Part of any educational system is to provide opportunities for students to gain breadth and depth. Breadth of knowledge and skills is achieved through the Liberal Studies program. Depth of knowledge is attained through specialization in a particular major. True education and growth helps us to live together in community where we can talk to each other about local, national, and global issues. Well-educated people have a breadth of vision and understanding which enables them to enjoy full, rich, integrated lives. The Liberal Studies part of your undergraduate education is a freeing, liberating experience which allows us to escape our biases and narrow interests. We all wish to integrate the many aspects of our lives into the whole individual.
Talk with people who have graduated from any university: they might well say, my major got me my first job, but it was my liberal studies courses which helped me keep that job and find another.
Comparison of percentages with other universities indicate the following: IUP has about the same percentage of Liberal Studies requirements as other universities in the State System of Higher Education in Pennsylvania. Moreover, IUP has about the same percentage of Liberal Studies requirements as other Doctoral l institutions of similar size. About 45 percent of your graduation requirements are Liberal Studies courses.
No, you will take Liberal Studies courses throughout your four years at IUP. The program has been deliberately structured to extend the Liberal Studies program throughout four years of study. One of the aims of the Liberal Studies program is to foster lifelong learning.
In most cases, you would need to obtain permission from the chair of the department that is offering the course. Only the chair can give you permission to enroll in a closed section.
You must complete at least two writing-intensive courses. One of these must be in your major. The other may be in your major, outside your major, a free elective, or a Liberal Studies course.
All students must include among the total courses required for graduation a minimum of two designated writing-intensive courses. One of these courses must be in the student's primary major; the other(s) may be in Liberal Studies, college or major requirements, or free electives. Such courses, which involve extensive use of writing as part of the learning experience, are identified with a “W” as part of the section number in each semester's schedule of classes listing in MyIUP.
The departments of Anthropology, Biology, Communications Media (JRNL majors only), Criminology and Criminal Justice, English, Finance and Economics (ECON majors only) Food and Nutrition, Foreign Languages, History, Management, Nursing and Allied Health Professions (NURS majors only), Philosophy and Religious Studies, Political Science, Professional Studies in Education (Early Childhood Education majors only), Psychology, Safety Science, and Sociology currently have approved writing plans. Students majoring in these departments are not required to take writing-intensive courses.