Do you want to serve your community, your state, or your country?
Public service and helping professions play critically important roles in educating, protecting, and ensuring the health, welfare, and prosperity of diverse populations.
Humanities and Fine Arts
Natural and Physical Science
Social Science
Humanities and Fine Arts
The world’s most pressing challenges are always embedded in human realities. Exploring these human realities through the humanities will help develop skills important for anyone considering a future in Public Service and Helping Professions: empathy, a capacity for logical thinking tolerance for ambiguity, and a greater ability to work productively with others. For example, studies have shown that healthcare professionals who devote more time to humanities bolster qualities that improve their bedside manner:
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits | Attribute | Also counts as | Prerequisite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ART 1010 | Art Appreciation | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | US Diversity | |
| ART 1040 | Global Indigenous Art | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| ART 2050 | Survey of Western History I | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| ART 2060 | Survey of Western Art History II | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| ART 2610 | Explorations of Global Comics | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| BLST 2260 | Black Short Story | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | US Diversity | YES |
| BLST 2410 | African American History I: to 1865 | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | US Diversity | |
| BLST 2420 | African American History II: Emancipation to Brown | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | US Diversity | |
| BLST 2430 | African America History III: From Civil Rights to Modern Day | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | US Diversity | |
| ENGL 1010 | Introduction to Genre Studies: Prose | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | YES | |
| ENGL 1020 | Introduction to Genre Studies: Poetry, Drama and Film | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| ENGL 1030 | US Cultures in Literature | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | US Diversity | YES |
| ENGL 1200 | Autobiographical Reading and Writing | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| ENGL 2110 | Introduction to Creative Nonfiction Writing | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | YES | |
| ENGL 2230 | Ethnic Literature | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | US Diversity | YES |
| ENGL 2250 | The Short Story | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | YES | |
| ENGL 2260 | Black Short Story | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | US Diversity | YES |
| ENGL 2310 | Introduction to British Literature I | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | YES | |
| ENGL 2320 | Introduction to British Literature II | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | YES | |
| ENGL 2450 | American Literature I | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | YES | |
| ENGL 2460 | American Literature II | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | YES | |
| ENGL 2470 | Survey of Native American Literature | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | YES |
| ENGL 2490 | Latino/-a Literature | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | US Diversity | YES |
| ENGL 2500 | Literature of Western Civilization: The Ancient World | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | YES | |
| ENGL 2510 | Literature of Western Civilization: Middle Ages to Enlightenment | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | YES |
| ENGL 3130 | American Nonfiction | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | YES | |
| ENGL 3150 | Form and Style in Creative Non-Fiction | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | YES | |
| ENGL 3280 | Irish Literature I | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | YES |
| FREN 1110 | Elementary French I | 5 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| GERM 1110 | Elementary German I | 5 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| HIST 1000 | World Civilizations I | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| HIST 1010 | World Civilizations II | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| HIST 1110 | American History to 1865 | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | US Diversity | |
| HIST 1120 | American History since 1865 | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | US Diversity | |
| HIST 2040 | African American History I: to 1865 | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | US Diversity | |
| HIST 2050 | African American History II: Emancipation to Brown | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | US Diversity | |
| HIST 2060 | African America History III: From Civil Rights to Modern Day | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | US Diversity | |
| HIST 2480 | History of Latin America: Preconquest to the Present | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| HIST 2510 | Ancient Greece: Bronze Age to Classical eras | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| JAPN 1110 | Elementary Japanese I | 5 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| MUS 1050 | Music of the People: The Beatles | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| MUS 1070 | Music of the People: Rock and Pop | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| MUS 1080 | Music of the People: The World | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| MUS 1090 | Music Appreciation | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| MUS 1100 | Music of the People: Jazz | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | US Diversity | |
