Liberal Studies (BA)

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Offered by the Liberal Studies program , College of Arts and Sciences , 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 together 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.

Admission to the Program

After admission, students submit a written proposal stating their core interests, along with a 300-word essay explaining their goals and the relationship among chosen areas and courses.

University Requirements

120 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better
Completion of college writing requirement
Completion of university mathematics requirement

General Education Requirements

A total of ten courses, consisting of two courses from each of the five foundational areas
At least one course from Area Five: The Natural and Mathematical Sciences must include a laboratory science component
No more than two courses may be taken in the same discipline

Major Requirements

42-48 credit hours with grades of C or better.
- The major consists of a 24 credit hour core area and an 18-24 credit hour specialization, both of which offer a number of structured alternative choices.

Core Area

24 credit hours chosen from fields of study in one of three core areas: the humanities, the social sciences, or sciences/mathematics.
- The core area must include coursework in four fields of study: 6 credit hours are to be taken in each field; at least 3 credit hours in each of the four fields must be earned in a course at the 300-level or higher. For students taking the Sciences/Mathematics core, a minimum of 6 credit hours in total must be taken in courses at the 300-level or higher.
- No more than three courses taken for General Education credit may also count toward core area requirements.
- Six of the eight courses taken to fulfill the core area must be offered by the College of Arts and Sciences.

Fields of Study by Core Area

* Designated courses: academic counselors will provide students with a list of approved courses.

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

Specialization

In addition to the core area courses, students in the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies program are required to complete 18-24 credit hours in a specialization chosen from the list of university-approved minors. Note: if the minor taken for the specialization requires 24 or more credit hours, students may request reducing their core requirements from 24 to 21 credit hours. However, the core must still include at least 18 credit hours offered by the College of Arts and Sciences.

Students may select a specialization that complements their core area, or they may choose a specialization that is a new area of study. In all cases the student is encouraged to design a core area and a specialization that reflects the student’s particular interests and goals.

Requirements for the specialization in the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies degree are met when a student completes the requirements for a minor approved for the program. No more than two courses taken for General Education credit may be applied to a student’s specialization.