Innovation Academy
The following is a list of majors available to Innovation Academy students during the spring and summer semesters. We may add to this list in the future as additional colleges and departments develop IA-compatible program plans. Each major has a sample program plan (in pdf format) showing the required courses and the order in which IA students should complete them. From time to time, majors may be discontinued and those will be marked with the availability of cohorts prior to the inactive date.
*All majors are subject to change.
The department of Agricultural Education and Communication aims to serve society by advancing individuals and organizations in agriculture and natural resources through research and evidence-based practice in education, communication, and leadership.
The Communication and Leadership Development specialization prepares students for entry into agribusiness and communication positions related to human resource development, corporate training and development, political interests, and agricultural literacy.
The biology major develops fundamental knowledge of animals, plants and microorganisms. The four specializations offered by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences are tailored to meet the needs of pre-professional students, those preparing for graduate studies in biology or specialized areas such as bioinformatics, ecology, genetics, and molecular biology and those seeking a career in biotechnology, education, natural resource management, and environmental or biotechnology law.
Applied Biology is for students interested in learning how fundamental biology is applied to solving problems. This specialization provides exposure to the major issues facing sustainability of human populations and natural resources.
Biotechnology prepares students for careers where knowledge of molecular biology and genetic engineering are important. Students will have the opportunity to learn various techniques and scientific procedures in molecular biology, virology, bioengineering, cell and tissue culture, and bioinformatics.
Natural Science is for students interested in descriptive and interpretive biology, with an emphasis on field biology. The specialization provides exposure to the major forms of flora and fauna, and integrates some of the major elements that influence flora and fauna, namely soil and water relations, and human activities.
Pre-professional is for students preparing for admission to medical, dental, optometry, veterinary, or other professional schools.
Entomology and nematology are biological sciences dealing with insects, mites, ticks, spiders, and nematodes. The Department of Entomology and Nematology offers six specializations within the major and are listed below.
This option prepares students for entry to entomological careers and to graduate school. *This specialization is only available to students enrolled prior to Spring 2019.
In this specialization, students receive instruction in biosecurity emphasizing areas of entomology, nematology, plant pathology, and weed science. The curriculum focuses on the study of invasive species, including their detection, identification, exclusion, regulation, and management. *This specialization is only available to students enrolled prior to Spring 2019.
This specialization prepares students for professional careers in the ecotourism industry and is appropriate for employment with nature preserves, nature-based theme parks, and in natural history education or nature-based recreation. *This specialization is only available to students enrolled prior to Spring 2019.
This option provides preparation for programs in medicine, dentistry, optometry, veterinary, chiropractic, osteopathy, and podiatry.
This specialization is for entry to the pest control industry. Students receive instruction about arthropods, nematodes, plant diseases, and weeds with reference to the pest problems in residential and commercial property.
This biological science includes the study of insects, mites, ticks, spiders, and nematodes. These creatures can have both helpful and harmful effects on our food, environment, and health. Entomology and Nematology students study ecology, medically significant arthropods, social insects, insect management, physiology, behavior, evolution, natural ecosystem cycles, and systematics.
The Bachelor of Science in Accounting is a four-year degree program that provides an excellent foundation in accounting and business. Its conceptual focus is designed to prepare students for success in a constantly evolving business environment and to prepare students for graduate studies.
The Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration—General Studies degree provides a broad overview of the functional areas of business with a selected area of specialization. Students take foundation courses in economics, mathematics, computing skills, and accounting; core courses that relate to the basic functions of business, such as finance, management, marketing, and operations management; and area of specialization courses that focus on a specific topic, such as international studies, mass communication, criminology, science, or a foreign language.
The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration—Finance degree program provides a broad overview of the functional areas of business with an emphasis in finance. Students take foundation courses in economics, mathematics, computing skills, and accounting; core courses that relate to the basic functions of business, such as finance, management, marketing, and operations management; and major courses that develop students’ financial decision-making skills.
The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration–Information Systems degree program provides a broad overview of the functional areas of business with an emphasis in information systems. Students take foundation courses in economics, mathematics, computing skills and accounting; core courses that relate to the basic functions of business, such as finance, management, marketing and operations management; and major courses that focus on the computing, quantitative and application skills that are vital to a business problem-solving setting.
