The Liberal Studies or liberal arts degree is not only one of the oldest university degrees but also the extremely relevant for 21st century living. To be an educated and effective person today, one must be able to understand knowledge and ideas across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences to solve local and global issues. Whether in the workplace or in one’s community, individuals need to identify and discern which ideas, arguments and proposals have merit or realistic possibilities, which requires clear, deliberative and critical thinking. The five core values of the Liberal Studies Department are:
The Liberal Studies Program at Cal Poly Pomona develops students' broad knowledge base along with critical and interdisciplinary (knowledge from different academic disciplines) thinking skills to develop a broader and deeper understanding of the pressing issues humans face. We seek for students to understand the multiple perspectives of human experience to consider and value these perspectives and actively engage in leadership and decision making in their communities.
Liberal Studies education also develops the very qualities employers desire for the fast and changing world we live in. Any student who actively and seriously engages in our Liberal Studies program can expect to develop these workplace skills, too: written communication skills, multicultural and social sensitivity/awareness, problem-solving/reasoning and a desire for life-long learning.
The department has a strong commitment to supporting students to complete their degree in a timely manner and dedicated faculty with years of teaching experience. The department also strives to develop a sense of community for students through the Liberal Studies Student Club, which offers students opportunities for leadership and volunteering, and an annual Liberal Studies spring community event.
If you want to become an elementary teacher or want to have a broad education with a 20-unit concentration in a single discipline, Liberal Studies is the major for you.
View the short video on this page for more detail about a Liberal Studies degree.
Congratulations to Liberal Studies Faculty member, Deborah Meadows, who was awarded Lecturer Emeritus status this spring.
Congratulations to Dr. Chavez-Reyes and Jenna Skulski for being awarded one of the first Kellogg FUTURES Mini-Grants for Undergraduate Research for their study entitled, "Evaluation study of a service-learning program for college and high school students: A pilot study".
Jenna and Dr. Chavez-Reyes evaluated the life coaching part of the LS 460S service-learning at Santana High School this year to improve it for Liberal Studies and Santana students. Some of the results of the study have already been used in a manuscript to the Michigan Journal on Community Service Learning. Come out to the Honors College Capstone Poster May 18.
This is a great example of how Liberal Studies
students can show the rest of the campus how we
learn by doing.
Interdisciplinary collaboration for sustainability
Dr. Chavez-Reyes is working with faculty members in civil engineering and business to design undergraduate teaching modules on water and sustainability. Her collaboration is a perfect example of how scholars in various disciplines can work together to solve real-world issues by contributing their unique disciplinary perspective on the issue. The team, Dr. Monica Palomo, Dr. Kenneth Lamb, Dr. Seema C. Shah-Fairbank, who are Cal Poly Pomona's water specialists, and Dr. Jun Meyers, with expertise in assessing consumers' and the general public 's cognitive, affective and behavioral orientations, and Dr. Chavez-Reyes, with expertise in evaluation and assessment and curriculum design, are waiting to hear on two grant submissions for their work. Let's wish them luck!
The Liberal Studies Department Is located in building 94 room 321. The department coordinator is Rebecca Briseno and she can be reached at 909-869-3567 or by email.
For Information on the teaching programs offered by Cal Poly Pomona, visit the Department of Education Website.
