07-08 Undergrad Catalog | BYU: A Unique Environment

Religious Environment

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sponsors BYU to provide a university education in an atmosphere that nurtures spiritual growth and a strong conviction of the divinity of Jesus Christ. Church programs are closely correlated at all levels with the activities of the university, and students will find many opportunities to grow spiritually.

Religion Classes

All students at BYU should include regular gospel study as a continuous part of their university experience. Full-time undergraduate students take one religion class each semester of enrollment until a total of 14 semester hours of religion credit has been earned. See The University Core section of this catalog for more information.

University Devotionals

University devotionals, held throughout the year on Tuesdays at 11:05 a.m., provide an inspirational and integrative part of the university experience. These assemblies are occasions to celebrate the shared sense of community values in the university. Participation in these gatherings will renew spiritual commitment and extend knowledge of significant religious, intellectual, and cultural matters.

Devotional speakers, selected from the General Authorities and other leaders of the Church and university, come to teach the gospel and affirm the spiritual dimension of the university experience for students, faculty, and staff.

Most campus offices and services are closed during university assemblies so that members of the university community may participate.

BYU Stakes and Wards

To give students maximum opportunity to participate, the Church is organized into a number of BYU stakes composed of several wards of approximately 150 members each. All single students living away from home who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints become members of a BYU ward. Single LDS students living at home have the option of attending their home ward or a designated BYU ward. Married students not living in university housing may attend either the designated BYU ward or the residential ward in which they live.

Other Religious Denominations

Approximately twenty-five other religious denominations are represented in the BYU student body. These students are encouraged to attend a congregation of their faith in the surrounding area, if possible.

Academic Environment

The academic environment extends beyond the four walls of a university classroom. Serious students seek enrichment in the library, at university forums and lectures, and through research. Some students may choose to become involved in the Honors Program or live in one of the "quiet halls" on campus—and everyone benefits from drawing on the resources available at college advisement centers.

New Student Orientation

The purpose of New Student Orientation (NSO) is to help new and transfer students become familiar with the academic, spiritual, moral, and social opportunities and challenges at Brigham Young University. Additionally, NSO provides new students several opportunities to become acquainted with the resources available to them on campus. Finally, it offers a great chance to meet new friends among other students, faculty members, staff personnel.

NSO events and activities range from the academic through the informational to the out-and-out fun, but they are always friendly and focused on the needs of new students. NSO activities vary according to the term or semester. They may include campus tours; learning about the library, academic advising, scholarships, financial aid, and honors education; and an introduction to several of the emotionally and spiritually satisfying traditions of the Y.

Many of the activities are organized around Y Groups, small cohorts of students led by upperclassmen, which offer students individualized attention. Orientation at BYU balances the various needs of new students by combining appropriate resources, activities, and personnel. To feel comfortable in an institution as complex as BYU, with its myriad of opportunities, New Student Orientation is practically a requirement.

New Student Orientation is held three times a year, immediately prior to winter semester, summer term, and fall semester. Please refer to the Web page at http://orientation.byu.edu for detailed information and registration.

University Forums

University forums are held on selected Tuesdays at 11:05 a.m. and are designed to enrich the general education experience. Speakers are noted authorities in the arts, sciences, humanities, media, and government, chosen for their contributions to their field and their ability to inspire and communicate. Participation in these assemblies and the associated question-and-answer sessions prompts inquiry into significant intellectual, cultural, and social issues and helps lay the foundation for lifelong learning.

Harold B. Lee Library

The Harold B. Lee Library (HBLL) collection numbers over eight million volumes, including books, periodicals, government documents, microfilm, and other nonprint items. The library's Web-based catalog contains numerous full-text databases and many electronic indexes to other sources.

The library is a depository for United State government documents and regularly receives publications of state and local governments. The Religion and Family History Library supports family history and genealogy through an extensive collection of microfilm, microfiche, and online resources. L. Tom Perry Special Collections houses non-circulating books and manuscripts related to Mormonism, western Americana, incunabula, Victorian and Edwardian literature, historical manuscripts and photographs, motion pictures, and many other preserved items for research and use.

The general collection is housed on five levels of the library. An information and general reference desk is located on the ground floor (level 3), and professional librarians and support staff provide research assistance at eight additional subject reference desks. Instruction in library and information literacy is available. The general library facilities are open to students, faculty, administrative and staff personnel, alumni, and other community patrons.

