The primary academic missions of the College of Arts and Sciences are teaching, research and service. Through these functions, the College serves the community, the state and society at large. The research and scholarship of the College's faculty not only expand the body of knowledge generally, but also enrich and enhance its teaching and instructional programs.

Most departments of the College offer both undergraduate and graduate study. The College enables students to develop the creative, analytical and communication skills which sustain a lifelong educational process. In addition to serving its own students, the College provides instruction in the liberal arts and sciences for students in the UMKC professional schools. Through its continuing education division and certificate programs, the College also serves individuals and groups in the community.

The general degree requirements designated by the College give students a breadth of knowledge, enabling them to understand and appreciate the many facets of human experience, to make meaningful relationships between the various fields of knowledge, and to increase their understanding of themselves, their interests and special abilities. The general requirements and introductory courses allow for maximum freedom in selection of a major field of study and provide the basic knowledge for that particular field or for the choice of a bachelor of liberal arts degree with no major.

Work in the major field of study provides students with a comprehensive and systematic introduction to a field of scholarship and prepares them to function in the professional fields of their choice. Should a student choose to go beyond the baccalaureate degree, the major provides a solid basis for graduate study. The objective of the total academic program of the College is to engage students in study that will enable them to work competently in their chosen fields or pursue graduate work, while at the same time developing a breadth of knowledge in the arts and sciences. In that way, students can understand their specializations in the larger context of the intellectual and social life of the community.

Graduate-level studies provide students with advanced instruction and/or independent research in the major field of study. Students pursuing master's-level work in a major field or a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology are directed to the relevant department or program listing in the Arts and Sciences section of this catalog and to the General Graduate Academic Regulations and Information section of this catalog. Those planning other Ph.D.-level studies are directed to UMKC's Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program listing in the School of Graduate Studies section of this catalog.