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

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Offered by: College of Education and Integrative Studies, Liberal Studies Department

Major Required
Subplan/Option Required
Subplan/Option Electives

Unrestricted Electives
General Education Requirements

Major Required: 39 units

Note(s):

*Students interested in elementary teaching should take KIN 3260 /KIN 3260A and GSC 2120 /GSC 2120L to prepare for the California State Exam for Teachers (CSET) Multiple Subjects (one requirement to enter a teaching credential program). Taking KIN 4430 or GSC 1100 will apply towards graduation but will not provide the subject matter content necessary to pass CSET. If students who expect to take CSET Multiple Subjects do not complete these courses, they will need to self-study in those areas to prepare for the exam.

Subplan/Option Required: 18 units

Subplan/Option Electives: 18 units

Any combination of courses listed below will satisfy the required 18 units. Emphases are listed to provide guidance for helping students to choose courses of interest that best fit your career goals, but there is no requirement for choosing a specific emphasis for fulfilling these units.

Community Studies Emphasis: 18 units

Emphasis Recommended: 9 units

Emphasis Other: 9 units

Select 9 units from the following:

General Emphasis: 18 units

Lower Division Humanities, Social Science, and/or Natural Science (ENG, PHL, HST, ANT, PSY, SOC, GSC, BIO 1000-2999) - 6 units

Upper Division Humanities, Social Science, and/or Natural Science (ENG, PHL, HST, ANT, PSY, SOC, GSC, BIO 3000-4999) - 12 units

Pre-Professional Emphasis: 18 units

Emphasis Recommended: 9 units

Emphasis Other: 9 units

Select 9 units from the following:

Sustainability Emphasis: 18 units

Emphasis Recommended: 10 units

Emphasis Other: 8 units

Select 8 units from the following:

ANT 3500 - Environment, Technology and Culture (3) (B5 or D4)
AST 3420 - Life, the Universe, and Everything (3) (B5)
GEO 3030 - Climatology (3) (B5)
HST 4230 - Modern Science in World History (3) (C3 or D4)
PHL 3330 - Bioethics (3) (B5 or C3)
STS 2010 - Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society (3) (C2)

Unrestricted Electives: 0-27 units

Select a sufficient number of courses from “Major Required”, “Subplan/Option Required”, “Subplan/Option Electives”, “GE”, and “Unrestricted Electives” is at least 120 units.

General Education Requirements: 48 units

Students should view their Degree Progress Report (DPR) for information regarding their General Education requirements. Unless specific GE courses are required for their major, please refer to the list of approved courses in the General Education Program in the University Catalog, https://catalog.cpp.edu. When viewing the catalog, students should select the catalog year associated with the GE requirements listed in their Degree Progress Report.

	Course	Term Taken	Grade
Area A. English Language Communication and Critical Thinking (9 units) At least 3 units from each sub-area
1. Oral Communication
2. Written Communication
3. Critical Thinking
Area B. Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning (12 units) At least 3 units from each sub-area
1. Physical Sciences
2. Life Sciences
3. Laboratory Activity
4. Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning
5. Science and Technology Synthesis
Area C. Arts and Humanities (12 units) At least 3 units from each sub-area and 3 additional units from sub-areas 1 and/or 2
1. Visual and Performing Arts
2. Literature, Modern Languages, Philosophy and Civilization
3. Arts and Humanities Synthesis
Area D. Social Sciences (9 units) At least 3 units from each sub-area
1. U.S. History and American Ideals
2. U.S. Constitution and California Government
4. Social Science Synthesis
Area E. Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (3 units)
Area F. Ethnic Studies (3 units)

For an alternative and interdisciplinary way to complete some of their GE requirements, students may choose the Interdisciplinary General Education program, see below.

Interdisciplinary General Education: 18 units

An alternate pattern for partial fulfillment of GE Areas A, C, and D available for students is the Interdisciplinary General Education (IGE) program. Students should see an advisor for specific GE coursework required by their major. Please refer to the University Catalog General Education Program section for additional information.

How IGE fulfills General Education Requirements:

GE Area	Courses
A2	IGE 1100 and IGE 1200 Category II students are eligible to enroll in IGE 1100 (Fall) and IGE 1200 (Spring) as a two-course sequence to fulfill GE Area A2. Students who choose this sequence will also satisfy GE Area C2. Category III and IV students need to enroll in English composition courses in the A2 GE course list.
C1	IGE 2350
C2	IGE 1100 , IGE 1200 , IGE 2150 , or IGE 2250
C3	IGE 3100
D1	IGE 2150 or IGE 2250 Also satisfy American Institutions Part A
D4	IGE 3100

A single course cannot be double-counted across multiple GE Areas.

revised 07/12/2024

American Institutions: 6 units

Courses that satisfy this requirement may also satisfy GE Areas D1 and D2.

Graduation Writing Test

All persons who receive undergraduate degrees from Cal Poly Pomona must pass the Graduation Writing Test (GWT). The test must be taken by the semester following completion of 60 units for undergraduates.