Painting. Prepares individuals to express emotions, ideas, or inner visions by the application of paints and related chemical color substances to canvases or other materials. Includes instruction in color and color mixing, surface preparation, comp

osition, oil, acrylic and watercolor media, and painting techniques.

Paleontology. The study of extinct life forms and associated fossil remains, and the reconstruction and analysis of ancient life forms, ecosystems, and. geologic processes. Includes instruction in sedimentation and fossilization processes, fossil chemistry, evolutionary biology and paleobiology, field and laboratory research methods, and in such specific subjects as paleoecology, paleoclimatology, and invertebrate and vertebrate paleontology.

Paralegal/legal assistance. Prepares individuals to perform research, drafting, record keeping and related administrative functions under the supervision of an attorney. Includes instruction in legal research, drafting legal documents, pleading, and court procedures.

Parasitology. The study of organisms living on or within biological hosts, their behavioral interactions with host organisms, and defenses against parasitical infestations. Includes instruction in parasitical evolution and community behavior, parasite metabolism, immunization processes, and drug development and reactions.

Parks, recreational, leisure, and fitness studies. Study of the principles underlying recreational and leisure activities and the practices involved in providing indoor and outdoor recreational facilities and services to the general public.

Parks, recreational, leisure facilities management. Prepares individuals to develop and manage park and other indoor and outdoor recreation and leisure facilities. Includes instruction in supervising support personnel, health and safety standards, public relations, and basic business and marketing principles.

Pastoral counseling. Prepares ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other religious leaders in the principles and methods of clinical pastoral counseling, marriage and family therapy, youth ministry, outreach and evangelism, and ministry to special populations.

Pathology, human and animal. The study of the nature, causes, and development of human and animal diseases and the mechanisms of disease infestation and transfer. Includes instruction in human and animal pathobiology, disease morphology and biochemistry, physiology of disease and cell injury, and immunopathology.

Peace and conflict studies. The study of the origins, resolution, and prevention of international and intergroup conflicts. Includes instruction in peace research methods and related social scientific and psychological knowledge bases.

Perfusion technology. Prepares individuals to operate heart-lung machines and monitor patient conditions under the direct supervision of a surgeon. Includes instruction in patient examination and preparation, equipment operation and maintenance, anesthesia, and operating room procedures.

Personal and miscellaneous services. Programs that prepare individuals to provide a variety of services to consumers, businesses, and industries.

Petroleum engineering. Prepares individuals to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development, and operational evaluation of systems for locating, extracting, processing, and refining crude petroleum and natural gas.

Pharmacology, human and animal. The study of the therapeutic and toxic effects of drugs on living tissues and entire organisms. Includes instruction in pharmacodynamic behavior, drug metabolism, chemical pharmacology, therapeutic applications, and chemical profile analysis.

Pharmacy (B. Pharm, Pharm. D.). Prepares individuals to practice pharmacy. Includes instruction in the principles of medicinal chemistry; drug behavior; drug metabolism; mixing, preparing, and dispensing prescription medications; and pharmacy management.

Pharmacy assistance. Prepares individuals to support pharmacists by providing assistance during patient consultation, counter dispensing operations, and prescription preparation, and by keeping patient and related health record information.

Philosophy. The study of ideas and their logical structure, including arguments and investigations about abstract and real phenomena. Includes instruction in logic, ethics, aesthetics, epistemology, metaphysics, symbolism, and the history of philosophy.

Philosophy and religion. Study of the modes, methods, and types of logical inquiry, and of organized systems of belief and related practices.

Photography. The principles and techniques of communicating information, ideas, and feelings through the creation of images on photographic film or plates. Includes instruction in camera and equipment operation, developing, light and composition, color and special effects, and photographic art and history.

Physical and theoretical chemistry. The study of the theoretical properties of matter and the relation of physical forces and phenomena to the chemical structure and behavior of molecules and other compounds. Includes instruction in reaction theory, computer simulation of structures and actions, transition theory, statistical mechanics, phase studies, quantum chemistry, and surface properties.

