Liberal Studies
The BA in Liberal Studies provides students with a transformative well-rounded and personalized multidisciplinary education. The degree aims to foster cultural awareness, effective leadership, ethical decision-making, and communication skills for academic and professional contexts wherein students learn to think critically across a variety of subjects—developing an informed, independent, and interdependent worldview necessary for global citizenship. The program seeks to graduate well-rounded students who are prepared to enter the workforce with essential communication and critical reasoning skills. Students may choose to focus their studies in the social sciences, the humanities or natural sciences, they may choose a combination of disciplines in the liberal arts to individualize their degree, and they may choose to stack multiple areas of concentration to their degree plan.
According to a national survey of business and nonprofit leaders conducted by the Association of American Colleges & Universities, more than 75% of respondents said they wanted more emphasis on five key areas, including critical thinking, complex problem-solving, written communication, oral communication, and applied knowledge in real-world settings (Flateby & Rose, 2021). About 95% of those surveyed also said it is important that those they hire demonstrate ethical judgment and integrity, intercultural skills, and the capacity for continued new learning. Similarly, The World Economic Forum recently surveyed 350 executives across nine industries in fifteen of the world's biggest economies to generate a list of the skills that would be most desired by employers over the coming decades. They shared the following- complex problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management, coordinating with others, emotional intelligence, judgment and decision-making, service orientation, negotiation skills, and cognitive flexibility (Curtin, 2017). Students who pursue liberal studies majors possess a multifaceted skill set that is highly valued by employers across various industries as stated above. Being equipped with strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and the ability to analyze complex information from multiple perspectives makes them very valuable to employers, especially in dynamic work environments where the roles are constantly evolving.
Program length: 48 months (based on full-time enrollment)
Program Requirements
In addition to the general education requirements
Liberal Studies Core:
| SOC-104 | Sociology Race and Ethnicity | 3 |
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| GSCI-105 | Earth Science | 4 |
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| Or | |
LS-175
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| HUM-250 | Global Citiz in the Franciscan Tradition | 3 |
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| Or | |
| LS-110 | Introduction to Global Social Justice | 3 |
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LS-450
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| Or | |
LS-460
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Choose 1 course from:
| ART-151 | Art History I: Paleolithic to GothicýPaleolithic to Gothic Art History | 3 |
| ART-152 | Art History Ii: Renaissance to Impressio | 3 |
| ART-153 | Art History Iii: Modernism to Comtempora | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15-16 |
Discipline Specific Options – Choose One:
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| 10 courses from Humanities | |
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| 10 courses from Natural Sciences | |
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| 10 courses from Social Sciences | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 30 |
Free Electives: