The provisions of this catalog do not constitute a contract, expressed or implied, between any applicant, student and faculty member in Â鶹ÊÓƵ. Â鶹ÊÓƵ reserves the right to withdraw courses at any time, change fees, calendars, curricula, graduation procedures and any other requirement affecting students. Changes become effective when proper authorities determine the application to both prospective students and to enrolled students.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ is an equal opportunity/affirmative action educational institution and employer. Students, faculty, and staff members are selected without regard to their race, color, creed, sex, age, handicap or national origin, consistent with the Assurance of Compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Executive Order 11246 as issued and amended; Title IX of the Educational amendments of 1972, as amended; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Inquiries concerning application of these regulations should be directed to the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Operations.
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ campus is located in Beaumont, Texas. With a population of more than 115,000, Beaumont is a diversified city, home not only to the University but also to businesses and industries stemming from a strong petrochemical and agricultural base. World-renowned companies are located in Beaumont to take advantage of the area’s resources and its educated workforce.
A host of cultural attractions offer a variety of leisure options from museums and symphony presentations to shopping districts and many spring and fall festivals. A civic center, convention center, entertainment complex and coliseum draw professional entertainers and a wide variety of business, social and professional groups to the city. Beaumont is convenient to lake, river and ocean recreation, located only a few miles from the balmy Gulf Coast and little more than an hour from the Big Thicket National Preserve, large lakes and piney woods.
The campus is home to the stately Mary and John Gray Library, the Montagne Center coliseum, the Sheila Umphrey Recreational Sports Center, Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown, multiple residence halls and state-of-the-art computing and engineering facilities. Â鶹ÊÓƵ welcomes visitors. Information regarding tours may be obtained from the Office of Admission Services, P.O. Box 10009, Beaumont, Texas 77710, (409) 880-8316.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ originated on March 8, 1923, when the South Park School District in Beaumont authorized its superintendent to proceed with plans to open “a Junior College of the first class.” On Sept. 17, 1923, South Park Junior College opened with 125 students and a faculty of fourteen. Located on the third floor of the South Park High School building, the college shared the library and athletic facilities with the high school. In 1932, separate facilities were provided and the name of the institution was changed to Lamar College, to honor Mirabeau B. Lamar, second president of the Republic of Texas and the “Father of Education” in Texas.
On June 8, 1942, as a result of a public campaign, a new campus was purchased and classes were held for the first time on the present-day campus in Beaumont. After World War II, the College grew to 1,079, and the Honorable Jack Brooks introduced a bill in the Texas House of Representatives to make Lamar a state-supported senior college. The Legislature approved House Bill-52 June 4, 1949, creating Lamar State College of Technology effective September 1, 1951. Lamar was the first junior college
in Texas to become a four-year, state-supported college. Lamar continued to grow, building strong programs in engineering, sciences, business, education and the arts. In 1962, a graduate school was established offering master’s degrees in several fields.
In 1969, an extension center was opened in Orange. The Doctor of Engineering degree was established in 1971. In the same year, House Bill 590 became law, changing the institution’s status from college to university. Lamar State College of Technology, with an enrollment of 10,874, officially became Â鶹ÊÓƵ on August 23, 1971. In 1975, the long-standing, private two-year Port Arthur College became Â鶹ÊÓƵ at Port Arthur. The Â鶹ÊÓƵ System, of which Â鶹ÊÓƵ-Beaumont was the flagship, was established in the 68th Session of the Texas Legislature with the passage of SB 620, which took effect in August 1983.
In 1990, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recommended that all two-year programs at Â鶹ÊÓƵ be combined into the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Institute of Technology. Programs in the former College of Technical Arts, along with Allied Health, Office Technology and Restaurant/Institutional Food Management moved to the new Institute. The Doctor of Education in Deaf Studies/Deaf Education was
established at Â鶹ÊÓƵ in 1993, the Doctor of Audiology in 2003, the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership in 2004, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering in 2005.
Lamar’s commitment to quality higher education has been steady and progressive, anticipating the evolving needs of its students. To facilitate this commitment, the Texas Legislature approved House Bill 2313 to merge the Â鶹ÊÓƵ System with The Texas State University System (TSUS) effective September 1, 1995. On June 19, 1999, the Texas Legislature approved House Bill 1297 to rename Â鶹ÊÓƵ at Port Arthur, Â鶹ÊÓƵ at Orange and the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Institute of Technology. Today, these separate TSUS institutions are known as Lamar State College at Port Arthur, Lamar State College at Orange, and the Lamar Institute of Technology.
As a comprehensive university granting bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, Â鶹ÊÓƵ continues to enhance its instructional, service, and research missions. Lamar’s growth has produced an economic impact that exceeds $200 million annually, but even more influential is the impact realized by Lamar graduates, who are more than 71,000 strong.
A board of nine regents, appointed by the Governor and approved by the State Senate for terms of six years, governs The Texas State University System. The Board of Regents delegates the direction of university affairs to the presidents, campus administrative officers and faculty. Members of the TSUS Board of Regents effective in February, 2010 are listed in Section 14.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ is a comprehensive public institution educating a diverse student body, preparing students for leadership and lifelong learning in a multicultural world, and enhancing the future of Southeast Texas, the state, the nation and the world through teaching, research and creative activity, and service.