Physical education. Prepares individuals to teach physical education programs and/or to coach sports at various education levels.

Physical sciences. The study of inanimate objects, processes of matter and energy, and associated phenomena.

Physical sciences technologies. Prepares individuals to apply scientific principles and technical skills in support of physical science research and development projects.

Physical therapy. Prepares individuals, upon referral by Physician, to evaluate patients and plan and carry out treatment programs to prevent or remediate physical dysfunction, relieve pain, and prevent further disability. Includes instruction in kinesiology and evaluation of skeletal, neurological, and cardiovascular disorders.

Physical therapy assistance. Prepares individuals to support physical therapists by providing assistance during patient examinations, treatment, and monitoring.

Physician assistance. Prepares individuals to manage the treatment of patients with routine or chronic health problems, in consultation with a physician or under indirect supervision. Includes instruction in patient interviewing and history-taking, laboratory testing and analysis, administration of medications, minor surgery, and prescribing routine drugs.

Physics. The study of matter and energy and the formulation and testing of the laws governing the behavior of the matter-energy continuum. Includes instruction in classical and modem physics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, mechanics, wave properties, nuclear processes, relativity and quantum theory, and quantitative and laboratory methods.

Physics teacher education. Prepares individuals to teach physics at various education levels.

Physiology, human and animal. The study of organismic and systemic function and behavior in humans and animals, including such processes as respiration, circulation, digestion, excretion, and reproduction.

Plant breeding and genetics. The theories and principles underlying plant breeding, development, and mutation, including hybridization and differential selection for plant improvement.

Plant pathology. The causes, development, and treatment of plant diseases. Includes instruction in the nature and behavior of disease causal agents, the chemistry and physics of basic pathogens, disease host behaviors, and the analysis of disease control.

Plant physiology. The study of plant functions And life processes, including such metabolic processes as photosynthesis, respiration, assimilation, and transpiration; and plant systems, including reproduction, digestion, and anatomy.

Plant protection (pest management). The principles and practices of controlling and preventing economic loss caused by plant pests. Includes instruction in entomology, plant pathology, weed science, crop science, and environmental toxicology.

Plant sciences. The theories and principles involved in the production and management of plants for food, feed, fiber, and soil conservation.

Plasma and high-temperature physics. The study of the properties and behavior of matter at high temperatures, such that molecular and atomic structures are in a disassociated ionic or electronic state.

Playwriting and screenwriting. Principles and techniques for communicating dramatic information, ideas, and feelings through the composition of written works for the theater and/or film. Includes instruction in creative writing craft, scene writing, stage and/or camera instructions, and script development, reading, and editing.

Plumbing and pipefitting. Prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to lay out, assemble, install, and maintain piping fixtures and systems for steam, hot water, heating, cooling, drainage, lubricating, sprinkling, and industrial processing systems.

Podiatry or podiatric medicine (D.P.M.). Prepares individuals for the practice of podiatric medicine. Includes instruction in the principles and procedures used in the observation, diagnosis, care, and treatment of disease, injury, deformity, or other anomalies of the human foot.

Political science and government. The study of political institutions and behavior. Includes instruction in political philosophy, political theory, comparative government and politics, parties and interest groups, public opinion, and political research methods.

Polymer chemistry. The study of synthesized macromolecules and their interactions with other substances. Includes instruction in molecular bonding theory, polymerization, properties and behavior of unstable compounds, the development of tailored polymers, and transition phenomena.

Polymer/plastics engineering. Prepares individuals to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development, and operational evaluation of synthesized macromolecular compounds. Includes instruction in the development of industrial materials with tailored properties, the design of lightweight structural components, the use of liquid or solid polymers, and the analysis and control of polymerization processes.

Portuguese. The study of the language, literature, and culture of Portuguese- speaking peoples, including the Luso-Brazilian and African dialects.

Poultry science. Prepares individuals to apply the theories and principles of poultry science to the management and production of poultry.

Practical nursing. Prepares individuals to assist in providing general nursing care under the direction of a registered nurse, physician, or dentist. Includes instruction in taking patient vital signs, applying sterile dressings, patient health education, and assisting in examinations and treatment.