BYU libraries provide excellent teaching and research support for faculty and other university personnel. Library subject specialists and archival curators are available for instruction or lectures on library resources and to assist in designing class assignments that involve library research.

The library is open during fall and winter semesters from 7:00 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday and from 8:00 a.m. to midnight Saturday.

BYU students and faculty may also use the facilities of other Utah college and university libraries in the United States through cooperative agreements implemented through state and national library consortia. Libraries operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are also available to BYU students and employees, including the library of the Church Historical Department located in Salt Lake City.

The Lee Library provides a faculty delivery service for pickup and delivery of books to and from faculty and administrative offices.

For books unavailable at the Harold B. Lee Library, an interlibrary loan service is available. Requests should be submitted through the ILLiad request system available on the library's Web page (www.library.byu.edu).

Research and Creative Activities at BYU

One of the most exciting and valuable learning experiences available to both undergraduate and graduate students at BYU is the opportunity to participate in original research and creative activities. BYU has accomplished faculty members in all areas, many of whom enjoy international reputations for the quality of their creative endeavors. Many professors enlist the help of undergraduate students, who work side by side with faculty mentors and graduate students in a laboratory or studio setting.

A wide variety of research experiences are available in many departments across campus. For example, the student might be involved in the synthesis of a new medicinal drug in the chemistry laboratory or participate in the discovery of a new species of dinosaur on a Colorado mesa. Other examples of programs involving student participation include the study of robotics systems, computer architecture, battery technology, high-energy physics, international business methods, child psychology, drug-induced birth defects, educational methodology, molecular genetics, social implications of drug use, stability and satisfaction in marriage, Church history, and a host of other topics. Students who are interested in participating in research programs are encouraged to contact their major department chair or speak directly with individual professors.

The Office of Research and Creative Activities (ORCA) manages, on behalf of the administration, two programs whose purpose is to bring together students and faculty in mentored experiences. The first is the ORCA Mentoring Grants for Undergraduates Program. Requests for proposals go out to all undergraduate, full-time students. One-third of all proposals are usually funded at $1800 each. Awards are made early in the semester following application. The second is the Mentored Environments Grants Program. Faculty are encouraged to submit proposals to create or enhance a mentored environment for undergraduate and graduate students. Awards range from $2,000 to $20,000, and proposals are collected in late fall and awarded in midwinter. For more information, contact any department or college, or contact ORCA at A-285 ASB, (801) 422-3841, http://orca.byu.edu.

Internships

Internships and other applied learning experiences, such as clinical and field studies, integrate academic studies with professional or career-related work experience. They are required by some degree programs and recommended by others to strengthen or complement a student's major or minor field of study. Students may combine internship credit with Independent Study courses and still pay regular tuition through the Semester Away program. In addition to experiences within the United States, opportunities in international settings are also available when approved by the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies.

Students who want or need academic credit for internships and other formal applied, cooperative learning experiences must receive prior department and university approval and complete formal registration before commencing. Course offerings vary according to student and program needs. Registration in a department's 199R, 299R, 399R, 496R, or 599R course is required for internship credit. Individual departments specify course numbers for clinical, practicum, or other applied, cooperative learning courses. Credit varies, generally ranging from 0.5 to 12 semester hours. Grades are based on both academic and work-related accomplishments.

To learn more about the opportunities and benefits of applied, cooperative learning experiences, contact a college or department internship coordinator, visit or call the BYU Internship Office (130A B-34, 801-422-3337), or go to http://www.byu.edu/intern.

Center for Service and Learning

Main Office: 2010 WSC, (801) 422-1277
Community Service Office: 2330 WSC, (801) 422-8686

Seeking to instill a desire for lifelong service, the Center for Service and Learning (CSL) works to provide every student with a meaningful service opportunity. The CSL's valuable network of community resources supports student volunteers, who expand their experience by reaching beyond themselves to achieve greater awareness of their surroundings and the local community. As students learn to better serve the human family, they also improve their minds and talents.

The CSL Main Office includes administrative offices, Tutoring Services, and Tutor Outreach to Provo Schools (TOPS). Tutoring is free for BYU students, and they can expect to meet with their tutor for one to three hours per week. Available for most BYU classes, tutors are frequently requested for GE math and science courses. Because tutors are provided on a first come, first served basis, students are encouraged to sign up early. Volunteer tutors are recruited throughout the year. The TOPS program offers opportunities for students to gain valuable experience serving as mentors and tutors in the local public schools.

