The Liberal Studies B.A. at Stockton University gives students the flexibility to design an interdisciplinary major around their academic interests, career goals and long-term plans. This Bachelor of Arts degree is ideal for students whose goals do not fit neatly within one existing major.
Liberal Studies majors work with advisors and faculty mentors to create a coherent 128-credit academic plan with a clear theme, strong liberal arts foundation and focused depth. Students may connect coursework with independent study, service learning, internships, community engagement or a senior project. The program can support individualized paths in civic engagement, humanities, arts management, community leadership, public service, professional preparation or graduate study.
Turn Your Interests Into a Degree Plan
What is the Liberal Studies B.A. at Stockton University?
The Liberal Studies B.A. at Stockton University is an interdisciplinary studies degree for students who want to build a major around a clear academic theme, career interest or professional goal. Students combine courses from different fields while developing a focused plan that reflects liberal arts learning, critical thinking and advanced study in a chosen area.
Who is a good fit for the Liberal Studies major?
The Liberal Studies major may be a good fit for students whose interests cross several disciplines, such as humanities, civic engagement, arts administration, environmental topics, public service or pre-professional study. It works best for students who can plan ahead, explain their goals clearly and work closely with advisors and faculty mentors to design an individualized academic program.
What can you do with a Liberal Studies B.A.?
A Liberal Studies B.A. can support career paths that value broad knowledge, communication, research, problem solving and flexible thinking. Depending on the student’s approved plan, graduates may prepare for careers in community organizations, cultural institutions, public service, nonprofit work, arts management, education-related fields or graduate and professional study. Draft needs departmental input for specific career examples.
How is Liberal Studies different from a traditional major?
A traditional major follows a set curriculum in one academic field. Liberal Studies allows students to design an interdisciplinary major around a central theme, combining courses, independent study, experiential learning and a senior project into one approved plan. The program must show coherence, breadth and depth, and it cannot simply duplicate an existing Stockton University degree program.
What types of topics can students study through Liberal Studies?
Students may build Liberal Studies plans around themes such as community leadership, civic engagement, humanities, American studies, women’s studies, gerontology, wildlife illustration, fine arts management or other interdisciplinary topics. Each plan must have a unifying purpose and should connect academic coursework with the student’s educational, professional or graduate school goals.
Community Leadership & Civic Engagement
The Community Leadership and Civic Engagement concentration within Stockton University’s Liberal Studies B.A. is designed for students who want to connect interdisciplinary study with community-based action. Students work with an academic advisor to build a 128-credit plan that combines Liberal Studies coursework, CLCE-designated courses and applied learning experiences.
This concentration emphasizes leadership, service learning, project-based learning, internships and community engagement. Students may explore pathways connected to nonprofit organizations, state and local government, community-based organizations, public policy, public humanities, environmental work, education, social work, law, urban planning, arts administration or entrepreneurship.
Students interested in this concentration must prepare a multidisciplinary proposal with their advisor and have it approved by the CLCE convener and the dean of General Studies. The program must show academic coherence, breadth and depth while incorporating CLCE-designated coursework. Learn more about the Community Leadership and Civic Engagement concentration.
Path to Degree Completion
Stockton University offers a flexible path to degree completion for students who started college but had to pause their studies because of work, family, the pandemic or other life events. This option may be helpful for returning students, adult learners or transfer students who want to use previously earned credits toward a bachelor’s degree.
Students work with a dedicated academic advisor to review completed credits, discuss financial aid opportunities and create a class schedule that fits their needs. Available course formats may include online, hybrid, in-person, day, evening and some 8-week courses, giving students more ways to complete their degree while balancing other responsibilities.
The Liberal Studies B.A. can be a strong option for degree completion because it allows students to design an individualized academic plan around their previous coursework, current goals and future career plans. Learn more about Stockton’s Path to Degree Completion.
Requirements
Although proposals resembling an existing degree program may be approved, the LIBA major may not replicate or replace an established program in another school. Students pursuing a specific career or graduate study will be advised to solicit and consider the advice of faculty in similar or related disciplines and programs.
- The basic requirements for students undertaking a Liberal Studies B.A. are planning
and thinking. In close consultation with an advisor and counsel from faculty members
proximate to the student’s goals, students will develop a coherent set of classroom
courses, independent study projects and (if appropriate) off-campus experiences, all
of which are intended to meet the particular objectives of his/her program faculty.
Proposals will be reviewed by the preceptor, the LIBA convenor and the dean of General
Studies. The student should also plan for a senior project that will provide a capstone
for the program and an opportunity to demonstrate what he/she has learned.
- Planning for a LIBA should normally be started before a student reaches junior status.
Therefore, transfer students with junior standing must act quickly if they wish to
pursue the LIBA option.
- Final approval must be obtained prior to achievement of senior status (i.e., before
the 96th credit is completed). A proposal will be considered only if it calls for
a least a full year of additional course work (32 credits) subsequent to its approval. Approval
is normally obtained prior to the completion of 80 credits.
- Students interested in pursuing the Liberal Studies B.A. should discuss their ideas
with staff in the Center for Academic Advising (CC242) as early as possible and consult
regularly with their preceptor and Academic Advising while developing their plans.
The preceptor will help students obtain advice from at least two faculty members who
will serve as co-sponsors for their programs. As LIBA programs are usually interdisciplinary,
these faculty members should represent different disciplines.
- The most important requirement for entering the Liberal B.A. program is the preparation of a written proposal. Detailed instructions for preparing a proposal are available from the Center for Academic Advising (CC242). The Liberal B.A. program is not intended to be a default option for students in other majors who may not earn enough credits to graduate from another program.
Hear from our Alumni
Stockton invested in me as a student. I think that makes a big difference. When I got here, I was so supported and loved by my professors. They were both my friends and my peers.
B.A, Sociology & Anthropology
Career Information
Liberal Studies majors build skills that are useful across many fields, including writing, research, communication, critical thinking, collaboration, problem solving and the ability to connect ideas across disciplines. Students may also include internships, service learning, independent study, community-based projects or a senior project to connect their academic plan with real-world goals.
Possible career pathways may include:
- Community program coordinator
- Nonprofit organization staff member
- Public service or government support roles
- Cultural or humanities organization staff member
- Arts administration assistant
- Community engagement coordinator
- Education or youth program support roles
- Graduate or professional school preparation
Career outcomes should be shaped with guidance from advisors and faculty mentors so each student’s Liberal Studies plan supports a clear academic, professional or graduate school goal.
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