Navigating the academic landscape is a pivotal aspect of every student's journey. For Liberal Studies students at the University of Illinois Springfield, a wealth of resources awaits to enhance your learning experience. From direct access to our comprehensive program handbook to informational links for additional support services, our Student Resources function as a centralized hub equipped with tools designed to guide you throughout your studies at UIS.
Students in Liberal Studies can design their own degree program and chart a unique pathway based on their prior learning, experiences, goals, and aspirations. Below are some example pathways. Explore these and other possibilities with the help of our program advisor. For Liberal Studies degree requirements, please visit the catalog.
Liberal Studies B.A. Coaching and Athletics Leadership pathway
Coaching and Athletics Leadership Pathway helps students gain foundational knowledge and transferrable skills to work on compliance, education, health and wellness, leadership, management, support service, & other areas related to coaching and sports.
Employment Areas: athletic administration, coaching and training, health and nutrition education, outreach coordination, sports management, wellness programming, etc.
Stackable Credentials: credit hours completed for minors (e.g.: English, Psychology, Sociology, & Sports Management) may count as electives toward the Liberal Studies B.A. degree.
General Education Courses to Consider:
| Math: MAT121 Applied Statistics | First-Year Seminar: TEP189 Athletics & the American University |
| Humanities: PHI101 Intro to Philosophy | Behavioral/Social Sciences: SOA101 Intro to Sociology or PSY201 Principles of Psychology |
| Science: MLS225 Nutrition | Elective: EXR222 Musculoskeletal Anatomy & Physiology |
| Visual, Creative, Performing Arts: ART236 Intro to Digital Media |
Upper-Division Electives to Consider:
| CCJ414 Criminology of Sport | EXR301 Motor Learning | COM464 Conflict Management |
| ENG309 Professional Writing | MGT474 Leadership & Motivation | EXR329 Kinesiology & Biomechanics |
| EXR 341 ECCE Sport & Society | EXR363 Exercise & Sport Psychology | HIS447 ECCE Sports & US History |
| LIS424 Ancient Sport & Spectacle | COM463 Organizational Communication | SOA464 Sociology of Mental Health/Illness |
| SOA361 Social Psychology | SOA338 Sex, Gender & Pop Culture | PSY333 Positive Psychology |
| THE323 Voice & Movement | WGS366 ECCE Beyond Bias | IPL300, 301, & 305 |
Liberal Studies B.A. Community Relations and Services pathway
Community Relations and Services Pathway prepares students for planning, developing, coordinating, and implementing a variety of community programs, events, and projects and working in grant-seeking, engagement, policies and procedures, & other areas.
Employment Areas: advocacy and outreach, community engagement, grant writing, government agencies, non-profit management, program development and coordination, etc.
Stackable Credentials: credit hours completed for minors (e.g.: African American Studies, Art Therapy, Child Advocacy Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, English, Sociology, & Women and Gender Studies) may count as electives toward the Liberal Studies B.A. degree.
General Education Courses to Consider:
| Humanities: HIS204 U.S. History to 1877 | Humanities: HIS205 U.S. History since 1877 | Math: PSC242 Statistics for Social Sciences |
| Behavioral/Social Sciences: CCJ221 Intro to Criminology | Behavioral/Social Sciences: CCJ231/SOA232 Juvenile Delinquency | Behavioral/Social Sciences: SOA101 Intro to Sociology |
| Behavioral/Social Sciences: PSC201 Intro to the American Political System | Behavioral/Social Sciences: PSY201 Principles of Psychology | Elective: COM210 Media Writing |
Upper-Division Electives to Consider:
| BUS331 ECCE Business, Ethics, & Society | COM331 Business & Managerial Communication | COM362 Intro to Public Relations |
| CCJ364 Communities, Fear, & Crime Control | CCJ463 Intro to Human Rights | CCJ312 ECCE Policing in America |
| CCJ337 Corrections & the Mass Media | CCJ343/WGS343 ECCE Women & Criminal Justice | CCJ347 ECCE Race, Class, & Social Justice |
| ECO315 Economics for Administration | ENG309 Professional Writing | ENG368 ECCE Creative Writing, Publishing, & Community |
| HIS421 ECCE Intro to Oral History | AAS433/HIS429 ECCE Civil Rights Movement of the 20th Century | LES307 Law & Society |
| PAD310 Nonprofit Sector & Society | PAD302 Leadership & Management of Public Organizations | PHI353 Person, Identity, & Dignity |
| PSC311 Intro to Public Policy | PSC403 Public Opinions | ENG481/LIS458 ECCE Memoirs across Cultures |
| SOA312 ECCE Perspectives on Poverty | SOA361 Social Psychology | SWK355 Social Welfare Policies and Services |
Liberal Studies B.A. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice pathway
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Pathway prepares students for developing, coordinating, and leading a variety of DEIJ initiatives and advising, implementing, & updating policies and procedures, among others.
