Liberal Studies (BA)

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Offered by the Liberal Studies program, College of Arts and Sciences , this program is designed for students returning to school after years in the workforce who seek a flexible degree program that encourages them to bring together their personal and professional goals in their academic major. The major encourages students to combine their prior education with the latest technology and innovation skills to develop unique concentrations in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Consolidating a solid liberal arts foundation with a mandatory minor or second major from any of American University’s many academic fields, the program unites breadth of knowledge with expertise in the area concentration to create a well-rounded educational experience for working professionals seeking to upgrade their academic credentials.

Admission to the Program

Open only to students seven years or more out of high school. Formal admission to the major requires a grade point average of 2.00 (on a 4.00 scale) and the approval of the program director.

University Requirements

120 credit hours with minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 2 )
Completion of all requirements for a major (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 9 )

AU Core Requirements

Completion of AU Core foundation requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.2-8.6 )
Completion of AU Core Habits of Mind requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.7 )
Completion of AU Core integrative course requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.8-8.11 )

For additional information, see AU Core Curriculum .

Major Requirements

36 credit hours with grades of C or better, including at least 18 credit hours at or above 300-level
Minor or second major in another field of study

Course Requirements

Required (3 credit hours)

WRT-301 Writing Across the Curriculum (3)

Elective (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

Statistics (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

Integrative Quantitative Literacy (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

Innovation and Technology (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following if not taken to fulfill Integrative Quantitative Literacy:

Concentration (21 credit hours)

Complete 21 credit hours from one of the following concentration areas:

Note: Students are encouraged to complete the requirements of the Digital Technology Generalist (Undergraduate Certificate) [CAS] as part of their chosen concentration.

Arts

21 credit hours from Art History (ARTH ), Audio Technology (ATEC ), Dance (DNCE ), Graphic Design (GDES ), Music (MUS ), Performing Arts (PERF ), Studio Art (ARTS ), or other approved courses
- 6 credit hours from first subject code at or above 300-level
- 6 credit hours from second subject code at or above 300-level
- 3 credit hours from an AU Core Capstone course or other approved course at or above 300-level

Humanities

21 credit hours from Jewish Studies (JWST ), Literature (LIT ), Philosophy (PHIL ), Religion (RELG ), World Languages and Cultures (WLC ), Arabic (ARAB ), Chinese (CHIN ), French (FREN ), German (GERM ), Hebrew (HEBR ), Italian (ITAL ), Japanese (JAPN ), Korean (KOR ), Persian (PERS ), Russian (RUSS ), Spanish (SPAN ), Swahili (SWAH ), or other approved courses
- 6 credit hours from first subject code at or above 300-level
- 6 credit hours from second course subject code at or above 300-level
- 3 credit hours from an AU Core Capstone course or other approved course at or above 300-level

Social Sciences

21 credit hours from African American and African Diaspora Studies (AFAM ), American Studies (AMST ), Anthropology (ANTH ), Arab World Studies (AWST ), Asia, Pacific, and Diaspora Studies (APDS ), Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies (CRGC ), Economics (ECON ), History (HIST ), Philosophy (PHIL ), approved Psychology (PSYC) courses, Sociology (SOCY ), Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS ), or other approved courses
- 6 credit hours from first subject code at or above 300-level
- 6 credit hours from second course subject code at or above 300-level
- 3 credit hours from an AU Core Capstone course or other approved course at or above 300-level

Sciences and Mathematics

21 credit hours from Biology (BIO ), Chemistry (CHEM ), Computer Science (CSC ), Data Science (DATA ), Environmental Science (ENVS ), Mathematics (MATH ), Neuroscience (NEUR ), Physics (PHYS ), approved Psychology (PSYC) courses, Statistics (STAT ), or other approved courses
- 6 credit hours from first subject code at or above 300-level
- 6 credit hours from second course subject code at or above 300-level
- 3 credit hours from an AU Core Capstone course or other approved course at or above 300-level

Minor or Second Major

Note: These courses are not included in the major GPA.

Minor or second major in another field of study

Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. See Admission to a Combined Bachelor’s / Master’s Program and Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees for more information.