The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration-Management degree program provides a broad overview of the functional areas of business with an emphasis in management. Students take foundation courses in economics, mathematics, computing skills and accounting; core courses that relate to the basic functions of business, such as finance, management, marketing and operations management; and major courses that focus on the behavioral and organizational problems of management.
The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration—Marketing degree program provides a broad overview of the functional areas of business with an emphasis in marketing. Students take foundation courses in economics, mathematics, computing skills, and accounting; core courses that relate to the basic functions of a business, such as finance, management, marketing, and operations management; and major courses that teach students how to plan and execute the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of products and manage customer relationships in ways that benefit organizations and their stakeholders.
The Bachelor of Science in Sustainability and the Built Environment allows students to explore creative solutions for the planning, design and construction of human structures and settlements.
The education sciences major promotes an understanding of education and learning systems, policy, and outcomes in traditional and non-traditional contexts. This degree prepares individuals for a variety of career paths and for graduate school.
The computer science program combines a strong engineering-oriented technical basis with a flexible interdisciplinary component and an emphasis on communication skills. This flexibility will be increasingly important in the future as computers become more important tools in an ever-increasing number of disciplines.
The Digital Arts and Sciences degree is a core computer science degree with special emphasis on human-centered computing, which includes art, design and computing courses that are related to digital media, interaction and communication. Graduates will be well versed in issues and solutions for basic art techniques and graphic art design as well as modeling 3D virtual worlds. (Incoming IA Students Spring 2022, please consult UF Catalog for DAS requirements.)
Advertising Agency curriculum emphasizes skills that are necessary for entry-level positions in an advertising agency and is designed to provide a foundation for advancement to positions of leadership in these organizations. This specialization introduces the concepts and skills needed to prepare for careers in account management, account planning, media planning, research, art direction, and copywriting. All students in the Advertising Campaigns course are required to complete a program-level assessment.
Persuasive Messaging curriculum focuses on the skill set required to engage media audiences through the use of strategic, persuasive communications. The specialization emphasizes the concepts and application of audience and media analytics, advertising sales, brand storytelling, and message persuasion. The specialization prepares students for careers in a broad array of industries and organizations.
The Department of Journalism consistently ranks among the best journalism programs in the country. It is housed in a college professionally accredited by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. The department’s mission is to teach the art and craft of journalism and to foster an appreciation for accuracy, fairness, truth and diversity.
Public relations is designed to prepare students for entry-level jobs as technicians (for example, producing news releases), as well as for career advancement as managers (for example, formulating communication strategy for a new initiative). Excellent writing skills are essential.
The Corporate Communications specialization is designed to prepare students for entry-level jobs in corporate public relations settings. They will be ready to work as technicians, such as producing social media strategies and tactics or effective multimedia news releases, as well as for career advancement as managers, such as formulating a communication plan for a new initiative or forecasting the reputational impact of an organizational decision or action. Excellent writing and critical thinking skills are essential.
The Department of Media Production, Management & Technology consistently ranks among the top five in the United States and is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
This specialization focuses on the theories, methods and techniques used to play, produce and distribute audio and video programs and messages; personnel and facilities management; marketing and distribution; media regulations, law and policy; and principles of broadcast technology. It prepares individuals to work in media organizations and those organizations that use electronic media, such as political campaigns, government, education and business.
The news specialization prepares students for careers as reporters and anchors, or as producers who are responsible for news programs behind the scenes. Entry into the broadcast news sequence is limited to students in the Department of Telecommunication who have placed in a competitive entrance exam. *For students enrolled before Spring 2020 only
The production specialization prepares students for careers in program creation, writing and the creative applications of video and audio technology.
This specialization prepares students to enter the profession through positions in research, sales, and marketing and promotion.
The primary emphasis of the African-American studies program is to educate students about the theories and methodologies pertaining to the study of African-Americans. Students will be able to compare and contrast the experiences of people of African descent in the U.S. to those in the wider African Diaspora. They will also learn through participation in community-service activities. After obtaining a degree in African-American studies, students can seek careers as archivists, attorneys, civil rights professionals, community organizers, government employees, librarians, public policy professionals, professors, teachers and researchers.
Anthropology is the study of people in their cultural context and the examination of all aspects of patterned social behavior. The discipline is worldwide in scope and encompasses all aspects of human biological and social life from earliest times to the present. It is a broad, holistic field that seeks to understand human adaptation to natural and social environments.
