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An educated person From the very founding of the modern university centuries ago, liberal arts education has featured the deliberate study of a range of academic disciplines. An educated person, according to this tradition, is one conversant not merely in the sciences, the arts, the social sciences, or the humanities, but across these fields. Liberal arts curricula have long sought to ensure in students a considerable breadth of intellectual development and practical training, even as specialized knowledge and skills have become more important in recent times. In today's undergraduate curriculum, the combination of General Education requirements across disciplines with the requirement to fulfill a specialized Major program of study in a single discipline represents the compromise between these values of intellectual breadth and depth. The programs offered under the heading of Liberal Studies provide an alternative to the recent trend toward intellectual specialization. Liberal Studies programs emphasize the traditional value of breadth in a liberal arts education. The Liberal Studies Major allows students to sustain their exposure to a variety of intellectual disciplines and explore a broad range of fields. In the final semesters of work, students select a particular field in which to pursue greater depth of study, but that depth is explored against a richer background of broad exposure to the arts, humanities, and sciences. As a result, students are better prepared to understand interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary connections and appreciate the cross-fertilization of concepts, methods, and values among fields of academic endeavor. The goal of Liberal Studies programs is to produce graduates who are intellectually well-rounded, competent in a broad range of skills, and experienced in a variety of educational settings Preparing future teachers By this design, Liberal Studies programs prepare students for passage of the California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET). The CSET is a test of the future teacher’s mastery of the subject matter delivered in K-8 curricula: passage of the CSET is a prerequisite for completion of many post-baccalaureate credential programs (including CSUSM’s) and is currently required for employment in Title I, federally-funded school systems in California.
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pathways Liberal Studies programs aim to prepare graduates for smooth entry into the next stages of teacher training, and to ensure that, as future teachers, they attain rich command of the subjects that they will teach to students. Liberal Studies offers various programs suited to different student interests and goals. The Liberal Studies Major is a complete undergraduate program leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree. The Major takes two different forms or options: 1) The Elementary Subject Matter Preparation option (ESMP) provides focused preparation for entry into post-baccalaureate, multiple subject teaching credential programs. This option is suitable for both ‘native’ CSUSM students and transfer students; coursework at many local community colleges may be readily applied to Liberal Studies requirements. 2) The Integrated Credential Program (ICP) option combines undergraduate coursework with the curriculum of a fifth-year multiple subject teacher credential program/CLAD emphasis. Graduates of the ICP concurrently earn both the baccalaureate degree and the multiple-subject teaching credential, typically one semester sooner than the ten semesters of full-time study ordinarily required to complete these programs. Both options share the same coursework to meet certain first- and second-year (lower division) General Education requirements, as well as a number of upper-division breadth-of-study requirements. Both options also require students to select a Depth of Study module of coursework linked to one of the seven major subject matter areas. A different pathway to careers in elementary teaching is provided by the Elementary Subject Matter Preparation Certificate (ESMPC). This is a "stand alone" certificate program that can be combined with any major in the College of Arts and Sciences. See the University Catalog for more information. The ESMPC, when combined with any major in the College of Arts and Science, also provides preparation for graduate-level, multiple subject credential programs. Like the Liberal Studies Major, the ESMPC prescribes a particular pathway through the General Education requirements of the baccalaureate degree; completion of the certificate curriculum ensures the student’s preparedness in the subject areas of the K-8 curriculum. The ESMPC is a package of coursework that the student combines with the required curriculum of an undergraduate major, leading to a Bachelors degree. (Students interested in the Certificate should consult Liberal Studies advising; some majors are less suitable for combination with the Certificate, leading to additional units of study beyond the 120 typically required for the Bachelor of Arts degree). Career opportunities For additional information, please consult the latest General University Catalog, available in the University Bookstore. Click here for an on-line version.
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Liberal Studies Department Craven Hall, Room 6140 California State University San Marcos San Marcos, CA 92096-0001 USA (760) 750-4104
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