Truett-McConnell College announced March 9 the startup of a new Bachelor of Arts in Humanities degree. Approval for the degree came from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools March 6.

Plans are in place to begin fall classes for the degree. Truett-McConnell is now accepting applications for the program.

The addition brings the total number of four-year degrees offered by the school to five. In making the transition from a two-year college to a four-year institution, students now have the option to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Music, Bachelor of Arts in Music with a concentration in church music, Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies, Bachelor of Arts in Humanities or Bachelor of Science in Education in early childhood education. The college also continues to offer seven associate’s degree programs.

The Bachelor of Arts in Humanities degree is a broad-based degree, allowing students to choose from a variety of career directions. A humanities education develops in students the fundamental skills of critical thinking, effective speaking and lucid writing ability, analysis and logic, and clarity of expression, upon which all professions are built. In the last decade hiring practices of employers have shown that increasingly they are hiring college graduates from the liberal arts and humanities disciplines over graduates from narrow, single-discipline training.

“We are excited to be able to add our fifth bachelor’s degree program to the TMC curriculum beginning this fall,” said Jerry Pounds, president of Truett-McConnell. “It is most gratifying to us that the Commission on Colleges considered Truett-McConnell’s application and took action on our application in a relatively short time.”