Prearchitecture. Prepares individuals for admission to a four- or five-year bachelor's program in architecture.

Precision metal work. A program that prepares individuals to practice one or more metal work trades, such as welding, machine too] work, sheet metal work. tool and die making.

Precision production trades. Prepares individuals to use technical knowledge and skills to create products using precision craftsmanship or technical illustration.

Predentistry. Prepares individuals for admission to a first-professional program in dentistry. A predentistry program includes English, chemistry, biology, and physics in addition to the undergraduate major, which can be in any challenging field.

Preengineering. Prepares individuals for admission to a four-year engineering program.

Prelaw. A four-year program, in virtually any major, that prepares individuals for admission to a professional law program.

Premedicine. A four-year program, in virtually any major, that prepares individuals for admission to a professional medical program. Students must complete five year-long math courses and English composition.

Prenursing. Generally a two-year program, prepares individuals for admission to professional R.N. (registered nurse), V.N. (vocational nurse), or dental hygienist program. Includes instruction in anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, and nutrition.

Preoptometry. A program of study in any of a wide range of majors that prepares individuals for admission to a professional optometry program. Any broad-based undergraduate program that includes many science and mathematics courses is preparation for study of optometry at the professional level.

Prepharmacy. Prepares individuals for admission to a professional pharmacy program.

Prephysical therapy. Prepares individuals for admission to a professional program in physical therapy.

Preveterinary. Prepares individuals for admission to a professional program in veterinary medicine. Students take courses in language, social sciences, humanities, mathematics, chemistry, biological sciences, and physical sciences in addition to their major.

Printmaking. Prepares individuals to render art concepts onto surfaces and transfer images, via ink or dyes, onto paper or fabric. Includes instruction in monochrome and color printing; tonality; chemistry; and such techniques as serigraphy, lithography, intaglio, woodcut, stencil, and etching.

Protective services. A program that describes the principles and procedures for providing police, fire, and other safety services, and for managing penal institutions.

Psychobiology/physiological psychology. The study of the biological bases of psychological functioning. Includes instruction in functional neuroanatomy, neural system development, memory storage and retrieval, cognition and perception, behavior, and experimental design.

Psychology. The study of individual and collective behavior. Covers the physical and environmental bases of behavior and the analysis and treatment of behavior problems and disorders. Includes instruction in the principles of the various subfields of psychology, research methods, and psychological assessment and testing methods.

Public administration. Prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arms of local, state, and federal government. Includes instruction in the management of public policy, in executive-legislative relations, public budgetary processes and financial management, administrative law, public personnel management, professional ethics, and research methods.

Public administration and services. Prepares individuals to analyze, manage, and deliver public programs and services.

Public finance. Prepares individuals to manage the financial assets and budgets of public sector organizations. Includes instruction in public trusts and investments; the laws and procedures used to plan, prepare, and administer public agency budgets; and the preparation and analysis of public budget projections and policies.

Public health. Prepares specialists to monitor and evaluate potential and actual environmental health hazards, and to plan and manage environmental health programs. Includes instruction in environmental and genetic toxicology, biohazard research, testing and evaluation procedures, and environmental and health law regulations.

Public health education. Prepares specialists to provide education and information to populations affected by or at-risk of disease outbreak and health hazards. Includes instruction in public relations and public health campaign management.

Public policy analysis. The systematic analysis of public policy issues and decision-making processes. Includes instruction in the role of economic and political factors in public decision making and policy formation, microeconomic analysis of Policy issues, resource allocation and decision modeling, cost/benefit analysis, and statistical methods.

Public relations. The methods and techniques used in communicating image-oriented corporate and sponsor messages to various audiences, promoting client interests, and managing client-media relations.

Purchasing, procurement, and contracts. Prepares individuals to manage the process by which a firm or organization contracts for goods and services to support its operations and contracts to sell goods and services to other firms or organizations. Includes instruction in contract law, negotiations, buying procedures, cost and price analysis, vendor relations, contract administration, and auditing and inspection.