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B.A. Liberal Studies

The School of Arts & Sciences' online B.A. in liberal studies is a broad, liberal arts program that develops university-level analytical, communication, and computer literacy skills.

The program provides a broad perspective on human behavior, ideas and values through a multidisciplinary study of the social and natural sciences, humanities and fine arts, quantitative reasoning, and business.

This integrated approach allows you to make connections across fields of study, deepening your abilities for critical thinking, problem solving and creativity while preparing you for effective participation in a global community.

Additionally, our online liberal arts degree emphasizes leadership skills within Saint Leo University's core values and traditions.

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Degree Requirements

General Education Core (48 credits)

• MAT 131 College Mathematics 3

  Topics include number theory, numeration systems, geometry, counting methods, probability, and statistics.

  Prerequisites: Mathematics Placement

• ENG 121 Academic Writing I 3

  The techniques of effective writing, logical thinking and intelligent reading, with special emphasis on expository writing.

  Prerequisites: Passing grade in ENG 002 or satisfactory score on the English Placement Test

• ENG 122 Academic Writing II 3

  A continuation of ENG 121. Expository writing based on analytical study of literary genres.

  Prerequisites: ENG 121

• COM 140 Business Computer Skills 3

  Required for all business majors. Students will use commercial software packages in the microcomputer laboratory to gain an advanced understanding of business functions of computers and to develop personal competency in practical applications of microcomputers for business. Provides business students with the specific knowledge and capabilities in various computer skills necessary to be effective in both business classes and the business world. Course fee may apply.

• FAS 101 The Integrated Arts 3

  This is an interdisciplinary course that introduces students to visual, written, and musical works of art designed to increase the student's understanding and aesthetic pleasure as well as to develop acquaintance with techniques and terminology in the arts. Regular classroom lectures/discussions may be complemented by live or virtual performances and exhibits as appropriate to the course format to enhance the student's experience of the arts.

• ART 123 Art Appreciation 3

  Basic terms, theories and techniques of the artist; major art movements; media in the visual arts.

  Prerequisites: FAS 101

• Core English Options : (3 Credits)3

  • ENG 226 Survey of World Literature II

    Designed to introduce non-English majors to the world literature in translation from the 18th century through the 20th century. Continued emphasis on literary devices writers use and on expository writing based on analytical study of the literature of the course.

    Prerequisites: ENG 122

  • ENG 311 Survey of Major Writers of the 20th Century *

    A study for non-English majors of the most significant and influential movements of the twentieth century as those movements have shaped the course of human experience. Provides an opportunity for students to discuss and analyze a broad range of writers from several countries, drawing on cultural and ethnic issues particularly relevant to those writers.

    Prerequisites: ENG 122

• SSC 102 The Global Perspective 3

  A survey of various global issues arising in the world since World War II. The course combines the disciplines of history, political science, and economics. Emphasis will be placed on the interaction of the superpowers during the Cold War, the post-colonial emergence of the Third World, the ascendancy of regional and international economic and political institutions, the ambiguous blessing of technological innovation, and the reshaping of contemporary Europe.

• ECO 201 Principles of Macroeconomics 3

  An introduction to the study of the determination of income, output, employment and prices in the U.S. economy. Emphasis on fundamental economic concepts, gross domestic product and its components, monetary and fiscal policy, and contemporary macroeconomic issues.

  Prerequisites: SSC 102

• SSC 101 The Human Behavior Perspective 3

  An interdisciplinary course designed to provide students with the opportunity to consider the many ways in which human beings function as individuals, as members of larger groups and demographic segments, and as members of a particular culture. This course explores the disciplines of sociology, psychology, and anthropology within the framework of the scientific method, social constructivism, ethics, and values. Value systems, including the core values of Saint Leo University, and the ways in which they affect social structure are also explored.

• PSY 121 Introduction to Psychology 3

  A survey of the major areas in psychology. Principal topics covered are: physiological bases of behavior, personality, mental disorders and treatment, social influences and other basic issues. The course introduces students to the broad spectrum of theories used in understanding human behavior.

  Prerequisites: SSC 101

• PHI 101 The Quest for Wisdom 3

  The course examines human beings as present to themselves, as having a narrative self-understanding, and as being on a quest for meaning and orientation in life. Some of the topics are: the mystery of existence; thinking and prejudice; the good, conscience, and the power of choice; the state and the dignity of the person; the problem of materialism and scientism; and the place of imagination in articulating life's meaning.

• Core Religion Options : (3 Credits)3

  • REL 123 Foundations of Christian Faith

    This course involves an introduction to the field of theology as an academic discipline with a body of writing, methods, and interpretations. It is concerned with how to successfully study theology, including basic library research methodology and critical thinking. Students will build a basic understanding of the whole of theology through an introduction of its parts: Old Testament and New Testament Literature, Who Is Jesus?, What Is the Church?, Grace and the Sacraments, Christian Morality, Social Justice, Judaism and the Church, the Islamic Religion and the Church, and Catholic Theology in a Global Context.

    Prerequisites: PHI 101

  • REL 124 Introduction to the Old Testament

    A basic introduction to the literature and theology of the Jewish Scriptures.

    Prerequisites: PHI 101

  • REL 201 Introduction to the New Testament

    A basic introduction to the literature and theology of the New Testament, including exposure to critical methods such as form and redaction criticisms.

