Liberal Studies Major Online Degree Completion Program (BA)
College: College of Arts & Humanities
Admission Requirements for the Liberal Studies Major Online Degree Completion Program
This completely online version of our traditional major offers streamlined options within the following concentrations: individually designed topics, social science studies, or leadership and organizational studies. Before being admitted, students must meet the following requirements and apply specifically for the degree completion version of Liberal Studies with Organizational Studies Concentration Online (LBSO)*.
Requirements for being admitted into LBSO:
- A minimum of 60 college credits
- Completion of the UW-Parkside Skills requirements
- Completion of the UW-Parkside Foreign Language requirements
- Completion of the UW-Parkside General Education requirements (Students who have fewer than five General Education courses left to take may be considered for admission); or, completion of an associate degree from an accredited, college-parallel program.
- Each student application will be evaluated by admissions counselors and Liberal Studies advisors. Students who have not completed some of these requirements may be given conditional admission and are expected to complete all requirements needed for a UW-Parkside degree.
*Students who don’t meet all the requirements listed above may still be admitted on special approval after consulting with one of our liberal studies advisors.
Requirements for the Liberal Studies Major Online Degree Completion Program
Students complete the major “core” in addition to the organizational studies concentration.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| Required Courses | ||
| LBST 103 | Diversity in the United States | 3 |
| LBST 300 | Identity and Influence: The American Experience 1 | 3 |
| Introductory Courses 2 | ||
| Courses must be from at least 2 departments: | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Introduction to Anthropology | ||
| Introduction to Humanities: World Cultures to 1500 | ||
| Introduction to Humanities: World Cultures 1500-Present | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Required Senior Seminar Capstone | ||
| Capstone is to be completed final semester in the major/concentration. | ||
| LBST 498 | Senior Seminar Project | 3 |
| Concentration Courses | ||
| Choose one concentration | 23-24 | |
| Total Credits | 41-42 | |
- 1
Note: LBST 300 will also fulfill the university’s diversity requirement.
- 2
These courses may be General Education courses and are often 100-level courses. Courses identified as prerequisites for desired, advanced coursework should be prioritized.
Note: In order to reach the 120 credits, including the 36 upper division credits, minimally required to earn a Bachelor’s degree at UW-Parkside, Liberal Studies majors may need to complete additional coursework in the form of “electives”. Alternatively, students may wish to augment their major with a minor or a certificate from any department on campus as a way to fulfill the remainder of their university requirements.
Elective Courses
If students enrolled in this program have the minimum of 60 credits, and complete the above 42-43 credits, they will still need an additional 18-19 credits to meet the minimum required 120 credits to complete their UW-Parkside degree. Students are also required to meet the 36 upper-division credits required to graduate and are expected to meet that minimum requirement through incoming credits or elective credits. A Liberal Studies advisor will help each student identify which online courses will meet the university requirements and pique the student’s interest.
Concentration Options
Students choose from three concentrations within the liberal studies major: leadership and organizational studies; social sciences studies; and individually designed.
Leadership and Organizational Studies Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Requirements 1 | ||
| Skills, Methods, and/or Literacy Courses 2 | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Writing for Business and Industry | ||
| Introduction to Leadership | ||
| Special Topics in Liberal Studies | ||
| Social Science Research Methods | ||
| Business Statistics I | ||
| Concentration Courses 3,4 | 18 | |
| Total Credits | 24 | |
- 1
Each course may only count toward one requirement.
- 2
These courses provide foundational skills needed to begin research and exploration required in a concentration.
- 3
18 credit concentration where at least 9 credits occur at the 300/400-level. No more than 6-credits may be earned through Independent Study courses. Selection must include courses from at least two different departments or disciplines.
- 4
Working with the individualized attention of our Liberal Studies Advisor and using UW-Parkside’s array of online course offerings, students will create and propose their unique concentration course collection where the majority of coursework occurs in recognized Leadership and Organizational Studies areas such as Accounting, Business, Communication, Criminal Justice, Ethnic Studies, History, Liberal Studies, Marketing, Management, Political Science, Professional Studies, and Statistics. Information on our online course offerings are available here: https://www.uwp.edu/learn/courseschedule/?classType=DE
Social Science Studies Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Requirements 1 | ||
| Skills, Methods, and/or Literacy Courses 2 | ||
| Select two of the following: | 5-6 | |
| Introduction to Leadership | ||
| Report Writing for the Social Sciences | ||
| Statistics for the Social Sciences | ||
| Social Science Research Methods | ||
| Concentration Courses 3,4 | 18 | |
| Total Credits | 23-24 | |
- 1
Each course may only count toward one requirement.
- 2
These courses provide foundational skills needed to begin research and exploration required in a concentration.
- 3
18 credit concentration where at least 9 credits occur at the 300/400-level. No more than 6-credits may be earned through Independent Study courses. Selection must include courses from at least two different departments or disciplines.
- 4
Working with the individualized attention of our Liberal Studies Advisor and using UW-Parkside’s array of online course offerings, students will create and propose their unique concentration course collection where the majority of coursework occurs in recognized Social Science disciplines such as Communication, Criminal Justice, Economics, Ethnic Studies, Geography, History, Liberal Studies, Political Science, and International Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Information on our online course offerings are available here: https://www.uwp.edu/learn/courseschedule/?classType=DE
Individually Designed Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Requirements 1 | ||
| Skills, Methods, and/or Literacy Courses | ||
| Select two of the following: 2 | 5-6 | |
| Writing for Business and Industry | ||
| Introduction to Leadership | ||
| Special Topics in Liberal Studies | ||
| Report Writing for the Social Sciences | ||
| Statistics for the Social Sciences | ||
| Social Science Research Methods | ||
| Business Statistics I | ||
| Concentration Courses 3,4 | 18 | |
| Total Credits | 23-24 | |
- 1
Each course may only count toward one requirement.
- 2
These courses provide foundational skills needed to begin research and exploration required in a concentration.
- 3
18 credit concentration focusing on your chosen designed topic where at least 9 credits occur at the 300/400-level. No more than 6-credits may be earned through Independent Study courses. Selection must include courses from at least two different departments or disciplines.
- 4
Working with the individualized attention of our Liberal Studies Advisor and using UW-Parkside’s array of online course offerings, students will create and propose their unique concentration course collection. Information on our online course offerings are available here: https://www.uwp.edu/learn/courseschedule/?classType=DE
General University Degree Requirements (Bachelor's Degree)
In addition to individual program requirements, students must also fulfill the following requirements:
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Skills | 7-8 |
| General Education | 36 |
| Foreign Language** | 6-8 |
| Ethnic Diversity | 3 |
| Total | 52-55 |
** Transfer students in sustainable management, and health information management and technology collaborative, online degree-completion programs, the business management online degree-completion program, and the flexible option degree-completion program will be exempt from the university’s foreign language requirement. See appropriate academic section for further information.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing | ||
| ENGL 101 | Composition and Reading | 3 |
| Computational Skills | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4-5 | |
| Survey of Mathematics | ||
| Elementary Statistics | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning | ||
| College Algebra I | ||
| Total Credits | 7-8 | |
Degree Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Minimum Total Credits | 120 |
| Upper Level Credits (300 level or above) | 36 |
| Residency | 30 of final 60 |
Cumulative Degree GPA: 2.0 minimum