The CSL Community Service Office coordinates over 28 programs. These programs, run by students, range from blood drives to mentoring. In addition, an Urgent Needs board and a database posting current service opportunities are maintained by the center. The center's Web site, http://centerforservice.byu.edu, is an excellent resource offering online access to all opportunities. The Volunteer Solutions database found on the Web site allows students to search according to their availability and interests (major and hobbies). These listings are available in hard copy at the center. Opportunities are available for individuals, FHE groups, or wards and stakes. For immediate "hands on" service, the center offers the Stop & Serve program.

Student Development Course Work

The Counseling and Career Center offers courses under the title Student Development. These courses are designed to help with the personal challenges and tasks facing college students. Some of the relevant student-centered topics are college study skills, life planning, time management, decision making, and test taking strategies. Several courses are also designed to help students decide on a college major and a career and to make the transition from college to the world of work. Each class has material to help students identify their values, develop character, and make progress with their personal goals for life. The BYU Undergraduate Catalog and the current class schedule list these courses under Student Development. For further information contact the Counseling and Career Center, 2510 WSC, (801) 422-4007.

Academic Support Office

2500 WSC
(801) 422-2723
E-mail: academic_support@byu.edu

All students admitted to the university have the potential to succeed academically; however, some students have difficulty achieving the level of success required to remain in good academic standing. The mission of the Academic Support Office is to assist students in maintaining that level of academic success. Administered through the Counseling and Career Center, a department of Student Life, the Academic Support Office uses the combined resources of the university to help students resolve most academic problems.

Students with academic problems often have difficulties in one or more of the following areas: (1) Personal concerns outside the academic realm—such as adjustment problems, illness, or relationship problems—that distract from academic goals. Such problems may be addressed by helping students refocus on their goals. (2) Inadequate academic preparation to meet the rigors of a university experience. Study-skills training helps students identify strategies appropriate to the university experience. (3) Learning styles that worked in high school but are not productive at the university. A learning-style assessment and counseling may help students identify and use academic strengths more successfully. (4) Ambiguous career goals that cause students to flounder within the university. With career guidance they can move toward a more timely graduation.

Counselors are trained to assist students with time management, study skills, learning style, career choice, and other academic concerns. Students who experience academic difficulties are encouraged to contact the Academic Support Office.

Graduate Studies

B-356 ASB
Phone: (801) 422-4091

To the student seeking advanced study, Brigham Young University offers a variety of graduate degree opportunities. Excellent graduate programs can be found in each of the colleges and schools, and successful completion of one results in the awarding of a master's or doctoral degree.

The master's degree requires advanced course work, demonstrated mastery in vital aspects of a discipline, skill in research methodology and theory, and preparation for future creative work. In certain disciplines, graduate programs blend scholarly insight with technical knowledge and skill. Integrative examinations, a major culminating piece of written work or performance, and an accompanying oral defense of that work may be required.

The doctoral degree requires the student to demonstrate an impressive scholarly competence, which includes the ability to conduct and report research in a highly effective manner. Advanced systematic study in a discipline is also essential and is followed by comprehensive examinations that require students to integrate and understand the collective knowledge of their disciplines. A dissertation resulting from independent research is defended in a concluding oral examination.

Students who are interested in pursuing advanced degrees are encouraged to become involved in research and creative activities during their undergraduate experience.

For information about master's and doctoral degree programs, students should consult the 2007–2008 BYU Graduate Catalog online at www.byu.edu/gradstudies.

Application information is available online at www.byu.edu/gradstudies, through Graduate Studies, and through individual departments. For information regarding admission to the J. Reuben Clark Law School, see the Law School section of this catalog.

Cultural Environment

Students can immerse themselves in culture at BYU. Dance, theatre, music, art exhibits, museums—all nourish the soul seeking after 'anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy."

BYU dance and music performance groups present major performances on campus each year and many tour throughout the world. Popular and classical plays, films, and musicals, as well as original works, are also offered throughout the year. The weekly International Cinema Program is another cultural offering worthy of note.

Performing Arts Series

The BYU Performing Arts Series presents some of the most celebrated artists in the world. Concerts and productions are scheduled throughout each year in the Harris Fine Arts Center and other venues. Season or individual event tickets are available at reduced prices for students, faculty, and staff. For further information contact the Fine Arts Ticket Office at (801) 422-HFAC (4322) or email performance.byu.edu.

