officer course. Consult the Center for Professional Studies section of the catalog for more information.

Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (AROTC) Program

UW-Parkside students have the opportunity to participate in the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (AROTC) through Marquette University. AROTC is a leadership development program consisting of three interconnected components:

on-campus,
off-campus and
the Leadership Development Program (LDP).

By design, the three components dovetail for seamless, progressive and sequential leader development and prepare men and women to receive commissions as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army, Army National Guard, or the U.S. Army Reserve. Consult the Center for Professional Studies section of the catalog for more information.

Parkside Access to College Credits (PACC) Program

The Parkside Access to College Credit Program (PACC) allows eligible high school students to earn college and high school credit simultaneously by taking and successfully completing designated courses at their high school, known as concurrent enrollment. By taking college credit in high school, students also set themselves apart by demonstrating that they can succeed in college-level classes. Go to https://www.uwp.edu/learn/departments/professionalstudies/pacc/.