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Liberal Arts

A liberal arts degree will help make you a better thinker and give you an edge. Available online or face-to-face, Grand View University’s liberal arts program will help you hone your critical thinking, communication and creativity skills. This broad base of expertise will help you succeed in a wide variety of career fields. The courses are challenging and thought-provoking and will expose you to a variety of career options - some you may not have even considered.

ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES

The beauty of a liberal arts program is that it helps you prepare for a number of future educational or career options. If you are thinking about going to graduate school, this major gives you a wide knowledge base upon which to build your specialized graduate training. Working with your faculty advisor to design a program of study, you can prepare yourself for graduate school in such areas as Sociology, English and Psychology.

Employers often welcome new graduates with a broad liberal arts background. You can tailor your choice of electives and academic minors to your career interests. Students with a strong liberal arts background often go on to careers in management, sales, and administration.

Degree Level:

Undergraduate Programs

Program Type:

Major

Format:

Full Time, In-Person, Online

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Why Grand View?

Design your own liberal arts program out of courses that study the human condition, the natural world, faith and reason, and aesthetic appreciation.
Students who complete this major have a broad background in courses that require the ability to be critical thinkers, who are adaptable, and can creatively solve unstructured problems.
Our graduates have had experience with diversity and ethical responsibility, and have developed the ability to communicate well in written and oral form.

Program Details

The Liberal Arts Major affords students the opportunity to gain familiarity with and appreciation for a broad spectrum of academic disciplines. Students who prefer a more focused program of study or who may be preparing for graduate school have the flexibility to emphasize areas present in the general education core. All students are expected to consult with the faculty advisors in developing their programs of study.

Course Requirements (42 credits)

Requirements for the Major:

42 semester credits with a total of at least 24 upper division hours earned in this major. Courses taken as part of the skill building component of the General Education Core (i.e., composition and quantitative reasoning requirements) may not be counted toward the hours required for the major. All courses taken for the major will be counted in computing the 2.2 GPA required for the major. LIBA 350 or LIBA 350H must be included as part of the major course work.

Take 6-12 credits from each of the following four categories. No more than 12 credits from any category can be applied toward the upper division requirement:

The Human Condition:	History, Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Humanities, Political Science, or Liberal Arts	6-12 credits
LIBA 350 or LIBA 350H	Core Seminar II or Honors II: Society and Global Citizenship	3 credits or 4 credits
Aesthetic Appreciation: Art, Music, Humanities, Theatre, Speech, English Literature, Communications, or Liberal Arts		6-12 credits
Faith and Reason: Theology, Philosophy, Humanities, Mathematical Reasoning, or Liberal Arts		6-12 credits
The Natural World: Chemistry, Biology, Physical Science, Physics		6-12 credits

So What Are the Liberal Arts?

As a liberal arts major, you’ll get an overview of the arts, humanities (the study of the human condition), social sciences, mathematics and natural sciences, as well as a variety of skills that will help you excel in the workforce. It’s an educational style that can trace its roots back hundreds of years—and it has only gotten better with age at Grand View University.

For prospective students already working full-time or juggling life and family responsibilities, we also offer liberal studies degrees (and related majors) online. Instead of attending classes in the evening after work or on weekends, you can skip the commute and log-in to your classes from the comfort of home at a time that is convenient for you.

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Tuition & Scholarships

At Grand View University, your tuition supports instruction delivered by knowledgeable and experienced faculty who uphold our tradition of exceptional teaching. Additionally, we are dedicated to offering a high-quality education at the most affordable cost.

Transfer Credits

No matter what major you’re thinking about, you may be able to transfer in as many as 75 credits from a community college or junior college. If you have an A.A. or A.A.S. from an Iowa community college, you will be automatically admitted at junior status.

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AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Steve Snyder, Professor of Humanities

Steve has received both the Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award and the Outstanding Faculty Service Award at Grand View. He has given presentations at national conferences for the Teaching Professor and has written and published articles on innovative teaching methods. His courses include those in Humanities, Liberal Arts, and the Logos Honor Program.

Dr. Heather Brady, Associate Professor of Liberal Arts

Heather teaches courses on immigration with an emphasis on community engagement, global awareness, and cultural diversity. She has led study tours to France and Tanzania, and her diverse research interests include French culture, African literature and Mexican immigration. She was awarded an Iowa Campus Compact Faculty Fellowship and will be a member of the Greater Des Moines Partnership Leadership Institute.