In recent years the Performing Arts Series has included:

Cleveland Sign Stage

Body Vox

Angela Chang

Ballet West

Nancy Ambrose King

Leigh Howard Stevens

Alison Brown Quartet

Utah Symphony

Trio Indiana

My New Music Ensemble

Faculty and Student Performances, Exhibitions, and Showcases

Throughout the year the faculty of the Departments of Visual Arts, Dance, Theatre and Media Arts, and the School of Music are featured in exhibitions, plays and other productions, and music performances.

As part of their educational experience, students, both individually and in groups, present concerts, exhibitions, films, plays, recitals, and productions. Theatre Ballet, The Dancers' Company, International Folk Dance Ensemble, Ballroom Dance Company, Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestras, Young Ambassadors, Living Legends, University Singers, and Synthesis Jazz Ensemble are but a few of the groups that perform in the various university venues. Plays, musical theatre, and opera, as well as art and design exhibitions, are also a part of the outstanding student fare available to the university community.

For further information contact the Fine Arts Ticket Office at (801) 422-HFAC (4322), or email performances. byu.edu.

Museum of Art

The Museum of Art was completed and opened during fall 1993. Funded by private donors, the 100,000-square-foot museum is located directly north of the Harris Fine Arts Center. A sculpture garden separates the two buildings, and together they form a striking visual and performing arts center. The museum houses the university's superb collection of paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, and works on paper. Major bodies of work the university owns are by such eminent artists as Mahonri Y. Young, J. Alden Weir, Maynard Dixon, C. C. A. Christensen, and Minerva Teichert. Besides its rich array of American art, the collection includes rare prints by Rembrandt, Dürer, and Daumier and a growing collection of important religious works.

Major traveling exhibitions and exhibitions from the museum's permanent collections are scheduled on a rotating basis. The museum offers a variety of educational programs for campus and community audiences as well. Included in the Horne Center for the Study of Art are a print study room, a seminar room, and classrooms. The museum also features a café, bookstore, and auditorium.

Students play an important role in the Museaum of Art. Not only are they employed in service capacities in each of the museum's departments but the museum also offers a rigorous internship program that affords selected students opportunities to be mentored on significant museum projects. Many students also serve as volunteer docents. While earning course credits toward their degrees, students gain valuable experience in museum education, curation, registratiion, administration, and even fabrication.

M. L. Bean Life Science Museum

Larry L. St. Clair, Director
Jack Sites, Associate Director
Marta Adair, Assistant Director
290 MLBM

The Monte L. Bean Museum is a fully functional, accredited, professional life science museum. Its vast teaching and research collections include nearly two million arthropods, fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, and prepared shells, and more than 600,000 plants, lichens, and bryophytes. Specimens for these collections, which represent creative work by university faculty and students, have been gathered throughout the world, making the museum one of the major repositories of scientific material in the western United States.

The museum and its collections are utilized by university classes in integrative biology, plant and animal science, education, art, and other disciplines. The Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum also maintains and manages the Lytle Nature Preserve. Located in the northernmost extension of the Mojave Desert southwest of St. George, Utah, this 562-acre desert classroom is in a part of Utah that is unique not only for its plant and animal communities but also for its setting.

Public programs include changing, rotating, and permanent exhibits of natural communities that illustrate the fascinating relationships between plants, animals, and their physical environment. Educational programs serve more than 200,000 annual visitors and provide classes and programs for public and private schools and many other organizations. Museum hours are Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The museum is closed on Sunday. Admission is free.

The Western North American Naturalist, a nationally recognized natural history journal, is published from the museum. Other museum publications include professional and popular works such as A Utah Flora, Snakes of Utah, and Common Rocky Mountain Lichens.

Museum of Peoples and Cultures

Paul R. Stavast, Interim Director
Glenna Nielsen, Curator of Collections
105 ALLN

The Museum of Peoples and Cultures (MPC) houses, cares for, and performs research on archaeological and ethnographic collections from around the world. The strengths of the museum's holdings are in prehistoric Utah, the American Southwest, Mesoamerica, Andean cultures, and Polynesia. An approved state and federal archaeological repository, the museum also holds a noncirculating library and a photographic archive documenting BYU archaeological research and artifactual materials.

