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Liberal Studies Program



Mission Statement

The Liberal Studies program offers students an educational experience that emphasizes broad academic inquiry and purposeful interdisciplinarity. The program allows courses of study that are flexible and/or online and is, therefore, a good fit for students whose interests fall outside a discipline-specific major, transfer students, and returning students. The Liberal Studies program helps students contextualize their learning through the lens of liberal education and personal and social responsibility, acquire skills in writing, research, and communication, gain breadth of knowledge in arts, humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences, and pursue specialization in a minor or focus area.

-adopted by the Program in Fall 2016


Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of their Liberal Studies program, students will be able to:

  1. Think critically, integrate and synthesize knowledge from diverse perspectives and evaluate complex information
  2. Make informed ethical and value judgments
  3. Understand and explain the value of a liberal education
  4. Apply the concepts and methodologies of the liberal arts to understand issues in society and in one's own life
  5. Communicate effectively in written form
  6. Effectively utilize intellectual and practical skills-- including analytical skills, research methods, and/or computer skills
  7. Effectively utilize expression skills-- including communicating creatively, orally, or in a language other than English
  8. Demonstrate a base of knowledge from various disciplines-- including arts & humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences
  9. Demonstrate a base of knowledge about cultures within North America & Europe
  10. Demonstrate a base of knowledge about cultures outside North America & Europe

-adopted by the Program in Fall 2016


Curriculum

The Liberal Studies program offers students the chance to pursue either a major or minor in Liberal Studies. Students with a Liberal Studies major choose either a Bachelor of Arts Degree or a Bachelor of Science Degree, then either a 54-unit Liberal Studies major with a focus area or a 36-unit Liberal Studies major with a declared minor. These program paths can be completed on campus or as part of our online degree completion program. Students in these program paths will take courses in a variety of disciplines.

The program requirements are structured as follows:

Requirement Area A: Context
     A1: Seminar in Liberal Studies
     A2: Personal & Social Responsibility
     A3: Capstone in Liberal Studies
Requirement Area B: Skills
     B1: Writing Skills
     B2: Intellectual & Practical Skills (Analytical, Research, or Computer)
     B3: Expression Skills (Creative Expression, Oral Communication, or Foreign Language)
Requirement Area C: Content
     C1: North American & European Cultural Heritages (focus on humanities & arts)
     C2: Society and Identity (focus on social sciences)
     C3: Global Studies (outside North America & Europe)
     C4: Physical and Natural World (focus on natural sciences)
Requirement Area D: Experience (optional)
      D1: Internship
     D2: Travel Study
Requirement Area E: Focus Area (for 54-unit majors) or Declared Minor (for 36-unit majors)

Specific courses that fall into Requirement Areas A-C are listed on the  Liberal Studies Course Catalog.

Information about Requirement Area D: Internships & Travel Studies is found here.

Information about Requirement Area E: Focus Area or Declared Minor is found here.


Considering Liberal Studies?

Step-by-step instructions for determining if Liberal Studies is right for you & the process for becoming a Liberal Studies student:

After reading the information relevant to you, if you would like more information about the Liberal Studies Program, please send an email to the Liberal Studies Coordinator


Current Liberal Studies Student?

These resources are for you:


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  Liberal Studies at UWW   @UWW_LIBST UWW_LIBST

For more information, email the Liberal Studies Coordinator.