The mission of the BS in Liberal Studies program is to help students use interdisciplinary study to demonstrate an understanding for and appreciation of continued, life-long learning – an essential component in being a successful professional. This major provides a path for a Bachelor’s degree for students who will pursue licensure in Special Education PK-12 at the graduate level or who have decided not to pursue elementary or elementary/middle licensure.
In addition to the multi-disciplinary Civitae Core requirements, Liberal Studies students take advanced courses in English, Mathematics, Natural Science, and Social Science. The Liberal Studies program has two available concentrations, depending on the type of student background and intended pursuit: Special Education PK-12 pre-licensure or Multidisciplinary.
Students in the Special Education PK-12 pre-licensure concentration intend to seek teacher licensure as part of the Master in Education program, concentration in Special Education: General Curriculum 5th Year K-12. Licensure occurs after completion of the Master’s degree. Students who choose not to complete the fifth year of the program will not be licensed to teach. At the undergraduate level, the concentration includes a professional component comprised of an array of methods classes, Practicum, Partnership and Student Teaching.
Students must apply and be accepted into the Multidisciplinary concentration of the Liberal Studies program. Students must design a multidisciplinary coursework plan of at least 42 credits, with a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 21 credits from any one discipline. Students must have completed at least: 1) 30 credit hours of college coursework after high school and 2) one semester as a full-time student at Longwood prior to application. The application will include a title for the proposed plan, a rationale that provides the basis for the plan, a list of at least three desired learning outcomes that map to the rationale, and a list of all the courses that comprise the plan. Each course should align with at least one learning outcome. The complete plan should provide a coherent and connected set of courses and experiences that both adequately addresses all the learning outcomes and is consistent with the overall rationale for the plan. The student will also need to explain how achieving these learning outcomes cannot be accomplished through an existing Longwood major/concentration. A Cormier Honors student must additionally have a GPA of at least 3.25 prior to application. The Program Coordinator for this concentration must approve the design of the program plan prior to acceptance into this concentration. The plan must also be accepted by the Associate Dean of Cook-Cole College or, in the case of a Cormier Honors student, that college’s dean. If approved, the plan will become the set of requirements inside of this concentration. Any changes to the plan must be approved by Program Coordinator and appropriate College administrator.
