Liberal Studies Associates Degree

Build a solid foundation for your future with an associate degree from PennWest California.

Equip yourself with a broad range of knowledge and skills with an on-campus associate degree in liberal studies from PennWest California. Designed for students whose academic interests span traditional disciplinary boundaries, PennWest California's liberal studies program enables you to explore a variety of subject areas in the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences.

Why should you study liberal arts at PennWest California?

Establish a solid academic base upon which you can build almost any career
Take advantage of flexible degree completion options that best fit your life and goals.
Work with expert professors to develop new research, scholarship and creative projects.

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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: LIBERAL STUDIES

Experiential Learning: Your PennWest California associate degree program will incorporate research and hands-on activities that put classwork into context and build marketable skills. You'll graduate with the knowledge, experience and confidence you need for personal and career success.

A Degree Tailored to You: Choose your courses from a wide range of topics in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Whether you're interested in theater or physics, sociology or computer science, you can tailor your degree to your personal and professional interests.

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12 Years

PennWest California has been consistently named one of the best colleges in the Northeast by The Princeton Review.

98^%

Placement for in-demand jobs in a dynamic industry

Degree Benefits

As an undergraduate liberal studies major you will:

Develop the ability to think analytically, understand various cultures and their histories, and appreciate artistic responses to our world.
Be able to adapt to changing career, personal and social demands.
Take part in internship opportunities to gain on-the-job experience and apply classroom knowledge to the world of work.

Graduate Outcomes

In today's ever-changing economy, a liberal studies associate degree opens doors to a wide range of career opportunities. Our program will prepare you for a variety of careers such as accounting, advertising, consulting, marketing, public relations and sales. Additionally, program alumni have found work in the government, social work and education.

Liberal Studies On-Campus Associate Degree

Undergraduate Research at PennWest California

Delve into your academic interests with support from top scholars in your field. At PennWest California, you'll have opportunities to present research at conferences, publish scholarly work and network with professionals.

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Career and Professional Development

PennWest California prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge, integrity and experience. With the help of the Career and Professional Development Center, we'll connect you to potential employers through networking events, job shadowing opportunities, on-campus recruiting, job and internship fairs, and organizational visits.

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Living Why is a Liberal Asrts Education Important

"[Liberal arts] empowers individuals and prepares them to deal with complexity, diversity, and change. ... A liberal education helps students develop a sense of social responsibility, as well as strong and transferable intellectual and practical skills." - The Association of American Colleges and Universities.

Liberal Studies On-Campus Associate Degree Courses

PennWest California's liberal studies curriculum is flexible in nature. You will take courses from the humanities, natural sciences or social sciences programs, and can complete all degree requirements in two years of full-time study.

Curriculum

Course	Credits
General Education
COM XX Any Public Speaking Course	3
ENG 101 Composition I	3
ENG 102 Composition II	3
Fine Arts Course	3
General Education Course	3
Health and Wellness	3
Humanities Course	3
Mathematics and Quantitative Literacy Course	3
Natural Sciences Course	3
Social Sciences Course	3

Program Requirements
Lower and/or Upper Division Electives (Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences)	15
Upper Division Electives (Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences)	9
Additional Electives	6
Total	60

Program Notes

Additional Requirements: One course must be a laboratory course.
Required Major Courses must be selected from the following disciplines: ANT, ARB, ART, BIO, CHE, CMD, COM, CSC, EAS, ECO, EDE, EDU, ELC, ELE, ELM, ENG, ENS, ESP, FRE, GEO, HIS, JUS, LEA, MAT, MUS, PHI, PHS, PHY, POS, PSY, SEC, SOC, SOW, SPN, TED, THE, WFD, WST
A maximum of 24 credits can be used with the same course prefix.
12 credits (4 courses) of upper-division (300 or 400 level courses are REQUIRED.
Developmental courses do not count toward the 60 credits necessary for graduation, but are calculated in your overall GPA.
For assistance, please contact the College of Liberal Arts - Library 450, Department of History, Politics, Society and Law.

Course Sequences

On-Campus Undergraduate Degrees

Other Liberal Studies Degrees

Online Associate Degree in Liberal Studies
A fully online version of the liberal studies associate degree program with asynchronous course that can be completed from anywhere and at any time.
On-Campus Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Studies
An on-campus interdisciplinary bachelor's degree program that will give you comprehensive education in the humanities, natural sciences or social sciences.
Online Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Studies
A fully online bachelor's degree program that will give you comprehensive education in the humanities, natural sciences or social sciences.

Liberal Studies Faculty

Faculty

This program is overseen by the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and a faculty coordinator of liberal studies.

Liberal Studies Associate of Arts (A.A.) On-Campus Degree

About Liberal Studies Associate Degree - On Campus