Overview

The Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies is offered by the Liberal Studies Program within the College of Liberal Arts. The major is designed to meet the unique needs of working adults who may have delayed or stopped out of college, or who have difficulty finding a major in one of the other disciplines in the College of Liberal Arts that meets their scheduling needs.

The Liberal Arts major is essentially self-designed, other than some common writing intensive coursework and a course that emphasizes critical thinking. It is purposely flexible so students can develop a program of study that will help them achieve a specific personal or professional goal that might be unrelated to a traditional discipline. Courses are offered year-round at Main Campus, Ambler Campus, Online, and at Temple University Center City. Students may combine locations as their schedule dictates.

Curriculum

The primary goal of the Liberal Studies curriculum is to assist students in developing their analytical, critical thinking, reading, writing and research skills, as they progress through a challenging curriculum that is primarily of their own design.

The curriculum is a broad-based liberal arts program, primarily focused on upper-division coursework selected by the student in keeping with their professional and academic goals.

All students in the Liberal Studies major begin their studies in CLA 2096 Approaches to Liberal Studies. This writing intensive, interdisciplinary course brings students together and (re)introduces the idea of academic research, writing, and participation in the academic enterprise. Instructors select a topic of their choice and examine it from a variety of perspectives and viewpoints in the various disciplines of the liberal arts.

Later in their program of study, all Liberal Studies majors take AMST 2098 Reading Culture to complete the second required writing intensive course for the General Education Curriculum.

Critical Thinking (either PHIL 1055 or PSY 1004) is the foundations-level course for this major.

Students must select a track, either Humanities or Social Sciences, and follow the requirements of that track. Within their track, students select a "concentration" of five courses all taken in a single department in their chosen track, all of which are numbered 2000-4999. If a particular course requires a lower-level prerequisite, this prerequisite is taken in addition to the required upper-level courses of their program. Four upper-level "breadth" courses numbered 2000+ are selected from other cognate departments within their chosen track. In lieu of the CLA Distribution requirement, students in the Liberal Studies major take four courses numbered 2000-4999 in the "other" track (Humanities or Social Sciences).

Campus Locations: Main, Ambler, Temple University Center City, Online

Program Code: LA-LIBS-BA

Program Restrictions

Liberal Studies is a stand-alone program and may not be combined with any other majors, minors or certificate programs.

Life Experience Portfolio Review

Students in the Liberal Studies major have the opportunity to submit a portfolio for review to earn up to 6 credits of professional "life experience." See your faculty advisor for more information.

Online-only Program of Study

New non-traditional, transfer students can take their entire degree program online. Required courses for the major are offered online in the fall and spring semesters, and a variety of other courses to fulfill elective requirements are also available via online instruction. For more information contact Keith Gumery.

Contact Information

Liberal Studies Program Office
8th Floor Mazur Hall

Michael D. Szekely, Program Director
818 Mazur Hall
mszekely@temple.edu

Keith Gumery, Director of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies Online Program
gumery@temple.edu

LaTasha Goodman, Administrator
1041 Mazur Hall
215-204-8516
latasha.goodman@temple.edu

Learn more about the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies.

These requirements are for students who matriculated in academic year 2023-2024. Students who matriculated prior to fall 2023 should refer to the Archives to view the requirements for their Bulletin year.

Summary of Degree Requirements

University Requirements

• MATH 0701 (4 s.h.) and/or ENG 0701 (4 s.h.), if required by placement testing.
• All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses as part of the major. The writing-intensive courses required for this major are CLA 2096 and AMST 2098.
• Students must complete requirements of the General Education (GenEd) Program. See the General Education section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for more details

College of Liberal Arts Requirements

• Completion of a minimum of 123 credits, including:
  • 90 credits in CLA/CST courses;
  • 45 credits of which must be at the upper level (numbered 2000-4999).
    • The distribution requirement is built into this major.
  • A minimum GPA of 2.0, cumulatively, in CLA/CST coursework, and in the major.
  • Only courses in which a student receives a grade of at least C- can satisfy GenEd, major, minor, or CLA Foreign Language and Global Studies requirements.
  • Professional Development Requirement
    • All students in the College of Liberal Arts are required to take a 1 credit seminar in professional development. CLA 1002 Professional Development for Liberal Arts Majors is the appropriate course option for this major. Other courses that fulfill this requirement may be found on the CLA College Requirements page. Only one course in this category may count towards graduation.
  • Foreign Language/Global Studies Requirements
    • All students must complete or test out of the first and second levels of a foreign language - these courses are numbered 1001 and 1002;
    • All students must complete at least one course from the GenEd Global/World Society category; and
    • All Bachelor of Arts students must complete one of the following options:
      • Third semester of a foreign language;
      • Demonstrated proficiency beyond the third semester in a foreign language (placement exam or certification from the language department);
      • Take one Global Studies course from the list on the CLA College Requirements page;
      • Study Abroad at an approved program; or
      • Take a second General Education Global/World Society course.
    • Notes on Foreign Language Study
      • The third level of language is numbered 1003 in French, Spanish, and Portuguese and numbered 2001 in all other foreign language subjects.
      • Students are strongly encouraged to take the third level of a foreign language as it is the minimum required for election to the prestigious honor society Phi Beta Kappa. (Taking the course does not guarantee admission but not taking it guarantees exclusion.)
      • See the College of Liberal Arts Policies section of this Bulletin for more information on the Foreign Language Placement, Regression in Coursework, and guidelines for students' other experiences with language.

General Electives are typically one-third of a student's program of study and can be focused on a second major, a minor, or towards some other personal enrichment or professional goals. See an academic advisor for assistance in developing an academic plan for these courses.

Major Requirements - 16 courses/48 credits

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Concentration, Humanities, and Social Science courses must be taken at the upper level (2000-4999).

Suggested Academic Plans

Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies

Suggested Plan for New Students Starting in the 2023-2024 Academic Year

Humanities Track

Social Science Track