| MUS 2700 | University Chorus | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| MUS 2760 | University Concert Band | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| NAMS 1100 | Introduction to Native American Studies | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | US Diversity | |
| PHIL 1010 | Introduction to Philosophy: Meaning of Life | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| PHIL 1020 | Contemporary Moral Problems | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| PHIL 1030 | Introduction to Philosophy: Brains Minds and Machines | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| PHIL 1040 | Introduction to Philosophy: Law Politics and Society | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| PHIL 1210 | Critical Reasoning | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| PHIL 2030 | Introduction to Ethics | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| PHIL 2040 | Introduction to East Asian Philosophy | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| PSCI 2310 | Introduction to Political Thought | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| RELI 1010 | Introduction to World Religions | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| RELI 2020 | Religion and Human Rights | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| RELI 2150 | Hebrew Scriptures | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| RELI 2160 | New Testament: History, Literature, and Society | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| RELI 2170 | Qur'an | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| RUSS 1110 | Elementary Russian I | 5 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| SPAN 1110 | Elementary Spanish I | 5 | Humanities/Fine Arts | Global Diversity | |
| THEA 1010 | Theatre Appreciation | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| THEA 1050 | Film History and Appreciation | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| THEA 1300 | Acting I | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| THEA 3310 | Voice of the Actor | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | ||
| WGST 2020 | Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies: The Humanities | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | US Diversity | |
| WRST 1500 | Introduction to Creative Writing | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts | YES |
Natural and Physical Science
These courses highlight the process of scientific discovery in the physical and natural worlds. Understanding the nature of scientific inquiry is essential for making personal and public policy decisions in areas of cybersecurity, infrastructure, and climate change. Students develop a better capability to use scientific methods and draw conclusions when solving problems.
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits | Attribute | Also counts as | Prerequisite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANTH 3910 | Introduction to Anthropology | 3 | Natural/Physical Science | YES | |
| BIOI 1000 | Introduction to Bioinformatics | 3 | Natural/Physical Science | ||
| BIOL 1020 | Principles of Biology | 3 | Natural/Physical Science | ||
| BIOL 1330 | Environmental Biology | 3 | Natural/Physical Science | ||
| BIOL 1450 | Biology I | 5 | Natural/Physical Science | YES | |
| BIOL 2120 | Sustainable Landscape Plants | 4 | Natural/Physical Science | YES | |
| BSAD 2700 | Globalization of Business Enterprise | 3 | Social Science | Global Diversity | |
| CHEM 1010 | Chemistry in the Environment and Society | 3 | Natural/Physical Science | YES | |
| CHEM 1014 | Chemistry in the Environment and Society Laboratory | 1 | Natural/Physical Science | YES | |
| CHEM 1140 | Fundamentals of College Chemistry | 4 | Natural/Physical Science | YES | |
| CHEM 1144 | Fundamentals of College Chemistry Laboratory | 1 | Natural/Physical Science | YES | |
| CHEM 1180 | General Chemistry I | 3 | Natural/Physical Science | YES | |
| CHEM 1184 | General Chemistry I Laboratory | 1 | Natural/Physical Science | YES | |
| ENVN 2120 | Sustainable Landscape Plants | 4 | Natural/Physical Science | YES | |
| FSMT 1600 | Fundamentals of Fire Science | 3 | Natural/Physical Science | ||
| GEOG 1030 | Introduction of Physical Geography | 4 | Natural/Physical Science | ||
| GEOG 1050 | Human-Environment Geography | 4 | Natural/Physical Science | ||
| GEOG 1090 | Introduction to Geospatial Sciences | 4 | Natural/Physical Science | ||
| GEOG 3510 | Meteorology | 3 | Natural/Physical Science | ||
| GEOG 3514 | Introduction to Meteorology Laboratory | 1 | Natural/Physical Science | YES | |
| GEOL 1010 | Environmental Geology | 3 | Natural/Physical Science | ||
| GEOL 1100 | Earth System Science | 3 | Natural/Physical Science | ||
| GEOL 1104 | Earth System Science Laboratory | 1 | Natural/Physical Science | ||
| GEOL 1170 | Introduction to Physical Geology | 4 | Natural/Physical Science | ||
| GEOL 2100 | Geology of Nebraska | 3 | Natural/Physical Science | ||
| GEOL 2500 | Special Topics in Geography-Geology | 1 | Natural/Physical Science |
Social Science
These courses will help develop an ability to think critically about complex social problems, a more refined capacity to decipher fact from fiction, and greater awareness of the implications of social and public policy. Examples include insights that advance the health, prosperity, and welfare of diverse populations, responses to climate change, immigration, and many other issues. Future public service professionals will be well served by a deeper understanding of these, and other, social science domains.
