BA in Liberal Studies

• Program
• Core Area
• Specialization
• Examples
• Academic Advising
• Admission

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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