Bachelor in Liberal Studies

Your Guide to the Many Pathways Towards a Career in Teaching

Because you can choose from many different teaching career paths, we in the Liberal Studies Program are dedicated to helping you find the best, most exciting, and most practical path towards a career in education! Regardless of what major you choose, you can always turn to us for advice about the undergraduate requirements that will prepare you for the teaching credential or graduate degree of your choice. We can also direct you towards field experience and community service options that will bring you into early contact with practicing teachers, counselors, and principals.

Did you know that you do not necessarily have to major in Liberal Studies to become an elementary school (K-8) teacher? Students interested in teaching at either the elementary or secondary school levels can and should pursue any major that interests them. If you would like to pursue a different major, we can show you how to utilize Liberal Arts Foundation requirements (LAFs) to give yourself a broad education in the subjects included in California State Standards and in the multiple-subject CSET.

If you choose to complete the Liberal Studies major, we will provide you with exciting classes that introduce you to the classroom and to the profession, prepare you for the multiple-subject requirements, get you in contact with professionals in education, and give you the opportunity to conduct research pertaining to education. Many career markets in education favor people who have specialized in a specific area. Therefore, the Liberal Studies Program offers a practical path towards obtaining a double major in order to ensure that you have the best preparation for your chosen career path.

The Major

Liberal Studies is an interdisciplinary program composed of a double major for students interested in teaching grades K-8. Most of the coursework in the Liberal Studies portion of the double major is designed to prepare students for the multiple subjects test in the California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET; formerly MSAT or Multiple Subject Assessment for Teachers) required under federal No Child Left Behind legislation. Therefore, in the Liberal Studies portion of the double major, students complete coursework in seven content areas to achieve the subject matter breadth that is required to teach at the elementary level. Completion of this coursework also satisfies almost all of the Liberal Arts Foundation requirements for graduation from the University of Redlands. The remainder of the coursework in the Liberal Studies portion of the program is composed of a sequence of LBST classes that introduce prospective teachers to the field, expose them to the various approaches to education from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, and prepare them to undertake research projects in education.

In addition, the Liberal Studies program is designed for students who are pursuing two majors, and thus requires a second major of the student's choosing for disciplinary depth. Interdisciplinary majors are also available to the student. By selecting and completing a second major, Liberal Studies majors develop a strong understanding of the conceptual foundations of at least one subject area in-depth, as well as an understanding of how knowledge is created and organized in that subject. Students are encouraged to select a subject area that will provide the foundation for supplementing a multiple subject teaching credential (for teaching a single subject at the secondary level) or open a pathway into a second profession or graduate study. Common second majors include Spanish, Communication Sciences and Disorders, English, Math, Psychology, and Environmental Science.

Students do not automatically earn a teaching credential by completing the B.A. in Liberal Studies; however, all current course prerequisites for admission to the teaching credential program in the university's School of Education are satisfied within the Liberal Studies major, and required coursework prepares students for the CSET multiple subjects test. Academic advising for undergraduate students interested in becoming K8 teachers is coordinated through the Liberal Studies program in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students who plan to be K-8 teachers should seek early advising by the Liberal Studies Program, followed by consultation with the School of Education.

LBST for Transfer Students

If you would like to know what coursework will best prepare you to transfer to the University of Redlands as a Liberal Studies Major, below you will find a list of course topics that may fulfill many Liberal Studies major requirements as well as satisfying the University's Liberal Arts Foundation requirements (LAFs) and being aligned with California's subject matter content standards for K-8.

Bear in mind that different institutions utilize different course titles even when the same basic content may be taught. What is important is that the courses reflect substantial portions of the California State standards. Thus, alternative courses may be accepted at the discretion of the LBST advisor. Please contact our office if you would like an evaluation of such a proposed substitution (909-748-8384).

If the college that you are currently attending has an "articulation agreement" with the University of Redlands, please link to the articulation agreements to find a list of courses offered at your institution. Then choose courses from that list that match the descriptions given below:

