BA in Liberal Studies
Program
This program is designed for students eight years or more out
of high school who seek a flexible degree program that encourages
them to bring togethr their personal and professional goals in
the design of their academic major. The major encourages students
to combine liberal arts studies with a specialization. Specializations
are available in any of the minors offered by American University.
University Requirements
- Total of 120 credit hours of course work
- Six credit hours in college writing
- Three credit hours of approved college mathematics or the
equivalent by examination
General Education Requirements
- Total of 30 credit hours of General Education requirements,
consisting of one foundation course and one second-level
course from each of the five curricular areas in an approved
sequence
- No more than 6 credit hours from the same academic discipline
may be applied toward General Education requirements
Major Requirements
- Completion of a 42 to 48 credit hour major with grades
of C or better
The major consists of a 24 credit core area and an 18 to 24 credit
specialization, both of which offer many structured choices. You
designate a core area and choose a specialization that reflects
your particular interests and goals.
Core Area
Liberal studies students take 24 credits chosen from fields of
study in one of these three core areas: the humanities, the social
sciences, or the sciences/mathematics. Six credits must be taken
in each of four fields of study. At least three credits in each
of the four fields must be earned in a course numbered 300 or higher.
For the sciences/mathematics core, a minimum of 6 credits in total
must be taken in courses numbered 300 or higher.
Fields of Study by Core Area:
Humanities
Art, Art History, Foreign Language, Jewish Studies, Literature,
Performing Arts, Philosophy, Religion
Social Sciences
American Studies, Anthropology, Communication (designated courses)*,
Economics, Education (designated courses)*, History, Political
Science, Psychology (designated courses)*, Sociology,
Sciences/Mathematics
Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Information Systems, Mathematics,
Physics, Psychology (designated courses)*, Statistics
* Designated courses: academic counselors will provide students
with a list of approved courses.
Specialization
Students complete 18 to 24 credits in a specialization that complements
their core area. This specialization may be chosen from the list
of 52 minors approved by the university.
Specializations approved for the BLS program are:
- American Studies
- Anthropology
- Applied Anthropology
- Art History
- Audio Technology
- Biology
- Business Administration
- Chemistry
- Cinema Studies
- Communication
- Computer Information Systems
- Computer Science
- Dance
- Economics
- Education Studies
- Environmental Science
- French Language
- German Language
- Graphic Design
- Health Promotion
- History
- Interdisciplinary Studies
- International Studies
- Japanese Language
- Jewish Studies
- Justice
|
- Language and Area Studies
- French/Europe
- German/Europe
- Japanese/Asia
- Russian Area Studies
- Spanish/Latin America
- Literature
- Mathematics
- Music
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Public Administration
- Quantitative Methods
- Religion
- Russian Language
- Russian Studies
- Sociology
- Spanish Language
- Special Education
- Statistics
- Studio Art
- Theatre
- Women's and Gender Studies
|
Examples
Examples of How Students Have Developed Their Liberal Studies
Program
| Core Area |
Courses in Core Area |
Specialization |
| Humanities |
Art
Art History
Performing Arts
Philosophy |
Communication |
| Social Sciences |
Anthropology
Communication
Economics
Psychology |
Business Administration |
| Science/Mathematics |
Computer Science
Information Systems
Mathematics
Biology |
Information Systems |
Academic Advising/Admission to the Program
Academic advising for the Liberal Studies program is provided
by the College of Arts and Sciences. If you are considering this
major, you should contact an advisor to discuss your options and
the steps for admission and for developing an appropriate curriculum.
We encourage you to call 202-885-2453 to schedule an appointment.
Day and evening appointments are available.
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