Guide to Liberal Arts
Understanding liberal arts
How can you find a liberal arts class?
Students in the Schieffer School of Journalism are required to take 65 hours of “traditional liberal arts.”
So what’s a liberal arts course? It is a course in the academic areas of social sciences, natural sciences, fine arts, literature and the humanities. At least that’s the general definition. More specifically for our purposes, it is a course that is intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills, rather than occupational or professional skills.
Put even more simply, if it teaches you a professionally oriented skill, it is not a liberal arts course.
So using that definition, test yourself by determining whether the following are liberal arts or not:
- Calculus
- Beginning Italian
- Music Theory
- History of Europe
- Flute lessons
- Art History
- Ceramics
- Macroeconomics
- Marketing
- Accounting
- Constitutional Law
- Business and Professional Speaking
Liberal arts: 1,2,3,4,6,8,11
Not liberal arts: 5,7,10,12
Bottom line: If it increases your knowledge about a field, it’s a liberal art. If it teaches you a professional skill, it isn’t.
Why do we have this requirement? This is a part of our accreditation requirements. The Schieffer School is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. One of the requirements to be accredited is that students take at least 65 hours in the traditional liberal arts.
The list below details those departments where you can be virtually sure to get a liberal arts course. Below that are liberal arts courses found in areas where you typically do not find such courses.
Every class in the following departments is considered to be a liberal art:
- ANTH
- BRST
- CRJU
- ECON
- ENGL
- GEOG
- HIST
- Modern Languages and Literatures (all foreign languages)
- PHIL
- POSC (except POSC internships)
- RELI
- SOCI
- BIOL
- CHEM
- ENSC
- GEOL
- MATH
- PHYS
- PSYC
Only specific classes in the subjects listed below are considered to be liberal arts: (These classes may or may not be open to all majors. Some require pre-reqs.)
- ART 20063
- ART 20073
- ART 20083
- ART 20093
- ART 20103
- ART 20113
- ART 20503
- ART 20603
- ART 20833
- ART 20913
- ART 30113
- ART 30123
- ART 30143
- ART 30150
- ART 30153
- ART 30163
- ART 30173
- ART 30183
- ART 30193
- ART 30203
- ART 30333
- ART 30343
- ART 30353
- ART 30363
- ART 30415
- ART 30603
- ART 30623
- ART 30633
- ART 30613
- ART 30773
- BUSI 10013
- COMM 20193
- COMM 20223
- COMM 30103
- COMM 30123
- COMM 30133
- COMM 30243
- COMM 30263
- COMM 30283
- COMM 40213
- COMM 50223
- COMM 50233
- DANC 40373
- DANC 30383
- DANC 50160
- DEMT 10243
- DEMT 10423
- FNRT 30900
- MANA 20153
- MUSI 10033
- MUSI 10053
- MUSIC 10063
- MUSI 10073
- MUSI 10083
- MUSI 10433
- MUSI 30613
- NTDT 10003
- NTDT 10201
- NTDT 10211
- NTDT 10221
- NTDT 20113
- NTDT 20403
- NTDT 20433
- NTDT 20163
- NTDT 30123
- NURS 10043
- NURS 10111
- NURS 10303
- NURS10121
- RTVF 10013
- RTVF 10053
- RTVF 10073
- RTVF 10093
- RTVF 10113
- RTVF 30410
- RTVF 30593
- RTVF 30643
- RTVF 30663
- RTVF 30983
- THEA 10053
- THEA 10203
- THEA 10301
- THEA 10433
- THEA 30103
- THEA 30113
- THEA 30123
- THEA 40123
- THEA 40133
- THEA 40143
- THEA 40153
- THEA 40163
All courses in SOWO except the ones listed below are considered to be liberal arts:
- SOWO 20813
- SOWO 30533
- SOWO 30543
- SOWO 40543
- SOWO 40886
- SOWO 40983
- SOWO 40896
Please ask your faculty adviser if you have any question about a specific course not listed.
