The Bethune-Cookman College Undergraduate Catalog

Print-Friendly Page

Click on any of the following links for information:

• Last Will and Testament
• The Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation: A National Historic Landmark
• The President’s Statement of Philosophy
• The Campus

This Bethune-Cookman College Undergraduate Catalog provides current information concerning academic programs and requirements. Schedules of classes, derived partly from information in the undergraduate catalog and any changes thereto, announce courses offered each semester and summer session. Announcements of final examinations and graduation activities derive from this document. The College reserves the right, however, to change this publication, to include course requirements, which supersede those herein, without direct notice to individual students.

The College will attempt to advise students of changes pertaining to matters herein. Such information will be available in the offices of the vice president for academic affairs, school deans, department heads, and office directors.

The student is expected to become familiar with program and degree requirements pertaining to one’s field of study, and with regulations governing academic work and progress, as well as remain alert for announcements of change. Further, it is the responsibility of the student to remain informed of current graduation requirements for one’s degree program. Minimum hours for graduation, for instance, are stated in the undergraduate catalog for each major area. Lack of knowledge of written requirements will not be accepted as justification for noncompliance.

To graduate from the College, the student is responsible for completing general education, major and minor area requirements, the College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST), the senior thesis, the comprehensive exit examination, and any other requirements specified herein or by announcement. Faculty members are responsible for providing instruction and advisement to assist students in successfully completing requirements.

Many steps from admission through graduation require approval by specified college officials. In its sole judgment that the student has or has not satisfactorily met all requirements, the College reserves the right to refuse college credit or refuse an academic degree.

Academic programs and requirements for students enrolled in the master’s degree program( s) at Bethune-Cookman College will be printed in the graduate catalog published by the School of Graduate and Professional Studies.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE BETHUNE-COOKMAN COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES CAN MAKE CHANGES TO THE UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG AT ANY TIME. STUDENTS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO READ EACH MONDAY DIGEST FOR UPDATES ON ANY CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG.

Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955)
Founder and President (1904-1942; 1946-1947)

Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune left a heritage in the college she founded. She also left her Last Will and Testament, an everlasting and priceless document of challenge, hope, and responsibility for African-Americans and other people, which states the following:

…I leave you love. Love builds. It is positive and helpful. It is more beneficial than hate.

…I leave you hope. The Negroes’ growth will be great in the years to come. Theirs will be a better world. This I believe with all my heart.

…I leave you the challenge of developing confidence in one another. As long as Negroes are hemmed into racial blocks by prejudice and pressure, it will be necessary for them to band together for economic betterment.

…I leave you a thirst for education. Knowledge is the prime need of the hour&.If we continue in this trend, we will be able to rear increasing numbers of strong, purposeful men and women, equipped with vision, mental clarity, health and education.

…I leave you a respect for the uses of power. We live in a world, which respects power above all things. Power, intelligently directed, can lead to more freedom.

…I leave you faith. Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible.

…I leave you racial dignity. I want Negroes to maintain their human dignity at all costs. We, as Negroes, must recognize that we are the custodians as well as the heirs of a great civilization.

…I leave you a desire to live harmoniously with our fellow men. The problem of color is world-wide. It is found in Africa and Asia. Europe and South America. I appeal to American Negroes - North, South, East and West - to recognize their common problems and unite to solve them.

…I leave you finally a responsibility to our young people. The world around us really belongs to youth, for youth will take over its future management. Our children must never lose their zeal for building a better world.

…If I have a legacy to leave my people, it is my philosophy of living and serving. As I face tomorrow, I am content, for I think I have spent my life well. I pray now that my philosophy may be helpful to those who share my vision of a world of Peace, Progress, Brotherhood and Love.

Built in 1905, the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation is the home in which Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune lived and died. The Foundation was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1975. On July 10, 1977, her 102nd birthday, a second marker was erected at the home by the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History in cooperation with the Amoco Foundation, and it is the 94th United Methodist Historic Site. The home currently serves as a museum and is visited by elementary, middle and high school students, as well as Florida tourists who are able to capture the greatness of this remarkable woman and to receive inspiration from the legacy she willed to the American public.

The Bethune Foundation

Education is power, hope, and faith in a better tomorrow. Regardless of economic and social background, every person deserves an opportunity to pursue higher education. Furthermore, it is my opinion that in the absence of spiritual growth, intellectual stimulation is meaningless. Providing an effective learning environment that will enhance spirituality and citizenship, while strengthening linkages to the African- American community remains a crucial goal of all historic African-American colleges. A distinctive educational program characterizes opportunities for students to compete internationally as they learn the values of globalization, negotiation, and cultural synergistic problem solving.

Learning should be fun, empowering, and life changing. To learn is to unearth new meaning, to make a difference, to find one’s voice, to develop new ideas, to engage in self discovery, and to re-examine prior beliefs. Institutions of higher learning that are truly student centered will offer choices and challenges as well as the ability to listen and to be heard. Unique experiences and opportunities within such a learning community will enable students to realize their dreams. Colleges that are esteem builders facilitate greater consensus and team building among the entire learning community. Team building is essential for the development of a shared mission that can be owned and articulated with excitement!

Through academic excellence, innovative programming, and effective marketing, national and global visibility can be attained leading to increased enrollment and outstanding scholarship. While education builds citizenship, students prepare for this important role through cultural and community service. Therefore, learning cannot be separated from the community or society at large. A liberal arts education will continue to foster a deeper exploration of human knowledge in diverse subjects that will facilitate inquiry into meaning while building a solid foundation in lifelong learning.

Traditional African American United Methodist Colleges are entrusted with building a future for the youth in our nation. In essence, they offer a map and compass to direct the African-American community, impacting the nation at-large. Historic African American colleges transmit history and preserve legacies of truth and knowledge. They pave the way for generations to journey through history armed with faith, the capacity for hard work, and a quest to learn. For many, African-American colleges continue to provide the greatest gift: a supportive community for the pursuit of learning. Education becomes power, a liberating force that offers justice, equity, and hope for the African-American community for generations to come.

Bethune-Cookman College is located in Daytona Beach (Volusia County), Florida, an Atlantic coast city with a metropolitan area population of 170,000. The Atlantic Ocean is less than 2 miles from the campus.

The 75-acre campus includes administrative and academic buildings, technology centers, student residence halls, student center, infirmary, athletic facilities and a performing arts auditorium. The address to the college is 640 Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard, the site of the main administration building. The college is bounded by George W. Engram, Sr., Boulevard, Lincoln Street, International Speedway Boulevard, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. There is easy access to business centers, churches, theaters, museums, recreational facilities, bus and air terminals. Located within 100 miles of the city are areas of interest including St. Augustine, Florida; Orlando, Florida; and the John F. Kennedy Space Center.