This multidisciplinary major allows students to become knowledgeable in a variety of academic disciplines, including the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. It is similar to other types of interdisciplinary majors, such as general studies, classical studies, and science studies, but is concentrated on courses within liberal arts disciplines.
Most programs allow students the flexibility to customize their degree plan to a certain extent. For example, students may choose to take courses that focus on particular themes or within a combination of minors. Themes can be chosen depending on one’s unique interests or career goals. For example, someone interested in helping people through a non-profit may want to take a combination of interpersonal communication courses and sociology courses focusing on human ecology.
Students with multiple academic interests can earn a degree in liberal studies through a combination of minors. Minor options often include subjects such as anthropology, philosophy, history, political science, psychology, sociology, English literature, economics, communication, fine art, and more. As a liberal studies major, students get to take courses like comparative cultures, art history, ethics, philosophy and religion, history of western thought, cultural anthropology, feminist philosophy, British literature, logic, and sociological theory.
The purpose of a liberal studies major is to provide a well-rounded education that creates creative, liberal, and integrative thinkers who can apply their knowledge to various career fields. Graduates are life-long learners with dynamic reading, writing, and research skills, and have exceptional problem solving and reasoning abilities. Possible career paths lead to education, business, government, retail, publishing, and communications.