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits | Attribute | Also counts as | Prerequisite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANTH 1050 | Introduction to Anthropology | 3 | Social Science | ||
| BLST 1000 | Introduction to Black Studies | 3 | Social Science | US Diversity | |
| CDIS 1400 | Introduction to Communication Disorders | 3 | Social Science | US Diversity | |
| CMST 1310 | Perspectives in Communication Studies | 3 | Social Science | ||
| CMST 2010 | Interpersonal Communication | 3 | Social Science | ||
| CMST 2410 | Small Group Communication & Leadership | 3 | Social Science | ||
| CRCJ 1010 | Survey of Criminal Justice | 3 | Social Science | ||
| ECON 1200 | Introduction to the US Economy | 3 | Social Science | ||
| ECON 2200 | Principles of Economics (Micro) | 3 | Social Science | YES | |
| ECON 2220 | Principles of Economics (Macro) | 3 | Social Science | YES | |
| EMGT 1000 | Introduction to Emergency Management | 3 | Social Science | ||
| EMGT 1150 | Introduction to Tribal Emergency Management | 3 | Social Science | US Diversity | |
| EMGT 2500 | Disasters and Vulnerable Populations | 3 | Social Science | US Diversity | |
| ENGL 2280 | Introduction to Language | 3 | Social Science | US Diversity | YES |
| ENGL 3610 | Introduction to Linguistics | 3 | Social Science | US Diversity | YES |
| GEOG 1000 | Fundamentals of World Regional Geography | 3 | Social Science | Global Diversity | |
| GERO 2000 | Introduction to Gerontology | 3 | Social Science | US Diversity | |
| INST 2130 | Global Challenges | 3 | Social Science | ||
| JMC 1500 | Introduction to Journalism and Media Communication | 3 | Social Science | ||
| KINS 2430 | Foundations in Kinesiology | 3 | Social Science | ||
| LLS 1000 | Latin America: An Introduction | 3 | Social Science | Global Diversity | |
| LLS 1010 | Introduction to Chicano-Latino Studies: Social Sciences | 3 | Social Science | US Diversity | |
| LLS 2900 | Special Topics in Latino/Latin American Studies: Social Sciences | 3 | Social Science | Global Diversity | |
| PHHB 1500 | Foundations in Public Health | 3 | Social Science | ||
| PSCI 1000 | Introduction to Political Science | 3 | Social Science | Global Diversity | |
| PSCI 1100 | Introduction to American National Government | 3 | Social Science | ||
| PSCI 2110 | Introduction to Public Policy | 3 | Social Science | ||
| PSCI 2120 | Introduction to Leadership | 3 | Social Science | ||
| PSCI 2180 | Introduction to Law | 3 | Social Science | ||
| PSCI 2210 | Introduction to International Relations | 3 | Social Science | Global Diversity | |
| PSCI 2500 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 3 | Social Science | Global Diversity | |
| PSYC 1010 | Introduction to Psychology I | 3 | Social Science | ||
| SOC 1010 | Introductory Sociology | 3 | Social Science | ||
| SOC 2100 | Social Problems | 3 | Social Science | ||
| SOC 2150 | Sociology of Families | 3 | Social Science | US Diversity | |
| SOWK 1000 | Social Work and Social Welfare | 3 | Social Science | US Diversity | |
| SPED 1500 | Introduction to Special Education | 3 | Social Science | US Diversity | |
| WGST 2010 | Introduction to Women's Studies: Social & Behavioral Science | 3 | Social Science | US Diversity |