Institutional objectives are to interpret and help elucidate the history and culture of the peoples of the world and to convey that knowledge to the scholarly community as well as to the general public. The museum's strongest commitment lies in serving the teaching and research functions of the university. In this, BYU's "teaching museum," not only do students perform office and collections duties, but they also curate all exhibitions as part of the formal curricula taught by museum staff adjunct to the Department of Anthropology. Students plan and execute public programs and design promotional strategy as part of their course work as well. These curricula are available in the department's Certificate in Museum Practices program. Students concurrently enrolled in a cognate master's program are eligible to apply to this graduate program. Three of the certificate courses (Anthr 511, 522, and 525) have no prerequisite and are available for undergraduate enrollment.

The museum's student exhibitions are staged in Allen Hall and change with each certificate class. The museum also produces occasional satellite exhibits at other university locations, such as the Museum of Art and the Joseph Smith Building. Tours of the Allen Hall galleries can be arranged by calling (801) 422-0020. Because scheduling is based on student employee availability, it is advisable to book tours from one to three weeks in advance. Visitors may also choose to guide themselves through the galleries, but groups larger than fifteen people should contact the museum in advance for logistical instructions.

The MPC offers many community educational opportunites. Available for loan to classrooms and inbound populations are anthropology teaching kits that explore the native cultures of various geographical areas. The kits include replica artifacts, handicrafts, and educational books and videos. Students and civic volunteers are invited to help with educational programming, public relations, archaeological research, and public presentations. The MPC hosts an activity patch program for Scouts of all ages and other interested parties. Museum patches can be earned by visiting the museum and completing the patch requirements. For information about any of these programs, call (801) 422-0020.

Located at 700 North 100 East in Provo (one block south of the Brick Oven restaurant), the museum is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and at other times through appointment. Admission is free, and guided tours can be arranged for a nominal charge. The MPC is closed on holidays and for two weeks in December between fall and winter semesters. Office and library hours vary according to student schedules.

Recreational Environment

Students can enjoy the small-town friendliness of Provo or drive 45 miles to the north for the cosmopolitan diversity that Salt Lake City offers. Whereas Salt Lake City is home to Ballet West, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and the Utah Symphony, the Provo area prides itself on its own Utah Valley Symphony and several fine community music, dance, and theatre groups.

Intercollegiate Competition

BYU begins its seventh year in the Mountain West Conference, which also includes the Air Force Academy, Colorado State University, the University of Nevada–Las Vegas, the University of New Mexico, San Diego State University, Texas Christian University, the University of Utah, and the University of Wyoming.

BYU sponsors twenty-one NCAA intercollegiate sports for men and women. The men compete in ten sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor track, outdoor track and field, and volleyball.

The women compete in eleven intercollegiate sports: basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor track, outdoor track and field, and volleyball.

Consistently ranked among the nation's top twenty-five athletic programs, BYU has won NCAA championships in football, men's track and field, men's golf, women's cross country (four), and men's volleyball (three). The Cougars have also won two NIT titles in men's basketball.

Extramural Competition

The extramural sports program at BYU provides opportunities for students to participate on an intercollegiate level throughout the United States and Canada in team sports not designated NCAA.

One of the best organized and most respected programs in the country, BYU's extramural sports program offers four sports for men (soccer, racquetball, lacrosse, and rugby) and one sport for women (racquetball). Many of the teams have been nationally ranked during the last several years.

Athletic Facilities

BYU's athletic facilities are among the best in the nation. Complementing the major sports complexes—the Marriott Center, football stadium, baseball diamond, softball diamond, indoor tennis pavilion, and track and field stadium—are the Richards Building and the Smith Fieldhouse. The Richards Building has facilities for racquetball, volleyball, basketball, aerobics, dance, and swimming, and the Smith Fieldhouse houses ball courts, weight rooms, an indoor track, and a west annex big enough for spring batting practice.

Intramural Activities

The campus intramural program, consisting of more than thirty events involving thousands of participants in both men;s and women's activities, is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the United States. Students may participate in team activities and individual events. The intramural program offers divisions for different skill levels in each activity and provides awards for the winners in each division. Numerous employment opportunities are available as game supervisors and officials.

A Great Outdoors

The Wasatch Mountains overlook BYU on the east, and to the west lies Utah Lake. Within an hour's drive are several canyons and ski resorts; six national parks are only a half day away. Outdoor gear can be rented on campus for everything from skiing to windsurfing.