2026-2027 Catalog
Liberal Studies, Arts and Humanities Emphasis, B.A.
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In addition to adhering to General Education Requirements and School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Requirements , the Liberal Studies, B.A. major requires 54 units (some of which simultaneously fulfill general education requirements). Courses in the major must be taken for a letter grade and may not be taken on a pass/no pass basis unless the course is only offered on a pass/no pass basis. Students must complete all major course prerequisites with a C-or better. Students are not permitted to combine a Liberal Studies, B.A. major with any other SSHA major. Students who complete an emphasis track are not permitted to minor in the same subject of study that they choose to complete their specialization requirements.
Liberal Studies, B.A. Four-Year Course Plan
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Lower Division Requirements [24 Units]
Cornerstone Requirement [4 units]
Complete the following course: Humanities and Arts Requirement Specialization Requirement [8-12 units]
Complete eight to 12 lower division units in Humanities and Arts. Students will choose from one of the Humanities and Arts Specializations: American Studies, Chicanx Studies, Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, Environmental Humanities, Global Arts Studies, History, Literatures in English, Philosophy, Spanish, or Writing Studies. Students must choose the same Humanities and Arts Specialization to satisfy both the lower division and the upper division specialization requirements. Breadth Requirement [8-12 units]
Social Sciences Requirement [8 units]
Complete eight lower division units in Social Sciences in any of the following subjects: ANTH; COGS; CRS; ECON; GEOG; HS; MGMT; PH; POLI; PSY; SOC. Social Sciences or Humanities and Arts Requirement [4 units]
Complete four additional lower division units in either Social Sciences or Humanities and Arts from any of the following subjects*: ANTH; CCST; COGS; CRES; CRS; ECON; EH; ENG; GASP; GEOG; HIST; HS; MGMT; PH; PHIL; POLI; PSY; SOC; SPAN; WRI. *Excluding WRI 001 and WRI 010. For students who select Environmental Humanities as a subject area, this requirement is waived. For students who select other subject areas, up to four units of lower division STEM coursework can substitute, with a petition process. Upper Division Requirements [30 Units]
Capstone Requirement [4 units]
Complete the following course: Humanities and Arts Specialization Requirement [12-20 units]
Complete 12 to 20 upper division units in Humanities and Arts. Students will choose from one of the Humanities and Arts Specializations: American Studies, Chicanx Studies, Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, Environmental Humanities, Global Arts Studies, History, Literatures in English, Philosophy, Spanish, or Writing Studies. Students must choose the same Humanities and Arts Specialization to satisfy both the lower division and the upper division specialization requirements. Elective Requirement [6-14 units]
Complete six to 14 upper division units in either Social Sciences or Humanities and Arts from any of the following subjects*: ANTH; CCST; COGS; CRES; CRS; ECON; EH; ENG; GASP; GEOG; HIST; HS; MGMT; PH; PHIL; POLI; PSY; SOC; SPAN; WRI. *For students who select Environmental Humanities as a subject area, the elective requirement is 14 units. For students who select Spanish as a subject area and do not complete SPAN 050 to satisfy the upper division specialization requirement, the elective requirement is six units. Up to eight units of upper division STEM coursework can substitute, with a petition process. Humanities and Arts Specializations
American Studies
**please consult a SSHA Academic Advisor Chicanx Studies
- CCST 060: Introduction to Chicano/a Culture and Experiences Units: 4 or SPAN 060 or ENG 032
- Complete four additional lower division units from any of the following subjects: CCST, CRES, EH, ENG, GASP, HIST, PHIL, SPAN, or WRI
- Complete four upper division courses from the following: ANTH 110, ANTH 116, CCST 113, CRES 153, PH 113, ENG 113, ENG 115, HIST 119, HIS 123, HIST 129, HIST 142, HIST 142R, SOC 110, SOC 131, SOC 180, SOC 181, SPAN 111-115, SPAN 153, SPAN 175, SPAN 177, SPAN 180
Critical Race and Ethnic Studies
Environmental Humanities
- EH 001: Introduction to Environmental Communications Units: 4
- Complete one additional lower division course from the following: ENG 019, ENG 058, ENG 059, ENG 060, ENG 067
- Complete one additional lower division course from the following: COGS 013, ENGR 096, ESS 002, ESS 010, ESS 034, BIO 034, ESS 043, ESS 050, ENCE 010, ENVE 020, ENVE 030, PHYS 001
- ENG 130: Writing to Save the Planet Units: 4
- Complete two upper division courses from the following: ENG 108, ENG 122, ENG 123, ENG 125, ENG 167, ENG 168, ENG 183, SPAN 181, WRI 114
Global Arts Studies
- Complete two lower division GASP courses
- Complete four upper-division GASP courses
History
- Complete two lower division HIST courses
- Complete four upper division HIST courses
Literatures in English
- Complete one lower division seminar ENG course (ENG 050 through ENG 090)
- Complete one additional lower division ENG course (ENG 010 through ENG 090)
- Complete two upper division Survey of Literatures in English courses from the following: ENG 101, ENG 102, ENG 103 or ENG 104
- Complete two additional upper division ENG courses (ENG 105 through ENG 190)
Philosophy
- Complete one of the following courses: PHIL 001, PHIL 002, PHIL 003, PHIL 004, PHIL 005, PHIL 008, or PHIL 009
- Complete four additional lower division units from any of the following subjects: CCST, CHN, CRES, EH, ENG, GASP, HIST, PHIL, SPAN, or WRI
- Complete four upper division PHIL courses (one preapproved, non-PHIL course may be substituted. Preapproval should be sought from Philosophy faculty).
Spanish
- Complete eight lower division units from any of the following subjects*: CCST, CRES, EH, ENG, GASP, HIST, PHIL, SPAN, or WRI
- SPAN 103: Spanish Composition and Conversation Units: 4
- Complete four additional courses from the following (at least three must be upper division): SPAN 050, SPAN 101-189
* For students who complete SPAN 050 as an upper division specialization requirement, only four additional lower division units are required.
Writing Studies
- Complete one of the following courses: WRI 025, WRI 030, or WRI 090
- Complete four additional lower division units from any of the following subjects: CCST, CRES, EH, ENG, GASP, HIST, PHIL, SPAN, or WRI
- Complete four upper division WRI courses
Transfer Students
Liberal Studies has designed its curriculum so that students transferring as juniors who are enrolled full-time will be able to complete the degree requirements within two years. Transfer Selection Criteria
Beyond meeting the UC Merced campus requirements and the school level transfer requirements, applicants must meet the following additional requirements to be admitted
to their intended major.
Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG): Liberal Studies will participate in the Transfer Admissions Guarantee program. For
students entering through TAG, the following requirements apply: - GPA: Minimum transferable unit GPA of 2.8, or higher
- Course Requirements: Satisfies lower-division breadth requirement. No additional major specific courses are required.
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