Prospective Students - Freshman

Certificates
The College of Arts and Sciences offers programs, but not majors, in 11 different areas of interest. Successful completion of specified course work in these areas entitles students to a certificate issued by the dean of the college. The College of Music offers certificate programs in two areas, and the Leeds School of Business has three areas of application, which are certificate programs.

College of Arts and Sciences

Actuarial Studies and Quantitative Finance
The Program is an interdisciplinary effort of the Departments of Mathematics , Applied Mathematics , Economics , and the Leeds School of Business . The Actuarial Studies Track is designed to help students obtain the mathematical, economical, and financial expertise necessary to become actuaries --- the mathematical planners of the insurance and pension industries. The Quantitative Finance is designed to provide candidates with a very strong analytical grounding for application in the business environment, particularly in the finance function. Recruiters have consistently listed strong analytical skills highly on their list of desired characteristics in job candidates, even more so when recruiting to fill highly competitive complex financial analysis positions.

British and Irish Studies
Although there are no degrees offered in British and Irish Studies, the Center for British and Irish Studies encourages students to develop programs that include a focus on British and Irish culture, history, and contemporary life from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. he Certificate demonstrates that the student has done serious work in several aspects of British & Irish Studies and will be advantageous when applying to graduate school or for jobs. It is open to students in Arts and Sciences and the professional colleges (e.g., Journalism and Business).

Central and Eastern European Studies
The Central and East European Studies certificate offers students the opportunity for the integrated, interdisciplinary study of the history, politics, language, literature, and culture of Russia, Central and Eastern Europe. The program serves to foster new knowledge and understanding of Central and Eastern Europe, and to train a new generation by providing the knowledge, tools, and experience necessary for understanding these societies and for playing productive roles in their reconstruction.

Cognitive Science Studies
The cognitive science certificate program is an interdisciplinary program for undergraduate majors in the departments of psychology, philosophy, linguistics, and computer science. Training in cognitive science prepares students admirably well for many of the fields that are targeted as the major growth fields of the 21st century: telecommunications, information processing, medical analysis, data retrieval, education and multimedia. The program requirements include courses in all of the four core departments; basic courses providing mathematical, computational, natural science, and statistical skills; and two of four possible advanced skills sequences of courses.

International Engineering
As technology expands our horizons and connects the world with increasing speed, tomorrow’s engineer must be able to work internationally. This means understanding not only science and technology, but also understanding languages and cultures. The purpose of the certificate is to provide engineering students training in language and culture, giving them the skills necessary to work effectively with engineers in multi-national teams and to succeed during overseas assignments in today’s global marketplace. Receipt of an international engineering certificate is an indication to prospective employers that the student has a certain degree of proficiency in a language and an understanding of the culture.

INVST Community Studies
INVST Community Studies is for students interested in the interdisciplinary field of social problems and social change. At the foundation of this program is a major in any of the CU–Boulder departments. The curriculum requirements described on the INVST web site are designed to provide supplemental interdisciplinary learning with an emphasis on community leadership, social and environmental justice, and multiculturalism.

Jewish Studies
The program in Jewish Studies is an interdisciplinary curriculum for students who wish to learn about Jewish culture, history society, and religion. Students are able to explore issues in Judaism, Jewish civilization, Jewish literature and thought, and, as an option learn modern Israeli Hebrew. The purpose of the program is to familiarize students with the different facets of Jewish civilization, and enable them to see the ways that these facets relate to the larger world. By completing the Certificate, students will have a competence in a number of aspects of the historical and present Jewish studies.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Studies
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) certificate program is an interdisciplinary program that combines more than 20 courses in a dozen departments. LGBT studies involves the academic investigation of sexuality in established fields such as literature, history, theatre, law, medicine, economics, sociology, anthropology, and political science. With its interdisciplinary approach, LGBT studies interweaves complex theories and analysis into the study of sexuality. Through the certificate program and the guidance of faculty advisors, students are given an opportunity to integrate a wide variety of courses offered in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences; to extend and deepen their knowledge and understanding of societies and cultures; and to relate that understanding to lived experience.

