Frequently Asked Questions

By definition, a multi- or inter-disciplinary program combines two or more academic fields. Thematically, each Major in Liberal Studies needs to have a unified focus, but that focus will cross between multiple traditional disciplines.

For example, a theme of Human Sexuality Studies might combine perspectives from Gender and Women’s Studies, Sociology, Psychology, Biological Sciences, etc. and find relevant coursework in each of those departments. To get an idea of what a proposed theme might look like, see liberal studies example themes.

The requirements for every minor are listed in the Undergraduate Catalog. Because each Liberal Studies major program must include a minor in its entirety, you will need to factor into your program proposal all the specific courses, electives, etc. required to complete the minor of your choosing.

Remember that each Liberal Studies major must include a course designated to satisfy the College of Liberal Arts and Science’s Writing-in-the-Discipline (WID) requirement. It is likely that a WID course from the department of your foundational minor will make the most sense for you. See below for more information.

The major must be between 30 and 40 total credit hours, so the minimum number of additional relevant credit hours would be: 30 hours minus the number of hours required for your foundational minor. Most LAS minors require between 15 and 19 credit hours.

As an example, let’s say that your proposed Liberal Studies major is built around the Psychology minor. The Psychology minor requires 18 credit hours, so you would need 12 more credit hours in related coursework to hit the 30-hour minimum for the Liberal Studies major.

However, it is fine to go over the 30-hour minimum, as long as you don’t exceed 40 hours for the major. This may particularly be the case if the major you’re proposing is made up of two minors (ex. the Earth and Environmental Sciences minor (18 hours) and the Professional Writing minor (16-21 hours)).

Because writing is such an important and valuable skill gained by studying the liberal arts, every major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is required to have a Writing-in-the-Discipline course. The major pages of the Undergraduate Catalog are where you can find out which course(s) satisfy the Writing-in-the-Discipline (WID) requirement for that particular program.

In most cases, it will make the most sense for Liberal Studies students to satisfy this requirement by completing a WID course in the department of their foundational minor. In cases where this is not feasible, a WID designated by another department may be proposed instead. However, pay close attention to prerequisites, as some WID courses are designed to be taken late in the major and may not be good options for you.

Yes; however, if a proposed major has significant overlap with a major outside the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the student will be advised to consider an intercollege transfer instead of the Major in Liberal Studies. Keep in mind that your ability to enroll in any course will be subject to all standard prerequisites, restrictions, seat availability, etc. set by that department and/or college.

The catalog section titled “Course Descriptions” lists the courses that each department has on the books. You can skim through subject codes that seem like they might be relevant, and you can also use the “Search catalog” function to look for relevant keywords (ex. search “migration,” “immigrant,” etc. for a Diaspora Studies theme).

Keep in mind, however, that there is no guarantee all of those courses will be offered in the next few semesters. Additionally, approval of a course for the major does not guarantee your enrollment in the course. For these reasons, we recommend that you include alternative course options in the application for the Major in Liberal Studies. If you have a hard time finding enough relevant courses to list alternatives, you may want to consider whether your theme is too narrowly defined or even feasible.

In all cases, be sure to pay careful attention to the following:

• Listed course prerequisites and restrictions. Approval of a course for the Liberal Studies major assumes prior completion of the necessary prerequisites.
• Course number. Students in Liberal Studies are required to have a certain number of hours at the 200-, 300-, and/or 400-levels. Courses in the 500- and 600-levels are for graduate students.
• Cross-listings (ex. GWS 111 is the “Same as ENGL 111.”) Ordinarily, courses that are cross-listed with your minor department would not be appropriate complementary courses to round out your major. For example, if your foundational minor is in African American Studies, and all or most of your proposed additional courses are cross-listed with AAST, then it would make sense to pursue an African American Studies major instead of Liberal Studies.

Most departments have “Special Topics” courses, which change focus each semester. It is possible that a particular offering of one of these courses may be relevant to your Liberal Studies theme. Because you cannot anticipate this in your application, you would need to talk to your academic advisor about getting it approved for the major on a case-by-case basis.

Keep in mind that your ability to enroll in any course will be subject to all standard prerequisites, restrictions, seat availability, etc. set by that department and/or college. Even if a course is approved as appropriate for your theme, registration is not and cannot be guaranteed.

See the liberal studies example themes and page two of the sample liberal studies course lists #1 and #2 to get an idea of how you might think about designing a program.

No. The reviewers will look at a transcript or degree audit alongside the materials you submit, but you are not responsible for providing it.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, but it may take 2-4 weeks to receive a response. Please plan accordingly.

If your proposed program is accepted for Liberal Studies, the courses listed in the application are the ones approved to complete your major. Any changes or substitutions for any reason (including course/seat availability) must be formally approved – talk to your Liberal Studies academic advisor about next steps.

This is why we encourage you to give yourself logical options and alternatives during the application process. For example, if your program is built around the Anthropology minor, which requires 3 courses (9 hours) of elective coursework in ANTH, you might propose in the application 6 ANTH courses that are relevant to the theme of your major. If approved, potentially any 3 of those 6 courses could satisfy that requirement.

Keep in mind that the courses taken must satisfy all formal requirements for the Major in Liberal Studies. Pay particular attention to listed course prerequisites; approval to use the course for the Liberal Studies major assumes prior completion of the necessary prerequisites and enrollment is not and cannot be guaranteed.

No, the title or name that you use to describe your major’s theme is only used internally within LAS academic advising. While the title does not appear on a diploma or transcript, you may choose to include it on a resume or post-graduate applications, and faculty may refer to it in letters of recommendation.

The transcript and diploma will list the degree as the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Major in Liberal Studies.

While some majors are more career focused due to the need for specific credentials (eg. Nursing), liberal arts majors, including this one, prepare you for numerous career options and can be applied to many career paths and industries. It is important to consider what skills you want to build further and apply your interests through various experiences such as internships, research, student employment, service, and clubs. It can be helpful to remember that your degree skills (core competencies) experiences = leads to more career opportunities.

It is important for students in a self-designed program to practice (briefly!) explaining their chosen theme and, more importantly, the skills and competencies gained from the major. The specific content of the major may be less important for potential employers than the skills it helped you develop and that you can apply in a workplace, be it written communication, critical thinking, research skills, etc.

See the LAS Career Development website for additional guidance and resources.