Employment Areas: community engagement and outreach, consulting services, DEIJ education and training, DEIJ events planning, government agencies, program management, media content development, support services, etc.
Stackable Credentials: credit hours completed for minors (e.g.: African American Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, English, Legal Studies, Sociology, & Women and Gender Studies) may count as electives toward the Liberal Studies B.A. degree.
General Education Courses to Consider:
| First-Year Seminar: GBL101 Global Culture & College-Age Youth | Humanities: PHI101 Intro to Philosophy | Math: MAT121 Applied Statistics |
| Behavioral/Social Sciences: CCJ239 Intro to Criminal Justice | Behavioral/Social Sciences: ECO201 Intro to Microeconomics | Behavioral/Social Sciences: SOA221 Social Problems |
| Behavioral/Social Sciences: PSY Principles of Psychology | Elective: SOA235 ECCE Working USA and the 99% |
Upper-Division Electives to Consider:
| AAS301 ECCE African American Studies | AAS465 ECCE Black Women Writers | AAS403/SOA451 ECCE Women of Color & Minority Women |
| BUS331 ECCE Business, Ethics, & Society | COM331 Business & Managerial Communication | COM362 Intro to Public Relations |
| COM425 ECCE Intercultural Communication | CCJ347 ECCE Race, Class, & Social Justice | CCJ463 Intro to Human Rights |
| ENG309 Professional Writing | ENG321 ECCE China to Chinese America | ENG331/WGS381 ECCE Asian American Women & Literature |
| ENG381 ECCE Graphic Novel | AAS433/HIS429 ECCE Civil Rights Movement of the 20th Century | LES307 Law & Society |
| LES333 ECCE Sexual Orientation and Public Policy | MGT310 Managing Organizational Behavior | MGT431 Human Resource Management |
| PHI353 Person, Identity, & Dignity | PSY341 Industrial-Organizational Psychology | PSY422 Race, Culture, & Psychology |
| SOA302 Understanding Cultures | WGS301 ECCE Intro to Women & Gender Studies | WGS449 Employment Discrimination Law |
Liberal Studies B.A. Health Humanities pathway
Health Humanities Pathway helps student combine scientific and humanistic approaches to understanding disease and illness, health and wellness, medical intervention, patient experience, & prevention and healing.
Employment Areas: health advocacy, healthcare administration, medical sales, patient relations and outreach, public health education, wellness program coordination, etc.
Stackable Credentials: credit hours completed for minors (for example: Anthropology, Biology/Pre-Medical, English, Public Health, Sociology, & Women and Gender Studies) may count as electives toward the Liberal Studies B. A. degree.
General Education Courses to Consider:
| Humanities: PHI101 Intro to Philosophy | Life Science: MLS115 Solving Medical Mysteries | Math: MAT121 Applied Statistics |
| Behavioral/Social Science: SOA101 Intro to Sociology | Behavioral/Social Science: SOA103 Intro to Anthropology | Behavioral/Social Science: PSY201 Principles of Psychology |
| Elective: EXR233 Personal Health & Wellness | Elective: MPH224 Epidemiology Science of Disease Discovery |
Upper-Division Electives to Consider:
| COM302 Intro to Interpersonal/Organizational Communication | COM425 ECCE Intercultural Communication | COM428 Nonverbal Communication |
| ENG306 Intro to Linguistics | ENG309 Professional Writing | ENG338 ECCE Intro to Health Humanities |
| ENG382 ECCE Comics, Health, Illness | EXR352 Health Promotion & Disease Prevention | HIS345 ECCE U.S. Women's History |
| HIS421 ECCE Intro to Oral History Methods | HIS454 ECCE History of the Family | MIS323 ECCE Social Health Care Informatics |
| MLS325 Evidence-Based Research Concepts | MPH441 Human Well-Being | MPH471 Emerging Disease |
| PHI341 Ethics | PHI471 Philosophy of Science | PHI473 Philosophy of Mind |
| WGS458 Women, Health, & Healing | PSY335 Health Psychology | SOA304 Human Evolution |
| SOA428 ECCE Culture, Health, & Power | SOA464 Sociology of Mental Health/Illness | SOA563 Sociology of Death, Dying, & Bereavement |