Medieval and Early Modern Studies
The Committee on Medieval and Early Modern Studies is founded on the convictions that the period from c. 400 to c. 1800, conceived in a global context, is a dynamic cultural continuum and ever-evolving system; that study of both periods in tandem sheds new light on each; and that the unity and diversity of the premodern world can be understood and appreciated only from an interdisciplinary perspective. Medieval and Early Modern Studies therefore crosses boundaries of period, nation, language, and discipline, and the committee’s prime function is to facilitate and encourage interdepartmental study and teaching.Courses throughout the curriculum are available to students whose area of specialization within a given department is the medieval and/or early modern period(s) and who wish to broaden their knowledge of the cultures of the period. With the approval of the major department, a coherent group of these courses may be accepted as a related program of study and as part of the requirements for an undergraduate degree.

Neurosciences and Behavior Studies
The neurosciences certificate program is a combination of several different scientific disciplines, culminating in a special understanding of neurosciences. Although there is no major in neurosciences, the certificate demonstrates a student has completed an academic program beyond a major, and one that demonstrates an interdisciplinary breadth in biology has been achieved.

Peace and Conflict Studies
PACS is an interdisciplinary field that students can approach from any discipline. The certificate program in PACS is designed for students who have an intellectual or moral commitment to issues of conflict and peace at any level, from intrapersonal to global, with varying emphases on action and theory. The certificate is issued by the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and is awarded in addition to a bachelor's degree in another field. A variety of classes in different disciplines culminates in the PACS certificate.

Technology, Arts, and Media
The Technology, Arts and Media (TAM) certificate program provides students with the insights and abilities required to become leaders in a society shaped by the convergence of information technologies, the media, and the arts. The certificate program prepares students from all sectors of the CU-Boulder campus to succeed in the information age, and stimulates multidisciplinary collaboration within the entire campus community. While the certificate’s primary goal is to teach students how to learn in and adapt to a rapidly changing world, it also helps prepare students for careers in numerous industries, such as media, publishing, entertainment, multimedia design, electronic commerce, and advertising. The program was initiated, and is overseen, by the campus Alliance for Technology Learning and Society (ATLAS) group.

Western American Studies
The Center of the American West offers an undergraduate certificate program in Western American Studies for students who are interested in studying a broad range of issues and aspects of the American West, including history and literature, culture and society, and economic and environmental challenges facing western communities. Courses involve students in an exploration of the past, an appreciation for traditional and contemporary stories and art in the region, and an understanding of Western landscapes, ecosystems, and the factors that affect them. The certificate program is interdisciplinary, drawing on courses and expertise from over a dozen departments spanning the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.

Certificate in Jazz Studies
The certificate in jazz studies is designed to allow a select number of students to study jazz more in depth and at a higher level than music degrees currently require. The curriculum is in addition to requirements of each degree plan and consists of a minimum of 18 credit hours, including topics such as jazz theory, aural foundations to jazz, improvisation, history of jazz, scoring and arranging, jazz keyboard, electronic music, jazz combo, and jazz ensemble. Entrance into the program is by audition in the sophomore year.

Certificate in Music Technology
The certificate in music technology provides students with an opportunity to study music technology in greater depth than music degrees currently allow. Each participating student must elect the certificate's curriculum in addition to the normal requirements of their degree program. The certificate is available to students in the College of Music only. At present, the curriculum consists of 14 credit hours, and includes such topics as an introduction to music technology, computer programming for musicians, music and media, and sound synthesis.

Leeds School of Business

Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management
The Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management application area provides the knowledge, understanding, and skills for creating, organizing, and managing new ventures or small- to medium-sized and emerging-growth businesses as independent entities or within corporate structures. Students examine theory and research, but the fundamental thrust of this application area is to experience entrepreneurial cultures through professional experiences such as field projects, meeting entrepreneurs in the classroom, internships, writing feasibility and business plans, and developing other practical skills. Students who complete the three required entrepreneurship courses with a 3.30 grade point average or better (credit is optional and not usually awarded), and who complete an internship, will qualify to sit for the entrepreneurship honors exam. Those who pass the exam will be awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Entrepreneurial Studies.

International Business
The International Business application and certificate program build on the student's understanding of the functional areas of business and provide her or him with an appreciation of the international environment and a framework for developing policies and strategies appropriate for this environment.

Real Estate
The Real Estate area of application is designed to provide students with exposure to the concepts, tools, and techniques necessary for entry-level positions.The real estate certificate program allows students to broaden their knowledge and understanding of real estate through multidisciplinary focus, whereby courses are taken outside of the Leeds School of Business. For this program, an academic internship is also required.