Liberal Studies, A.S./B.S.
Program Description
The Liberal Studies program is part the University’s Department of Interdisciplinary Studies and is based on the development of an individualized course of study by a student and advisor. This approach allows students to tailor their coursework to some degree in order to meet their personal interests and needs. Apart from the basic liberal arts requirements, students are free to select a major percentage of their courses within elective categories. Students are given significant responsibility for planning a coherent study program and afforded the freedom and opportunity to sample many disciplines and career areas.
Program Goals
- Encourage students’ pursuit and enjoyment of an expanded intellectual life.
- Promote the development of strong skills in the areas of critical reading and thinking, communication, quantitative analysis, and information literacy.
- Foster a deep understanding of and hands-on experience with inquiry practices of disciplines that explore the natural, social and cultural realm and their relation to each other.
- Cultivate habits of the mind that foster integrative thinking and the ability to transfer skills and knowledge from one setting to another.
- Develop proactive sense of responsibility for individual, civic, and social choices.
Note: Elective courses are broken into two categories.
Liberal arts and sciences electives, which must be chosen from offerings in humanities, social sciences, multimedia, natural sciences or mathematics. Free electives which may include the previous broad subject areas as well as any of Medaille University’s career courses and professional, technical and occupational courses transferred from two- or four-year institutions. Other non-traditional approaches to granting credit, such as Prior Learning Assessment, may also be applied toward the Liberal Studies degree.
The degree options of the Liberal Studies program allow students the opportunity to utilize prior recognized educational and professional experiences, which frequently are not applicable or transferable to other degree programs. Because of the unique nature of the program, an individual interested in obtaining the Liberal Studies degree should consult with the Department Chair in order to discuss the student’s educational background and to plan an educational goal. Students must work closely with their Academic Advisor throughout their studies to discuss course selections. It is also strongly recommended that early in the program students visit the Career Planning and Placement Office to help them identify their own personal and career goals. This goal identification is of great importance to students when selecting electives, which will help them, meet their needs.
Liberal Studies students may complete a specific, existing academic minor or choose to organize their electives around a central topic or theme such as American Studies. In planning their program, students may use such a central theme, for example, to organize and integrate liberal arts electives in humanities and social sciences with free electives in political science. Another example could be students interested in working in sales who might take a combination of courses in business, advertising, speech, writing, public relations and other related areas to prepare them for success in this field. Many other theme areas are possible.
Degree earned: A.S., B.S.
Total number of credits: 60 (A.S.); 120-121 (B.S.)
Credit Distribution (A.S.)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Core | ||
| Writing Courses | ||
| ENG 105 & ENG 110 | Fundamentals of College Writing and College Writing | 6 |
| or ENG 110 & ENG 200 | College Writing and Advanced College Writing | |
| Critical Dialogues Course | ||
| INT 110 | Introduction to Dialogues in Critical Thinking 1 | 3 |
| Math Courses | ||
| MAT 114 | Intermediate Algebra 2 | 3 |
| MAT 201 | Statistics and Society | 3 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences Courses | ||
| Humanities Electives | ||
| Select six credits of Humanities Electives | 6 | |
May include any ART, DAN, ENG, FRE, HUM, MUS, PHI, SPA, SPE, or THE course | ||
| Social Sciences Electives | ||
| Select six credits of Social Sciences Electives | 6 | |
May include any APY, CRJ, ECO, GEO, HIS, POL, PSY, SSC, SOC course | ||
| Liberal Arts and Sciences Electives | ||
| Select six credits of Liberal Arts and Sciences Electives | 6 | |
May include any APY, ART, BIO, CHE, CHI, CRJ, DAN, ENG, ECO, FRE, GEN, GEO, HIS, HUM, INT, MAT, MUS, PHI, PHY, POL, PSY, RDG, SSC, SOC, SPA, SPE, or THE course | ||
| Free Elective Component | ||
| Select 27 credits of Free Electives 3 | 27 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
- 1
Required of first-year students; all other students may substitute a 300/400 level Liberal Arts and Sciences elective
- 2
Students who meet the math competency may substitute a Free elective
- 3
May include any College course. Because of the limited number of elective hours required for the associate degree, the in-depth concept and theme topics are not required. However, students are encouraged to organize their electives according to their future career and educational goals. In addition, students are counseled to select courses, which may later lead to a baccalaureate degree.
