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To prepare our students to become active citizens and capable professionals who impact their communities, workplaces, and society, contributing to a more inclusive and just world.

The Liberal Studies department cultivates interdisciplinary, civic-minded learners through its undergraduate program and unique Interdisciplinary General Education (IGE) pathway. In the State of California, Liberal Studies is the undergraduate major that provides subject matter competence for entering a multiple subjects teaching credential program and an interdisciplinary degree that can be partially designed for other careers. Guided by Cal Poly Pomona’s polytechnic ethos, students explore four program themes-social justice, sustainability, creativity, and wellness-while developing workplace skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and adaptability. The program provides a foundation for careers in K-9 teaching, education, public services, environmental stewardship, and health, as well as those preparing for graduate study. Courses blend liberal arts, design-thinking, citizen science, and service learning, offering engaging Signature Polytechnic Experiences(PolyX).

The IGE pathway delivers an innovative learning-community model that satisfies up to 18 units of University GE through discussion-based, active-learning courses. It emphasizes intellectual versatility and professional readiness through integrated exploration of humanities, social sciences, and arts. The IGE curriculum fosters effective communication, critical thinking, information literacy, multicultural understanding, aesthetic appreciation, values articulation, and integrative learning-skills essential for leadership in diverse professional and civic contexts.

Students build community and showcase excellence through events like the annual Liberal Studies Student Showcase. Program support includes faculty and peer advising, career counseling, and seamless K-9 teacher credential pathways. Learning is reinforced through mentorship, collaborative projects, and engagement in real-world problem-solving-positioning graduates for flexible, impactful careers in education, public institutions, non-profits, and beyond.

Programs

• Liberal Studies, B.A. - General Studies Subplan/Option: 120 units
• Liberal Studies, B.A. - Pre-Credential Subplan/Option: 120 units

• Global Humanities Minor: 21 units
• Science Education Minor: 30 units
• Sustainability Education Minor: 24 units

• Interdisciplinary General Education

Courses

• IGE 1020 - Engaged Education: Integrating Knowledge, Learning and Success (3)
• IGE 1100 - Who Am I?: Understanding Ourselves, Our Communities, and Our Worlds (3) [GE 3B]
• IGE 1200 - Faith, Passion, and Power: The Saga of the Ancient and Medieval Worlds (3) [GE 1A or 3B]
• IGE 2000 - Special Study for Lower Division Students (1-3)
• IGE 2100 - Empires, States, and Peoples: Cultural Contact and Exchange (3) [GE 3A or 3B]
• IGE 2150 - A Sustainable Tomorrow: From Industrialization to Ethical Environmentalism (3) [GE 3B or 4A] [AmInst-A]
• IGE 2200 - Encountering Difference: Culture and Power (3) [GE 3A or 3B]
• IGE 2250 - The Stranger: Encountering Difference and Creating Coexistence (3) [GE 3B or 4A] [AmInst-A]
• IGE 2300 - Ways of Doing: Culture, Society, and the Sciences (3) [GE 4A] [AmInst-A]
• IGE 2350 - Rival Empires: Representation and Resistance (3) [GE 3A]
• IGE 2400 - Ways of Living: Local, Global, and Universal Challenges (3) [GE 4A] [AmInst-A]
• IGE 2600 - Digital Culture, Race, and Ethnicity (3) [GE 6]
• IGE 2990 - Special Topics for Lower Division Students (1-3)
• IGE 2990A - Special Topics for Lower Division Students Activity (1-3)
• IGE 2990L - Special Topics for Lower Division Students Laboratory (1-3)
• IGE 3100 - Interdisciplinary Perspectives: Capstone Seminar (3) [GE 3C or 4C]
• IGE 3200 - Mad Scientists and Aliens: Science and Technology in Popular Culture (3) [GE 3C]
• IGE 3300 - Demons, the Undead, and the Monstrous Other (3) [GE 3C]
• IGE 3400 - Peoples and Cultures of Central Asia: Life along the Silk Road (3) [GE 4C]
• IGE 3500 - The Creative Process: Innovation and Transformation (3) [GE 3C or 4C]
• IGE 3600 - UFOs, Illuminati, and Other Conspiracy Theories (3) [GE 4C]
• IGE 4000 - Special Study for Upper Division Students (1-3)
• IGE 4990 - Special Topics for Upper Division Students (1-3)
• IGE 4990A - Special Topics for Upper Division Students Activity (1-3)
• IGE 4990L - Special Topics for Upper Division Students Laboratory (1-3)

• LS 1020 - Integrating Knowledge, Learning, and Engagement for Success (3)
• LS 2000 - Special Study for Lower Division Students (1-3)
• LS 2011 - Introduction to Liberal Studies: History, Purposes, and Critique of the Liberal Arts and Sciences (3)
• LS 2200 - Sound, Rhythm, and Race (3) [GE 6]
• LS 2230 - Infinite Blackness (3) [GE 6]
• LS 2990 - Special Topics for Lower Division Students (1-3)
• LS 2990A - Special Topics for Lower Division Students Activity (1-3)
• LS 2990L - Special Topics for Lower Division Students Laboratory (1-3)
• LS 3011 - Knowledge, Evidence, and Data in the Liberal Arts (3)
• LS 3012S - Language, Culture, and Education Service-Learning (3)
• LS 3021 - Interdisciplinary Humanities (3)
• LS 3031 - The Social Sciences and the Liberal Arts (3)
• LS 3041 - Science, Society, & You (3)
• LS 3042S - Equity Issues in K-9 Environmental and Science Education Service Learning (3)
• LS 4000 - Special Study for Upper Division Students (1-3)
• LS 4011 - Liberal Studies Special Topics in Humanities, Social Science or Natural Sciences (3)
• LS 4211 - Arts in Action (3)
• LS 4212 - Critical Performing Arts and Education (3)
• LS 4601S - Liberal Studies Synthesis Interdisciplinary Perspective on Contemporary Public Education (3)
• LS 4611W - Liberal Studies Senior Capstone (3)
• LS 4990 - Special Topics for Upper Division Students (1-3)
• LS 4990A - Special Topics for Upper Division Students Activity (1-3)
• LS 4990L - Special Topics for Upper Division Students Laboratory (1-3)