UB Martial Arts Program Approved

The university’s plan to offer a bachelor’s degree program in Martial Arts Studies – the first such program in the nation – won the unanimous approval of the Board of Governors for Higher Education in Connecticut on Oct. 20. That means UB will start recruiting students for the program immediately.
Dr. Thomas Ward serves as dean of the International College, where the program will be housed. “The major is a liberal arts program with a specific focus on the martial arts,” Ward said. In addition to the martial arts, students in the major have the option to choose a minor or a concentration in the health sciences, business, psychology, or communication.
The studies in the major will cover the theory and practice of martial arts, and include the study of East Asian culture and philosophy, international political economy and diplomacy, and psychology. There will be a language requirement as well. Students will take at least 12 credits in Chinese, Japanese or Korean. They will also have the option of pursuing practica in either taiji or tae kwon do, as well as study other martial arts.
Ward said the martial arts are considered a way of developing character and accepting discipline that builds self-esteem. He anticipates that the program will encourage students to examine that thesis by studying the growing literature on the psychosocial impact of the martial arts.
Professor Mark K. Setton, an East Asian scholar who holds a doctorate from Oxford and Professor Yongbom Kim, a grand master who holds a master’s degree in tae kwon do and directs the UB martial arts center, will play key roles in the development of the program, Ward said.
“We’ve been planning this program for a couple of years,” Ward said. “We think it’s important and will be well-received. It certainly had the support from the state, and from the martial arts communities in the Northeast.”