    Prerequisites: PHI 101

  • REL 223 Religions of the World I: Western Religions

    A study of Western religions, including religions of non-literate societies and ancient religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

    Prerequisites: PHI 101

• Any 300 or 400 level Religion course (3 credits)

• SCI 101 Integrated Physical Science 3

  This course is designed to provide integrated knowledge and basic understanding of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, historical trends, and empirical findings of the physical sciences, including physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, oceanography, atmospheric sciences, and earth sciences. Major integrated themes include the nature and history of the universe, the solar system, and the Earth; the four forces; the ultimate structure and development of matter; types and nature of chemical bonding; plate tectonics; the rock cycle; biogeochemical cycles; oceanic and atmospheric circulation; global climate change; the unified nature of the laws and forces of the universe; the scientific world view; the scientific method; and the major differences between the scientific way of knowing and other ways of knowing. Emphasis is placed on oral and written scientific literacy through effective interpretation and communication of written, quantitative, graphic, and tabular scientific information.

• SCI 102 Integrated Life Science 3

  This course is designed to introduce non-science majors to the concepts and practical applications of the life sciences so that students will be informed citizens in an increasingly science and technology based society. Specific themes focused on will include cell structure and function, cell reproduction, DNA, genetic engineering, evolution, the origins of life, and the environment. Ethical and moral considerations will be discussed where appropriate. There will be several demonstrations and/or student experiments during the semester. This is the second of two integrated science courses required of all non-science majors. This course requires substantial writing and reading.

  Prerequisites: Recommended Prerequisites: SCI 101 strongly recommended

Liberal Studies Core (36 credits)

• ART 330 Contemporary Humanities 3

  This course offers an introduction to the thought, values, and arts of Western culture through an exploration of the fine and performing arts in the twentieth century.

• ENG 311 Survey of Major Writers of the 20th Century * 3

  A study for non-English majors of the most significant and influential movements of the twentieth century as those movements have shaped the course of human experience. Provides an opportunity for students to discuss and analyze a broad range of writers from several countries, drawing on cultural and ethnic issues particularly relevant to those writers.

  Prerequisites: ENG 122

• ENV 330 Environmental Studies: Creating Sustainable Societies 3

  This course is designed to help the student consider how human societies must change in order to create a long-term sustainable interdependent relationship between humans and the rest of the ecosphere. Current rates of human population growth, habitat destruction, energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, soil erosion and desertification, extinction of species, air and water pollution, living and mineral resource depletion, and waste production point towards an unsustainable future without significant changes. The scientific, social, economic, ethical, political, religious, social justice, and technological aspects of the problems and their solutions will be considered. Students will be challenged to participate in the creation of an ecologically sustainable future. This is a required course for the B.A. in Liberal Studies.

• LBS 201 Critical Thinking in the Liberal Studies 3

  This is an online course that develops critical and analytical skills necessary to engage in courses in the liberal studies major. Through readings reflecting representative disciplines included in the major, students will begin to improve their ability to think effectively and express themselves through clear, cogent writing.

  Prerequisites: ENG 122 or equivalent

• LBS 330 Mathematical Inquiry 3

  Topics include rigorous thought, number contemplation, geometry and contortions, meaning from data, and uncertainty.

  Prerequisites: MAT 131

• LBS 498 Exploration in the Liberal Studies 3

  Explorations in the Liberal Studies is the capstone course for the Liberal Studies major. This course will provide an in-depth study of a single text and its connections to the disciplines studied in the major. Students will base a senior research project on a theme or issue related to the text, taking a particular perspective from the social sciences, the natural sciences, the humanities/fine arts, or business, allowing students to apply and integrate their earlier learning in the liberal studies courses.

  Prerequisites: Senior standing and completion of 24 hours in the major

• MGT 430 Business, Government and Society 3

  A study of interrelationships among business, government, and society. The complex, continuously evolving and closely linked business-government-society system will be studied. Academic theory and actual management concerns at the strategic, global, national, regional, and local levels are covered in the course.

  Prerequisites: MGT 301

• PHI 324 Bio Ethics 3

  Examines moral problems that arise in the practice of medicine. Various theories about what is good and what is right are considered and related to bio-ethical and socio-ethical issues.

• PSY 339 Social and Cultural Foundations of Behavior 3

  This course explores social and cultural issues in psychology as they relate to the application of psychological theories and principles to diverse groups. Special attention is given to racial/ethnic minority issues and cultural diversity, a key component of which is developing an understanding of personal cultural development and how this pattern of development influences perceptions of interactions with others and general human behavior.

  Prerequisites: PSY 121

• REL 331 Religion and Personal Experience 3

  A study of the place of personal experience in the discovery of religious meaning. May use autobiographical accounts and investigate methods of enhancing consciousness and nurturing spiritual growth.

  Prerequisites: REL 123, REL 124, REL 201, or REL 223

• SSC 327 Cultural Anthropology 3

  An introduction to cultural anthropology and an application of anthropological principles, data, and concepts, combined with the cross-cultural perspective, to a disciplined examination of other cultures and U.S. culture and its social problems. The course emphasizes that knowledge gained from an understanding of other cultures can contribute to the solution of those societal problems. Also, emphasis is placed on learning to appreciate cultural diversity.

• SSC 350 Foundation of Modern Social Sciences 3

  This course is the study of the development of Western social science thought from the end of the 18th century to the beginning of the 20th century. In this course, we will explore the development of Western thinking and ways of knowing from the perspective of the social sciences, including anthropology, economics, history, political science, psychology, and sociology. The course allows students to examine the major contributions to the intellectual ferment of ideas that helped reshape the Western world's concepts of human nature.

Electives (36 Credits)

Total Semester Credits 120

1. * Should be taken as the third-tier Aesthetic Perspective course in LINK.