Revised Curriculum Effective Fall 2024
Choose a degree that nourishes your intellect.
Built on more than 40 years of experience on our campus and based on the philosophy of Ernest Boyer, the Liberal Studies program gives learners the space they need to design individualized academic experiences that meet their unique educational interests and goals. To accomplish this, students are not limited to a curriculum that is focused in a single discipline. Instead, Liberal Studies students are free to explore many disciplines, which results in a well-rounded education.
Our Mission
The Liberal Studies Program is designed to help students develop and plan a course of study that enhances critical thinking and problem-solving skills, inspires living as an engaged and responsible citizen, instills a habit of considering the ethics and consequences of actions, and brings familiarity with a broad and integrated core of knowledge.
Goals for Students
Liberal Studies faculty developed the following goals that governments, corporations, the private sector, and academia value.
- Learn the tenets of critical thinking, of communicating, and of reconciling disparate points of view and making decisions together.
- Be engaged citizens who will fulfill their obligation to work in their communities in ways that sustain a democratic and representative form of government that protects citizens’ rights and freedoms.
- Be responsible contributors to life who evaluate the consequences of actions, maintain high ethical standards in employment and personal lives, seek ways to open paths to personal and social development, and work in personal and public relationships to create sustainable and harmonious relationships.
- Deepen their understanding and awareness of the world through study of language, art, heritage, institutions, nature, work, identity, and applied skills (tools).
- Learn to integrate learning into a coherent and unified whole, deepen self understanding, and improve problem-solving skills.
Career Paths
Many students choose Liberal Studies to build upon or expand their existing careers, but our program’s mission is to develop skills and abilities that open up a wide variety of new career paths.
Leadership Lived
Meet a few of our campus majors and see what they have done to embody the UIS spirit of Leadership Lived.