To provide a learning environment of the highest quality and integrity, Lamar
University values . . .
Our STUDENTS, including their curricular and extracurricular activities;
Our FACULTY and STAFF, high-quality employees who are committed to educating
and serving our students;
Our commitment to DIVERSITY in ideas, people and access;
Our collegial ENVIRONMENT with contemporary, functional and pleasing facilities,
a safe campus, and responsible fiscal management;
Our bonds with SOUTHEAST TEXAS, the STATE, the NATION, and the WORLD,
including our alumni and friends, through economic and educational development,
research and creative activity, service, and outreach.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award degrees at the Associate, Baccalaureate, Master’s and Doctoral levels. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Â鶹ÊÓƵ. In addition, Lamar is approved by the Texas Education Agency.
Several departments and programs are accredited by professional agencies. In the College of Engineering, the programs in Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Industrial and Mechanical Engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Computer Science is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. The undergraduate and graduate programs of the College of Business are accredited by AACSB-International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Lamar's teacher education programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
Other accreditations include Nursing by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, the Department of Chemistry by the American Chemical Society; the Department of Geology by the American Institute of Professional Geologists; Department of Music by the National Association of Schools of Music;
Dietetics program by the American Dietetic Association; the program in Social Work by the Council on Social Work Education and programs in Speech-Language Pathology by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and in Deaf Education by the Council for Education of the Deaf. The University also is a member of many academic councils, societies and associations.
Persons wishing to review documentation regarding the institution’s accreditation, approval or licensing may do so by contacting the Office of the Provost, Room 101 in the Plummer Building, (409) 880-8398.
All teacher education programs of the university are approved by the Texas Education Agency, the State Board of Educator Certification and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Students seeking teacher certification should consult the Director of Professional Services, College of Education and Human Development, (409) 880-8902), regarding requirements.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ is organized into six colleges. These are Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Development, Engineering, Fine Arts and Communication, and Graduate Studies. Within each college are academic departments and programs. Each college is headed by a dean and each department is headed by a department chair.
Associate of Applied Science in Nursing
Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Arts in American Sign Language, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Criminal Justice, Dance, English, French, History, Mathematics, Music, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish and Theater
Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, Economics, Finance, General Business, Management, Marketing, Human Resources Management and Management Information Systems
Bachelor of General Studies Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art and Graphic Design
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Science in Biology, Chemistry, Communication, Communication Disorders, Computer Information Science, Computer Science, Construction Management, Criminal Justice, Dance, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Exercise Science and Fitness Management, Family and Consumer Sciences, Forensic Chemistry, Geology, Graphic Design, Health, Interdisciplinary Studies, Kinesiology, Mathematics, Medical Technology, Nursing, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Theatre, and the following Engineering fields: Chemical, Civil, Construction Management, Electrical, Industrial, Mechanical and Industrial Technology
Bachelor of Social Work Master of Arts in Art History, English, History and Visual Art
Master of Business Administration in Accounting, Experiential Business and Entrepreneurship, Financial Management, Healthcare Administration, Management Information Systems, Nursing Administration (dual degree) and Service Management and Marketing
Master of Education in Educational Administration, Educational Technology Leadership, Elementary Education, Counseling and Development, Secondary Education, Special Education and Special Education/Educational Diagnostician
Master of Engineering or Master of Engineering Science in Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Mechanical Engineering
Master of Engineering Management
Master of Music
Master of Music Education
Master of Public Administration
Master of Science in Applied Criminology, Audiology, Biology, Chemistry, Community Psychology, Computer Science, Deaf Studies/Habilitation, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Studies, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health Promotion, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Kinesiology, Mathematics and Speech-Language Pathology
Master of Science in Nursing in Nursing Administration and Nursing Education
Doctor of Audiology Doctor of Education in Deaf Studies/Deaf Education and Educational Leadership
Doctor of Engineering Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering
Students entering Â鶹ÊÓƵ's general programs may enter three times a year at the beginning of fall, spring, and summer terms. Application must be made well in advance of the date of entry. See Section 6.1 Admissions for information on undergraduate admissions, and Section 7.2 for information on graduate admissions. Students entering the university's graduate online Academic Partnership program to seek the Master of Education may enter more frequently. For information, see http://stateu.com/lamar.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ delivers courses face-to-face on our campus and at West Brook High School, and Lumberton High School. Courses are delivered electronically through Blackboard and through the Academic Partnerships. The core curriculum courses are all available online, and some degrees are available entirely online. For more information, go to http://dept.lamar.edu/cde/cdepages/index.html.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ is a non-smoking campus, and smoking is not allowed in any university facility. More specifically, smoking is prohibited in all academic classrooms, laboratories, meeting rooms, restrooms, locker rooms, coffee areas, supply storage areas, lobbies, corridors, reception areas, offices, and university vehicles. The cafeteria, dining halls and other eating areas are nonsmoking areas. This nonsmoking policy applies to university facilities used by off-campus groups as well as university groups.