Information for Faculty/Staff

Why Liberal Education?

Liberal Education prepares students to lead in the 21st century. Students taking a wide array of courses exposes them to multiple viewpoints, ideas, methods of thinking, ways of solving complex problems. As the world becomes more integrated and more complex, there is the need for students to not only be proficient in one discipline but can speak and think fluently within multiple disciplines.

Liberal Education provides students the opportunity to think critically, to compare and contrast ideas, and to be able to articulate complex concepts and ideas in varying forms of communication. The skill sets and mindsets occur when a student is exposed to multiple disciplines, and faculty help students integrate outside concepts with the ideas the students are studying in a specific course. While this takes a modification of the curriculum, it enhances the student's appreciation for new information and allows the student to construct their own meaning regarding the idea/concept being studied.

The Applied Liberal Studies program is firmly rooted within Liberal Education. ALS provides the opportunity to create their personalized Area of Interest instead of a traditional major. The Area of Interest is a series of student-chosen courses that are taken purposefully for the student to explore a wide array of disciplines and ideas that will benefit them professionally, academically, and in their personal life.

Advising Students

The Applied Liberal Studies program may be of interest to students who have been enrolled within the University for several semesters, or who are just starting out. If a student wishes to change their major to Applied Liberal Studies from a previous major they must first meet with the Coordinator for Applied Liberal Studies.

If after meeting with the ALS Coordinator the student wishes to change their major, they must submit a Change of Major form to their previous department. After attaining their department chair's signature, they should obtain the signature from the Coordinator from Applied Liberal Studies. It is then again up to the student to submit the Change of Major form to the registrar.