LIBERAL STUDIES
An Interdisciplinary Program
Liberal Studies at Seattle University is the interdisciplinary study of the arts and sciences, and it links metacognition and community engagement in a way that cultivates humanity. The integrative study of the humanities, social sciences, and sciences has long been recognized as the finest preparation for a challenging world. The Liberal Studies program is designed for students with initiative, thoughtfulness, and curiosity who want to use their skills and knowledge to make a contribution to society.
Coursework is an exciting intellectual and social experience. Flexibility is a key Program virtue: as majors grow intellectually the shape of coursework and research can match their intellectual vision. Coursework is project-centered, an innovative curricular design in which students tackle real-world problems. Rather than supervisors, faculty become mentors to engaged and self-motivated students. See B.A. in Liberal Studies tab.
Majors establish a personalized e-portfolio of accomplishments as they proceed to senior year, sharable with potential employers, and Liberal Studies houses the SU Consortium of Interdisciplinary Scholars as a resource for student projects. Majors gain work experience in the community through the SU Center for Service and Community Engagement, and can take advantage of leadership seminars, youth tutoring, and K-8 teaching preparation courses taught in a local elementary school, as well as our undergraduate publishing program.
Alumni of Liberal Studies are pursuing M.A.’s and Ph.D.’s, working in major tech companies and start-ups, non-profits, business management, and many other fields, and teaching K-8. See Alumni-Jobs-Grad School tab.
Faculty are diverse, accomplished, and friendly. They are campus leaders of note. Program faculty write scholarly books and articles in a number of disciplines, including education, philosophy, psychology, theology, sociology, and interdisciplinary studies. See faculty tab.
K-8 options apply to about 1 in 4 majors who choose Liberal Studies because it is the recommended program in the College for students who plan to teach at the elementary level. See K-8 Teaching Options tab.
"Liberal Studies Majors, for me, are the most remarkable students on campus. They seek more than narrow disciplinary work, and instead pursue broader understanding of complex real-world problems by integrating insights drawn from these disciplines. In other words, they work and think at the most challenging, academic level possible – interdisciplinary scholarship." - Sven Arvidson, Ph.D., Program Director