Credit Distribution (B.S.)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Core | ||
| Writing Courses | ||
| ENG 110 | College Writing | 3 |
| or ENG 112 | College Writing for Multilingual Students | |
| ENG/HON 200 | Advanced College Writing | 3 |
| or ENG 202 | Advanced College Writing for Multilingual Students | |
| Critical Dialogues Course | ||
| INT 110 | Introduction to Dialogues in Critical Thinking 1 | 3 |
| American Dialogues Course | ||
| Select one course of the following: | 3 | |
| Photographers, Writers, and the American Scene | ||
| Social Issues in Policing a Multicultural Community | ||
| Justice and Democracy in America | ||
| African-American History | ||
| Cultural Interaction in Colonial North America | ||
| The Civil War | ||
| Myth of the Melting Pot: A History of American Racism and Prejudice | ||
| Enduring American Dialogues (Theme Based Course) | ||
| Creative and Reflective Dialogues Course | ||
| Select one course of the following: | 3 | |
| Contemporary Photography as Cultural Landscape | ||
| Beginning Drawing | ||
| Basic Photography: Criticizing Photography | ||
| Introduction to Creative Writing | ||
| Creative Nonfiction Writing | ||
| Creative Expression | ||
| Introduction to Theatre and Performance | ||
| Sustainability Dialogues Course | ||
| Select one course of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Introductory Biology | ||
| Human Nutrition | ||
| Botany | ||
| Enviromental Studies | ||
| Introductory Chemistry | ||
| Scientific Discovery | ||
| Physical Science | ||
| Principles of Physics I | ||
| Global Dialogues Course | ||
| Select one course of the following: | 3 | |
| British Literature I: Middle Ages to the 18th Century | ||
| British Literature II: Late 18th Century to The Present | ||
| Themes and Topics in World Literature & Culture | ||
| Major Global Literary Figures | ||
| Baccalaureate Capstone I | ||
| Medieval World | ||
| The History of Ireland | ||
| History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | ||
| The Arts in Society | ||
| Psychoanalysis & Politics | ||
| Seminar in Religion and Belief | ||
| Classical Music Studies | ||
| Truth & Justice | ||
| Citizenship Dialogues Course | ||
| Select one course of the following: | 3 | |
| Baccalaureate Capstone II | ||
| Capstone in Citizenship | ||
| Psychology Capstone | ||
| MAT 114 | Intermediate Algebra 2 | 3 |
| MAT 201 | Statistics and Society | 3 |
| SPE 130 | Fundamentals of Public Speaking | 3 |
| Experiential Learning | ||
| Select any 377/477 level course | 3 | |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences Courses | ||
| ENG 205 | Introduction to Literature | 3 |
| or ENG 215 | Survey of World Literature | |
| Select five courses of the following: | 15 | |
| Introduction to Anthropology | ||
| Macroeconomics | ||
or ECO 201 | Microeconomics | |
| Physical Geography | ||
| Western Civilization | ||
or HIS 101 | World Cultures | |
or HIS 140 | Early United States History | |
or HIS 150 | Contemporary United States History | |
| Introduction To Political Science | ||
or POL 101 | United States Government | |
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Liberal Arts and Sciences Electives | ||
| Select six 300/400 level liberal arts and sciences electives, including: APY, ART, BIO, CHE, CHI, CRJ, DAN, ECO, ENG, FRE, GEN, GEO, HIS, HUM, MAT, MUS, PHI, PHY, POL, PSY, RDG, SSC, SOC, SPA, SPE, or THE courses | 18 | |
| Free Elective Component | ||
| Select 48 credits of Free Electives 3 | 48 | |
| Total Hours | 120-121 | |
- 1
Required of first-year students; all other students must substitute a 300/400 level Liberal Arts and Sciences elective
- 2
Students who meet the math competency must substitute a Free elective
- 3
May include any College course.
Suggested Sequence
Liberal Studies, B.S.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | |
| INT 110 | Introduction to Dialogues in Critical Thinking | 3 |
| ENG 110 | College Writing | 3 |
| MAT 114 | Intermediate Algebra | 3 |
| SPE 130 | Fundamentals of Public Speaking | 3 |
| LAS Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| American Dialogues | 3 | |
| ENG 200 | Advanced College Writing | 3 |
| MAT 201 | Statistics and Society | 3 |
| LAS Elective | 3 | |
| LAS Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| Creative Dialogues | 3 | |
| ENG 205/215 | Introduction to Literature | 3 |
| LAS Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| Sustainability Dialogues | 3 | |
| LAS Elective (300/400) | 3 | |
| LAS Elective (300/400) | 3 | |
| LAS Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| LAS Elective (300/400) | 3 | |
| LAS Elective (300/400) | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| Any 377/477 | 3 | |
| LAS Elective (300/400) | 3 | |
| LAS Elective (300/400) | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| Global Dialogues | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| INT 450 | Capstone in Citizenship | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
Please Note: The above shows the ideal suggested sequencing and scheduling of courses and credits by semester. It is based on eight semesters for a traditionally-structured baccalaureate degree. Degree program requirements and the scheduling of courses are subject to change, based on writing/math placements and course availability. This chart should be utilized a guide and is not a written contract. Students will be notified of changes that may affect their academic progress.