Provides a broad-based liberal arts education and prepares students to work in an increasingly complex world. BA majors learn about different groups of people, their prehistory, and their biological and cultural diversity through disciplines that combine social science, natural science, and the humanities. Many undergraduate anthropology majors go on to graduate school in the social sciences, while others use anthropology to prepare themselves for professional careers in other disciplines.
Provides a degree option that blends their interest in basic science with the holistic lens of anthropology. BS majors engage in anthropology through coursework, lab and field-based research, and outreach. A grounding in scientific-based research, community initiatives, and multicultural skillsets enables our students to address pressing needs in both local and global contexts. For example, students often participate in independent and collaborative initiatives on and off campus and receive pre-graduate training in life sciences, health-related disciplines, natural history, and/or archaeological science fields. A BS in Anthropology will encourage students to develop STEM-based skill sets and enhance scientific inquiry to address salient anthropological issues.
The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences offers a biology major that allows students to develop a broad, integrative background in the biological sciences.
The pre-professional track is specifically designed for those students who wish to pursue admission to professional healthcare graduate programs.
Chemistry is often called the central science because of the pivotal role it plays in the biological and physical sciences, and in engineering, agriculture, medicine and allied health disciplines. Bachelor's degree chemists choose from diverse paths for their short-term and lifetime careers, including graduate study in a variety of programs, rewarding employment in industry or government laboratories, professional or law school, or much-needed teaching in high schools.
Undergraduate study in English prepares students for diverse careers in law, publishing, advertising, media and business, teaching and advanced degree work. Courses offered by the department introduce students to a world of experiences that cannot be exhausted in the brief span of a college education; new authors, new works, new media, and new tools for understanding continually enlarge and transform the world.
Geography is the science of place, space, and environment. Each place on earth is distinguished by a unique mix of natural resources, cultural practices, and socioeconomic and political systems. Geographers study what makes each place unique, as well as the connections and interactions between places.
This degree is best suited for students interested in careers in urban and regional planning, business geography, medical geography, and geographic education, or for students who want a broad overview of the discipline with a focus on human geography.
A joint program between the Department of Geography and the Department of Geological Sciences and is intended for students interested in land and water aspects of the environment. The degree focuses on human impacts, water and mineral resource exploitation and management, disasters, environmental planning, earth science education, or environmental law.
This degree is intended for students interested in social and cultural aspects of medical geography and global health and disease issues. The degree focuses on human impacts, cultural and social aspects of health and disease, and public health planning and management.
This degree is best suited for someone who wishes to pursue a career in public or animal health or disease management or graduate work in medical geography, public health or related natural sciences, including ecology, biology, or epidemiology and public health. This specialization offers the flexibility for students to prepare for admission to health professions programs.
The history department fosters a learning experience that stands apart from newer modes of instruction at large universities. Amid the shift to larger classes, televised lectures and machine-gradable exams, history faculty have chosen to follow a more traditional path. The department’s emphasis on small courses, analytical reading, lively debate and interpretative writing offers committed students unique rewards. It also comes with high expectations.
Studying mathematics develops such skills as critical thinking, oral and written communication, arguing logically and rigorously, thinking abstractly, formulating and solving problems, analyzing data, analyzing mathematical models, quantitative and computer proficiency, and the ability to work in groups. Employers value these skills; consequently, math majors find themselves in demand by employers for careers in a wide spectrum of fields.
The political science major is intended for students who wish to pursue a career in or near the public sector. Students take coursework in areas as diverse as American and comparative politics, political theory, international relations, public policy and public administration.
Psychology is the science of human and animal behavior. Psychology majors receive a broad science-based liberal arts education. As a result, those with a B.S. in psychology are widely sought in business, education and mental health fields. For a professional career in psychology, a graduate degree is needed.
This specialization requires courses in four core areas within the discipline as well as elective psychology courses.
This specialization focuses more specifically on natural science-oriented psychology courses and how the environment around an organism can be modified to change behavior.
This specialization focuses on natural science-oriented psychology courses and allows students to take limited approved non-psychology courses relevant to contemporary neuroscience.
Sociology is the study of social life and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociologists examine the structure of groups, organizations and societies and how people interact within these contexts. Sociologists use diverse research methods an many unique perspectives to analyze virtually any social issue.