• Music or Art: Choose one of either a Music Appreciation course OR an introduction to an Art form (for example, drawing, ceramics, or sculpture) that includes opportunities to participate in creating art or learning artistic techniques (in order to fulfill the "Creative Process" LAF).
• Cross-cultural Survey: Choose one of either a World Religions survey course OR an introduction to Cultural Anthropology. (World Religions can only count in fulfillment of EITHER the cross-cultural requirement OR the religion and philosophy requirement, not both.)
• Child development: Take one introduction to Child Development (such courses are usually entitled "Child Development," "Child and Adolescent Development" or "Developmental Psychology").
• History: Choose ONE course from the following history surveys--World History (you may choose either the survey that covers the ancient to early modern period or the one that covers the early modern period to the present) or American History (choose either the survey that covers the Colonial Period to the Civil War or the one that covers the Civil War to the Present).
• Literature: Choose ONE Literature course from the following survey course options--introduction to American Literature, Introduction to British Literature, introduction to World Literature. Another similarly broad Literature survey course may be acceptable. However, courses that form part of a freshman year writing composition series are NOT acceptable substitutions.
• Religion and Philosophy: Choose one of either a World Religions OR an introduction to Philosophy course. (World Religions can only count in fulfillment of EITHER the cross-cultural requirement OR the religion and philosophy requirement, not both.)
• Biology with a lab: Take an introduction to Biology that also has a laboratory component.
• Math: Take "Finite Mathematics" (often courses with other titles do not qualify as Finite Mathematics, even if listed in the articulation agreements--please contact the Registrar's office to determine if a course fits the description of "Finite Mathematics").
• Chemistry, Physics, or Environmental Science: Choose one course from the following course topics: an introduction to Chemistry, Physics, Physical Geography, or Astronomy.
• U.S. Government or Politics: Take an introduction to American "Government" or "Politics."

General Graduation Requirements

You are responsible for consulting the current University of Redlands Catalog regarding graduation requirements and are responsible for monitoring your own progress. In your senior year, you should contact the registrar's office to arrange for a "grad check." The Registrar determines the general transferability of courses from other institutions and their application of fulfilling LAFs.

Major Requirements

All Liberal Studies core courses and the subject matter courses must be at least 3 credits and must be completed with a grade of 2.0 [C] or higher. Liberal Studies majors are also required to complete a second major of their choice.

1. Liberal Studies Core Course

• LBST 101 Introduction to Education (4)
• LBST 201 Studies in Education (4)
• LBST 301 Inquiry and Analysis in Education (4)
• LBST 401 Senior Research Seminar in Education (4)

2. Subject Matter Courses

The following courses are required Subject Matter courses for the Liberal Studies degree. The courses are the most appropriate choices for fulfilling the respective LAF/LAI relative to the state's teaching content standards.

• MUS 118 Music for the Classroom Teacher OR ART 118 Art for Children (4)
• HIST 122 American Civilization (4)
• ENGL 215 Children's Literature OR any 200-level English course (4)
• BIOL 107 Concepts of Biology (4)
• MATH 102 Mathematics for Prospective Educators (prerequisite: MATH 101 Finite Math) (4)
• CHEM 102 Introduction to Chemistry of the Environment (4)

*Course substitutions must be approved by the Liberal Studies Director.

Additional Recommended Courses

• EDUC 331 Child Development
• EVST 220 Physical Geography OR PHYS 103 General Astronomy
• POLI 111 American National Government [meets California Constitution requirement]
• HIST 101 World History to 1450 OR HIST 102 World History Since 1450 OR HIST 121 American Civilization I
• PE 310 Instructional Strategies for Physical Education
• PHIL 100 Introduction to Philosophy
• PSYC 100 Introduction to Psychology
• REL 125 World Religion
• SPCH 110 Fundamentals of Speech
• THA 140 Acting Fundamentals
• Foreign Language - To be chosen by the student

3. Second Major (to be chosen by the student)

The course of study is subject to the guidelines set forth by the program in which the second major is taken. The second major must be declared before registration for the junior year.

Departmental Honors:

A departmental honors program in Liberal Studies is available for those who wish to pursue advanced undergraduate research in elementary education. Students must have a cumulative University of Redlands GPA of at least 3.45 to apply to the program. Successful completion of LBST 301 or its equivalent is also a prerequisite to apply to the program. Applicants are encouraged to submit a thesis proposal to the program director by the end of the spring semester of their junior year. The deadline to apply for the honors program is the end of the fourth week of the fall semester of the senior year.

General Education Requirements

General Education is a broad description of the curriculum that embodies our commitment to a liberal arts education at the University of Redlands. Our general education conveys the range of fields of study, ways of thinking, and practices of scholarship and creativity that enable students to graduate as critical thinkers capable of innovatively and collaboratively adapting to challenges that come their way in the future.

Our general education is comprised of a Liberal Arts Inquiry (LAI) or Liberal Arts Foundation (LAF) curriculum.

• Entering first-year students and transfer students arriving with fewer than 32 credits in Fall 2018 will follow the LAI curriculum.
• All transfer and returning students with 32 credits or more (i.e., sophomores, juniors, and seniors) in Fall 2018 will follow the LAF curriculum.