Departments

Discover your creative problem-solving skills while developing a personal image-making aesthetic through self-expression. Majors in Art, Graphic Design, and Arts Administration prepare you for a range of career options, including Freelance Artist, Photographer, Art Therapist, Illustrator, Graphic Designer, and Art Teacher/Professor. Or pursue graduate school degrees like a Master of Fine Arts, Master of Art Education, or Master of Art Therapy. 

This department offers a plethora of degrees from Business Administration to Marketing and a minor in Financial Planning. Students will discover a diverse range of graduate school and career options, including becoming an entrepreneur. With Public Policy & Law, students will understand federalism and its effects on governmental policy, the role of the American judiciary in determining public policy, and the effects of formal and informal governmental and cultural institutions on U.S. public policy. 

Communication Studies focuses on how people use messages to generate meanings, and is the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media, and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic inquiry. Communication Studies includes research skills training as well as offering a variety of interpersonal, media-focused, rhetorical, and critical analysis courses. Majors often pursue careers in Marketing, Public Relations, Journalism, and Social Media & Content Development. 

The Department of Education provides opportunities to understand classroom instructional theory, best practices, and leadership both in the classroom and field experiences through its Elementary Education Program. The Teacher Preparation Program includes degree programs that lead to initial certification in the state of Georgia (each U.S. state or territory defines its own requirements for licensing). In addition, YHC offers a Master of Arts in Teaching which fits the schedule of new and aspiring teachers.

History exposes students to social, cultural, military, economic, political, and intellectual moments of the past to foster a better understanding of today’s world. Students are trained to view history through lenses of critical thinking and analysis. History majors traditionally find career employment in teaching, government work, and the practice of law. Meanwhile, Philosophy prepares students for any career that demands insight, careful problem-solving, and ethical intelligence. 

This department offers majors in English and Creative Writing, as well as a minor in Spanish.  Built on a liberal arts core, these programs expose students to a breadth of literature, writing, and language.  Students will develop analytical skills from reading a variety of texts and writing skills that result in effective communication. Minors in Spanish will learn the spoken language and study the historical culture of Spanish-speaking peoples from around the world.

Mathematics prepares you for a range of graduate school and career options. Math majors may enter graduate programs in pure mathematics, applied mathematics, or related fields. Graduates may also pursue career opportunities in teaching, the financial industry, or with additional training, computer science or engineering. Students develop transferable skills, such as precise thinking, logical argumentation, and creative problem-solving. 

Students develop performance skills with their primary instrument at a high artistic level while gaining pedagogical skills. Students majoring in Music or Music Education undergo training to be disciplined, well-rounded and creative musician/scholars, and are prepared for continued artistic and academic development. Majoring in music prepares you for a range of graduate school and career options.   

Natural Sciences takes areas such as Biology and Chemistry and opens a world of opportunities. Our programs equip students with the skills to excel in diverse fields, ranging from health care to environmental studies. We emphasize critical thinking, hands-on techniques, and the importance of ethics in research. In addition to degrees in Biology (BA, BS) and Chemistry (BA, BS), the department offers degrees in Environmental Science (BS) and Environmental Studies (BA). 

Students can combine their passion for sport with their love of the outdoors through majors like Kinesiology, Sport & Recreation Studies and Outdoor Studies. These majors offer career opportunities in physical therapy, occupational therapy, sport management, and recreational management. Outdoor Studies prepares students for a range of graduate school and career options, in areas focused on recreational, education, developmental, and therapeutic settings. 

Psychology prepares you for a range of graduate school and career options. According to data from the American Psychological Association’s Center for Workforce Studies, over 40% of individuals who have earned an undergraduate degree in psychology go on to earn a graduate degree in psychology or related fields, like social work or higher education administration. 

Under faculty guidance, students create their own program of study to earn a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science. Majors learn about complex issues that transcend disciplinary confines, acquire knowledge to become active participants in their community, and gain skills in critical thinking, problem solving, and effective communication. Interdisciplinary Studies majors often combine their passion for multiple fields of study into one degree that best suits their career goals.