Liberal Arts and Sciences: Humanities and Social Sciences

Division of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
Associate Dean: Deborah Beall

This program is highly transferable and provides flexibility and exploration in a wide variety of studies since it contains many free electives. The training in disciplines in this program is excellent preparation for careers in the following areas and professions: communications, media, public relations, law, international relations, political science, psychologist, social worker, editor, and college professor in humanities, communications, English, philosophy, music, theater, anthropology, economics, geography, government, history, psychology, and sociology. Students can choose to concentrate in an area that matches their interests, or they can develop a curriculum to suit a unique academic goal not met by any other program. By following a rigorous liberal arts and sciences curriculum, graduates will have developed capabilities in academic research and writing; an ability to apply scientific method and critical thinking skills to validate their own ideas and inquiries; sufficient math skills to deal with complex problems; an awareness and appreciation of living in a culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse society.

Students in this program must meet 7 of the 10 SUNY Knowledge and Skills areas, 2 core competencies (Critical Thinking and Information Literacy), and have 30 SUNY General Education credits. Please note that of the 7 Knowledge and Skills areas, the following 4 are required: Communication-Written and Oral; Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning; Natural Sciences and Scientific Reasoning; and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice. For more information on the SUNY General Education requirements please see General Education Requirements.

Graduates will have:

• Self-Direction (To Work on One’s Own) – The ability to independently define, plan, and complete a project in conformance with assigned criteria, locating, evaluating, integrating, and correctly documenting any necessary primary or secondary source material;
• Analytical skills (To Think) – The ability to evaluate the quality of a claim, concept or process by careful consideration of the appropriateness, relevance, and/or truth of the supporting evidence;
• Understanding of the World (To Know) – The ability to demonstrate a foundation knowledge of the Natural World, The Physical World, The Social/Cultural World, The Historical World and The Contemporary World;
• Problem Solving (To Discover) – The ability to determine the best of many possible solutions to problems, whether numerical, symbolic, ethical, linguistic, or social;
• Expressivity (To Communicate) – The ability to clearly present information through writing, speech, visual presentation, or performance;
• Understanding of Human Condition and Human Behavior (To Understand) – The ability to demonstrate a basic understanding of motive and resultant human behaviors and activities;
• Creativity (To Innovate) – The ability to devise and express original insights and/or distinctive relationships among concepts;
• World Citizenship (To Appreciate) – The ability to demonstrate fundamental appreciation of cultures other than one’s own.