2023-2024

Liberal Arts (Major - Option A, Option B, Option C)

Department

Pamela O'Brien, Dean, School of Arts, Sciences and Business

Degrees offered

Major

Campuses

Main Campus

The College of Arts, Sciences, and Business offers an Interdisciplinary Major to students in the College of Adult Undergraduate Studies and the Traditional Undergrade College. This Program of Study encourages the student to develop a broad understanding and appreciation of the main areas of human knowledge and values. Under the guidance of an academic advisor, the liberal arts student is encouraged to develop an integrated approach to the study of liberal arts.

Summary

Traditional Undergraduate and College of Adult Undergraduate Studies

Through the Liberal Arts Major, students select their courses to meet their interests and goals. For Option A, B and C discussed below, the Major consists of 12 courses, six of which must be at the 300- or 400-level. The courses in the interdisciplinary Major are exclusive of the General Education Requirements for the degree. The 12 courses required for the Major must be completed with a grade of C or higher. A student with transfer credits must also meet the above requirements. All students, including transfer students, must complete least eight total courses in the Liberal Arts major at Notre Dame.

Programs of Study

Option A

The student selects a primary track of seven courses (four of which must be upper-division) and a supporting track of five courses (including two upper-division courses). Students must complete at least two courses in each track at Notre Dame. The student is strongly advised to select the primary and supporting track prior to completion of 60 credits. Traditional undergraduate students may select from the following tracks:

Art Economics Philosophy
Biology Education Physics
Business English Political Science
Chemistry History Psychology
Classics Mathematics Sociology/Criminology
Computer Studies Modern Languages Religious Studies
Communication Arts/Digital 
Media Arts
Music

Students in the College of Adult Undergraduate Studies may select from among the following tracks:

Art (supporting track only) Education Sociology/Criminology
Business English Religious Studies
Computer Studies History

Courses Required for Option A (Credits):

Art

       ART-120 Art of Europe and the Near East or 
       ART-121 Art of Europe & the United States (3)

       Any one of the following:

       ART-101 Drawing I (3)
       ART-102 Color and Design (3)
       ART-103 Three Dimensional Design (3)
       ART-109 Basic Photography (3)
       ART-142 Painting I (3)

Biology

       BIO-111 Fundamentals of Biology (4)
       Either BIO-307 Ecology or BIO-311 Evolution (4)

Business

       One course in economics.

Chemistry

       Primary Track

       CHM-110 and 111 General Chemistry I and II (8)
       CHM-210 and 211 Organic Chemistry I and II (8)
       CHM-303 Analytical Chemistry (4)
       CHM-350 Chemical Literature (1)

       One of the following

       CHM-301 Physical Chemistry I (4)
       CHM-305 Instrumental Analysis (4)
       CHM-425 Biochemistry I (4)

Classics

       Primary track

       1 course in Latin or Greek, above the 103 level (3)
       6 courses selected with the approval of the liberal arts advisor

       Supporting track

       1 course in Latin or Greek, any level (3)

       4 courses selected with the approval of the liberal arts advisor

Communication Arts/Digital Media Arts

       There are no required courses; confer with your advisor.

Computer Studies

       CST-171 Programming Concepts (3)

Economics

       ECO-211 Introduction to Macroeconomics (3)
       ECO-212 Introduction to Microeconomics (3)

Education

       Consult with liberal arts advisor for a list of required courses.

English

       There are no required courses; confer with your advisor.

History

       There are no required courses; confer with your advisor. (GEO-206 does not count as a history course.)

Mathematics

       MAT-212 Calculus II (4)

Modern Foreign Languages

       Choice of:

       LFR-233 French for Oral Proficiency (3)
       LFR-234 French for Written Proficiency (3)
       One French culture or literature course (3)

       Or

       LSP-233 Spanish for Oral Proficiency (3)
       LSP-234 Spanish for Written Proficiency (3)
       One Spanish culture or literature course (3)

Music*

       Choose two required courses

       MUS-106 Music and Culture: Timeless Threads or
       MUS-107 Music and Culture: Lasting Legacies (3)
       MUS-148 Theoretical Studies I: Fundamentals (3)
       Additional courses selected from the music minor curriculum.
       Applied music courses do not count toward the required number of courses.

       *Requires written permission from the Department

Philosophy

       Choose one from the following:

       PHL-302 Philosophy of Human Nature
       PHL-305 Philosophy of Religion (3)
       PHL-321 Epistemology (3)
       PHL-374 Metaphysics (3)

       Choose one from the following:

       PHL-303 Ancient Philosophy (3)
       PHL-304 Medieval Philosophy (3)
       PHL-307 History of Modern Philosophy (3)
       PHL-309 History of Contemporary Philosophy (3)
       Must include ethics course if not taken as a general education values course.

Physics

       PHY-101 General Physics I (4)
       PHY-102 General Physics II (4)

Political Science

       POL-101 Introduction to Political Science (3)

Psychology

       PSY-210 Research Methods I (for first concentration only) (4)
       Only courses with a PSY designation are acceptable. PSY-105, PSY-461 and PSY-462 do not count toward this concentration.

Sociology/Criminology

       Primary Track

       SOC-101 Introduction to Sociology or CRM-101 Introduction to Criminology (3)
       SOC-209 Race, Class, and Gender (3)
       PSY-210 Research Methods I (4)
       SOC-350 Sociological Theory or CRM 303 Theories of Crime and Deviance (3)
       Two additional courses in SOC or CRM at the 300 level (6)
       One course in SOC or CRM at the 400 level (3)

       Supporting track

       SOC-101 Introduction to Sociology or CRM-101 Introduction to Criminology (3)
       SOC-209 Race, Class, and Gender (3)
       PSY-210 Research Methods I (4)
       SOC-350 Sociological Theory or CR- 303 Theories of Crime and Deviance (3)
       One course in SOC or CRM at the 400 level (3)

Religious Studies

       RST-201 Introduction to Biblical Studies (3)
       RST-315 Old Testament or RST-317 New Testament (3)
       One systematic theology course (3)
       One practical theology or religion and culture course (3)
       One religious ethics course (3)

Students with a primary track in Religious Studies will be expected to participate in the Religious Studies Capstone Experience, which includes a portfolio preparation workshop and compilation of a portfolio, an interview with department faculty, and a presentation to department faculty, current religious studies students and alumnae. Students with a supporting track will be invited to participate in the Capstone Experience and required only to attend the presentations.

Option B

This option is open to any student but should be chosen by students who plan to continue to the Master of Arts in Teaching.

Two courses (of student's choice) from each of the following: English; Science; Mathematics; Art or Music; History or Social Sciences; plus two elective courses in liberal arts and EDU-402. Six of these 12 courses must be at the 300/400 level.

Option C

The student selects a primary area of emphasis of seven courses (four of which must be at the 300- or 400-level) and a supporting area of emphasis of five courses (including two courses at the 300- or 400-level). Students must complete at least two courses in each area of emphasis at Notre Dame. The student is strongly advised to select the primary and supporting areas of emphasis prior to completion of 60 credits.

Areas of Emphasis

  • Natural Sciences and Mathematics: includes courses in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Studies, Mathematics, Physics
  • Social Sciences: includes courses in Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and Criminology
  • Arts and Humanities: includes courses in Art, Classical and Modern Foreign Languages, English, History, Music, Philosophy, Religious Studies
  • Professional Studies: includes courses in Business, Nonprofit Management, Communication Arts, Digital Media Arts, Education